Bale unroller

[DrDunc]

Will the likes of a hustler bale unroller manage solid centre chopped haylage?

I currently feed them out with a McHale straw blower, but after all the years of bedding and 10,000 ish bales of haylage, it's starting to show it's age.

Will an unroller be slower feeding out a bale? It's a bit tricky getting a demo now that everyone has ducked for Covid cover.....

 

[Magnificent Earwig]

Will the likes of a hustler bale unroller manage solid centre chopped haylage?

I currently feed them out with a McHale straw blower, but after all the years of bedding and 10,000 ish bales of haylage, it's starting to show it's age.

Will an unroller be slower feeding out a bale? It's a bit tricky getting a demo now that everyone has ducked for Covid cover.....

No experience with the Hustler, but we used to have a Cooks bale unroller and that had no problem with either silage or haylage, mind you we are going back 15years but I guess ours would unroll a bale in about a minute so reasonable quick.
I wish we still had it to be honest.

 

[Tim G]

If the mchale has done well why not update it?

 

[hally]

We have had both, the hustler will feed your bales no bother but it struggle with wet out of shape baled , it will be no slower feeding out than the Mchale. We have come to the conclusion that silage bales through a blower is hard on them and not really what they are designed to do. If going back to that way I would swap them regularly.

 

[HarryB97]

Hustlers are brilliant especially the new chainless ones. Absolutely bombproof they don’t block, light weight and don’t smash the leaves off clover and Lucerne.

 

[seedman stains]

Whats wrong with one of these http://www.sgmeng.co.uk/index.php/5 perhaps chopped maybe difficult but normal solid centre and straw no problems

 

[Wombat]

Whats wrong with one of these http://www.sgmeng.co.uk/index.php/5

I bought one off a member on here and its great.

 

[DrDunc]

We have had both, the hustler will feed your bales no bother but it struggle with wet out of shape baled , it will be no slower feeding out than the Mchale. We have come to the conclusion that silage bales through a blower is hard on them and not really what they are designed to do. If going back to that way I would swap them regularly.

Aye I'm thinking I could keep the McHale blower just for straw, and use an unroller on the loader tractor for haylage. Cheaper machinery replacement costs, less fuel and tractor wear and tear when only bedding, and the loader isn't sitting idling between bales when it's feeding out haylage.

Hustlers are brilliant especially the new chainless ones. Absolutely bombproof they don’t block, light weight and don’t smash the leaves off clover and Lucerne.

How do you get the net and plastic off on the chainless ones?

On the chained ones it looks easy just sitting the bale on, cutting around the plastic, then giving the floor chains a whirl to move the bale round a bit to free the plastic and net trapped underneath.

 

[michael N123]

Just trade the bedder in for a fresh one

even If you get a roller you’ve still a worn out bedder that’ll want changed before it’s worth nothing

 

[DrDunc]

Just trade the bedder in for a fresh one

even If you get a roller you’ve still a worn out bedder that’ll want changed before it’s worth nothing

That would be the simplest, but it wouldn't reduce machinery overhead and labour costs, and you would have greater depreciation offset.

Us hill suckler boys rearing stores with a winter of them lying inside on bought in straw need to improve efficiency. The payback on a diet mixer isn't justifiable for 90 head, so I'm looking at alternatives. It's not just a hobby keeping cows you know

 

[Nearly]

@Drillman is a convert

 

[Drillman]

Hustler bale unroller here doing chopped and in chopped solid centre bales no issue.

would have 2 bales thru the hustler quicker Than one in a blower.

we use ours for straw bedding as well and find it much faster than a blower and straw useage is similar.

best bit is very few moving parts and only the loader to start up on a morning.

 

[The Seeker]

id say it depends on your set up and you feeding in yards or out on the hill? maybe ebven look at bale shear depending on your set up ?

 

[kill]

Will the likes of a hustler bale unroller manage solid centre chopped haylage?

I currently feed them out with a McHale straw blower, but after all the years of bedding and 10,000 ish bales of haylage, it's starting to show it's age.

Will an unroller be slower feeding out a bale? It's a bit tricky getting a demo now that everyone has ducked for Covid cover.....

I purchased a Hustler 18 months ago and after forking 3 chopped SILAGE bales up off the floor into troughs , I sent it back as it just wouldn’t turn chopped bales and just threw them off the side it was feeding to.
My rep demanded I try a chainless Hustler and would send a Tech out with it and the result was another two bales to fork up into the troughs as it done exactly the same so second machine was sent home again.
I think in haylage it would be fine but it wasn’t the tool for me or for placing feed into troughs.

 

[DrDunc]

id say it depends on your set up and you feeding in yards or out on the hill? maybe ebven look at bale shear depending on your set up ?

Predominantly feeding into sheds with narrow passages, though two are outside with an overhang. Bale shear would be clumsy and difficult to distribute evenly here. Hills are too wet to out winter cattle, though back end they go get a bale in a ring feeder.

 

[DrDunc]

I purchased a Hustler 18 months ago and after forking 3 chopped SILAGE bales up off the floor into troughs , I sent it back as it just wouldn’t turn chopped bales and just threw them off the side it was feeding to.
My rep demanded I try a chainless Hustler and would send a Tech out with it and the result was another two bales to fork up into the troughs as it done exactly the same so second machine was sent home again.
I think in haylage it would be fine but it wasn’t the tool for me or for placing feed into troughs.

There's a flimsy looking chute accessory attachment that helps feeding into troughs, presumably that wasn't fitted?

There's also a restraining bar that can be fitted to stop bales getting thrown overboard, I presume the salesman didn't offer this either?

 

[Drillman]

I purchased a Hustler 18 months ago and after forking 3 chopped SILAGE bales up off the floor into troughs , I sent it back as it just wouldn’t turn chopped bales and just threw them off the side it was feeding to.
My rep demanded I try a chainless Hustler and would send a Tech out with it and the result was another two bales to fork up into the troughs as it done exactly the same so second machine was sent home again.
I think in haylage it would be fine but it wasn’t the tool for me or for placing feed into troughs.

There is a rail as an option that can be fitted to stop that happening. We’ve had a few funny shaped bales thru ours that have fallen off but on The whole it’s been great. I am going to price the guide bars though and if there not silly money get a pair.

 

[Optimus]

Hustler does look good.but for now I'll just keep placing bales in front of the barrier or just peel it off an reverse back a bit each time.bit labour intensive but keeps me fit and a forks not to expensive

 

[kill]

There's a flimsy looking chute accessory attachment that helps feeding into troughs, presumably that wasn't fitted?

There's also a restraining bar that can be fitted to stop bales getting thrown overboard, I presume the salesman didn't offer this either?

Nope. Idea of the Hustler looked good but it just didn’t work for me.

 

[Greythundercloudys]

Iv a rotation bale spike, daisy d made them up at Perth, had it 30 years but lm wanted to get a hustler type machine as you have to fork it up to the front of the animals, sheep in my case, gregson had two clean ones for sale 2250£ but are sold. Defo looking for one for next year, threw the summer. But the spike works OK.