Which wrapped bale handler

[farmerbill]

Which type wrapped bale handler is best for mostly round bales but also a few squares?

Elephant trunk style or parallel squeeze style?

Benefits/ drawbacks of each?

 

[RhysT]

We use a Mchale soft hands but we do stack on ends. It’s very versatile.
It’s good carrying square bales too until they get to about 5ft odd long. We bought a second one after 18 Months as we were pleased with the first one and to save swapping it over from tractor to handler.

 

[biggmw]

I would second the mchale soft hands.

Cracking tool and we do all feedig out with it as well pulling rounds apart etc (chopped).

Will as said handle square to a size and also used here for 8x4x4 straw lifted from the top.

Great tool.

 

[Ducati899]

Yep Mchale soft hand one here too [emoji1303]

 

[ih1455xl]

Same here love it

 

[Agrispeed]

Ive just bought a Albutt F352 over the top grab to do a mix of rounds and squares.

Very impressed, its a fairish chunk of metal but very well finished and very heavily built. The arm has quite a neat design too. It wasn't exactly cheap though.

 

[euroliner]

I seen on J bourne tractors website he had a fairly decent looking one for around 700 anyone had any experience of it

 

[Poorbuthappy]

Anyone using soft hands type find any issue damaging wrap if only using 4 layers?
I'm used to over top type which are squeezing on the ends where there's extra wrap

 

[biggmw]

We tend to have 6 layers but have handled fours too.
Have never seen any issues with either that couldn't be blamed on me as opposed to machine!! Very odd bale damaged but that is generally doing something slightly wrong!

 

[Mouser]

We tend to have 6 layers but have handled fours too.
Have never seen any issues with either that couldn't be blamed on me as opposed to machine!! Very odd bale damaged but that is generally doing something slightly wrong!

Can't Imagine another couple of microns of plastic will save a bale from mechanical damage!

 

[Bullring]

Ive just bought a Albutt F352 over the top grab to do a mix of rounds and squares.

Very impressed, its a fairish chunk of metal but very well finished and very heavily built. The arm has quite a neat design too. It wasn't exactly cheap though.

How is the albutt 12 months on, I've been looking at one for mainly round bales with the occasional squares. Is it easy to remove bales from the trailer The quicke topgrip looks identical but cheaper. The albutt man I spoke to at a highland show said quicke copied their design and the quicke man said albutt make some of their larger implements and on looks it is identical apart from welded euros on the quicke vs bolt on on the albutt.

 

[TripleSix]

I've a slewtic one with the 2 rollers because it cost me £163....

 

[Agrispeed]

How is the albutt 12 months on, I've been looking at one for mainly round bales with the occasional squares. Is it easy to remove bales from the trailer The quicke topgrip looks identical but cheaper. The albutt man I spoke to at a highland show said quicke copied their design and the quicke man said albutt make some of their larger implements and on looks it is identical apart from welded euros on the quicke vs bolt on on the albutt.

Quicke one is the same grab from what I've seen, they are identical

The grab works well. I can pick up 2, 6' long, 4 string bales end on, so stacking square silage bales on trailers is very quick. Round bales are pretty much as quick as any other grab, as its quicker to get them on and stacked but a bit slower to get them off the trailer.

The only downside is that it can be a bit fiddly to get the arm in between bales if they are tight together as it sort of floats, and it can bang on the road a bit, but is excellent to stack with, as the arm is pulled completely out from between bales, there is a knack of wriggling the arm down or rocking the bale back and is quite easy once you're used to it

I actually use it to move pallets and bags of rock salt as its easier than digging out pallet forks.

being Albutt it is very well made and finished.


I was actually using it chasing 750kg+ 3x3 arable silage bales in the rain today with zero problems or slipped bales.