Loading Semi-Trailers

Over this past year, we've made some contacts or been approached with some buyers that are interested in something more than the full-size pick-up with utility trailer attached - load of hay (100ish bales).  Some are interested in bringing out a 53' semi-trailer/enclosed-van type body.  From what I can tell, probably get 600ish square bales in one of these.

 

I kind of got mixed feelings about taking on such customers as we are a small operation, we don't have bale bandits, grapples, skid-steers or tele-handlers.  We don't have loading docks, etc.  We do have plenty of space to bring in a large semi-trailer, access to our barn/shelters.  Mixed feelings with respect to lack of equipment and seriously doubt buying it, even used, would pencil out.  Also mixed feelings about man-handling 600ish bales into a semi on a hot august day.  Barn is hot enough, I can only imagine how much hotter it is in side that trailer!  Can we expect the driver to help load/stack?

 

What I've been able to glean from reading forum posts is there are several ways to load up a semi-trailer.

 

Loading dock and bale bandit type bundles loaded by skid steer - much investment required.

 

A loading dock and skid steer with grapple load driving down into the trailer as well as unloading from the barn.  Still expensive.

 

Grapple system where a grab of bales are set on the trailer - 2 bales high and then pushed to the rear with another 2 high grab of bales until the trailer is loaded out.  An accumulator/grapple system (I especially like the Kuhn accumulators) is not out of the question, but still expensive.  Probably cheaper than a trip to the ER with a heart attack from wrestling 600 bales of hay in the heat of a semi-trailer....

 

Then there is the hard labor route where you lift and walk every bale out of the barn, into the trailer and stack!  Prefer not to go there.

 

With the exception using a loading dock along with skid steer managing a grapple or bale bandit bundle, once the hay is on the trailer, I gather it still needs manually stacked.  Maybe the telehandler can get the bales up on the trailer and pushed to the rear, but the manual stacking effort is still required.

 

Then there is the front end of the loading - just getting the bales out of the barn.  Goodly bit of labor just getting the bales to the semi-trailer off the stack.  You got your slick New Holland bale wagon that picks-up from the field and makes a nice stack in the barn, but is that stack friendly to a grapple or do you have to man handle those bales to get them out of the barn too?

 

Here's what I'm thinking - on a low budget.

 

1.  There is no getting around manually unstacking bales from the barn and once on the trailer - re-stacking them.

 

2.  To get out of carrying bales out of the barn, up onto the trailer and then 53ft to the rear - why not set up a set of chain type conveyors like one used to put bales in the loft from back in the day?

 

The thought is - conveyors are relatively cheap and plentiful.  Put the conveyors in series, removing one as the truck fills and let the conveyor do the "walking" of the bales from the barn to the trailer.  One person loading the conveyor at the barn end and another in the trailer - at minimum.

 

This is the only way I can figure skinning the semi-trailer cat on a low budget - short of turning down the business in favor of smaller loads of 20 to 100 bales per customer, which is more typical our customer base presently.  It would be nice to sell out sooner than later and 600 bales at a pop would definitely accelerate emptying our sheds.

 

Other concerns:  You've just baled hay.  The semi-trailer is waiting until you fill the wagon and they want the hay to go straight in to the trailer.  I have it in my mind that I want to hold the hay for a month before selling - just to let it sweat-out such that it's my barn that burns down vs a customer and to feel good that there is no dusty hay.  I have concerns about loading fresh baled hay, regardless if the meter is showing 11% humidity in the bale or 23% humidity and buffered propionic acid has been applied - going into a nearly air tight semi-trailer that is spanking hot under the summer sun.  Is that a concern of yours?  Do you sell your squares straight off the field?  Any risk/fear that keeps you from doing it?  Thoughts?

 

Sooooooo - conveyors to walk the hay from the barn deep into the trailer or limit the load size to a 100 or so bales per customer and forget the semi-trailer business potential all together?

 

Anyone man handling every bale from the barn to stacking out the trailer - maybe it ain't no big deal..... ?

 

Other suggestions?

 

Any sage advice/experience is much appreciated.

 

Thanks!

Bill

Loading Semi-Trailers