Round bale feeders

rrlund

Well-known Member
I'm convinced that nobody makes a bale feeder that'll last more than a month. I've been rolling and feeding round bales since 1979 and for the money I've spent on feeders in that time,I think I could have bought another 80 acres of ground.

Green River Gate used to make some mid priced feeders that would at least last an entire winter,but they went from a sheet metal band around the bottom,to putting four tubes there with a piece of strap iron tack welded to them every few feet to hold the tubes apart. The cows get up and stand their front feet on them,bend the strap iron or break the welds,then the welds at the end of the tubes break and before you know it you have a feeder that's two feet tall.

Forget the Tarters. It's like the tubes are pot metal and the slant bars are put on with chewing gum. It doesn't matter how much I spend of one of them,top dollar or cheapest ones they have,the best life expectancy for one is about three weeks. I knew better,but I bought two of them late last month. Middle of last week,the tubes were kinked on one panel on each of them. Next day,they were broken clean through. I brought both feeders up to the shop Friday,lapped them over to the next slant bar,laid a piece of rod down in the valley to have something to weld to and welded them back together. I just went and took some bales out. One of them has BOTH of the other panels kinked and cracked now. They'll be junk in an hour.

I've bought the super heavy Sioux feeders. The weld breaks where the slant bars weld to the tubes,they lift the tubes and break the welds at the end,then those are done for.

There are some on CL here locally that somebody's making out of oil field pipe,but those don't have a neck rail. I know what'll happen with those. They'll pull hay out,get a manure pack around them and start walking in to them and I'll ruin them trying to dig them out of the manure.

I went one winter not even using any. I had a heck of a big manure pack in the spring from them walking on it,laying on it and making a mess they wouldn't eat. Add to that,the ones that laid on the edge,rolled over with their feet in the air and died. This whole thing gets maddening.
 
Martins in Ontario make about the best bale feeder available in these parts,they're not as strong as they used to be but have the sheet metal on the bottom and you can if your careful get at least a couple years out of them,@$450 CDN
 

Your management must be quite different than mine. Are you leaving the ring in the same place for many bales, or do you move it?

I have a very small herd (4 mothers and their calves, and 4 horses). I lay my bales out on pallets in rows in a narrow paddock. I use poly wire on reels to only allow access to one at a time. I roll the feeder to each one by hand as I go.
No big manure pack, no rutted up pasture. Manure and waste hay enrich my pasture with no hauling.

I think I am more likely to damage my ring myself than from the cows.

This might not work at all in your farm, but it works for me. Lots of bigger producers are changing to a similar style, even in some pretty harsh winter areas. Look up 'Bale Grazing."

Or, maybe your cows are rough and mine are gentle.
 
There's about 35-40 cows in each group. The feeders just set out where they can push them around. I feed two bales a day in each one. The cows crowd around,push from every direction and it just kinks the tubes and crushes them. The Tarters anyway. I don't think I've ever had a kinked tube on a Green River,and they cut a groove in the S bar then weld it between the rings instead of just hammering the end flat and putting a halfazzed weld on them,but,like I said,they blew it with that four ring thing instead of two rings and a hay saver band. I've got one of the old ones that's been on concrete in a feedlot with 60+ head for three years or more,but they tend to fill up with waste and it holds them solid. I wish I could find half a dozen of the old style ones just to have here to use until they give out. I might at least get a few years out of that many.
 
I buy the plastic feeders that are mode out of what looks like 3" schedule 80 black plastic pipe. They are twice as high as the metal ones but they hold up very well. I've got a few that are over 10 years old. The only problem is they don't have a skirt so there is a little more waste. I've made skirts on a few of them out of an old trough liner. My local coop sells them but I don't know the brand or where they are made.
 
You should have some from our local blacksmith shop....always moved them by hooking them with the corner of the loader bucket, and dropped them over the bales. 70 cows didn"t wipe them out. He rolls his own rings with the hyd roller that he made. Shipping might be rough- they are one piece and don"t nest. I suppose I could roll one east when Lake Michigan freezes over. Dunno how long I used them before the cows went, but I never replaced one. Did have some pin together commercial ones that didn"t stand up.
 
I just googled it and this is what they sell that I've been buying.

http://tarterusa.com/tarter-products/poly-pipe-round-bale-feeder/
 
Tarter huh? They'd have to be cheap. I have good luck with their gates,but if it's for round bales,they'd about have to give me one to try out. Never mind their videos,let them see what my cows can do to their stuff.
 
Hmmmm. Just found one of those on CL fairly close to home,$150. Ad was just posted today. I wish I knew if it'd hold up for sure.
 
Check out J&L haysavers . I have the one with the rubber tire base cows don't push them around or waste hay. Mine are 4yr old .with 30 angus cows per feeder no problems. A bit pricey but they will be the last ones you will buy!
 
I would line my bales up in a long row then using poly wire feed one bale at a time that way the manure is spread and no starting a tractor. There are some out now that have a hopper and any that is pulled out is left in the bottom but still in the feeder.
What about grinding I've seen that done and if I remember the trick is dropping it in piles so cows won't walk the rows.
Anyone know the reason the bars are in at a slant? Apparently when cows turn there heads sideways there mouth opens.
 
Randy I have these type of feeders. They are not cheap. The last ones were $850 each. A local weld shop copied the Klene feeders. I have four with 100 cows on them. The older ones are over eight years old. As my old round pipe ones went bad I replaced them with these. I like how they keep the hay off the ground. I have very little waste as the bottom hay does not get wet. You need to feed with a loader as you need to set the bales in the top. I push mine to a different spot every few bales so the manure and mess is not all in one place. I feed out a ridge so the ground stays pretty solid year round.
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I remember going through this when we had cattle. Back when they made them I think we picked up 3 Vermeer feeders. Those were the only ones that were worth doing any repairs to. All the rest of the rings we had were junk.

Not much help as Vermeer hasn't made a ring for years. If we still had cows I am sure I would be making my own.

jt
 
I started a cow calf operation with my brother about 22 years ago. He had about 50 head of cows at the time and I'd just bought a place and 50 of my own. The man I got the cows from sold us his used round feeders and we still are using them. Guy here makes them still. 1 inch square tube 11 gauge in an 8 foot circle. Three bands on the bottom half and one on top. The bars are angled and welded all 4 places. Only trouble I've had is they will rust out on the bottom ring if you don't get them up out of the muck to dry out for the summer. Cows push them around on frozen or dry ground but only ones that have any damage is where I got lazy and poked em with the loader.
they are not hay-savers but they don't waste a lot. I made a couple of them myself out of 3/4 inch schedule 40 pipe that are 10 feet across and they waste almost nothing. I guess they have to reach for the hay so they don't back out so much. I don't try to stack the bales in them. One to a feeder so they clean it up each time works best. I've gotten 20+ years out of these and paid 75 bucks for them used. Not complaining!!!
Local CO-OP sells the original ones for around 300
 
Would unrolling the bales work? I never tried it, but I am told you can unroll them with the front tractor tire. Lots of guys on the cattle forum unroll. I don't like running the tractor in snow and ice, so I never tried.
 
Not sure if you can see it in the picture but a local place make them out of stainless tubing. Some are 20 years old. Also make all of our gates and feeders to. The barn roof is also stainless.
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Well I must be doing something wrong. I have the 8' round bar rings with slanted sides and about 8" between bars around the bottom. These have lasted me for years, I finally had to buy one new one this fall. I have 5 of them. This last one cost me 199.00 at the local coop feed store.

I have 3 setting out with the cows and calves and 2 more that are near my barn yard for the heifers and fat steers.

Lift them with the bale spear on my loader to move them each time I feed a bale.

I store them on a very steep slope under white oak trees during the summer. The oldest ones have to be at least 10 years old or more.
 
I had the same luck. The cattle just crush the lighter duty bale feeders. If you have a Winkel dealer in your area I'd look into those. That's what I've been buying and had good luck so far. First time I bought some I went with the heavy duty one's. Found out they are really heavy. Sometimes about all I can do to lift one. If its frozen to the ground I've bumped them with the bale to break them loose but sometimes it's a lost cause. Next time I bought some I went with the lighter duty one's. I've had those a couple years now and they are holding up very well.
 
(quoted from post at 17:28:14 11/27/16) Tarter huh? They'd have to be cheap. I have good luck with their gates,but if it's for round bales,they'd about have to give me one to try out. Never mind their videos,let them see what my cows can do to their stuff.

I don't know if the ones I have are Tarter or not. Like I said, I have 10 or 12 of them and some are over 10 years old. I think I gave around $200 for the last ones. Our winters aren't as harsh as some but we do have occasional days where it dips below zero, I've never broken one and they don't sink into the mud as bad as the metal ones. For my money they are as good as I've tried. I've got a few of the Preifert metal feeders that are all bent up. I usually don't have rust problems even with the metal because I store them off of the ground after winter, they usually just bend and break.
 
Ya,I knew what you meant. Hard to find a used one and the new ones are about half the price of a new car.
 
I've tried. They waste about half of it. It leaves the mess spread out all over creation,kills the pasture and leaves it too spread out to clean up with the loader in the spring. I'd prefer to have it all in one manure pack.
 
I'd try and find some that are local made. Might cost a little more, but would be well worth it. I have 18 bale feeders, about half are local made ones and half are commercial built that I have bought cheap on auctions or off craigslist. ( I never pay over $50 for the lcommercial ones.) Anyway, the 9 or so that I have that came from a local welder who built bale feeders in the 1980's are still rock solid. I use these for the cow herd. The commercial ones I use for young stock and horses. The cows trash the commercial ones in short order here in MN winters too.
 
My friend just bought one, it's only 16 foot and was $2400, I think the longer ones are around $3200 to $3500 like in my picture,
 
I was just looking at CL again. The guy who makes the first ones I mentioned out of oil field pipe,that don't have a neck rail,has some with a rail too. Leaves me scratching my head. The ones with the rail are $50 less than the ones without. He lists the ones with,as being for horned cattle. Makes me wonder if he got the pictures crossed up.
 
Check out myd distributors web site, they have alot of nice products, I have a set of there headlocks, very well built. There must be something out there you can find a deal on.
 
Used to use bale feeders(mostly homemade) with similar results as you guys.then I took two old ear corn wagons ,stripped them down to the frame then made a rack with 2 7/8 pipe welded to the frame.3 -900 lb. bales on each wagon.the tongue on the second wagon was attached to the first with a 8 ft chain so when the wagons were placed the chain would fall to the ground out of the way.cows and calves can't trample the hay and you can move it around.also once through the gate coming from the hay storage,not 9 times
 
We have an old guy in the neighborhood who makes round feeders out of 3/4" sucker rod. They're expensive, but I've never heard of one wearing out. You have to get on a list and wait a couple of months - they sell quicker than he can make them.
 
My young fella made one for us in welding class last year,just 4 straight 6'feeder gates formed in a square,only cost $150 for materials but it's pretty rugged
 
we sell plastic feeders and have for 10 years ---they are guaranteed for 7 yrs call me at link_disallowed for details ask for larry thanks
 
Will add my thoughts on the feeders. First my experience is with beef cows. It seems to me you need more feeder space, this would reduce the pushing on the feeder. I used the round feeders for years then switched to the feeders on wheels that would hold 3 or 4 bales and found that the waste was greatly reduced. In my case I had two feeders, so I could pull a full one into the yard and take the empty one out with the same trip.
 
The feeders on wheels sounds like a great idea rrLund. I dont know how many head of cows you have but sounds like a great idea even if you have to hitch a couple wagons together and pull them out to the cows. And pull a set of empty's back. Might be worth a try anyways..
 
If I read your post correctly you may have too many cows per feeder. If I read correctly you are feeding 35 head per feeder. I usually have one hay ring per 15 to 20 head. I usually get 5 to 6 years per ring.
 
We went to making heavy use pad. Just fabric 53's and capped off with 3-4" of lime. Getting them out of the mud has been a huge difference. Just take the loader and clean them off every few weeks. We made them in thin woods with a gravel road already in it right off road. We never get in the mud anymore then just run the mess through the spreader in the spring time. I stagger two rows and put 4 or 5 per pad then stagger the opposite way then clean off. Check with your soil and water office. They will usually help out on the cost
 
I fed round bales for years by unrolling them on the ground worked best when there was snow cover. Fed late afternoon. Cows would clean it up pretty good by the following afternoon. Had to be careful not to put out too much at once as they would waste a lot then. Just how I did, may not work for others. Just an FYI: I fed 100 cows on about 100 x 500 ft. area all winter. We had lots of snow so they always had a "clean plate" to eat off of. By spring the manure was about a foot thick. You can still see where I did this 15 years later. Nice layer of black dirt there.
 
I can put 60-70 on them in the feedlots,it's the ones out in the field with the brood cows that get torn up in a matter of a few weeks. I don't know how half as many cattle can tear one up so quick.
 
Biggest trouble with pulling anything in and out,they think they have to follow it. I just about need somebody there to open and close gates. If I'm coming in with a load,they'll run right out around it before I can stop and get to the gate. I know that from taking chopped corn in with the front unloader wagon.
 
You'd be surprised how little is wasted with just two 2 7/8 pipes welded about 3 ft apart sitting 3 ft off the ground on a wagon frame.cows have to pick it off the bale a mouthful at a time and can't walk on the bale.length of the rack can vary on your situation or length needed for your bales.sure is quick and easy, bring the two wagons hooked together to hay pile,load em then haul them to the cows and done.and is VERY easy to make using about any old trailer or wagon you've got
 
I've bought 2 feeders in the decade or so I"ve been feeding rounds and they are still fine. Only a small herd so maybe they don't push too hard. The only way I've come close to damaging one was trying to move it with the tractor when frozen down. I have to get out the pick and chop the ice away or else they will bend.
Feeding Cows With The 40
 
Ya there's that but I only had to worry about gates going to get the empty ones.cows would follow me when loaded with bales
 
I'm farther South but I just unroll the hay out in a cow pasture,pick a different spot every day,manure is already spread in the Spring.When they're calling for much snow I put out a bunch of bales near some Cedar Trees and a creek generally enough for 4 or 5 days and the cows have enough to eat,can lie down on whats left of the bales,use the Cedar trees for shelter and can get water from the creek.Couldn't pay me to fool with round bales feeders.
 
Lay one of those cattle crossing guards on the ground to drive over. Cows want walk across it because of the pipe spacing and you could just drive over and not even have a gate. Could be pretty slick operation. I do like the idea of the cows eating off the trailer than off the ground. Its does make sense that it would not be much waste of hay.
I say anything that would maybe make a job easier is worthy of a try.
 
Why pull it in and out? Just bring the bales to it like you do the round bale feeders, ya as the guy below mentioned, get those pipe grates at the gate, the cows will not walk over it. Ill try to get a pic of my friends tomorrow.
 
Hey Randy - if you have a Winkle Mfg dealer around and can buy one of their heavy duty Bull Feeders they will last. I have had one of mine for a dozen years or so with cattle and the last 6 years with the 2000# draft horses. And believe me the drafts can do some serious pushing. You would like the Winkle Bull feeders. Bob
 
I have a Hi quall 9ft bull feeder that is very heavy duty. Seems like it cost me 900 dollars but by the time you figure you go threw 3or 4 cheap ones its paid for itself. Have had good luck so far with the black plastic pipe one also. ours has the skirt on the bottom. Think the loader would wreck these before the cows would.
 
Best way to solve the problem is sell them in the fall and buy them back in the spring, then no need to fuss;) I have been getting Applegate bale rings for 200 at a Hardware Hank store, (14 gauge) only time one has broke was when I dropped a 2000 pound silage bale on the side of one, looked like an accorden on one side.
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Can't help you a bit with the feeders Randy.
I built wooden mangers and hauled idiot cubes.
But when we had to haul wagons in to restock the barn, etc.
we just put up two gates. One inside the other. Open the first,
drive in and close it. Open the second and drive through.
If the cattle get "out" they're only out to the first gate.
Shoo them back inside when you're on your way out and close
the inside gate. Might not work on your setup, but it saved us
a lot of time chasing them down. Ya, it was two times getting
off the tractor but I was young then and would still prefer that
to chasing cattle! :)
 
I bought a used heavy one like that 6 yrs ago at auction for 35 bux in the pouring down rain ,my 40 head have not destroyed it yet ,., . the thin cheap ones aint even worth 45 bux new imho
 
We have a few different tree lines where we feed, we push the bale up against the trees so they can't bet around the whole bale. We loose a lot less hay doing it that way compared to using bale feeders. The trees don't cost any money, and the cattle can't "bend up" the trees.
 
(quoted from post at 13:24:10 11/27/16) Martins in Ontario make about the best bale feeder available in these parts,they're not as strong as they used to be but have the sheet metal on the bottom and you can if your careful get at least a couple years out of them,@$450 CDN

Been running a pair of these for several winters, they still look like new.
 
Last year I bought a Hay manager brand bale feeder. They are very heavy duty and the cows can't tear them up. They are expensive (~900 bucks), but I also cut my hay consumption by ~30% over using just a bale ring.

I like the design and the hay savings (saved hay = more cows) so I'm going to buy one or two more in the next few weeks.
 

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