A Chilean dairy farm halves their feedout time thanks to the Hustler Unrolla TE205 bale feeder

Published 24th March 2022
Chile

Mauricio Martinez and his son, Mauricio Jr, are very different types of farmers. While the father has a lot of faith in the “School of Life”, the son studies Agricultural Engineering at Austral University, but one thing they agree on is their Hustler Unrolla bale feeder.

Mauricio Jr was very keen on investing in the Hustler Unrolla TE205 trailed bale feeder, but Mauricio Sr was skeptical at first. But “with time he realized that the machine is very practical and easy to use,” says Jr of his father, “and that he can do the work by himself.” Overall, a great family decision for a great family farm.

 

La Chacra ranch, owned and managed by Mauricio Martínez and his son Mauricio Jr, is located in Puerto Octay, a commune of the Los Lagos Region, Chile. The area was settled by German settlers in 1852 and was an important port with regular traffic to Puerto Varas before the railway opened in 1912.

The ranch is a dairy operation run by Mauricio and his wife and his son Mauricio Jr, so it is very much a family business. Mauricio Jr has been raised his whole life on the farm and found that this is the job he wants to do. “I have a passion for it, so I decided to study agricultural engineering at Austral University,” Mauricio Jr told us.

On the farm, they milk about 500 dairy cows. Chilean agriculture and especially the dairy sector has experienced a labour shortage since the middle of the 1980s, mainly caused by the competition of other economic sectors. This situation impacted the MartĂ­nez family’s operation. “Nowadays it´s a little tough because we can’t find workers for the farm, so we have to do more with fewer people,” Mauricio Jr explained.

 

 

To face this issue, Mauricio Jr advocated mechanising the farm, which was not a strategy that his father originally wanted to follow. “It is not easy working with my son. He has different ideas. They are a younger generation I would say. I didn’t study at a University. I learned through trial and error, and the ‘School of the life’ is very good,” Mauricio said. 

 

“Now we spend only half of the day feeding the animals. Before it took us the full day feeding 20 bales in winter.”

 

But eventually, Mauricio gave in and the family invested in Hustler Unrolla TE205 trailed bale feeder. “The Hustler feeder allows us to feed the animals with only one person, in a short time and with few workers. Before the Hustler, feeding out took so much more time and required more people. Now we spend only half of the day feeding the animals. Before it took us the full day feeding 20 bales in winter,” Mauricio Jr detailed.

 

 

The Hustler Unrolla TE205 is designed to carry two bales at once. Hustler’s unique Total Control Loading (TCL2) is a clever back-end self-loading system. With just one hydraulic cylinder to complete the entire loading operation and a new gas strut to help reset the loader, the TCL2 is the fastest loading system out there. It’s also safer and less demanding on your tractor’s hydraulics. Unlike other systems, the operator can reverse the bale if necessary, even once the bale is positioned low over the cradle for unwrapping.

“I was thinking about getting the Hustler for a really long time. It’s practical and it allows us to feed into paddocks instead corrals, and that protects the cow´s hooves,” Mauricio Jr continued. Soon enough, “my father realised that the machine is very practical and easy to use, and that he can do the work by himself, without any help. So that’s really good,” Mauricio Jr concluded.

 

“The Hustler has been great for the farm, and it’s worked fantastic.”

 

“My son was right about investing in this. It was the right choice. Very good. The return on investment is wonderful,” Mauricio admitted after a few months of use. “This is a very robust machine, very strong, good materials, good steel, easy to work with.”

 

 

  • Chains

Zinc-plated chains rated to 24,000lbs with the larger diameter rollers and pins make our chain drive system almost twice as strong as our competitors. And the greater surface on each roller pin increases chain life because they can’t stretch or snake.

  • Feedbars

Bars are 4-5 times stronger torsionally than angle-type bars of the same size. We’ve bolted them to the chain which is stronger and for different bale types, blank bars or bars with more aggressive teeth are available and can simply be bolted on in a matter of minutes.

  • Bearings

Protected double-sealed heavy-duty 4-bolt bearings with trash shields are mounted outboard of the Trailed Round Bale Feeder feeding chamber. Making them last longer than internally mounted bushes.

  • Sprockets

Our 6 tooth sprockets are made from Bisalloy (the same material a bulldozer blade is made from) so they last forever. With smaller diameter sprockets less torque is required to drive the chains, giving more drive power for tough bales. Designed so it is impossible for the chain to jump off the sprocket saves you downtime in the field.

  • Drive

A beefed-up drive system, including a newly designed coupling, provides unparalleled direct-drive strength, while a bigger motor allows you to feed even the heaviest and sloppiest bales with ease.

 

 

“It’s so simple, anyone could run it.”

 

“The technology isn’t very complex, not a lot of buttons, that could confuse you or the workers. This is a simple machine and functional,” Mauricio explained. The Hustler Unrolla TE205 bale feeder is also simplistic to use. 100%-hydraulically driven, it requires only one pair of double-acting – the Total Control Loading back-end self-loading system being operated thanks to a diverter valve. 

“The best part is, you can use any tractor with it. It doesn’t require much power,” Mauricio said. Even a small tractor can handle the Hustler Unrolla TE205 as long as the hydraulic flow can deliver steadily 30 to 40 litres/min at 2250-3000psi. “We haven’t had to repair it once since we bought it about one, two years ago. I´m delighted with the machine. Very good,” Mauricio concluded.

 

“It was a good investment, definitely worth it.”

 

Do you want to know more about Hustler’s implement range? Contact us today, you’ll be glad you did!

 

 

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