Australian cattle and sheep farmer is “more than happy” with his Hustler Chainless bale feeder

Cattle & sheep farmer Chris Box from Carboor, Victoria in Australia is “more than happy” with his Hustler Chainless TX205 double bale feeder. He loves how versatile the machine is and how easily he can switch between feeding out to his cattle and to his sheep. “I need something that’s pretty flexible,” he says.

“This Hustler machine … it actually tears the silage rolls to bit much easier … which allows them to feed out much quicker and smoother and in a … much nicer line.” So what does he think could be fixed about it? “I can’t really find any faults with it … they’ve actually got it pretty sorted!”

Watch Chris’ testimonial video to find out more about the Hustler Chainless TX205 bale feeder!

Chris Box’s farm is located in Carboor, a small rural village in the northeast of the State of Victoria, Australia approximately 200 km from the city of Melbourne. Since the warmest month mean reaches 22 °C (72 °F), the area would have a humid subtropical climate.

Despite its classification, it is located in a transitional region that also tends to receive dry searing winds from the northwest. Livestock farming in the area requires high input in the driest months – especially at the end of summer. This is why Chris supplements grazing with hay and silage for both his cattle and sheep. However, Chris has been lucky with the weather this year. “We’ve had plenty of rain so it hasn’t been feeding a lot. But normally, at this time, the year is quite droughty and we feed – I feed hay and silage every second day generally. And with some grain mixing with pellets for the sheep,” Chris said.

“The Hustler makes it a bit more convenient for getting the job done”

Chris discovered the Hustler brand for the first time at the Henty Machinery Field Days, one of the largest outdoor agricultural events in Eastern Australia. He immediately “liked the look of ’em.”

Chris owned lots of different feed carts in the past but decided to buy his Hustler a couple of years ago for his local farm machinery dealer CadMac in Wodonga. And beyond appreciating the look of the machines, “after using it, I’m happier, it works extra well because the top roller runs at twice the speed to the second roller,” Chris explained. 

“It just ticks the boxes so well”

The versatility of the machine was also a big advantage for Chris. “When you’re feeding cows out and you want to be thicker, you just lift the roll up onto the top roll. And if you want to feed sheep a bit slower, we just leave it on the bottom roller and it teases it out at a steadier rate,” Chris detailed. 

The axial rotor of the Hustler Chainless system incorporate centralising paddles that keep the bale positioned in the centre of the feeding chamber to minimise wastage and provide better grip on soft bales. 

Many hours of research and development have gone into the shape of the rotor teeth to make them clean easier, and have more aggression on tight bales. The Chainless has 5 teeth per rotor to provide extra grip on soft bales.

Usually, Chris spreads the feed over the paddocks, at a different place each time. At certain times of the year, he also uses hay rings, but he figured using the bale feeder was better when he has several different mobs of sheep to feed in several paddocks. “I need something that’s pretty flexible as far as motoring around putting hay in or silage in all the paddocks,” Chris said. “So you’ve got total control on what sort of feed rate you get.”

“I’m more than happy with it”

According to Chris, the self-loading system of the Hustler Chainless TX205 is also far better than the other feed carts he used in the past. “Other feed carts that I’ve used at the loading it out on the – well, how the mechanism works to pick the roll up and hold it and then you got full control of it. And that the feed roll was it’s good to feed out,” he explained.

The single hydraulic ram of Hustler’s Total Control Loading system developed by Hustler makes loading faster and prevents bales from falling on the operator during unwrapping. A bigger tyne frame provides extra support for soft or square bales. This gives you total control over loading the bale. The simple, reliable and fool-proof single-cylinder design of the Hustler loading system is safer than other loading systems and allows unwrapping of the bale above the feed cradle, reducing waste. The Hustler loading system can also be reversed if the operator decides not to load that bale. It also has more support area for soft or square bales. The system is supported by a diverter valve, a safety feature allowing the Chainless to be used behind tractors with just two double-acting remotes. 

“It’s got a bin to throw all the plastic in which on the front of it that works really well,” another feature that Chris particularly likes. The Chainless TX205 is equipped with a large capacity stringbox which is very handy for stowing that bale wrap, fencing standards, and other items while you’re out and about. 

“This Hustler machine, after what I’ve used in the past, it actually tears the silage rolls to bits much easier than the other one does, which allows it to feed out much quicker and smoother and in a nice, much nicer line,” Chris summed up. “As far as the machine goes, I can’t really find any faults with it. It’s all pretty good. I’d recommend Hustler to anyone.”

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