Feeding 1,100 cows, BaleXpress resolves two fundamental issues compared to prior bale feeder
Running 1,100 head on 420 hectares, Ray Simpson is having to feed out up to 18-20 bales per day on his North Otago farm. Having run a competing brands 5-bale feeder wagon that was very unstable in the hills, Ray was rapt to get the chance to try out Hustler’s new BaleXpress 6 bale feeder, having had an excellent run with his 17 year old Hustler Chainless 4000 which is still going strong.
Before they switched to the Hustler, Ray and his wife were using a 5-bale feeder wagon of another brand.
“There were two things which we weren’t happy with the present (Competitor) system, and one was the stability of it. And the big thing we didn’t like about it was quite often the silage was getting fed out and run over, when it was wet and muddy. It was quite a waste of product.”
After “5 or 6 roll overs with the [competitor] wagon”, and frustrated with the constant maintenance, Ray was on the lookout for something with a wider wheelbase, something that could handle their rolling hilly farm and not run over the feed. The other thing was a machine that didn’t run over the feed.
The last thing any farmer needs is feed wastage – it’s money down the drain.
Ray was very thankful when Nigel, a Hustler sales rep, reached out to him with the solution of the BaleXpress. “We were quite impressed with the idea, and purchased one.”
Ticking both boxes of being stable with a wide wheelbase and also not running over the feed, Ray couldn’t be happier. “It’s very stable. There’s just no way you’re gonna roll this wagon. And with the ability to drop the elevator in and out, it all helps tease the silage out, but also keeps it well away from the wheels. It’s filled those two spots that we were looking for.”
“To date we’ve fed out probably around close on 2,500 bales. It’s met all the expectations we were hoping for”
Along with the stability and feed waste reduction, Ray was also impressed with the build of the Hustler BaleXpress.
“It’s going to be really challenging to get one product that’s going to do everything, and Hustler have done quite well at designing this to do that”
- Puckboard flooring – “We find it makes the bale slip up very easy” Ray explains. “And the longevity of that, versus steel is going to be better. It was one of the things we had to do was reskin the steel flooring on the old wagon”.
- Simple Operation – “The day-to-day operation of it, just with the one hand controls on the remote makes it quite easy”.
- Practical – “Having the ability to drop the elevator out is quite handy because the dry stuff will hang on a bit longer, and you can drop the elevator out so it doesn’t come close to the wheels.”
- Versatility – “It was a good idea for us at the time to give us the ability to feed square bales with this, where the previous wagon we had was round only. And I could see we could chuck pit silage on this if we had to.”
“As far as the way the machines been built, trying to minimize chains and sprockets and having direct drive gearboxes is going to make the longevity of it a lot longer than having chains.”
Ready to experience the Hustler difference for yourself? Visit our website to check out the full specs or contact your local dealer to learn more about the Hustler BaleXpress range and see how it can transform your feeding operation.
Remember, in farming, every minute counts. Invest in equipment that works as hard as you do.
Thinking about incorporating the Hustler BaleXpress into your feeding strategy? Contact the Hustler Team today to get a quote. You’ll be glad you did!