What is Spread A Bale?
Spread-a-Bale is a simple, “does-what-it-says-on-the-label”, piece of farm machinery.
It transforms spreading bedding straw from an exhausting manual job into a quick, simple mechanical one.
In addition, it makes a more consistent, longer-lasting, more hygienic bed than either chopper blowing machines or manual spreading.
Spread-a-Bale attaches/detaches from the loader/tractor quickly. It is self-loading and can spread straw over animals in their pens, so they don’t need to be moved and bedding-down is really a one-man operation.
It handles all sizes of square and round bales and spreads the straw complete, so it forms a more hygienic, longer-lasting bed. The dust created by chopping is avoided, so it makes a better environment for both livestock and staff.
The new M range benefits from Spread-a-Bale’s policy of continuous development, and includes a number of important engineering improvements.
Spread-a-Bales are hydraulically driven and require one double acting spool valve delivering a maximum oil flow of 55litres/min. The Spread-a-Bale has little moving parts, so maintenance requirements remain low.
As well as straw long or short, the machine can spread a range of other materials, including hay, wood chips, sawdust and bark.
Who Do You Need to Talk to?
Please use the “locate a dealer” tab to find your nearest dealer that will be happy to supply machines, parts or service. For enquires from regions where no dealers are present and all other enquires please use the “Contact us Tab”.
Development
Spread-A-Bale was invented in the mid 1990s by Cheshire dairy farmer Michael Hughes. He was unhappy with the danger of injury to cattle in his Mickerra Elite Breeding Programme herd by the chopper blowers he had been using to bed cattle down:
“I had animals that were worth many thousands of pounds the moment they were born. As well as spreading straw safely, I was keen to cut the time and labour involved in the job and make better use of valuable straw – a range of benefits I felt would appeal to pretty well all livestock farmers!
The first patents for the Spread-a-Bale were lodged in 1996.
How it Works
Users load the straw bale by raising the front gate and inserting the leading edge of the machine’s chamber under the bale and reversing the conveyor belt, which pulls the bale into the chamber.
They then remove the twine or bale wrap and lift the front of the machine over the pen to be bedded down, before advancing the bale between the twin spreading rotors to spread the straw.
Awards
After receiving the original patent in 1996, Michael continued to develop the Spread-a-Bale, and was placed runner up in MAFF’s “Science into practice” awards in 1998.
The machine was launched at the European Dairy Farming Event in 2001, where it won the Prince Philip Award for the best new machine at the event.
In 2006 it won the most prestigious award for machinery there is – the RASE Gold Medal. This is only awarded to machines that include significant innovations and are proven to offer farmers significant practical advantages.
Current Models
The current M range features three models – the Mini, the Midi and the Maxi. All new models have the option(s) to be mounted sideways, so as to enable you to drive forwards down a passageway while spreading straw in either a left or right direction across your stock pen. All models are supplied as standard with one set of forward mounted quick attach brackets.
Please see the “Model selector” Tab to select the appropriate machine for your bale requirements
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