Hay moan

[Deleted]

I've finally, after much searching and waiting for snow to clear, had a delivery of 4 big bales of hay for the reasonable sum of £50 each

The only trouble is that the lorry couldn't get to our barn so he had to drop them in the middle of the yard The man turned up on his own so there was this man mountain et moi (all 9 stones of me!!) trying to move heston bales We managed to push the bales off the lorry and miss the pallets I put out so they're sat on the snow, then got the lorry stuck so we had to dig it out.

Then I merrily (full of enthusiasm at this point!!) set about opening the bales so I could move a few slices at a time on my barrow... ahem.... well... an hour later one bale has expanded so much it's taken up my entire storage space

So I've had to sheet over the other 3, and am going to have to bribe OH and his brother (who's currently driving up from Devon and blissfully unaware of the joyous evening's entertainment that awaits him ) to come back with me and help tonight!!

Our plan is to try to cut half the strings then use wratchet straps to bind the two halves so three of us might then be able to move half at a time. I haven't quite worked out where I'm going to move it to though!!

I was under the illiusion that this was the cheaper and easier option than hiring a trailer to collect small bales from my friend's farm 30 miles away

[mandal]

Lol! Sorry to laugh but I've had similar experiences with large round bales in the past! ;D The worst being actually getting them into the barn but tight together... cue tears in midwinter freezing conditions trying to prize more than a handful of hay at a time from a bale.

My last two (short) delivery men are as strong as oxen and move the bales as if they're toys. Now I only get max of 4 at a time if I get round bales so there's plenty of room to unwrap them.

[taklishim]

Our plan is to try to cut half the strings then use wratchet straps to bind the two halves so three of us might then be able to move half at a time.

I recently had this problem with a heston of straw. I found it worked best if you divided the bale into 4 or even 5. Put strings on the gound under the first few slices, lowered them onto the strings and then tied them up as you would a small bale. We then put strings all the way around the other way as well to make the mini bale more stable and moved each "mini" heston on a sack truck.

[Deleted]

ooh that's a good idea taklishim, thank you

lol mandal, I think if I'd been a fly on the wall I'd have been laughing too! I've been there and done that with round bales, hence my delusion that big square ones would be easier!!

[sharonh]

Now feeling very guilty as half of this is for my pony, (If the snow ever clears enough to get him to the yard) and not around to help clear up the mess.
Plus have just found out that they've charged us twice for it which doesn't help.
You'd think that they would have a forklift or something on the truck wouldn't you? Or at least an extra man!
The more I have to do with horses, the more I like my tropical fish..............................

[Deleted]

It's fine Sharon, we have hay ;D

I'm making Christmas dinner for OH and his Bro so they owe me

[lynn]

Hiya

Do you have a tarpaulin available.
I had two hestons dropped at the end of autumn and cut open all the strings, dropped a few slices at a time onto a tarp and dragged them to my storage. Took about and a friend about an hour to move two of them