314 



Kansas State Board of Agriculture. 



Hay Balers. 



These machines may be had in sizes to suit the purchaser, from the 

 small one-horse sweep press to the larger sizes driven by power. Many 

 of the power presses have a gasoline engine attached to the front of the 

 baler. 



A self-feed is desirable, although not necessary, on the small press, 

 but the larger power presses can not be operated at full capacity with- 

 out one. 



OPERATION AND CARE. Care should be taken in hand feeding to push 

 the tailings down and get the feed well into the feed chambers. It is a 

 very dangerous policy to use one foot as a self feeder. 



It is a great advantage in handling, shipping and storing hay to have 

 the bales as smooth and as nearly an even length as possible. (See 

 "Baling," in index.) 



Stackers. 



The field stackers are divided into two classes the overshot and the 

 swinging stacker. The overshot stacker has a row of teeth, correspond- 

 ing to those on the sweep rake, on 



I i the end of a long arm hinged near 



the ground. By means of a rope 

 and pulleys the arm and teeth are 

 raised to a vertical position. The 

 hay is placed upon the teeth by 

 pushing it on with a sweep rake 

 and backing away the rake. When 

 the teeth of the stacker are raised 

 to a vertical position the hay slides 

 back onto the stack. With the 

 most of these stackers the hay can 

 only be raised to a certain height. 

 However, there is at least one make 

 that is arranged so that the stacker 

 arms are 12 feet long when the 

 stacker head is on the ground, and 

 the arms will extend up to 25 feet, 

 depending upon how it is adjusted 

 by the operator. The maximum 

 height at which the hay is de- 

 livered ranges from 25 to 32 feet, depending on the size used. 



The combined sweep rake and stacker is constructed in such a manner 

 that the whole machine is used as a sweep rake. When a load is collected 

 it is raised from the ground and run up to the stack. As the machine is 

 approaching the stack a mechanism is thrown in gear and the wheels 

 turning on the ground raise the stacker arms. When the load is raised it 

 is automatically held in position until unloaded onto the stack. As the 

 machine is backed from the stack the arms recede. This machine 

 may be used as a stacker in conjunction with sweep rakes. Its chief 

 advantage is that a load can be put on the stack at any place desired. 



FIG. 254. One form of swinging stacker. 



