Instead of the time-consuming process of securing bales with straps for transport, several bale trailer manufacturers are being fitted with hydraulic load-securing sides.
The MetaX Mooring from Swedish firm Metsjo is a 12m flatbed trailer that holds its load in place with a pair of hydraulically adjustable bars running down each side.
The bars are made from a single length of lightweight steel tube, with a high tensile strength.
To load, the bars drop down in line with the trailer’s floor,and this means there’s no ledge to lift the bales over and no framework hanging below the floor either.
Once the bales are onboard and the load is in place, the bars are raised using a double-acting spool valve to clamp each row of bales securely.
To keep the design simple only the top bars are connected to hydraulic rams, with the bottom ones being pulled up by a basic linkage.
Fully loaded, the trailer can transport 40 standard 1.2m round bales and up to 60 big squares. Depending on the size of the bale, the hydraulic bars can be adjusted to make sure they grip the load in the correct place.
For more information see: www.metsjo.de/en/
