How to Stack Bales of Hay
Hay is cut in the field, raked into rows and then bound into bales by heavy machinery. A bale of hay known as a square bale typically weighs around 50 lbs. It is not actually a square but hay tightly packed together to form a rectangle 2 feet wide, 4 feet long and 2 feet tall. It is bound by two wires or bands that run lengthwise around the bale. When stacking in a barn, stack the bales on pallets, gravel or plastic so moisture does not wick out of the ground into the hay stack. Save loose bales for the top of the stack so they cannot make the stack unstable. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Allow the completed bales of hay to dry in the field as long as possible to prevent mold and mildew from forming on the hay while it is in storage.
-
2
Equip yourself and any helpers with safety glasses, boots and work gloves. The bands around a hay bale will cut into your hands, and the loose hay or straw will get into your eyes. Also, a hay bale tends to bounce when it is dropped. When that happens, it can bounce onto your lower leg and break or sprain your ankles, so boots are needed for ankle support.
-
-
3
Place one bale flat on the ground with the narrow end in front of you. Then, place two bales lengthwise to the right of the first bale. The two bales set lengthwise should be the same width as the first bale that is set in the opposite direction. Next, place two more bales lengthwise at the end of the two bales you just set down. Finish the first step by placing another bale in the same position as the first bale at the end or to the right of the four bales set lengthwise.
-
4
Working backward, set down three bales end to end in a lengthwise position in front of the six bales you just set down. Now, set down another three bales in the same lengthwise position in front of those three bales. All six bales that you set down will run lengthwise like the four bales set between the two end bales in the first step. Next, working toward you, set down six bales exactly how you set down the bales in the first step, which is a bale set with the narrow end toward you, four bales in the middle and another end bale with the narrow end in front of you. The four bales set down with the narrow ends toward you should form the corners of the base of the stack.
-
5
Stack the second level by positioning the hay the exact same way with the flat side down, except the pattern is set 1/4 turn from the first. In other words, if the first pattern ran from east to west, the next pattern would run from north to south. Place the third level of bales in the exact same position as the first stack. Place the fourth level in the exact same position as the second, and so on. This stack should remain stable up to eight levels high.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
If the bales are longer, for example, the same length that three bales are wide, then adjust the pattern accordingly.
Never stack hay bales while drinking alcohol or using drugs.
Do not smoke around hay bales.
Avoid letting the hay have contact with hot machinery, exhaust pipes or engine parts.
Don't stack hay bales close to a light or electrical source.
