PRACTICAL TEST: We tested how well five different makes of bale grab can handle both round and square wrapped bales. Read on to see how the four linear grabs compare to a soft hands design.
The world would appear to be your juicy oyster when it comes to bale handlers that are capable of handling both squares and rounds. However, on closer inspection this lengthy list can soon be whittled down when you start to look at the payloads that some of these attachments can handle and also whether they have the all-important CE marking.
We decided to compare five grabs, and they needed to tick the following boxes: capable of handling 1,000kg; the hands had to open 2.00m wide; and they had to be supplied with Euro brackets to go on a front loader. Four manufacturers sent us universal grabs that telescope out horizontally: Göweil (BTGQU), Fliegl (QBZFLM), Saphir (QBZ) and Tanco (D80). The fifth unit was from Bressel and Lade: their B40 is a completely different design, using a pair of soft hands and we look at it separately towards the end of the article. We also asked Quicke, Mx and Stoll to take part in the comparison but they declined our invite. Neither the Saphir or Bressel and Lade are available in the UK so we’ve converted their German Euro prices to Sterling.
For more up-to-date farming news click here and subscribe now to profi and save
