With farmers getting busier and busier, often work such as bringing in bales one by one can be a painstaking task. We visited a Roscommon agricultural contracting business which offers farmers the entire service from mowing the grass to stacking the bales in the yard, and by doing so has expanded its business.
Kennedy Brothers, run by John and Tom Kennedy, have been drawing and stacking bales for farmers for many years. Up until 2017, they operated two bale trailers and two tractors, one with a front loader which was used to load and unload the bales.
Purchase
After seeing a Keltec 10 pack working in a nearby contracting outfit, the brothers decided to purchase a new one for the 2017 season.
John explained: “On a good day, we would have typically handled 300 bales with two tractors and two bale trailers. However, with a good driver on a Keltec 10 pack we would bring in an average of 300 bales in one day with one machine. It has made a huge difference to our operation.”
John noted that in 2017 they ran one Keltec 10 pack alongside one tractor with a front loader and a bale trailer. He said that in his experience the Keltec 10 pack was capable of shifting three loads of bales in the same time frame as the tractor and loader would load, transport and unload one load of bales.
The brothers explained that they were very happy with how the bale chaser performed in 2017 and that they opted to purchase a second unit in 2018, cutting out the need to run a second tractor and bale trailer and greatly improving productivity and throughput.
John commented that it’s important to have a good driver on the machine. He added that once the driver gets used to operating the 10 pack that it would typically take around three minutes to fully load the 10 bales on the machine and only a matter of seconds to unload it.
The machine
The 10 pack comes as standard on a tandem axle with a high-speed double-axle bogey system. The unit comes on 550-22.5 tyres but can be ordered on 560-22.5 as an optional extra. It uses a load-sensing brake system, meaning that it’s less severe on the brakes when the machine is empty.
Although the 10 pack unit is 8.4m long and 2.6m wide, John explained they never have any hassle getting it into fields
While in transport position, its auto-smart locking system for the bale cages means that it’s protected against hose failure, driver error or tractor malfunction. Although the 10 pack unit is 8.4m long and 2.6m wide, John explained they never have any hassle getting it into fields.
The brothers explained that the unit is built very strong. They added that it’s extremely steady on the road while fully loaded.
The one negative point that they highlighted was that it has a lot of grease points, as there are a lot of hinge points and moving parts. They noted that they would like to see an optional auto greaser to make daily maintenance that bit easier and quicker.
Price
The Kennedys typically charge on a per-bale basis. Price depends on the distance of the draw, but for the majority of local jobs they charge €2/bale dropped in the yard. In addition to dropping the bales in the yard, the brothers run a wheel loader in the yard with double soft hands, capable of stacking two bales at a time. The Kennedys charge €1 per bale for stacking. The starting price for a new Keltec 10 pack is €21,500 plus VAT.
Tyres: 550/22.5.Axle: High speed tandem bogies.Length: 8.4m.Width: 2.6m.Height: 2.9m.Starting price: €21,500 plus VAT.
With farmers getting busier and busier, often work such as bringing in bales one by one can be a painstaking task. We visited a Roscommon agricultural contracting business which offers farmers the entire service from mowing the grass to stacking the bales in the yard, and by doing so has expanded its business.
Kennedy Brothers, run by John and Tom Kennedy, have been drawing and stacking bales for farmers for many years. Up until 2017, they operated two bale trailers and two tractors, one with a front loader which was used to load and unload the bales.
Purchase
After seeing a Keltec 10 pack working in a nearby contracting outfit, the brothers decided to purchase a new one for the 2017 season.
John explained: “On a good day, we would have typically handled 300 bales with two tractors and two bale trailers. However, with a good driver on a Keltec 10 pack we would bring in an average of 300 bales in one day with one machine. It has made a huge difference to our operation.”
John noted that in 2017 they ran one Keltec 10 pack alongside one tractor with a front loader and a bale trailer. He said that in his experience the Keltec 10 pack was capable of shifting three loads of bales in the same time frame as the tractor and loader would load, transport and unload one load of bales.
The brothers explained that they were very happy with how the bale chaser performed in 2017 and that they opted to purchase a second unit in 2018, cutting out the need to run a second tractor and bale trailer and greatly improving productivity and throughput.
John commented that it’s important to have a good driver on the machine. He added that once the driver gets used to operating the 10 pack that it would typically take around three minutes to fully load the 10 bales on the machine and only a matter of seconds to unload it.
The machine
The 10 pack comes as standard on a tandem axle with a high-speed double-axle bogey system. The unit comes on 550-22.5 tyres but can be ordered on 560-22.5 as an optional extra. It uses a load-sensing brake system, meaning that it’s less severe on the brakes when the machine is empty.
Although the 10 pack unit is 8.4m long and 2.6m wide, John explained they never have any hassle getting it into fields
While in transport position, its auto-smart locking system for the bale cages means that it’s protected against hose failure, driver error or tractor malfunction. Although the 10 pack unit is 8.4m long and 2.6m wide, John explained they never have any hassle getting it into fields.
The brothers explained that the unit is built very strong. They added that it’s extremely steady on the road while fully loaded.
The one negative point that they highlighted was that it has a lot of grease points, as there are a lot of hinge points and moving parts. They noted that they would like to see an optional auto greaser to make daily maintenance that bit easier and quicker.
Price
The Kennedys typically charge on a per-bale basis. Price depends on the distance of the draw, but for the majority of local jobs they charge €2/bale dropped in the yard. In addition to dropping the bales in the yard, the brothers run a wheel loader in the yard with double soft hands, capable of stacking two bales at a time. The Kennedys charge €1 per bale for stacking. The starting price for a new Keltec 10 pack is €21,500 plus VAT.
Tyres: 550/22.5.Axle: High speed tandem bogies.Length: 8.4m.Width: 2.6m.Height: 2.9m.Starting price: €21,500 plus VAT. 
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