Slick way of moving round bales?

Looking around on the internet youtube the cheapest thing out there for moving rond bales is a roll behind device at Tractor Supply Company for $999.00.

I have a sub-compact diesel Massey Ferguson, the specs say the 3 point hitch can lift 1190 lbs. I read that the biggest round bales weigh about 1500lbs, so that ain't going to work!

You tube shows a "round bale dolly" that looks cool, but can't find where to buy!

I was thinking of maybe trying to get a hood from a car at a junk yard, and seeing if I could roll a bale on it and just drag it.

Any ideas?

I have yet to find a round bale that comes anywhere near 1500lbs. I don't think I've seen one around here over 1000lbs.

We used forks that chain onto the tractor bucket to move our 1600lb square bales, worked very well.

We have some friends that just roll their round bales by hand to where they want them.

I saw on eBay a trailer type that was in Texas but I don't remember the price. It had two spears to go under or in the bale and a winch to tilt it onto the trailer. It probably was homemade though.
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I can't imagine it to be too difficult to make a round bale spear with a section of steel pipe and a couple tow chains that mounts to your bucket.
I'd find a 6-8' section of 2" heavy steel pipe, and a couple tow chains.
Lop the end of the pipe at a 45* angle so you can shove it through the center of the bale, leaving the excess on the tractor side.
Most buckets have hooks or a means to hook to the top of the bucket.
Think horizontal tripod.

I get 800 to 900lb 4x4 rounds (average size for here) and if it isn't too muddy I can roll them all by myself. With a little "running" start I can even get them up a small incline too. However I do prefer to use my tractor for the more difficult places.

Slightly larger ones can be pushed easily with two people.
If you have a distance to go you could try "bumping" the roll along with your tractor.
I have seen the bale dolly that you are talking about, but honestly I've never had a problem moving them around by hand or with my tractor even though I don't have a bale spear. A couple of heavy duty rachet straps do the trick for me and I never lift them any higher than the tires

As easy as it gets.. doesnt take much to make a set up like this. This is not me also.

While round bales can reach that weight, *most* do not come that close (800-1000 is averages around here). We get our's from a farmer that uses his tractor/spike to place the bales on the wago (we use our truck and a neighbor's trailer to pick up a bale for us and one for them every two weeks). In muddy times, we will use the neighbor's tractor to move the wagon around in our field and their's, give the bales a shove to get them rolling and drop them in the field (in drier times, we just use the truck and trailer). Once they are on the ground, it is pretty easy to get them rolling to position where you want, then push over onto their flat side. We have not once needed anything other than one or two of us to move them around by hand (1000lb bales), they roll pretty darn easy once you get them started.

Okay...a few thoughts.

First that horse is WAY well trained! Lol. Those two moved like a machine together.

And secondly...either that is the biggest darn draft horse or that fella was on the small size!

I'd say the horse is a solid 18+ H horse...

This is what I do.... I buy our roundbales one at a time. My friend loads it into the back of the truck with the tractor so that it can roll out. When I get home I open the tailgate drive to the top of the hill, back down as fast as I can, hit the brakes, most of the time it will come out onits own if I get him to load it with the flat side where it has been sitting in the stackyard on the top. If not I park the truck backed up to a tree tie a rope around the bale and the tree and drive out from underneath it. If I need to move it I push it to where I want it with the front bumper and roll my hay ring over and set it over the top of it anc cut the strings off.

Someone mentioned using a sled, that does work. The ranch used to put up a bunch of 2 string little bales. They didn't own a harrow bed so the boys would go out and handstack bales on a sled then re stack them in the stack yard. We also used it in the winter to feed the horses off of. So it works equally as good with or without snow.
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