{{short description|Farm equipment used to transport large hay or straw bales}} thumb|Tractor with a bale handling implement thumb|Tractor carrying bales
A '''bale handler''' is a generic term describing a piece of farm implement used to transport hay or straw bales.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.tateng.com.au/index65.html | title=High Lift Linkage Attachment}}</ref> They are often removable attachments for tractors, skidsteers, telehandlers, loaders, and even pickup trucks with special beds.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.deweze.com/bale-beds/parallel-squeeze-600-700/ | title=Parallel Squeeze Bale Bed | DewEze }}</ref> They come in many different styles and formats. They can pinch, spear, hook and fork the bales, one or several at a time. The type of bale handling attachment will be built to handle the particular size and type of bale.
Bale spears can often move both round and square large bales.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.loaders.com/Attachments/Hay-Handling/SP-2B | title=4 Tine Bale Spear | Tractor Attachments | Westendorf }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.loaders.com/Attachments/Hay-Handling/SS-II-4 | title=SS-II-4 | Tractor Attachments | Westendorf }}</ref> Bale squeezes are used with bales that are wrapped for silage,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.goeweil.com/en/bale-grabber-round-bale-grabber-rbg/ | title=Bale grabber / Round bale grabber | RBG }}</ref> large piles of large and small square bales,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://goclerf.com/products/clamps/fork/c3000/ | title=C3000 Fork Clamp - Clerf Equipment }}</ref> as well as a special squeeze that can be used to unroll large round bales for winter feeding.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.worksaver.com/bale-unroller-handler | title=Round Bale Unroller and Bale Handler from Worksaver }}</ref> Bale handlers with hooks are used to move large and small bales.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nordenmfg.com/products/615-grabber/ | title=Norden MFG | 615 Grabber }}</ref>
When connected to a tractor via the three-point linkage or front-loader.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.altec.fr/en/montage.html | title=Bales handling on tractors | access-date=2011-11-20 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20120718011729/http://www.altec.fr/en/montage.html | archive-date=2012-07-18 | url-status=dead }}</ref>
==See also== * Baler * List of agricultural machinery
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Portal bar|Agriculture|Plants}}
Category:Agricultural machinery