Cutting a Round Bale with a Chainsaw

[@bcreel7257]

Chainsaw has an automatic oil feeder for the chain. Oil used in chainsaw is comparable with motor oil but has resin in it to make it stick to the chain better. In order to check chain oil rev the engine and hold the chain close to concrete surface and you can see how much oil comes out of the saw. The chain must has this lubricant or it will get very hot and could possibly set hay on fire. I hate to think what it does for digestion.

[@TruckerMateo]

Oh my, you solved my problem. Thanks for making this. Not only using chainsaw on the round bales but I cut the huge square bales down the center to make them wheelbarrow width and easier to manage. I did discover cutting from the butt ends down the center and then slicing the bales in 3rds easier yet.

[@markdaigle9766]

great idea, thanks my Mom and I were trying to break a bale yesterday and all I ended up with was 4 letter words under my breath , THANKS

[@goldenyearsacres9163]

Thank you for sharing with verbal explanation. I did watch the one with no speaking & found I needed more detailed video with tips & explanation. I am in Florida, a tropical humid climate where it rains sporadically & even the dew can be cause for moldy hay. I was hoping to find a way to save waste & save money by buying hay in bulk size for six horses.

[@DelcifromALifeofHeritage]

Good idea! And this works great for us! Makes it very manageable!

[@kevind9073]

This works on compressed or tight rolled bales usually wrapped in netting. If your rounds are rolled medium to soft your chainsaw will jam immediately no matter what side you use. If your bale is tight, run the saw about 3/4 throttle open as you start the cut. You'll need the momentum to get going.

[@HerEcolife]

My buddy puts vegetal oil in the chainsaw to cut the bales. So that the animals don't munch on chainsaw oil.

[@DelcifromALifeofHeritage]

Quebec Homesteader Mallorie Good idea! Thanks for sharing that!

[@kusland6786]

I do it since years too, got chain blocked one time with cold weather, just have to move the chain to start it,

[@jefskott99]

Thanks for the tip on using the top only for cutting and definitely removing the twine, which I am always concerned with (fouling of the chain). Great video.

[@DelcifromALifeofHeritage]

Jeff Skott Excellent! I’m so glad it was helpful! 😊

[@mattmilkie5847]

great idea! this is the first year we have ever delt with round bales. Our neighbors gave us a good deal on them. it is WAY to muddy right now to run the skid steer on the hill we live on, so we need to feed our horses by hand. thanks for the idea. the ironic part is, i, for years, cut landscape matting with a chainsaw, and it never clicked in my head to use it for hay

[@vg-b8545]

If you stand the bale on end, the hay comes off easily (in long flakes) and it doesn't take up near the amount of space that is pictured in this video.

[@nicholascrosby6438]

This is exactly the way to do it! I don’t have a tractor, so I use my truck and a rope with a hook on the end of it. I hope the rope onto the Bale and back up the truck and pull the Bale on its end. Works perfectly then you can just unwind it.

[@Sharon-cb6zt]

You are so RIGHT! TEARS!!!!!! Thank you!

[@DelcifromALifeofHeritage]

So glad it was encouraging 😊

[@classyladyangie31]

Delci, that was an amazing video! We live in Livingston, MT. I’m going to share it with my sister-n-law in Heron, MT. They have “lots” of horses to feed. I am amazed at the round bale being cut with a chain saw. That’s GREAT! news for lots of my friends and family who have horses. Also, for our future Montana property! Thank you and your husband for the great info! GOD BLESS YOU and your FAMILY SISTER!!

[@DelcifromALifeofHeritage]

Angela Rutledge Greetings my fellow Montanan! Yay! I’m so glad it was helpful! It really makes them manageable!

[@juliemoore619]

I’ve been wondering how to do this for my horses, thanks so much for sharing!

[@lancewells5099]

I heard that taking the rakers, the bump in front of the tooth, of the chain makes a huge difference.

[@DelcifromALifeofHeritage]

Good to know! thanks for the tip!

[@ΔημήτρηςΠοπτσησ]

Hi Delci from Greece🇬🇷🇬🇷🇬🇷

[@realtortweedy]

Thank you for the video!!!❤

[@mandlebarhoustache9672]

Hi folks. Allow me to recommend that if you are doing this you exclusively use veg oil for bar lube. Regular bar oil is petroleum based and surely nobody wants to contaminate the hay with such a poison. I get used oil from a local restaurant and filter it for use in my saws. I go through more oil this way but do not have to worry about my animals ingesting it. Cheers.

[@shelleylabar6310]

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@robertjantz-lee3430]

i tried this with an electric chainsaw. held it so the top of the saw contacted the bale. got one good cut in and the saw jammed when hay got pulled in on the bottom of the chainsaw. Anyone else have this problem. but, I have to say, even that one cut helped so much.

[@brucewest4862]

Do you have plans for your wood feeder that you can share with us?

[@DelcifromALifeofHeritage]

You can find more information here: alifeofheritage.com/farm-living/goat-feeder-using-pallet-boards/

[@Stephanie-qg3xr]

Lifesaver, thankyou!

[@JerryGDawg56]

I’ve already started researching sainfoin hay to see if it’s a viable option in the southeast. Looks like it is readily available in Canada and our northwestern states. I love the thought of having a tasty, non-bloating option.

[@DelcifromALifeofHeritage]

Jerry Gann Does it look like it can be grown over that way? I agree about the bloat! And if the goats would eat the stems?? That would be even more of a miracle 😆 We are working on converting our small property to sanfoin right now

[@pfhanley1963]

here in the peedee sc we are stuck with coastal, dreadful stuff.

[@kdathow4266]

Jerry where did you find it in the sainfoin in the western states? I am in Washington and can't find it.

[@vildestrand5906]

❤​@@DelcifromALifeofHeritage

[@vildestrand5906]

Vgchg7c6gyyui

[@PhillipBridgesReviews]

just the video I was looking for. thanks!

[@DelcifromALifeofHeritage]

Phillip Bridges So glad it was helpful! Did you get a bale cut apart?

[@PhillipBridgesReviews]

Delci • A Life of Heritage I did get it cut. Works great once you figure out how to go about cutting it. 👍🏻

[@GratefulDiver]

Thanks for this tip, helps a ton but I gotta ask, whats with the upside down milk crate on the side of the shed? Bat house??

[@DelcifromALifeofHeritage]

So glad it was helpful! 😊 I put it up there a couple years ago with a bee hive to be a swarm catch. But it never worked. But I have never seen a swarm in our area in the 30 years I’ve lived here, so it was wishful thinking to begin with. 😆

[@GratefulDiver]

Same here in 7 years and I know for a fact that another beekeeper has hives within forage range. Only swarms I've seen were my own. :(

[@pfhanley1963]

Think a long blade Sawzall could do this?

[@DelcifromALifeofHeritage]

We've never used that but it's worth trying!

[@pfhanley1963]

@@DelcifromALifeofHeritage might need little more surgery but there wouldn't be the chain issue. I'd be interested in the results.

[@juanasanelli6831]

Es una buena idea solo que ruega no encuentres dentro un trozo de alambre porque el retroceso de la moto sierra puede ser violento . Mucho frio por ahi ? En nuestra zona comienz a haber calor y dias mas largos

[@DelcifromALifeofHeritage]

juan asanelli Yes, you would want to make sure there was no wire! That is a good point! It is really cold here. Tomorrow night will be a low of -3°F. Sadly. It’s been a really cold and snowy fall for us. Our days are now short and cold.

[@juanasanelli6831]

@@DelcifromALifeofHeritage Espero que pasen bien abrigaditos el invierno que se que por ahi suele ser duro,

[@DelcifromALifeofHeritage]

juan asanelli thank you 😊

[@pilgrim7232]

what is sandpoint hay?

[@DelcifromALifeofHeritage]

Pil Grim good question! It is Sanfoin hay and it is similar to alfalfa and has pretty pink flowers. At least in Montana it is gaining popularity as an alternative to alfalfa

[@portcolbornewinter-nd7ls]

Good idea. BUT. You have to take out the chain oil otherwise your animals eating oil contaminated hay not good!

[@micahspur]

if you stand it up on the flat side you can unwrap it with a fork.

[@stevew4117]

Have done this once. My bales are in a barn. My worry is chainsaws emit sparks even with the spark shield in place. The last thing I want is all the hay and the barn burning down.

[@DelcifromALifeofHeritage]

Ooo! Yes! Be careful! That would be awful!

[@clivewilkinson5394]

Why not use smaller round bales 35 or 50 kilo bales they are rolled differently and have layers like old rectangles bales to pull them.apart . They are wrapped round a steel roller insert so come out with hole in middle. Easier to handle. And you can even buy walk behind baler for 35 kilo bales so could bale your own in field great video though

[@DelcifromALifeofHeritage]

clive wilkinson We do bale up small square bales for our horses, cows, and goats. But we’ve run out of those occasionally and gotten round bales. And this particular bale was the only sanfoin we could find. And it was in a big round. So it was easier to cut up to be able to handle it better 😊 Thanks for watching and the input!

[@clivewilkinson5394]

@@DelcifromALifeofHeritage no you can bale round small bales. Bigger than square but not as big as the ones you use. Two sizes available. Easier to handle.

[@DelcifromALifeofHeritage]

Oh right! And there is a larger square bale as well. Larger than a small and smaller than a large round. We only have equipment for small squares. We just recently were given a really really old round baler but it needs a tune up and we haven’t used it. We really do prefer the small squares. It’s hard work to get them home but they make the winter feeding so much easier. 😊

[@bigal25938]

Just unroll it in the opposite direction in which it was rolled.

[@DelcifromALifeofHeritage]

That works great for rolling out for a herd of cows, where they eat it all fairly quickly. But if you did that with goats, they’d lay on it and pee on it and then not eat 95% of it.

[@Mea-xp1nr]

The hay looks moldy I would never feed moldy hay to any of our animals. Moldy CAN KILL THEM!!!

[@Noswiatel]

Work smart not hard

[@lucyflanagan3628]

Get to the point quickly. Not interested in friendly.