When it comes to reducing labour on farms, the age old saying, “work smarter, not harder” comes to mind.
This was the approach of 89-year-old Cavan beef finisher, Fred Chambers when he decided to purchase a Bridgeway Diamond bale unroller four years ago.
Based outside Virginia in the townland of Billis, Fred now farms with the help of his daughter, Jennifer.
With up to 70 cattle on farm each winter, Fred tries to keep workload to a minimum. He operates a system of buying Charolais-cross weanling bulls, which are sold the following year as bullocks on the point of finishing.
Using the pull rope, the bale spike can then be uncoupled from the cradle to load the bale.
With up to 500 silage bales to be fed each winter, Fred was in search of a way to reduce the amount of manual forking needed when it came to feeding baled silage.
“I first came across the bale unroller in a local dealer’s yard and thought they would be a good help the way in which they simply unroll the bale. They seemed a simple machine too,” Fred said.
After seeing a few brands out and about, he decided to settle on the Bridgeway Diamond feeder, built by Bridgeway Engineering based in Shannonbridge, Co Offaly.
The bale is then placed on the cradle and net/plastic is removed.
One of the main features Fred initially liked was the rubber side flaps to help deflect the silage towards the feed barrier.
Up until the arrival of the unroller, Fred has used a three-point linkage bale cutter. Although it was effective at cutting the bale, there was still a large amount of forking to be done.
During the feeding season, the Diamond feeder is coupled with Fred’s Massey Ferguson 5465 which works it at ease, he said.
About the machine
The Diamond feeder is a fairly simple tool like the majority of its competitors. It is attached to the tractor using a three-point linkage and uses one double-acting spool valve. This supplies the motor with oil in order to move the chain and slats which rotates the bale on the cradle.
There is an option to mount the loader on a front loader via euro brackets or telehandler, if required. Suiting the majority of small suckler and beef farms, the Bridgeway unroller has a low power requirement of 75hp.
The machine comes fully galvanised as standard for a long service life. It is equipped with heavy-duty replaceable chain/bars and a fully enclosed floor which helps to minimise feed losses.
The fully enclosed floor helps minimise feed losses.
The galvanised chain bars are equipped with steel spikes to help grip the bale. The side rollers are designed to keep even the oddest shaped bales in place and are fitted with heavy duty rubber flap guards as standard. It can feed out to the left or to the right by changing the direction of the spool lever. Bridgeway do offer the option if a weighing system to record bale weights if required.
How does it work?
As already pointed out, the unit is fairly simple in how it works. Essentially it comprises of a bale spike and the bale unrolling cradle. The 50mm spikes are not only used to load the bales but also carry the cradle.
The bale spike is equipped with a 400cc hydraulic motor and auto-engaging dog clutch. Once guided into the dedicated holes on the cradle, the three-point linkage frame/bale spike automatically couples with the cradle.
At this point, both sides of the dog clutch are engaged and the unroller is ready to be used. This simple mechanical system avoids the operator having to plug in hydraulic hoses each time a bale is loaded.
The side rollers and plastic flaps are standard features.
A simple pull rope engaged from the cab unlocks the mechanism and decouples the three-point linkage frame/bale spike from the unit.
When the bale is resting on the cradle, there is the option of feeding out either to the left or right, adjusting the hydraulics to achieve the desired speed. The hydraulics should be adjusted on the tractor in order to regulate the flow of oil, keeping the working speed of the chains slow for best performance.
Feeding in the region of 500 silage bales annually each winter, Fred is delighted with how the unroller has worked to date. “It’s a great tool, and able to be used by a young man like me,” Fred laughed.
“I run it on my Massey Ferguson 5465 which is well able to handle it. Initially, it took a little getting used to but it’s only a matter of finding the right hydraulic speed and forward speed when feeding out.
“Most importantly, it removes almost all manual forking of silage which is a big saver on time and on ones back. It’s well built and the fact that it is fully galvanised leaves no fear of it rusting. Other than greasing the bearings on the cradle, it’s fairly maintenance free. I can’t see me going back to feeding cattle without it, that’s for sure,” Fred said.
Model: Bridgeway Diamond feederMount type: three-point linkage or loader mountedDrive type: mechanical clutch and 300cc motorPower requirement: 75hpHydraulic requirement: One double acting spool valve. Price: €5,800 plus VAT.
When it comes to reducing labour on farms, the age old saying, “work smarter, not harder” comes to mind.
This was the approach of 89-year-old Cavan beef finisher, Fred Chambers when he decided to purchase a Bridgeway Diamond bale unroller four years ago.
Based outside Virginia in the townland of Billis, Fred now farms with the help of his daughter, Jennifer.
With up to 70 cattle on farm each winter, Fred tries to keep workload to a minimum. He operates a system of buying Charolais-cross weanling bulls, which are sold the following year as bullocks on the point of finishing.
Using the pull rope, the bale spike can then be uncoupled from the cradle to load the bale.
With up to 500 silage bales to be fed each winter, Fred was in search of a way to reduce the amount of manual forking needed when it came to feeding baled silage.
“I first came across the bale unroller in a local dealer’s yard and thought they would be a good help the way in which they simply unroll the bale. They seemed a simple machine too,” Fred said.
After seeing a few brands out and about, he decided to settle on the Bridgeway Diamond feeder, built by Bridgeway Engineering based in Shannonbridge, Co Offaly.
The bale is then placed on the cradle and net/plastic is removed.
One of the main features Fred initially liked was the rubber side flaps to help deflect the silage towards the feed barrier.
Up until the arrival of the unroller, Fred has used a three-point linkage bale cutter. Although it was effective at cutting the bale, there was still a large amount of forking to be done.
During the feeding season, the Diamond feeder is coupled with Fred’s Massey Ferguson 5465 which works it at ease, he said.
About the machine
The Diamond feeder is a fairly simple tool like the majority of its competitors. It is attached to the tractor using a three-point linkage and uses one double-acting spool valve. This supplies the motor with oil in order to move the chain and slats which rotates the bale on the cradle.
There is an option to mount the loader on a front loader via euro brackets or telehandler, if required. Suiting the majority of small suckler and beef farms, the Bridgeway unroller has a low power requirement of 75hp.
The machine comes fully galvanised as standard for a long service life. It is equipped with heavy-duty replaceable chain/bars and a fully enclosed floor which helps to minimise feed losses.
The fully enclosed floor helps minimise feed losses.
The galvanised chain bars are equipped with steel spikes to help grip the bale. The side rollers are designed to keep even the oddest shaped bales in place and are fitted with heavy duty rubber flap guards as standard. It can feed out to the left or to the right by changing the direction of the spool lever. Bridgeway do offer the option if a weighing system to record bale weights if required.
How does it work?
As already pointed out, the unit is fairly simple in how it works. Essentially it comprises of a bale spike and the bale unrolling cradle. The 50mm spikes are not only used to load the bales but also carry the cradle.
The bale spike is equipped with a 400cc hydraulic motor and auto-engaging dog clutch. Once guided into the dedicated holes on the cradle, the three-point linkage frame/bale spike automatically couples with the cradle.
At this point, both sides of the dog clutch are engaged and the unroller is ready to be used. This simple mechanical system avoids the operator having to plug in hydraulic hoses each time a bale is loaded.
The side rollers and plastic flaps are standard features.
A simple pull rope engaged from the cab unlocks the mechanism and decouples the three-point linkage frame/bale spike from the unit.
When the bale is resting on the cradle, there is the option of feeding out either to the left or right, adjusting the hydraulics to achieve the desired speed. The hydraulics should be adjusted on the tractor in order to regulate the flow of oil, keeping the working speed of the chains slow for best performance.
Feeding in the region of 500 silage bales annually each winter, Fred is delighted with how the unroller has worked to date. “It’s a great tool, and able to be used by a young man like me,” Fred laughed.
“I run it on my Massey Ferguson 5465 which is well able to handle it. Initially, it took a little getting used to but it’s only a matter of finding the right hydraulic speed and forward speed when feeding out.
“Most importantly, it removes almost all manual forking of silage which is a big saver on time and on ones back. It’s well built and the fact that it is fully galvanised leaves no fear of it rusting. Other than greasing the bearings on the cradle, it’s fairly maintenance free. I can’t see me going back to feeding cattle without it, that’s for sure,” Fred said.
Model: Bridgeway Diamond feederMount type: three-point linkage or loader mountedDrive type: mechanical clutch and 300cc motorPower requirement: 75hpHydraulic requirement: One double acting spool valve. Price: €5,800 plus VAT. 
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