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Hilly Question - Hauling Hay Down Hill w/out Truck

529 views 11 replies 7 participants last post by  friesian49 
#1 ·
I figured someone else may have a property like mine. I just got 15 bales of hay and I need a new way to get it down the hill to the hay shed.

Right now I'm back to getting it done with the wheelbarrow and a bungee cord. I load on about 5 bales, strap the bungee cord, one hand on the wheelbarrow handle and one on the bungee cord, and usually make it down with no issues.

In 2019 I bought a hand cart, but it didn't have a hand brake. First time trying to do that down the hill was the last! Then I hooked it on the tractor, but it's a steep hill, so I had to go around the pasture and on the right bend, it all tipped over. So back to the wheelbarrow I went.

Anyone have a hill they have to get down without a truck and a better solution than a wheelbarrow?!

Here's a couple pictures, the white shed at the bottom is the hay shed. This was the last 3, normally I have 4 or 5 on it.

I am not yet at the point of getting a gator or similar ATV, but it's an option.
 

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#7 ·
Right now I just have the lawn tractor. I'm thinking I may keep an eye on one of those side by sides. At some point I'm going to be too old or hurt at the time and need something else. Not sure if this is our forever home, but it is for the foreseeable future!
 
#8 ·
At least it's downhill! I had to haul ~15 bales of hay up a similar grassy hill years ago. I stacked it all on a tarp, tied the tarp to my horse's saddle horn, and had her drag it up to the barn. It actually worked surprisingly well. I think going downhill you could probably drag 5 bales on a tarp on your own.
 
#10 ·
Yes, but wheels are what allows the load to get out of control. If you drag weight on a tarp, there's enough friction to keep the whole thing from going too fast. I imagine you'd probably have to drag the tarp down the hill (which shouldn't be very hard), but if it slides on its own no problem! Give it a push at the top of the hill to get it started, then use your rope to hold it back from gaining momentum. Sometimes in winter I hitch one of my goats to a sled to haul water to the pens. There are uphill and downhill bits, and since the sled doesn't have shafts I use a hold-back rope so I can keep the sled from overrunning the goat on the downhill parts.
 
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