Good morning folks. A question for those who might have experience -- is the 4044M capable of handling smaller round bails? 6 ft shredder? Appreciate any overall thoughts.

I'm not overly familiar with that specific model, so just using general tractor knowledge/experience that I've taken in over the years.

On the shredder, rule of thumb I've always been taught is 5 hp per foot so you'd need 30-ish for the 6 footer, and tractordata shows the 4044m to have 43 engine, and 33 pto. So you're good to go there.

The moving bales part I'm a little more iffy on, to me it's more of a can you vs should you. Likely that model can move a less packed 5X5 or regular 4X5 if need be, but I'd be worried about straining the tractor over time and having enough counter-weight if youre moving across uneven ground.

Just my 2 cents, there are some guys around here that have probably spent more time in tractors than I've been on this planet so far, hopefully one of them will chime in.

On the bale lifting get the weight of the bale and validate that against the lift capacity of the loader.

Don't know what a " small bale" is. Get the size and weight.

Also, I didn't get if you are lifting with a front end loader or the rear lift.

I think your read is a good one Ag Fan and similar to what I'm reading. Wondered if any had direct experience to confirm or otherwise.

Thanks

The 4044M will handle a 6' shredder. It will scoot smaller 4' bales, but won't be happy lifting them or unloading off of a trailer.

We just bought one of these last summer. So far nothing but excellent things to say about it. We picked up a 6 ft Deere shredder and a hay fork as well. Also got a 200 gal PTO driven sprayer for brush control.

It can easily handle picking up and moving round bales. As the poster above mentioned, it won't be a tractor you want to regularly lift and load them from a stacked position though. It can handle it but ballast has to be correct. Let me know if you have any other questions!

Muzzleblast said:

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On the bale lifting get the weight of the bale and validate that against the lift capacity of the loader.

Don't know what a " small bale" is. Get the size and weight.

Also, I didn't get if you are lifting with a front end loader or the rear lift.

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Start turning on uneven ground and things can get dicey.

You're going to need a 60hp+ compact tractor to handle large round bales (5'-6'), and even then it's best to have another on forks/spear on the 3pt as counterweight. If you're talking older iron, that hp requirement drops a bit due to increased weight.

Can't emphasize enough about the stability when lifting. I'll guess you will be able to lift a bale. But then the danger starts when you have a bale at 5' or higher. I would think that could create a bad situation.

I just unloaded and 18-wheeler of coastal rounds last night with a JD 5075 (75 HP). A couple of situations required me to raise the lift to full extension with a bale on the spear. It can get dicey, especially on uneven ground. I was in a pasture and had to keep it as slow as possible with no quick turns.