This item has been supplied by a forage marketer and has not been edited, verified or endorsed by Hay & Forage Grower.

For ranchers and farmers who have postponed buying a hay trailer due to rain, the time to act is now. Further delay may leave you waiting 6-12 weeks, or settling for a lesser trailer, just as peak summer hay season hits.

Ag pros know how hard it is to do without a needed hay trailer during peak season because the dealer does not have their top choice in stock. Then it can be a mad scramble to buy any equipment, even an unreliable brand or a flatbed, to bring in the bales and clear the fields.

Unreliable trailers that break down when they are needed are costly and can jeopardize the quality and quantity of the entire hay growing operation.

Avoid Waiting

While manufacturers try to ease the shortage of top hay trailer brands during peak season, waiting too long is a recipe for doing without.

Every year, for instance, the manufacturer of the Red Rhino hay trailer, GoBob Pipe & Steel (www.gobobranching.com), builds hay trailers all winter and usually has a hundred or more in stock by mid-April. But by summer, that stock is all sold and customers are forced onto a waiting list.

Be Efficient

Because clearing bales from the fields fast and efficiently is a priority, one of the most popular categories today are self-unloading hay trailers.

Loading bales on a flatbed truck not only requires securing them to the flatbed but also tractors are needed to load and unload the bales. If the same tractor is used to load and unload, it has to be hauled back and forth. This wastes time for those waiting at the hay lot for it to arrive.

“With self-unloading hay trailers like the Red Rhino, there is no need to strap hay down because they sit in a cradle so they are safe and will not roll off,” says Studebaker. “On a trailer like this, you pull a lever and it unloads itself in seconds so you are headed right back to get the next load.”

Make It Reliable

One of the worst case scenarios of waiting too long to order a needed hay trailer is having to settle for an off brand, unreliable brand, or whatever the dealer may have in stock. Unfortunately, such equipment may not be built with the durability required to clear the fields of bales – or keep it out of the repair shop – when you need it most.

“Reliability and dependability are the main reasons this trailer has remained a top seller. But if you want your first choice of trailer, you better order quickly before they are sold out,” adds Studebaker.

For more info about GobBob, call 1-866-532-9123 or visit www.gobobranching.com.