Burning small bales of hay for fuel?

blunosr · Mar 7, 2012

Hi, have any of you thought of burning hay bales for heating? I have loads of hay that just rots in the fields, and I would like to build a "wood" stove, that burns the small square bales, and would heat water for in-floor heating.

Seems to me that would be frugal. I'd save heating costs, and have a way to get rid of excess hay.

There's a family in Missouri who burn big round bales in a stove of their own design. They heat their chicken barns, shops, and their house, and save about 65% off their natural gas bill.

http://ruralmissouri.coop/08pages/08JanHayStove.html

Any thoughts? Design ideas?

Thanks,

Troy

fixerupper · Mar 7, 2012

A few years ago I read an article about a farmer in Saskatchewan who burns big round flax bales for heat. The burner looked a lot like the one in the article you posted the link to. Jim

rustyplow · Mar 7, 2012

Have thought about myself for awhile now. an Aquatherm wood boiler has a big enough door to get a small square bail in. Could be other brands also? I Would guess 2 to 4 bales a day would do it for me. I burn at most a wheelbarrow full of wood. most times less. Read a story years ago in Farm show magazine where a man built a stove out of a railroad tank car. Loaded it with several round bales at a time. I think it would work if you have access to junk hay. Would have to be dry is all.

ohiojim · Mar 7, 2012

saw another one on the farm report a while back that looked like a 100 barrel oil tank that was being used on a big dairy farm, he loaded it with a skid steer, used round bales, pallets of firewood, or anything else he could shove in it...

torwood9 · Mar 7, 2012

Retired farmer by us would bale up bean stubble and burn that in his outdoor wood burner. Created good heat with wood. He would still do it except for the Parkinson are getting the best of him.

Anonymous-0 · Mar 7, 2012

LOL...ARE YOU nuts to burn hay ? . LOL .. with Hay So SCARCE this year,,. ,i have been selling all i can get my hands on .. had to turn down a mississippi guy begggin for a semi load to take to florida ,, And I LIVE IN INDIANA ..he did not care about price or Quality either

gene bender · Mar 7, 2012

So why dont you sell it or even give it away 5-7 tons per A would buy a lot of fuel.

bigbob1939 · Mar 7, 2012

I built a stove out of an old fuel oil barrel to burn bales in and all I could get was a lot of smoke not much heat, The bale would just smolder.

Burning small bales of hay for fuel?

blunosr

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fixerupper

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rustyplow

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ohiojim

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torwood9

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Anonymous-0

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gene bender

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bigbob1939

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