How to Shred Hay Bales With a Brush Hog

You do not need special equipment such as a combine to turn hay into shredded silage or bedding. If you have a tractor with a brush hog, you can shred hay effectively. Unlike a haybine that cuts grass at the ground and leaves it whole, a brush hog is more like a large mower. When it passes over grass or brush, the rotating blades cut and chop the material. The chopping action makes brush hogs ideal for shredding hay.

Things You'll Need

  • Knife or wire cutters
  • Hay bale
  • Brush hog
  • Tractor
  • Level ground
  • Hand-held rake
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Instructions

  1. Square Bales

    • 1

      Find a level area large enough to operate your tractor. The ground needs to be bare or at least freshly mowed.

    • 2

      Place your square hay bale in the middle of the level area. Use the knife or wire clippers to cut the hay strings or wire and move them out of the way. If you run over the hay strings with the brush hog, the string or wire might twist around the blades and damage them.

    • 3

      Separate the hay bale into sections. Square bales usually come in 10 sections packed together. Place these sections flat on the ground in a row. Make sure the sections do not lay on top of one another.

    • 4

      Adjust your brush hog to the lowest mowing position. Driving the tractor slowly, pull the brush hog over the hay sections. The first pass will partially shred and separate the hay.

    • 5

      Stop your tractor, and use the hand-held rake to rake the hay back into a line. This line of hay can be up to two feet high. Make another pass with the tractor and brush hog. Repeat this process until the hay bale is shredded to your satisfaction.

    Round Bales

    • 6

      Unroll your round bale of hay on level ground. The quickest way to unroll a round bale is by using a bale unroller on your tractor or truck bed. If an unroller is not available, use your tractor to push the bale. To do this, position your hay bale at the beginning of the level area. Turn the bale so it will unroll away from the tractor when pushed. Round bales unroll a lot like a roll of toilet paper. Cut the hay netting or wire. Peel back the first layer of the bale by hand, and lay it flat on the ground. With the front of your tractor, bump the hay bale gently to get it rolling. If the hay bale rolls without unrolling peel, back another layer by hand. Continue to bump the hay bale slowly with the tractor until it is unrolled. This will leave a line of hay approximately four feet wide by 50 feet long. Round bales must be unrolled before shredding.

    • 7

      Adjust your brush hog to the lowest cutting level.

    • 8

      Drive slowly and run the brush hog over the line of hay. If the hay scatters, you can rake it back into a line before making another pass. Continue mowing the hay until it is shredded.