Bale Trailers/Farming Simulator 15
A Bale Trailer is a simple long flatbed trailer that can be loaded with Bales, for bulk transport. It can also be loaded with any other solid cargo you can put on top of it. Bale Trailers cannot load nor unload themselves. Two or more such trailers can be connected together to form a Road Train.
There is only one Bale Trailer available in the base game. Its only competition comes from a Log Transport, the Stepa FHL 13 AK, which can be converted into a Bale Trailer of sorts.
List of Bale Trailers
| Trailer | Price ($) |
Maintenance ($ / day) |
Front Hitch | Rear Hitch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
12,000 | 10 | Drawbar (Bolt) | Drawbar (Bolt) |
Overview
A Bale Trailer is one of the simplest piece of equipment in the game. It is nothing more than a flat platform on wheels, that can be attached behind a Tractor.
The stated purpose of the Bale Trailer is to transport Bales from place to place, such as from the fields to the Cow Pasture, or wherever else you want to use/store them. A Bale Trailer can carry multiple bales, saving you the need to transport bales one-by-one, such as when carried by a Front Loader.
However, Bale Trailers have no way of loading or unloading themselves. That work needs to be done using a Front Loader or similar device, and can be tedious work in its own right.
Bale Trailers can be hitched to one another in order to form a Road Train, doubling the effective cargo space for each trip. Unfortunately, the only Bale Trailer in the game is very hard to drive in reverse, making that a difficult proposition.
Loading Cargo
A Bale Trailer is designed to carry Bales, but can also carry other types of cargo. In either case, however, the Bale Trailer cannot load itself. It must be loaded using a separate machine, such as a Front Loader.
Loading Bales
Bales can be loaded into the Bale Trailer with the use of a Front Loader which is equipped with a suitable implement.
Bale Spikes and Pallet Forks are the easiest choice when working with Square Bales. If the bale is picked up properly, it can be set down gently and precisely. This allows you to maximize the number of bales you can fit onto a single platform. Pick the bale up perpendicular to your tractor and lift it up. Drive perpendicular to the Bale Trailer, and position your bale so that when lowered, it will rest exactly where you need it. Lower the Front Loader's arm and straighten out the spike/fork. Back up your Front Loader to slide the spike/fork out of the bale. This is simpler than it sounds, though it does take a little bit of skill.
When loading Round Bales, you're going to want to ensure that the flat part of the bale's cylindrical shape rests on the platform. Placing the bale any other way may cause it to roll off the platform immediately, or as soon as the vehicle makes a turn. The best Front Loader implement for this task is the Bale Handler, which allows you to pick up bales with a controlled grip, and set them down gently. After placing a few Round Bales on the platform, you can nudge them together gently to give them a little extra stability. Loading Round Bales correctly with a Bale Spike or Pallet Fork is practically impossible.
Loading Pallets
Another good use for Bale Trailers is to load it up with multiple pallets. This allows you to transport a large amount of Wool or Saplings in one go. You can also use this to fulfill transport missions, though the time it takes to load each pallet onto the platform will likely mean that you'll lose the extra time bonus for such missions.
Pallets are exceptionally easy to load unto a Bale Trailer. Pick up the pallet with a Pallet Fork, lift it up, drive it over the Bale Trailer, lower the arm, and drive back to release the pallet. It should rest comfortably on the platform.
Pallets do not fall off a Bale Trailer as easily as Bales tend to, but you may still want to drive a little slowly and carefully, as a dropped pallet can flip over and become difficult to get back on the platform.
Unloading Cargo
Bale Trailers do not have any means of dumping their cargo automatically, like Tippers do. Instead, they must be unloaded manually, again using a Front Loader.
Once more, this work can be very tedious, though it requires less finesse than loading the Bale Trailer.
Road Train
The only Bale Trailer available in the game, the Fliegl DPW 180, has a Drawbar (Bolt) hitch at the rear. This hitch is designed primarily for one purpose: hitching one DPW 180 behind the other, to create what is known as a "Road Train".
The Road Train can be somewhat difficult to construct, as it requires backing the DPW 180 into the hitch of another DPW 180. This can be exceptionally difficult, because the DPW 180's free-rotating front axle makes its movements hard to predict. It's even more difficult (but still possible!) to hitch three or more DPW 180s together in the same way.
The Road Train allows you to increase the amount of cargo you can carry in one trip. This can come in handy when your fieldwork generates a very large number of Bales.
However, if you really want to cut down your work time with Bales, consider purchasing a Bale Loader instead. While it cannot carry many more bales than the Bale Trailer, it can both load and unload itself automatically, cannot spill its cargo while traveling, and makes perfect bale stacks when unloaded. It is overall a superior machine, though far more expensive.