6 Best Utv Bale Spears For Moving Hay Perfect for Small Acreages
Efficiently move hay on your small acreage. Our guide reviews the top 6 UTV bale spears, helping you find the perfect attachment for your farm chores.
Dragging tarps across a muddy pasture or trying to roll a 700-pound round bale by hand gets old fast. For small acreage owners, a UTV is often the primary workhorse, but moving hay can be its biggest challenge. The right bale spear transforms your utility vehicle from a simple transport into a capable material handler, saving your back and a significant amount of time.
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Choosing a UTV Bale Spear for Your Acreage
The first decision point is where the spear mounts: front or rear. A front-mounted spear offers superior visibility and precise control, letting you see exactly where you’re placing the bale. A rear-mounted spear, however, often provides better traction by keeping the weight over the drive wheels, which can be a lifesaver on slick hills or in mud.
Next, consider the power source. The simplest systems use a winch to raise and lower the spear, which is a cost-effective and reliable method if you already have a good winch. Hydraulic systems offer far more power and fluid control but require a dedicated hydraulic power pack or a UTV equipped with its own hydraulic system. This adds significant cost and complexity but turns your UTV into a much more capable machine.
Finally, compatibility is everything. Not every spear fits every UTV. You must check your vehicle’s payload capacity, suspension limits, and required mounting points. Some spears attach to a 2-inch receiver, some require a heavy-duty aftermarket bumper, and others need a full 3-point hitch, which is only found on a handful of agricultural UTV models.
Great Day PLR200: Simple Rear-Mounted Mover
The Great Day PowerLoader is the essence of simplicity. It’s designed for people who need to move a bale from point A to point B without a fuss. The unit bolts into the UTV’s cargo bed and uses an electric winch (not included) for all the lifting, making it an accessible entry point for mechanized bale moving.
This system’s strength is its straightforward design. There are no hydraulics to maintain or complex electronics to fail. If you can operate a winch, you can operate this loader. It’s a perfect fit for someone who only moves a dozen or so bales a season and doesn’t want to invest in a more complex setup.
The primary tradeoff is visibility. You are driving forward while looking backward to monitor the bale, which takes some getting used to. It also places the entire weight of the bale behind the rear axle, which can make the front end of the UTV feel light. This isn’t an issue on flat ground but requires caution on steep terrain.
Wild Hare Loader: Top Hydraulic Front-End Choice
The Wild Hare system isn’t just a bale spear; it’s a full front-end loader that transforms your UTV into a miniature tractor. It comes with its own self-contained hydraulic power pack, giving you impressive lifting power and control right from the driver’s seat. This is the top-tier solution for serious work.
With 400 lbs of lift capacity and the ability to raise a bale over five feet high, the Wild Hare opens up possibilities that other systems can’t. You can stack bales, load them into a feeder, or move them over fences. The spear attachment can also be swapped for a bucket or pallet forks, dramatically increasing the UTV’s year-round usefulness for moving soil, gravel, or firewood.
Of course, this capability comes at a price. The Wild Hare Loader is a significant investment in both cost and installation complexity compared to a simple spear. It’s best suited for the acreage owner who needs maximum versatility and plans to use the loader functions for many tasks beyond just moving hay.
Titan 3-Point Spear: For UTVs with a Hitch
Some heavy-duty UTVs, like certain John Deere Gators or Kubota RTVs, come equipped with a Category 1, 3-point hitch just like a compact tractor. The Titan 3-Point Spear is built specifically for these machines. It attaches directly to the hitch, leveraging the UTV’s onboard hydraulic system for powerful and reliable lifting.
This is an elegant and robust solution. Because it uses the UTV’s integrated hydraulics, there are no extra power packs to install or winches to wire. The build is simple, heavy-duty steel designed to handle the forces of lifting and transporting heavy round bales. It’s a professional-grade tool for a UTV that’s already set up for agricultural work.
The major limitation is the 3-point hitch requirement. If your UTV doesn’t have one, this spear is not an option without a very expensive aftermarket conversion kit. For those who do have the right setup, it’s one of the most efficient and cost-effective ways to add bale-moving capability.
Bad Dawg Bumper Spear for Integrated Strength
The Bad Dawg Bumper Spear offers a clever front-mounted solution without the complexity of a full hydraulic loader. The system replaces your UTV’s stock bumper with a heavy-duty steel bumper that has an integrated winch mount and a receiver for the bale spear attachment. It gives you the visibility of a front loader with the simplicity of a winch-powered lift.
This design is incredibly strong because it ties directly into the frame of the UTV. The winch, mounted on the new bumper, does all the work, allowing you to lift and carry a bale with a clear line of sight. It’s an excellent middle-ground for someone who wants front-carry convenience but doesn’t need to stack bales high.
The main consideration is that it’s a dedicated system. The heavy-duty bumper is a permanent upgrade, and while it adds serious protection, the system is designed primarily for this one task. It’s less versatile than a full loader but far more robust and integrated than a simple receiver-hitch spear.
Moose Utility Spear: A Reliable 3-Point Option
Moose Utility Division is a trusted name in UTV accessories, and their 3-point bale spear lives up to the reputation. Like the Titan model, this spear is designed exclusively for UTVs that have a factory-installed Category 1, 3-point hitch. It provides a no-nonsense, durable way to move round bales using the vehicle’s own power.
The Moose spear is built for work, featuring a high-quality, forged main spear and stabilizer tines to keep the bale secure during transport. The design is clean and efficient, focusing on strength and reliability over complex features. It’s a tool you can count on season after season.
Again, the deciding factor is your UTV’s configuration. If you have a 3-point hitch, this is a top-tier choice that offers incredible value and performance. If you don’t, you’ll need to look at other options. It’s a perfect example of matching the right tool to the right machine.
Groundhog Max System: Versatile Bale Handling
The Groundhog Max is a bit of an outlier, but a smart one. It’s primarily a rear-mounted plow system that attaches to a standard 2-inch receiver hitch. However, the plow blade can be swapped out for a bale spear attachment, making it a versatile two-in-one tool for property maintenance.
This system is ideal for the acreage owner who needs to maintain a gravel driveway and also move a few bales. The lift is handled by an electric actuator or manual lift, so it’s completely self-contained. You get two major capabilities from a single base unit, which is a big win for saving space and money.
The tradeoff is that it’s not as specialized as a dedicated bale mover. The lift height and capacity may be more limited than other options. But for someone who needs to do both jobs and doesn’t need to lift bales exceptionally high, the Groundhog Max offers fantastic versatility and value.
UTV Capacity and Hay Bale Weight Considerations
Before you buy any spear, you must understand the weight of your hay bales. A 4-foot by 4-foot round bale can weigh anywhere from 500 to 800 pounds, depending on how tightly it was baled and its moisture content. A larger 4×5 bale can easily exceed 1,000 pounds. Never assume all round bales weigh the same.
Consult your UTV’s owner’s manual for its maximum payload capacity and cargo bed limit. A rear-mounted spear places the entire weight of the bale directly on your frame, suspension, and rear axle. Exceeding this limit can cause catastrophic failure. A front-mounted spear shifts the center of gravity, impacting steering and braking, and can overload the front suspension.
Ultimately, safety is the most important factor. An overloaded UTV is unstable and dangerous, especially on the uneven terrain common to most small farms. A loss of steering control on a slope or a sudden suspension collapse can lead to a serious accident. Always choose a bale spear and handle bales that fall well within your machine’s stated safe operating limits.
Choosing the right UTV bale spear comes down to an honest assessment of your needs, your budget, and most importantly, your UTV’s capabilities. The best choice isn’t the one with the highest lift, but the one that integrates seamlessly with your workflow and keeps you operating safely and efficiently.
