6 Best Skid Steer Bale Spears For Hay for Small Farms

Moving hay bales with a skid steer goes from a dangerous chore to a simple task with the right attachment. A good bale spear is about more than just lifting; it’s about stability, safety, and efficiency when you’re short on time. Choosing the right one means matching the tool to your bales, your machine, and the way you work.

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What to Look for in a Skid Steer Bale Spear

The heart of any bale spear is the tine itself. You’re looking for forged, heat-treated steel, which resists bending and breaking under the stress of a 1,200-pound round bale. Pay attention to the taper; a well-designed spear slides into a tight bale easily, while a poorly shaped one will fight you every time. Most quality spears use a "Conus 2" tapered sleeve mount, which is a good indicator of a replaceable, industry-standard part.

Don’t overlook the frame. A flimsy quick-attach plate or a thin-walled frame will flex and eventually crack, especially if you’re working on uneven ground. Look for thick steel, good welds, and a design that spreads the load across the entire frame, not just at the base of the spear. A see-through or headache-rack style frame offers better visibility, which is a huge plus when you’re trying to line up with a bale in tight quarters.

Finally, consider the number and length of the tines. A single, long spear (around 48 inches) is often best for round bales, as it penetrates deep into the core for a secure lift. For large square bales, two or three tines provide much-needed stability and prevent the bale from rotating during transport. Smaller stabilizer tines, usually around 18 inches long, are excellent for preventing round bales from spinning, but they can sometimes make it harder to spear a bale cleanly. It’s a tradeoff between pure stabbing ease and transport stability.

Titan 49" Hay Spear: A Versatile Option

Titan Attachments has carved out a niche by offering solid, functional equipment at a very accessible price point. Their 49" hay spear is a perfect example of this philosophy. It’s a go-to choice for small farms that need a reliable tool for moving a few dozen to a hundred bales a season without breaking the bank.

This attachment typically features a main 49-inch forged spear and two shorter, 18-inch stabilizer spears. This configuration makes it a versatile workhorse. The main spear is long enough to get a secure hold on most 4×5 or 5×5 round bales, while the stabilizers are invaluable for keeping both round and large square bales from shifting or spinning. For a hobby farmer handling a variety of bale types, this jack-of-all-trades design is incredibly practical.

Is it the heaviest-duty spear on the market? No. But for the majority of small-farm tasks, it doesn’t need to be. The steel might be a bit lighter and the finish less pristine than premium brands, but it’s more than capable of handling the workload. For the price, it delivers exceptional value and is a massive step up from wrestling bales with pallet forks.

Stout HD45-3 Spear for Demanding Farm Use

When you move from occasional use to daily chores, you start to appreciate heavy-duty construction. The Stout HD45-3 spear is built for farmers who put their equipment to the test. This isn’t an attachment you’ll worry about when lifting a dense, rain-soaked bale from the back of the field.

The "HD" in the name is earned through thicker steel in the quick-attach plate and frame, which translates to less flex and more confidence. Stout often uses high-quality, German-made spears known for their strength and durability. The three-tine design—a long central spear and two robust stabilizers—is exceptionally stable, making it ideal for roading bales or stacking them high in the barn.

This level of build quality comes at a higher price, but it’s an investment in reliability. A bent spear or cracked frame can shut down your hay-moving operation at the worst possible time. Choosing a heavy-duty option like the Stout is about buying peace of mind and minimizing potential downtime.

Everything Attachments Spear for Round Bales

Sometimes, the simplest tool is the best one for the job. If your farm deals exclusively with round bales, the classic single-tine spear from a reputable maker like Everything Attachments is tough to beat. The design is stripped down to its essential function: piercing the core of a round bale securely and efficiently.

Without stabilizer tines in the way, lining up and penetrating the center of a bale is faster and requires less precision. This is especially true with net-wrapped bales, where stabilizer tines can sometimes snag and tear the wrap. The frame is typically a simple, robust A-frame design that provides excellent visibility and transfers all the lifting force directly to the single, high-strength spear.

This is a specialist’s tool. It won’t be as stable for carrying large square bales, and round bales can sometimes spin on the single tine if you’re not careful. But for pure efficiency in moving round bale after round bale, its focused design is a significant advantage. It does one thing, and it does it exceptionally well.

Blue Diamond Spear for Maximum Penetration

Ever tried to spear a bale that’s been sitting out, packed tight and dry as a bone? It can feel like trying to drive a nail into concrete. This is where the design and quality of the spear itself really shine, and Blue Diamond attachments are known for their exceptional engineering.

Blue Diamond spears are often praised for their superior taper and finish. A smooth, gradual taper allows the spear to slide between the layers of hay rather than tearing through them. This means less force is required from the skid steer, which is easier on your machine and less likely to damage the bale or its wrapping. It’s a subtle difference that becomes very obvious after a long day of moving hay.

This is a premium attachment, and the cost reflects that. For a farmer moving just a few bales, it might be overkill. But if you value smooth operation and want to minimize the daily frustrations that come with using lesser tools, the investment can be well worth it. It’s the difference between a tool that simply works and a tool that’s a pleasure to use.

Worksaver SSP-242S for Square & Round Bales

Many small farms don’t have the luxury of specializing in just one type of bale. You might be feeding round bales to the cattle and small square bales to the goats, or buying whatever is available locally. The Worksaver SSP-242S is a dual-tine spear designed for exactly this kind of mixed-use environment.

With two long, heavy-duty spears spaced apart, this attachment is primarily designed to handle large square bales with excellent stability. The two points of contact prevent the bale from rocking or twisting, which is critical when stacking. However, those same two tines can easily be used to lift a round bale by piercing it low and wide.

This design offers fantastic versatility. It’s not quite as easy to pierce a round bale as with a single spear, but it’s far more stable than trying to balance a square bale on a single point. For the diversified hobby farm, this kind of flexibility in one attachment is incredibly valuable, saving you the cost and storage space of owning multiple specialized tools.

Haugen Single Tine Spear for Long-Term Use

There’s standard equipment, there’s heavy-duty equipment, and then there’s equipment that feels like it was built to survive the apocalypse. Haugen attachments fall squarely into that last category. A Haugen single tine spear is an investment in a tool you will likely hand down to the next generation.

Everything about a Haugen spear speaks to longevity. The steel is noticeably thicker, the welds are immaculate, and the overall design is overbuilt for its stated capacity. This is the kind of attachment that you can use for decades without worrying about fatigue or failure. It’s built for commercial use, which means it will be virtually indestructible in a small farm setting.

This level of quality is not cheap. It’s a significant upfront cost. But if you view your farm equipment as a long-term capital investment and prioritize durability above all else, a Haugen spear is a smart choice. It’s for the farmer who would rather pay once for uncompromising quality than deal with repairs or replacements down the road.

Safe Operation of Your Skid Steer Bale Spear

Owning the best bale spear in the world doesn’t matter if you don’t use it safely. A skid steer is a powerful machine, and a 1,500-pound bale on the front can make it dangerously unstable if handled improperly. The single most important rule is to keep the load as low to the ground as possible while moving. A high center of gravity is your worst enemy on a farm, where the ground is rarely perfectly level.

Always aim to spear the bale directly in its center of mass. For a round bale, that’s the dead center. For a square bale, it’s slightly below the vertical middle. An off-center lift will cause the bale to sag to one side, which can unbalance the entire machine and lead to a tip-over, especially during a turn. Take the extra 10 seconds to back up and re-align. It’s always worth it.

Finally, know the limits of your machine. Your skid steer has a "rated operating capacity" and a "tipping load." A heavy bale can easily exceed the operating capacity and get you dangerously close to the tipping load. Add in a slight incline, a soft spot in the ground, or a sudden stop, and you can find yourself in trouble fast. Move slowly, plan your path, and always respect the weight you’re carrying.

Ultimately, the best bale spear is the one that safely and efficiently fits your operation. Whether you prioritize value, versatility, or ultimate durability, matching the tool to the task transforms hay moving from a dreaded chore into a satisfying job well done. Make your choice based on the bales you actually move, not the ones you might move someday.