Hay buck
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A hay buck, or "bucking hay", is a type of labor where hay bales, usually 60 lb. to as much as 130 lb., are stacked, or "bucked" in a storage area such as a barn, or stacked on a vehicle for transportation, such as a wagon or semi truck for delivery to where the hay is needed. The work is very strenuous and physically demanding, and is dependent upon using a proper technique in order to not grow weary too quickly.
For storage the bottom tiers of the hay bales are sometimes stacked by a harrowbed, and the hay bucks brought in to "top off" the stack. The workers generally wear chaps to protect their legs and use hay hooks, approx. 12 inch long metal hooks with wooden handles, to secure the bales and move them. An apparatus known as an elevator is used to move the bales, conveyor belt style, to levels too high to buck them. Workers are usually paid by the ton. Because the work is so labor intensive, many farmers have taken to making multiple ton bales that are moved with machines.
Hay bucking competitions are sometimes held at rodeos and country fairs.
