Wear leather gloves if you're doing a lot, or use hay hooks.
 Lean the bale against your pelvis as you carry it to the stacking area or to the next person.


Toss a bale if you're strong or daring enough, but don't expect the person you're tossing it to to catch it. You'll probably knock them over instead. Toss it so that it'll land near them, not on them.
You can also move the bales with a handtruck (dolly). Tip the bale on end. Lean it about 10 degrees, and put it on the handtruck. Using hay hooks can help stabilize the load.



Stack your bales "edge side up." The strings should be on the sides, rather than the top and bottom. The stems should run vertically, and the top of the bale when it's stacked properly will feel sharp and jagged. An easy way to remember is to refer to this side as the "cut side up".
Build the stack to its full footprint and then build from the corners toward the middle, making sure to keep the corners square and plumb, to assure stability when the stack gets very high (20 layers).
Tuck your bales tightly together. You can usually put them loosely in their spot and kick them firmly into place, especially if it's a tight spot. You can also shove the bale in with your knee, which would be safer.
Avoid stacking bales that are loose, or have a broken string. They will threaten the stability of the stack. Save them for the top of the stack, or put them aside to be used first. You could repair it if you have available string. Hold down the bale with your knee and tie a replacement string onto the existing string on the end of the bale and wrap it around the length of the bale and tie at the other end.
 Make sure the stack height does not exceed 1.5 times the shortest base dimension. For example, if the stack is 20 feet (6.1 m) wide and 40 feet (12.2 m) long, the height should not exceed 30 feet (9.1 m).
Grab the bale by the strings, with one hand on each string.
Lift with your legs, not so much with your back or arms.
Drop the bale on the floor or on a pallet to start your first layer.
Follow a stacking pattern given below.
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