When hay is steamed with the HAYGAIN steamer process, the mold spores are killed and the dust is significantly reduced. Additionally, the hay becomes softer and more palatable for the horse. There are many types of horses that may benefit from these effects. For example, horses with airway problems such as inflammatory airway disease (IAD) or recurrent airway obstruction (RAO or heaves), older horses with decreased appetites or poor dentition, hard keepers, active and traveling sport horses and race horses, horses with allergies, and those kept in stalls for long periods of time. These types of horses benefit from either the reduction of dust, killed mold spores, increased palatability or (more likely) a combination of these factors. The patented design of the steam manifold (metal plate with spikes at the bottom of the steam chest, ensures introduction of steam to the bale in the most effective manner. The spikes of the manifold penetrate the bale and distribute steam, enabling it to diffuse outwards from the center of the bale. The container is fully insulated (double wall) and efficiently sealed, ensuring the critically necessary temperatures are maintained. As the moisture content within the hay increases, the temperature rises exponentially due to the increased efficiency of condensed steam acting as a heat conductor. In addition, the design of the steam manifold plate will act as a hot plate to further amplify the heating process of the bale. The temperature of the hay reaches over 212 degrees Fahrenheit to guarantee that the mold spores are killed and irrespirable. HAYGAIN is proud to offer you three choices of our patented hay steamers; The Full (HG-1000), Half (HG-600) and Travel (HG-GO) series HAYGAIN products. The full bale unit is designed with a specially shaped lid to enable ease of loading of a fully strung bale and gas struts that assist in raising the lid and will hold it open when loading and unloading hay. Both the half bale and full bale units have wheels and handles for easy transport. The half bale is a perfect unit for us

Average Customer Rating:

4.3

out of

(4 Reviews) 4

Rating breakdown 4 reviews

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

3 of 4(75%)of customers would recommend this product to a friend.

Customer Reviews for HAYGAIN HG-600 - Half Bale Hay Steamer

Review 1 for HAYGAIN HG-600 - Half Bale Hay Steamer

Overall Rating:

4 of 5

I want to love it....

December 12, 2012

ByHaylady

fromOregon

I have used this product for:3-6 months

Expertise:Expert

Riding Style:All Around

Competitor:Local/Open

Quality:

5 of 5

Value:

3 of 5

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"Ditto to "Cloverpatch" review. It does the job but, for the money, should have been so much more user friendly. I have some of the exact same gripes...lid falling on my head when I'm trying to clean it, akward to move around...the "dolly" handle needed to be longer...a auto shut-off when the hay reached ideal temp. The drain-pan that was provided is actually too tall for the space under the steamer so I have to lift the steamer to slide it under. Enough of the negative...there are only two choices out there and I have not been impressed with the customer service with the competitor company. The steamer does kill what ever it is that my mare is allergic to and therefore I am overjoyed that this product was available as my horse cannot eat the local hay unless it is steamed. She can eat hay from dry climates generally with out the steaming. We think she is allergic to a mold or fungus that thrives in a wet climate... Nice to take care of a problem without the use of drugs!!!"

Review 2 for HAYGAIN HG-600 - Half Bale Hay Steamer

Overall Rating:

3 of 5

It comes with a useful hat

June 21, 2012

ByCloverpatch

fromCentral Texas

I have used this product for:3-6 months

Expertise:Intermediate

Riding Style:Hunter/Jumper

Competitor:Non-competitor

Quality:

3 of 5

Value:

2 of 5

2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

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"I bought this hay steamer in an effort to partially resuscitate the inferior hay we were stuck with last winter. It doesn't make bad hay into good hay, but it does seem to freshen it up a bit. Going into summer, where we can expect months of 100+ degree days, I feel better feeding moist, dust-free hay. I've found that pre-hosing the dry hay after placing it in the chest greatly improves the result. I steam 4 times a day for 3 horses.

The various components are solid, and will probably last a while.

However, if there were an "ease of use" category, I would give the HayGain a giant "FAIL." This apparatus is basically an ice chest hooked up to a Jiffy garment steamer, and the numerous design flaws resulting from this somewhat clumsy retrofitting of an existing product make the using the thing extremely time-consuming, messy, awkward, and dangerous. For example, there's no thermostat, so you have to guestimate the length of time it will take for your hay to reach 212F, and then arrange be on hand to manually shut down the boiler. The chest is awkward to clean, the lid slams down on your head when you least expect it, the steam spikes impale your hands, and because nobody thought much about adding a simple handle, it is a foregone conclusion that you will receive occasional steam burns when opening the lid. It holds, on average, only 4-5 flakes of hay without over-stuffing. You'll need to use it near a drain because it does emit rather a lot of effluent which, incidentally, stains the floor. But the thing that irks me the most is the absurd wooden dipstick. This goofy machine costs $1500! How about a water level indicator window?

The ideal version of a hay steamer would be a one-piece, self-contained unit that could be plumbed to a water line, fitted with a drain hose and a built-in thermostat/timer, and be able to be hosed clean without having to muscle it onto its side and prop it up at an angle to rinse out the gross hay guk. That imaginary machine might actually be worth $1500.

But I have to say, the included Haygain baseball cap has become one of my favorites."

Review 3 for HAYGAIN HG-600 - Half Bale Hay Steamer

Overall Rating:

5 of 5

Got my mares severe COPD in control

February 24, 2012

ByCKFarm

fromVirginia

I have used this product for:6-12 months

Expertise:Intermediate

Riding Style:All Around

Competitor:Non-competitor

Quality:

5 of 5

Value:

5 of 5

1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

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"My 10 year old Draftcross mare had been hospitalized for severe breathing problems, on inhalers, scoped, and on multiple medications. All the above only helped for a short time. I had to eliminate all the factors that could cause an other attack. Now since 1/2 a year my mare is on steamed hay, pelleted bedding and Smartpak omega3. She stays inside the barn at night with all her friends in a well ventilated stall that has been rigged to avoid her to cribb. No cough since 3 months! I believe that the HayGain has been a major factor to improve her well being but the solution was to atact the problem from multiple sides. All the other barn horses love to get a snack of steamed hay too:)"

Review 4 for HAYGAIN HG-600 - Half Bale Hay Steamer

Overall Rating:

5 of 5

Worked like promised

September 20, 2011

ByBing20

I have used this product for:less than a month

Expertise:Intermediate

Riding Style:Leisure/Trail Riding - English

Competitor:Non-competitor

Quality:

5 of 5

Value:

3 of 5

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"The steamer arrived within 3 days of ordering it and took about 3 minutes to set up. I am amazed at how little water it takes and how fresh and clean the hay is once it has steamed. My 20 year old Qhorse has allergies and is just shy of official COPD, and within days his coughing completely stopped. I was not able to achieve this with soaking alone. I do have it set up on a timer so the hay is ready by the time I arrive at the barn to feed."