netwrap vs twine-bale pricing

[Niji]

I've only got a square baler, but since the monsoon rains early in the hay season pushed me back so far, I'm still working on finishing up first cutting. As a result, my regular customers who are almost all horse folks, aren't interested in the mature hay. So I'm getting a couple of local fellows to roll a bunch of it. Also...I am making plans to get a baler and large tractor to be able to round bale myself in the near future.

My question is this--I've got 5x5s and 4x5s now that are really nice tight bales with netwrap. I'm impressed with the netwrap both for making nice bales and for keeping the hay better when stored outside over winter.

Does the netwrap add substantial cost to the machine up front? Does it cause much trouble? I assume it adds to the per bale cost over cheaper twine? But, then does it also fetch a better price on the market? It seems it might be more desirable when trying to sell?

And, since I've now got 42, 5x5s with netwrap, and 7 4x5s to sell, does anybody have a line on the going rate for these at the moment? I'm in south western Virginia, and the hay is very good mixed (orchard grass, timothy, white clover, mostly), just a little mature. I figure cattlemen are my market, but I'm not well connected there, and so must figure how to find these a home.

 

[chh]

Balers with net do cost more, how much I can't say because I did not price any twine only models. I was looking at new/near new balers when I shopped. There where quite a few "deals" out there on older string only models that had been traded in for balers with net. No wrapping system is trouble free, but the net wrap system on my MF 2746A is very nearly so. The main advantage of net is speed. There is some extra weather resistance, but speed IMO is the number one factor. My full wrapping/ejection cycle is 32 seconds from clutching in to reengaging. With twine the same cycle is 1 & 1/2 minutes. Cost last year was $.50 to plastic twine a bale and $2 to net it. This year I have fine tuned the amount a bit and preshopped for my net and am getting by for about $1.40 a bale for net. Plastic twine did cost a little more and I am trying to put quite a bit on so(as a guess) I think is is costing $.60 or a bit more a bale. Because if the time difference I do not cut a price difference between custom baling with twine if the customer prefers it(it does happen ocasionally) when you are getting paid by the bale the more bales a day the better.
As far as selling the hay, locally twined hay is more difficult to sell and usually will not bring quite as much for the same quality. All the hay that I do on my own place to sell is net wrapped, because that is what my customers want. Some of my hay that was of poor quality and did not want to sell I did with twine this year simply because it was a little cheaper and it makes it easy to keep seperate.

 

[Bird]

The fellow I worked with cutting and baling hay 10 years ago had bought a new twine only Gehl baler. He said he wished he'd bought the net wrap instead, that it wasn't much difference in price when he bought the baler, but would be expensive to have it changed. We did primarily 5 x 5 bales, with some 5 x 6. Another friend, primarily in the hay business, used all John Deere equipment and net wrap baler 4 x 5 bales only, and 8 to 10 years ago, he said it cost about a dollar a bale more for the net wrap than if he'd used twine. The reason for the smaller 4' bales was because he had his own 18-wheeler with a flat bed trailer and the smaller bales didn't stick out past the sides of the trailer as 5' bales would.

 

[chh]

The reason for the smaller 4' bales was because he had his own 18-wheeler with a flat bed trailer and the smaller bales didn't stick out past the sides of the trailer as 5' bales would.

Bird makes a real good point on width. I am running a 4x6 baler to make 4x6's and 4x5's. Oklahoma was really lax on enforcing width rules on Ag people for years, but are starting to really enforce the rules now and from what I have heard it is getting to be more true everywhere. 4' bales will keep you at or under width loaded 2 wide on a trailer. Since I deliver some hay it was either go with a 4' baler and use my current trailer or get an inline trailer.

 

[Niji]

You know, I hadn't even considered the time difference between twine and netwrap, so many thanks for that info. I wouldn't have guessed it was so substantial. And thanks for the cost info too--I'm well armed to make a decision when the time comes now.

 

[capt jack]

I feed about 200 large round rolls per year. In the past few years the guy who bales mine has gone from $1 extra per roll for net to $1 more for twine just because of TIME!. Thats all well and good (for him), but what about the guy who has to feed these bales. I (and most of my cow feeding friends ) hate net wrap if you are the guy who has to fight this stuff off while 20 hungry cows surround you. Twine can be cut and pulled off 1,2, or 10 strings at a time, does not matter if the bale is sitting on the ground, or elevated on a spear. Try to get net out from under a sitting bale. Try to elevate a net wrapped bale, cut the net and just pull net out without a pile of hay! And if it gets ice on it, you a peeling a 6 foot tall hard boiled egg!. I guess net may be better for the hay, but my cows are exposed to way too much foul language, I'll stick with string.

Jack

 

[RickB]

I feed about 200 large round rolls per year. In the past few years the guy who bales mine has gone from $1 extra per roll for net to $1 more for twine just because of TIME!. Thats all well and good (for him), but what about the guy who has to feed these bales. I (and most of my cow feeding friends ) hate net wrap if you are the guy who has to fight this stuff off while 20 hungry cows surround you. Twine can be cut and pulled off 1,2, or 10 strings at a time, does not matter if the bale is sitting on the ground, or elevated on a spear. Try to get net out from under a sitting bale. Try to elevate a net wrapped bale, cut the net and just pull net out without a pile of hay! And if it gets ice on it, you a peeling a 6 foot tall hard boiled egg!. I guess net may be better for the hay, but my cows are exposed to way too much foul language, I'll stick with string.

Jack

If your netwrapped bales have ice on them or are frozen, pick them up and drop them in the storage area before you go into the cow yard. That helps break loose the ice covering the net. I prefer to deal with net vs. twine on icy, frozen bales. I had a loader, not a 3pt spear, though. If you like twine that much better, I guess it will cost you a buck more a bale. Maybe you could get 'X' number wrapped with twine for the dead of winter and the rest netwrapped.

 

[chh]

I have also found it easier to remove the net by pulling the end instead of cutting it. Usually you can back pulling the end of the wrap, with the bale in the air, and it will unwind. If the ice is well fractured by dropping it, ususally it will come off without too much pulling and shed most of the ice in the process.
We do not have as much ice in OK as a lot of you guys do though so it may not work as well for you.

 

[mlauk]

I've bought net wrapped hay in the past and just found the end and unwrapped it with no problem, but I live in Texas and rarely have ice. I bought an older model with twine and hydraulic arms about five years ago and started baling my own hay. Since I'm just baling for myself and only move the hay twice, once from field to storage and the second time from storage to feed the cows, I don't put as much twine on and it holds together just fine. I need to measure the cycle time, but I don't think it takes anywhere near 1 1/2 minutes. If you are selling the bales, more twines is required with all the loading and unloading required.

 

[capt jack]

I have also found it easier to remove the net by pulling the end instead of cutting it. Usually you can back pulling the end of the wrap, with the bale in the air, and it will unwind.

That seems to work okay IF..... your cows will stand quietly away from the bale until you get the net wrap picked up where you pulled it away from the bale, not stand all over it. Mine are not that well trained (would also be okay if you could limit cow access to the bale until its unwrapped):

Jack