small square baler

[kenneths]

hello
I´m new here and i need some help.
Is it possible too bale wet hay (silage/haylage) with a small square baler?
I need a small square baler to make silage/haylage but i don´t know what baler to look for. I have looked at a mini round baler but it is too pricey.


-Kenneths

[KennyV]

You can bale anything wet, but it is usually a bad idea. Back in the early 60’s my brother & I helped put up a LOT of green, wet & HEAVY alfalfa. We packed the loft of a very large barn. It generated enough heat and gas that it burned the place to the ground. Largest fire I had seen to that date [img]/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img].

If you don’t loose it to fire it will surely mold and spoil… Why do you want to bale wet?

As far as a manufacturer for a bailer … there are a lot of good older bailers out there. Most everyone with cattle around here are using big bales… less labor to put hay up.

Unless you are in horse country where they still seem to prefer small bales, you should find older retired bailers pretty cheap. KennyV.
PS .. I'm new here also, SO welcome aboard, there seems to be some very helpfull folks here. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[kenneths]

I want too bale it wet too make silage (wrap the bales with foil)


-Kenneths

[rockinmywaypa]

I'am sure it could be done if you are planning on sealing all air away from it but won't they be a bear to try and lift and carry into place.

[Robert_in_NY]

If you are going to bale wet you will want to use plastic twine in the baler. I can bale heavy dry bales with no problem but wet bales are hard on natural twine knots and you will get a lot of broken bales. As for wanting to bale wet hay, just about any baler should be able to do it. Are you dropping them on the ground or loading a wagon? I would not want to use them thru a thrower as it will be hard on the thrower and bales. If you are wrapping them then I would imagine you are storing them outside anyways.

[kenneths]

I have herd the shear bolts/pins will brake if baling wet hay.
Is that correct?

-Kenneths

[daedong]

I have made silage with a round baler, layed them in a row cover with black plastic and seal the edges along the ground with dirt. If you were to make small bale of silage you would want to be a strong man to handle them, an average size bale would be very heavy. however i have heard of it being done and burying in silage pits. doing this it will keep for years and years, but i would only do it if i was prone to severe draughts, not just a seasonal thing

[Soundguy]

Ok.. I'll bite.. being the hobby farmer here.. silage / haylage?

From what i gather it is a put up long term hay product? how do you controll decomposition?

Soundguy

[cowboydoc]

Yes this is correct and you will have to go very slow to keep the baler from plugging up. Most of the time it gets stuck in the compression chamber and then you break about 5 shear bolts trying to get that unstuck. No way I would even try and do it with a square baler. Why not just get someone with a sileage baler to bale it and then use the sileage sleeves to wrap it?

[kensfarm]

Actually the making of silage is a controlled decomposition.. air is the enemy(makes it mold, spoil).. that is why they pack it tight in bunkers and cover/seal it w/ plastic.. round or square bales are wrapped w/ several layers of plastic to seal out the air. If you do a search on the internet.. it is like a science in itself.. certain moisture levels produce different results.

Silage(corn & corn stocks)
Haylage(grass, alfalfa, etc)