oat hay Baling issues

   / oat hay Baling issues #1  

donais

Gold Member
Joined
Feb 4, 2006
Messages
371
Location
ramona ca
Tractor
mf 1547
So does conditions hay bale better than sickle cut and raked hay? I'm getting nice tight bales but when you go to pick them up the middle flakes sometimes slide right out and then the bale pops. I think its because the oat stems are long and smooth. Oh this is on the 214t hd baler. Any ideas? I've got the bales to about 80-90 lbs could it also be too dry? Twain stopped and had to cut too soon the stems this year were only a foot to 2 feet tall
 
   / oat hay Baling issues #2  
bales are to heavy and otherwise put some wedges in to slow down the crop and tighten the springs.
 
   / oat hay Baling issues
  • Thread Starter
#3  
I tightened the springs 6 turnes past when it hit the frame
 
   / oat hay Baling issues #4  
What's the moisture content of the crop at baling? A 80#-90# sq bale that won't stay together sounds as if it's too high moisture. Small grain crops such as oats/wheat are easy to misjudge the moisture content.
 
   / oat hay Baling issues
  • Thread Starter
#5  
I'm waiting on the tester but a lot of the stems break when you bend them I am thinking its on the too dry side
 
   / oat hay Baling issues #6  
Hollow oat stems break easily. How long has crop been laying on the ground and what's your weather like?
 
   / oat hay Baling issues
  • Thread Starter
#7  
Cut a week and a half ago and in the mid 80's with low humidity
 
   / oat hay Baling issues #8  
Having been cut that long ago it should be DRY. Were oats headed out? Dry oat/wheat/barley straw has been successfully sq baled by several different colored balers for decades so I think you hay isn't too dry to sq bale. Did you weigh any of your bales or guess the weight? It's possible the height of your crop could be the problem.
 
   / oat hay Baling issues #9  
My grandfather had a lot of oat hay bailed. Cut with both a cycle bar mower and a New Holland mower/conditioner. It was bailed with a New Holland bailer. I don't remember any of the problems you discribed.
I don't remember over dry hay being difficult to bale but, if I understand correctly, that it's been on the ground for a week and a half, that MIGHT be the problem.
 
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   / oat hay Baling issues
  • Thread Starter
#10  
Ok not scale weighed. The real heavy ones are at about 12-15% and one of the lighter bales from another field was at @ 7%
 
 
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