Round vs square bale coverage

[dstig1]

This is for erosion control after some excavation work. I'm told a typical square bale is good for ~150 sf or maybe up to 300 if you spread it thin. I'm having a hard time finding it for decent prices, but I am seeing some of the larger round bales around (4'x5'). Obviously they are larger, but my question is how many square bales = 1 of those round ones?

I figure someone here knows but a Google search turned up nothing useful.

Thanks!
Dave

 

[Willl]

Figure a small bale weight of about 70-80? lbs and a large roll around 700? lbs. So,,,

 

[art]

Wrong time to be looking! Everyone has barns full of good hay and the bad stuff won't be around for a while.

Rounds should cover ten times the amount of a small bale at a min.

 

[dstig1]

Thanks guys. I have no idea what either size weighs, so any info is helpful. 10x sounds like a rule of thumb ratio I can work with. Like I said, I knew someone here would know...

 

[Ken45101]

Just an fyi, unless you set it up that you can just push it and unroll it, tearing hay off of a round bale is a lot of hard work. Best is to stand it on end and work around it, unwinding it.

 

[jonyyuma]

The ratio is 10 to 1 bales of hay, but some of the newest round bales look smaller? I am still marvelling at the new cotton picker that rolls a round bale on the back of the machine? We had a lot of Cotton planted around us this year, and corn..

 

[Grayson Klassen]

Round bales vary in size and weight depending on who made them and the baler they used and how they set it up. Where I live a normal round weights in at roughly 1200 pounds and can go as high as 1500 pounds. The tighter they are the harder they are to deal with. If you can roll they out, do it is way less work. What do you have to move them around with?

 

[rasimmo]

I am not trying to argue, but I think the 10 to 1 is a little off. We have unrolled some 5x5 bales and put back into squares. We got 20 to 25 per bale depending on density. I don't think the 4x5 dsig1 mentioned would be half of a 5x5. Trying to use simple redneck math, but it don't compute.

 

[Grayson Klassen]

I am not trying to argue, but I think the 10 to 1 is a little off. We have unrolled some 5x5 bales and put back into squares. We got 20 to 25 per bale depending on density. I don't think the 4x5 dsig1 mentioned would be half of a 5x5. Trying to use simple redneck math, but it don't compute.

I have to agree

 

[dstig1]

Thanks for the info guys. I don't have a bale spear but I have forks and grapple to unload and help out. It looks like I may have found a guy with square bales cheap enough to work. Also thanks for the tips on unrolling the round ones. I was figuring I would just shred it with the grapple, but that may not have worked well. Appears to be a moot point now anyways.

Thanks!