Let me start this strawman economic model. Please excuse my dementia and delusions :
My baler spits out a 14 flake bale every 14 seconds (1 plunge per second from double raked windrows). At $2.00 per bale, that's about $8.00 per minute or $480. per hour or $240 income for the 1/2 hour it takes.
This all starts from mowing a portion of my field(s) at twice baling speed. So, to cut 100 bales It takes me 15 minutes (see the mowing video). Thats 4 rounds of my hayfield(s).
I rake at baling speed, so its another 1/2 hour but with 15 minute attachment changeovers (with the drying time delay removed).
I bale at 1/2 mowing speed (but I'm double windrowed for optimum baler feed rate).
Changeover and pickup with a NH Stack wagon takes 1/2 hour at baling speed.
Delivery of 56 bales to the neighbor (dump, flirt with the neighbor and her daughter and return for a 2nd load is another 1/2 hour.
or stow in the mow with free help another 1/2 hour.
So, mow = 15 minutes.
rake = 1/2 hour
bale = 1/2 hour
pickup = 1/2 hour
deliver 1/2 hour or stow 1/2 hour
for 100 bale production and get $200 for this. Burn maybe 3 gal of diesel (That seems realy high but wtf.) for all this at $2.17 per gal (off road). and plastic twine is $26 a box with the TSC 10% coupon.
Even if you DOUBLED the price of Diesel, I'd still be making the same amount of money as a white collar desk jockey ( I was one, actually), and it's a CASH transaction.
OK so now please correct my estimates for time. Yes, somethimes a machine will STB, but it all evens out in the end. The price has no relation to cost plus profit margin. The machines are all paid off, no other real costs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hST7oAoFJkA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsnjrhQJfsY