I don't know if this guy is serious or joking?

[Robert_in_NY]

I am serious, I watched his videos this morning and I really can not tell if he is joking around or if he is really serious. Either way it is ammusing in a sad sort of way

Vetiver Grass Bales - How to Bale Vetiver Grass Movies

If he is serious about what he is trying to do there why wouldn't he have someone that actually knows about baling hay and straw helping him. My favorite line is when he said "you need a big enough tractor, something around 50 hp.... or 25 hp"

 

[WayneB]

Robert I think we have way too much free time on our hands.

Wayne

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Robert I think we have way too much free time on our hands.

Wayne

Well, I hurt my side baling hay the other day so I have been sitting on my butt all weekend trying to rest it so yeah, I have plenty of free time right now but I wish I didn't as it is uncomfortable free time.

I do like playing around watching videos when I am sore as there are a lot of funny videos online.

So do you think he was serious or joking? I am still thinking this guy is serious.

 

[Grrrr]

I think he's serious. But its all a bit of a joke.

What I find more funny is he cuts his grass with a brush hog!

He appears to have built himself a house from the bales

Vetiver Grass Bales - Photo Essay

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I think he's serious. But its all a bit of a joke.

What I find more funny is he cuts his grass with a brush hog!

He appears to have built himself a house from the bales

Vetiver Grass Bales - Photo Essay

The way I understood him is they harvest the hay by hand, spread it out on a hard grass ground (tried it on mud and it didn't work well he said), then run over it with the brush chopper twice. If you do it three or four times then the grass is too chopped up to bale

For the amount of time and effort he is putting into this he should have just brought in a high capacity baler. He wouldn't have had to chop it up with the brush hog either. I also wonder if the tine feed system New Holland uses might have been a better idea for him then the auger feed John Deere as that was his main problem, plugging the auger.

 

[Grrrr]

The way I understood him is they harvest the hay by hand, spread it out on a hard grass ground (tried it on mud and it didn't work well he said), then run over it with the brush chopper twice. If you do it three or four times then the grass is too chopped up to bale

For the amount of time and effort he is putting into this he should have just brought in a high capacity baler. He wouldn't have had to chop it up with the brush hog either. I also wonder if the tine feed system New Holland uses might have been a better idea for him then the auger feed John Deere as that was his main problem, plugging the auger.

I think hes nuts to be honest

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I think hes nuts to be honest

I was thinking that myself

 

[Niji]

The really, really funny part of this is that this guy is in Thailand trying to re-invent industrial age farming for his Masters thesis--no doubt on a grant someone has given him for a substantial sum, and what are the chances that it comes from US taxpayers?

 

[Robert_in_NY]

The really, really funny part of this is that this guy is in Thailand trying to re-invent industrial age farming for his Masters thesis--no doubt on a grant someone has given him for a substantial sum, and what are the chances that it comes from US taxpayers?

I think he was from a Canadian university so it is Canada's problem

 

[jimg]

I suspect he's serious and just like anyone trying something new. In his case looks like he wasn't brought up in a rural area so the learning curve is going to be steeper. Its not surprising he was having trouble w/ the pickup though. Don't think small sq balers were designed for heavy stemmed grass.

The idea here is interesting...bale houses in Thailand. I think they'd probably rot pretty quick in the tropical climate. Ive heard of them being used in the SW but never anywhere else.

 

[Tig]

He is serious. If you check out his website you'll find some answers regarding his sponsors and resources and background.
He sounds like a typical TBN'r trying to get the job done with the resources available and then posting his results.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

He is serious. If you check out his website you'll find some answers regarding his sponsors and resources and background.
He sounds like a typical TBN'r trying to get the job done with the resources available and then posting his results.

Why take on a project like this when it appears you have no experience or even any background in farming and then try to teach others how to do this. A least the typical TBN'er comes to this board to ask others for advice. This guy is over there hoping to teach others how to bale.

I am all for learning new things but this guy appears to be way in over his head and listening to him tell others as if he knows what he is talking about (like the big enough tractor comment he made...50hp or... 25 hp)

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I suspect he's serious and just like anyone trying something new. In his case looks like he wasn't brought up in a rural area so the learning curve is going to be steeper. Its not surprising he was having trouble w/ the pickup though. Don't think small sq balers were designed for heavy stemmed grass.

The idea here is interesting...bale houses in Thailand. I think they'd probably rot pretty quick in the tropical climate. Ive heard of them being used in the SW but never anywhere else.

A high capacity small square baler will handle long, heavy stemmed grass just fine (well, at least a New Holland 575 will). I am not sure if the main problem this guy had was the fact he had no idea what he was doing or if it was his baler. I am leaning more towards this guy not having a clue but that baler looked in rough shape so its possible that didn't help matters any.

I feel if this guy was serious about what he was trying to do then he should have either had a dealership or at least a modern farmer help him with this project. He was there for months on this project just trying to figure out how to bale long stemmed hay.

And remember, there isn't much difference at all between the pickup on a round baler, large square baler or small square baler yet over here some farmers use their balers to bale corn stalks which is a lot heavier stalk then what this guy was using. The main problems with balking corn stalks is certain round balers have trouble starting the bale. Square balers do not have that problem.

 

[Foothill Rancher]

If he's from Canada and working on his Master's I would think he would have gone out and watched some baling being done, they do alot of it in Canada.
He strikes me that he's talking to a grammer school class(maybe he was)

 

[goneandbrokeit]

From the objectives page on his web site

"3) Potential Employers

In blunt honesty, this website was in part created as an alternative way to a CV to promote myself for future job opportunities."

I think he is serious, but a joke.

 

[mark.r]

I think hes nuts to be honest

My goodness . . . I can't believe I watched the whole thing. It was like a train wreck, I couldn't stop clicking on the next link. I think he's been smoking some of those stems too . . .

 

[jimg]

A high capacity small square baler will handle long, heavy stemmed grass just fine (well, at least a New Holland 575 will). I am not sure if the main problem this guy had was the fact he had no idea what he was doing or if it was his baler. I am leaning more towards this guy not having a clue but that baler looked in rough shape so its possible that didn't help matters any.

I feel if this guy was serious about what he was trying to do then he should have either had a dealership or at least a modern farmer help him with this project. He was there for months on this project just trying to figure out how to bale long stemmed hay.

And remember, there isn't much difference at all between the pickup on a round baler, large square baler or small square baler yet over here some farmers use their balers to bale corn stalks which is a lot heavier stalk then what this guy was using. The main problems with balking corn stalks is certain round balers have trouble starting the bale. Square balers do not have that problem.

I based my comment on how I thought arundo donax (which looked very similar to what the guy was baling) would bale and think a small sq baler wouldnt do it (well or at all). Once it goes over 10' the stems contain considerable lignin, dry they're like sticks rather than grass.

This guy is in Thailand right? I didnt know there were any JD dealers there much less sm sq balers. I wonder where that one came from?

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I based my comment on how I thought arundo donax (which looked very similar to what the guy was baling) would bale and think a small sq baler wouldnt do it (well or at all). Once it goes over 10' the stems contain considerable lignin, dry they're like sticks rather than grass.

This guy is in Thailand right? I didnt know there were any JD dealers there much less sm sq balers. I wonder where that one came from?

My experience is mainly with Reed Canary grass and I have baled that at 7' tall with heavy stems like goldenrod. I have also baled patches of arundo donax that grew out into the edge of my field. My baler doesn't look at these any different.

And as I said, these balers can and will pick up corn stalks and bale them so I do not see any reason why this grass would be any more difficult. But since I am not over there I can't say for sure but just from my experience.

My daughter loves arundo donax as we pick one or two stalks every time we drive out to the pen. She usually sits on the atv as we are driving and lowers the seed end of them into the mud puddles. Occassionally, she finds my head with them

And speaking of sticks, I have baled a 2" thick stick before as I was custom baling a field and it was under the windrow. Was interesting seeing a stick in the bales all cut off at 16" intervals. I think the stick was around 5' long as it was an old branch that fell into the field.

 

[jimg]

I didnt know it would grow well that far N. What are you using it for and why did you plant it?? We have a demo patch here at the lab and last time I looked it was bordering on 15'....and its been bone dry this summer. Earlier this summer I cut a small one (6') down and dried it in my office. The large end is like a spear (sharp and rigid). Its much like bamboo in that regard. A mown field would be really hard on rubber tires...a field of spears. Anyway, the power plants that are arundo fueled chop b/c baling is too difficult for the reason I gave. Although I think they wait max time before harvest. I think the problem is the rigid stems cause a 'log jam' at the pickup. Thats what Im told. The diff in corn stalks is theyve been limbered up in a combine.

Speaking of tree branches...this spring I was running down a wood line and the pickup grabbed a large limb and digested it before I could get my rig stopped. I was surprised the baler showed no unusual effort.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I didnt know it would grow well that far N. What are you using it for and why did you plant it?? We have a demo patch here at the lab and last time I looked it was bordering on 15'....and its been bone dry this summer. Earlier this summer I cut a small one (6') down and dried it in my office. The large end is like a spear (sharp and rigid). Its much like bamboo in that regard. A mown field would be really hard on rubber tires...a field of spears. Anyway, the power plants that are arundo fueled chop b/c baling is too difficult for the reason I gave. Although I think they wait max time before harvest. I think the problem is the rigid stems cause a 'log jam' at the pickup. Thats what Im told. The diff in corn stalks is theyve been limbered up in a combine.

Speaking of tree branches...this spring I was running down a wood line and the pickup grabbed a large limb and digested it before I could get my rig stopped. I was surprised the baler showed no unusual effort.

I didn't plant it, it grows wild around here along ditches and such.

As for baling it, I would think if you ran it thru conditioning rolls it would help limber it up as like I said, I have not had any issues with it but then again it is only a small patch along the edge of one of my fields.

I understand the reason for the power company chopping and I thought it was mainly because it is faster, easier and cheaper to run a chopper and not have to touch anything. They do this with willow up here. When they first planted it they tried harvesting by hand till they came up with a chopper that would hold up to the willow wood. However, hand harvesting was way too time consuming and costly. Now they pull in with a chopper and two side dump wagons and harvest a field like they would corn silage. In and out and no messing around stacking bales of hay, just back the tractor trailer up to where they are going and dump the entire load. Bales just require more work then they really want.

And I agree, I was nervous about looking inside my baler after that stick went thru but there wasn't a nick on anything. These balers are built heavy and you would really have to abuse them to do any damage and even then the shear bolt should pop to protect the baler.