loose bales

[xcsp]

Hi I baled some grass mix hay yesterday and i was getting loose bales tightened tension and was still not able to get twine tight on the bales.
The grass was soft and when I used the baler (565) last year to bale alphalpha/timothy the bales where perfect.
I was wondering if I could not get tight bales it was because of the texture of the hay ???????????????????//

 

[zzvyb6]

Clean the bale case out (empty the baler), and be sure to clean the hay restrictors in the bottom and sides of the bale chamber. Chances are that these "teeth" are all plugged with dead hay, mud, and a poltice of who knows what. The other option you have is to crank down the tension on the bales using the spring loaded compressor.

Before you do this, make sure that the guy riding the wagon isn't kicking them around to make his job easier. (Shouldn't at least one of the tires on that hay rack be a whitewall).

Very nice set of equipment you have there. It should last a lifetime and will make a high value inheritance for someone.

 

[RickB]

Clean the bale case out (empty the baler), and be sure to clean the hay restrictors in the bottom and sides of the bale chamber. Chances are that these "teeth" are all plugged with dead hay, mud, and a poltice of who knows what. The other option you have is to crank down the tension on the bales using the spring loaded compressor.

Before you do this, make sure that the guy riding the wagon isn't kicking them around to make his job easier. (Shouldn't at least one of the tires on that hay rack be a whitewall).

Very nice set of equipment you have there. It should last a lifetime and will make a high value inheritance for someone.

Good advise. As there is a fair bit more adjustment on the tension springs, I'd crank on them first. Grass hay requires more tension than alfalfa hay. Buildup along the corners of the chamber and in front of the wedges more often leads to overtight bales and related misties than loose bales.

 

[bill in ny]

one thing i noticed is how small you're winrows are. when the hay is that light, you need to double or triple your winrows. you need to keep that plunger full of hay. that will make a tighter bale. that baler has quite a big capacity.

 

[Duffster]

one thing i noticed is how small you're winrows are. when the hay is that light, you need to double or triple your winrows. you need to keep that plunger full of hay. that will make a tighter bale. that baler has quite a big capacity.

I was thinking the same thing

You couldn't drive fast enough the way it is

 

[xcsp]

Thanks for all information ,i was looking at manual and they are saying same thing last year I had big windrows and the bales where tight and perfect ,I cut early this year to check out my equipment and make sure everything is ok for my big field.I should have doubled the windrow thanks for the good advice.

My timothy/Alphalpha field is getting high now will be ready soon the weather here in ohio was dry for 5 days so i thought i would give it a cutting.

thanks again
Greg

 

[RickB]

Thanks for all information ,i was looking at manual and they are saying same thing last year I had big windrows and the bales where tight and perfect ,I cut early this year to check out my equipment and make sure everything is ok for my big field.I should have doubled the windrow thanks for the good advice.

My timothy/Alphalpha field is getting high now will be ready soon the weather here in ohio was dry for 5 days so i thought i would give it a cutting.

thanks again
Greg

Just remember in humid climates such as yours (and mine) there is some drying that must happen after raking, especially with legume crops. Windrows too large can lead to hay not dry enough to bale and keep safely. To mitigate the challenges of small windrows, gear up and throttle back a little to help keep the chamber more full at a given ground speed. You can run the baler a little below PTO speed with good results. Additionally, crank down on the tension rails; that's what the adjustment is there for.

A gentle suggestion: there is no 'p' or 'h' in alfalfa. You are making my hair hurt.

 

[WTA]

When I bale my bermuda field I do it in the middle of the night to get a little more moisture on it from dew. It helps them stick together in the baler a lot better and come out a more consistent weight. Your hay actually looked a little too green to bale in the pictures but it could be an optical illusion on my part.
I baled about 80 acres of alfalfa two nights ago and that was a chore even with my baler. I started about 5 PM and couldn't get the bales over 45 pounds no matter how much I moved in the restrictor doors or hydraulic pressure I put on the tensioner on back. By midnight my bales were a perfect 55 pounds and perfectly shaped. By 7 AM they were either too heavy or when I loosened up a bit on the hydraulic pressure the strings were too loose. I started out baling at less than 8% moisture and was running around 13 at midnight. It was getting up to about 16 at 7 AM. Not enough to mould but sure was enough to make them heavy!

You really should get a moisture meter on your baler like I have. My bermuda likes to be bales right about 12 % the best. It's not too much different than your grass. To make perfect looking bales around here though it does have to be done in the middle of the night. On your tractor that means mosquitoes I'd imagine. Thankfully I have a cab but even so I can barely see out the windows sometimes for all the blood suckers buzzing around the lights.

 

[RickB]

When I bale my bermuda field I do it in the middle of the night to get a little more moisture on it from dew. It helps them stick together in the baler a lot better and come out a more consistent weight. Your hay actually looked a little too green to bale in the pictures but it could be an optical illusion on my part.
I baled about 80 acres of alfalfa two nights ago and that was a chore even with my baler. I started about 5 PM and couldn't get the bales over 45 pounds no matter how much I moved in the restrictor doors or hydraulic pressure I put on the tensioner on back. By midnight my bales were a perfect 55 pounds and perfectly shaped. By 7 AM they were either too heavy or when I loosened up a bit on the hydraulic pressure the strings were too loose. I started out baling at less than 8% moisture and was running around 13 at midnight. It was getting up to about 16 at 7 AM. Not enough to mould but sure was enough to make them heavy!

You really should get a moisture meter on your baler like I have. My bermuda likes to be bales right about 12 % the best. It's not too much different than your grass. To make perfect looking bales around here though it does have to be done in the middle of the night. On your tractor that means mosquitoes I'd imagine. Thankfully I have a cab but even so I can barely see out the windows sometimes for all the blood suckers buzzing around the lights.

That's fine advise for your locale. No one bales dry hay "here" without a preservative more than about 30 minutes after the dew starts falling. That can be as early as 6:30PM even in midsummer. A moisture meter is a great tool.

 

[xcsp]

I have a handheld moisture tester and was thinking about the ones to put on the tractor seems like it would be a lot easier.
I was getting a reading of 12 - 13 % on meter while baling.

thanks for you reply
Greg

 

[SPYDERLK]

Hi I baled some grass mix hay yesterday and i was getting loose bales tightened tension and was still not able to get twine tight on the bales.
The grass was soft and when I used the baler (565) last year to bale alphalpha/timothy the bales where perfect.
I was wondering if I could not get tight bales it was because of the texture of the hay ???????????????????//

I recognize the tendency for that problem when the grass is good and dry and slips thru the chute easy. From your pictures I thot I saw a compounding matter on yours but waited to take a look at my baler to compare. My bale chute is a good 5' long - yours looks a bit shorter. It doesnt take much loss in length to put you over the edge for being able to control tightness with the bale squeezer with slippery hay. Maybe a little more twine tension would bring back better control when you do the slippery stuff. Then loosen it back up after cuz tight twine accelerates wear a bit.
larry

 

[SPYDERLK]

That's fine advise for your locale. No one bales dry hay "here" without a preservative more than about 30 minutes after the dew starts falling. That can be as early as 6:30PM even in midsummer. A moisture meter is a great tool.

RickB, Do you have a source you could quote for the application system for the preservative. We are often racing the clock around here and google got me propionic acid, but not application equipment.
Thanks,
larry

 

[RickB]

RickB, Do you have a source you could quote for the application system for the preservative. We are often racing the clock around here and google got me propionic acid, but not application equipment.
Thanks,
larry

Harvest Tec is the OEM supplier for buffered acid hay preservative and application equipment to CNH and, I believe, AGCO and perhaps others. My experience with their equipment, parts system and tech support has been excellent. They have reliable equipment, topnotch support, and deal fairly and swiftly with the very few problems that occur. Their application kits are generally machine specific and install properly as designed when the instructions are followed. I would expect them NOT to be the cheapest kid on the block.

Harvest Tec

 

[scotts185]

All good responses on the loose bales. I just wanted to bring your attention to a new product on the market to help in these situations with varying windrows etc. It is called an Airbaler system (visit Scott Seaver Co. - West Michigan Farmer and Inventor of the Airbaler System.) and it uses an air bag to control bale density rather than springs or hydraulics. Saves a lot of time trying to constantly adjust for varying field conditions and maintains a nearly constant force on the hay when the tensioning slides are all the way open in heavy windrows or all the way closed in light ones.

 

[RickB]

All good responses on the loose bales. I just wanted to bring your attention to a new product on the market to help in these situations with varying windrows etc. It is called an Airbaler system (visit Scott Seaver Co. - West Michigan Farmer and Inventor of the Airbaler System.) and it uses an air bag to control bale density rather than springs or hydraulics. Saves a lot of time trying to constantly adjust for varying field conditions and maintains a nearly constant force on the hay when the tensioning slides are all the way open in heavy windrows or all the way closed in light ones.

I can see no functional difference between this and a typical hydraulic tensioning system.
Educate me.

 

[pengs68]

Nice setup. How does the TN55 pull with the baler and a full load of hay on the wagon?

 

[xcsp]

Pengs68 hi my tn55 does a good job ,it seems to have plenty of power to handle the job ,as you can see the ground is flat here in Ohio .If I had a lot of hills it might be a issue

I really like my TN55 picked it up last year at a good price,

have a great day
Greg

 

[scotts185]

I can see no functional difference between this and a typical hydraulic tensioning system.
Educate me.

The functional difference is that air is compressible, where hydraulic fluid is not. The advantage is the speed with which a compressible fluid is able to adjust to changing field conditions. The Airbaler system will adjust itself every plunger stroke. In fact it flexes every plunger stroke to ease the impact on the plunger as it pushes each new slice of hay into the bale chamber. Hydraulic systems must sense an increase or decrease in system pressure and then a valve has to shift to allow fluid into and out of the system, and some manufacturers have decent systems but most are inadequate to do the job required. There is also no contamination concerns with an air based system if there is a leak.

 

[slowzuki]

The air spring is very similar to the metal ones, just a more consistant force over the stroke. It is similar to the hydraulic ones that have an accumulator. The ones with out can be a bit of a pain in wildly varying hay I'm told. Mine just has the springs. I never mess with them until the sun starts to set and the hay missbehaves. Usually means its gonna be too wet to bales within 10 minutes.

Once the hay get a bit damp the spring back after each stroke falls off and the bales density goes crazy. Wagon crew loves a 100 lb bale trying to squeeze the outside windrow in at the end of a day.

 

[DanD78]

I added two more chute wedges to my IH baler so I didn't have to crank the tensioner so far down in to the bale. Made a big differende in grass hay.

The more consistant your wind rows are the better bales you get. You could easily make your twice as big

Dan