Avoid hot bale storage

[FinnMD]

Sharing something that is easy way to ensure avoiding storing hot round bales and fire hazards, may help some beginners. Few years ago I took a couple 4 foot, half inch pipes for checking how hot the inside of bales were after felt warm by hand inside barns and I noticed more unusual smells. Kept end cap on one end of pipes for tapping end into bales, the other end made point by angle grinding slits and hammering a point. Tap pipes into end of bales, after 15 min take out pipe and feel for heat. If real warm or too hot to handle in bare hand move that bale away and keep isolated outdoors. I occassionally find a bad bale that may have been a fire risk to barns. You can't tell if bales get hot by just looking at them, and sometimes some bales are not as dry as others

 

[Charlie M]

Been more than one barn burn up because of wet hay. My uncle used to tell a story of working in one of those old hay mows that would hold 10,000 bales and getting down to the middle of it during the winter
found nothing but charcoal. It was a hot spot in the center that was deep enough to not get any oxygen. Thats too close for me.

 

[larbear]

Excellent idea. I've had bales where I've put a bigger than quarter inch rod into and it be as hot as hot hot water, that is you don't want to keep your hand on
it. It makes the case for letting bales stay out for a bit. You give up the luster of a horsey crowd pleasing exterior but reduces the angst of a pile or barn
fire.

 

[mikewood869]

I helped a guy put some bales in the barn and they were warm and heavy (wet). Our 68 baler wouldn't put bales out that heavy. We tried that in the beginning of the week and we just kept breaking shear bolts. We gave it another week of drying and everything was good.

 

[Traditional Farmer]

I have a better idea that works for me,wait until the hay is dry to bale it.

 

[showcrop]

(quoted from post at 03:52:26 06/04/20) I have a better idea that works for me,wait until the hay is dry to bale it.

TF, I don't think that you can claim that as an original idea. Some areas of the country have rolling ground with huge variations in the amount of moisture in the ground. I have gotten fooled before and turned out a few bales with moisture that was too high. I think that some extra care is a good idea.

 

[larbear]

Seems hay will heat up a certain amount with the hard core 5x5 rounds I do, even though it is fit to begin with. Hot bales were with red clover that had been
under seeded to wheat as a nitrogen boost. It got good growth to it and I haybined it in the Indian summer and baled it in 90 degree October weather so it heated.
I put the hottest bales out in the field, I was that afraid of them. When I got to feed them in the winter they were ok. I cut raked and baled wheat for hay a few
years ago, cutting it at flag leaf and leaving it out a long time before baling. Those bales cooked on the inside. They were like molasses and mixed with the
outer parts of the bale and other hay the cattle didn't seem to mind.

 

[Bruce from Can.]

It is often next to impossible to get dry first cut hay
in June in many areas, in around the Great Lakes
basin . Years ago there was no choice but to wait till
hay was over mature before cutting, so it would dry
down faster. This means lower protein hay, but if
you are feeding a horse or some beef cows, you
don’t need high protein hay.
I had a grain thermometer that screwed on to a
threaded rod. I would make a hole into the center of
the bale with the bale spear on the loader, then
stick the thermometer into the hole. Even bales that
you though were dry will be quite hot after a few
days after being baled. I never wanted to put bales
into inside storage for at least a week after baling.
Stacking the bales 2-3 high will only make it harder
for the inside of the bale to cool down.
The old soft core bales were a bit more forgiving
than the hard core bales, and the new balers will
allow the operator the opinion of changing the bale
density depending on the moisture content of the
hay. So even though I have a hard core baler, I can
change the density of the bale just by pushing
buttons on the monitor inside the tractor cab to
create a softer core bale, which will breath.
My answer to get around all of these problems,
was to shrink wrap all first cut hay. Even dry hay
that is questionable, once shrink wrapped and
deprived of Oxegen will ferment instead of heating
and going mouldy.

 

[PJH]

You can also jump off of the tractor and feel the bale spear. I've found it to be too hot to hold my hand on. When I bring hay home, I carry one bale on the loader spear. It's on there long enough to transfer the heat to the spear.

I don't like to bale hay like that, but have felt forced to by an approaching storm. Sometimes you just do what you have to do.