Round baler

[flying belgian]

School me on a round baler. I put up about 6 to 8 thousand square bales a year and it is just getting to be to much work. I sell all my hay which is another story but I would like to get a round baler.I would probably only make 100 or so round bales. What baler would work best for me and what size?

 

[caterpillar guy]

I found the smaller the round bale the better it sells for the most money. 4x4's sell for about the same money as a 5x5 so less money per ton of hay and they will not pay the difference for the extra hay in the bale.

 

[MJMJ]

Assuming you already have enough HP, 4x4 if your selling, or as big as you can handle if you re feeding it. A 5x6 will have close to double the hay as a 4x4 so less waste and less feeding. Brand is a matter of preference.

 

[Jim.ME]

Somethings that may influence the size of the bales you make. Are you looking to put up a volume of hay equal to the squares you currently make? Are you going to sell them? Have you asked the possible buyer(s) their size preference? What do you have for a tractor to run the baler and its hydraulic capabilities? What do you have to handle/load them with? Are you going to have to transport them? If so, on what and how far?

Around here 4x4 is the common bale for sale. Transport and handling are easier. They can be unloaded and rolled around by hand reasonably for those who don't have a tractor or loader. Smaller tractors, buyers often have, can safely lift them. One will fit in a short bed pickup or small trailer. They can be hauled two wide, without being over width on larger trucks and trailers.

 

[rrlund]

If I was buying hay, I wouldn't give ten cents for a 4x4. They never look like they have enough hay in them to feed a calf. Get a 4x5 with some density to it so it looks like the buyer is getting something.

 

[casecollectorsc]

I bought a NH BR750 baler last fall after having a NH chain baler. The 750 has great capacity and makes a dense heavy bale and can vary density with hyd. settings. It is a 4x5 baler and is easier to load 4 foot wide bales on a trailer and keep them on. Buzzer tells you when to stop and buzzer tells you when it is tied and can kick it out. Has a bale kicker so you don't have to back up to drop the bale.

 

[Destroked 450]

BR750 is actually a 4x6 baler but the bale diameter can be adjusted from 39 inches up to 6 ft
I have a BR7070 that replaced the BR750 series, I have mine set to make a 4x5 bale

 

[DanielW]

If selling, the size is very much dependent on area in my experience. Selling to beef guys, they know what's in a bale and will pay accordingly for 4X4 vs. 4X5, soft core, hard core, etc. Selling to horse folks is a different story. To many of them them, a bale is a bale regardless of size. I sell to a fair number of horse folks. Several years ago I was charging $5 more for my 4X5's than a guy up the road selling soft-core 4x4's (mine were actually a little larger than 5' - I baled with a 4X6 Deere 435 and dialed it back to about 64'' diameter). I had a couple horse folks complain that my bale prices were higher than the guy up the road. I couldn't seem to make them understand that my 4x5's has over 50 percent more hay and only cost 15 percent more. I gave up that fight: Now I bale everything I'm selling as 4X4 and make more money per ton of hay. Heck with them if they can't do math.

But if you go out West it's all by the ton, so size doesn't really matter. Several states/provinces out West also allow over-width for hay and don't have the 8' road restriction, so 5X5 or 5X6 are common. Here in the East, 4' wide are far more popular because you can load two side-by-side and not be over-width on the roads.

For balers, I think condition would matter more to me than make. I'd definitely look for solid core. Wrap is nice, but a baler with net-wrap will cost more, and for only 100 a year it's not like it's going to save oodles of time. Net does make them look a little nicer for selling, but then again some of my buyers prefer twine (not sure why).

Hard to go wrong with Vermeer, Deere, NH, or Massey. That's probably the order I'd look for, putting Deere and Vermeer on equal footing. Vermeer's always been known to do more with less HP, so some of their models like the 5410 or 504 might be great if you're only working with 45-70 HP. Deeres seem to pull a little harder on flat land, and a lot harder on hilly land. Part of that is because they're geared fast and can really boogey. Another part (on the hills) is because they're built pretty heavy, so on steep hills you're probably losing 10-15 HP just to lug the baler up the hill. They sure are nice balers though.

Not knowing what you're looking to spend and what you're running it with, I'll take a stab and suggest you look at Vermeer 5410 Rebels. They're very popular, tried and true, not too old, and can make a hard-core 4X5 bale with as little as 40 HP (I'd probably want more like 45+ at least, just to be comfortable).

If you give an idea on what price you're looking to spend and what you have to run it, you'll probably get better feedback - it's a pretty broad range. If you had a 90+ HP newer tractor and all the money in the world, you'd do well with with a Deere 460 or 461. If, on the other hand, you're like I was a few years ago have a worn-out 48 HP Case and next to no money, you can pick up a Vermeer 504G for $1000 and change the main drive sprocket to slow it down a little, which allowed me to make decent-looking 4X5 hard-core bales with little HP (albeit a little slowly). Our first newer baler was my Uncle's Deere 435 - a great baler. Definitely worth considering if looking for a used baler under $10k. We ran it ok with a 65 HP For 5000 and later a 70 HP Ford 6600, but on our steep hills you sometimes had to go a little slow. It would have been fine on flat land.

 

[Pig]

(quoted from post at 20:33:38 09/21/23) School me on a round baler. I put up about 6 to 8 thousand square bales a year and it is just getting to be to much work. I sell all my hay which is another story but I would like to get a round baler.I would probably only make 100 or so round bales. What baler would work best for me and what size?

I don't get it.
6000 to 8000 square bales doesn't equal 100 round bales

And who are you selling the square bales to now? Horsey people? They likely won't take rounds, so you have to find a completely new set of customers.

With square bales you need manpower (labor), with round bales you need horsepower (equipment).

It's not a simple switch. I tried to switch years ago, and still do squares. I just made it a bit easier on myself and less labor intensive (bale baskets for instance).

This post was edited by Pig on 09/22/2023 at 05:49 am.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

(quoted from post at 04:43:34 09/22/23) If I was buying hay, I wouldn't give ten cents for a 4x4. They never look like they have enough hay in them to feed a calf. Get a 4x5 with some density to it so it looks like the buyer is getting something.

That's your opinion which thankfully is not shared by many. In reality nobody will pay any more for a 4x5 than a 4x4.

Come pick up a few of my 4x4 bales and tell me there isn't enough hay to feed a calf in them.

 

[Destroked 450]

The bale size you you would want to make depends on the market you have for your squares
Small animal and some horse owners may not have the equipment to handle a large bale thus making a 4x4 their bale of choice
I my area the 4x5 bale is the best seller and most profitable bale, some will buy the larger 5x5 or 5x6 bales but don t want to pay the price those larger bales should bring

I can tell you a 4x5 common grass bale with good density from my NH baler is equal in volume and weight to 13 standard size squares
I ve baled in the same field beside my NH273 and there was 13 squares between every 4x5 roll we made. The rolls we have weighed averaged 750 lbs which is equal to 13 50 lb squares
A 5x5 bale should be equal to 16 1/4 squares

If you have a tractor that will handle a 4x5 baler that would be your best option, most balers can be adjusted to make a smaller bale. With a 4x5 baler you can make 4x5 rolls and with a simple adjustment you can make 4x4 rolls for customers that can not handle the larger bales

 

[jhwis]

I agree with rrlund. If you are selling hay...you gotta go with a 4x5 preferably netwrap bale. They sit two wide on any trailer. If you only are gonna do 100 bales it would probably be wise just to hire that out. No maintenance or breakdown issues to deal with. That's just my humble opinion.

 

[MJMJ]

Just to end any speculation as to bale size vs total mass:
4x4= 50 cubic feet
5x5= 98 cubic feet
5x6= 141 cubic feet

 

[DanielW]

Add 4X5 in there at 78 cu. ft.

Maybe 5X4 as 62 cu ft. for those running the Deere 375 (I'd avoid those, just because those short fat bales are a wacky size to sell)

 

[flying belgian]

I will still continue to do small bales
too.

 

[paul]

Horse and 10 acre cattle folk want small squares.

Around me bigger outfits want 5x6 they are the most efficient use of twine and time.

For hauling any distance the big square bales are catching on fast. They stack on a trailer or truck much better, store in a shed better.

If you need to legally haul round bales in a highly regulated region 4 foot wide bales are easier to make legal width loads. A 4x6 baler lets you make from 4 foot to 6 foot high if you want light vs efficient bales. But the 4x6 do tend to fall over pretty easy. Which is why 4x5 is popular with those that not so concerned about overall efficiency.

Most efficient is 5x6. Perhaps some customers would be able to deal with 4x4 bales and pay the same for that size as a full size bale.

Wide open isnt is?

I make small squares and store them inside of the nice hay.

I make 5x6 bales of the over ripe or rained on stuff to get it out of the way as efficiently as possible.

Paul

 

[flying belgian]

These are all very good and helpful answers. Thankyou. Now to break it down a little more...you have convinced me to go 4x4.I don't have a problem spending up to $10,000. My experience of late tells me if you buy nice equipment and keep it nice you can nearly get your money back. I have plenty horse power to pull anything so with that in mind what baler should I go looking for?

 

[flying belgian]

What does solid core mean?

 

[Pig]

(quoted from post at 07:10:18 09/22/23) I will still continue to do small bales
too.

Ah, gotcha; makes sense.

 

[DanielW]

Solid core means the bale 'chamber' (where the bale forms inside the baler) expands - also called 'variable chamber'. This keeps the pressure on the roll right from the get-go, up to its full size. Soft core means a 'fixed' chamber, so they hay gets piled in there and doesn't really get pressurized until it reaches its final size, so the core/centre of the bale is soft. They're ok if you're using for your own feedlot, but the soft core bales can be pretty raggy-looking, especially if left outside for a while. Definitely not great for hay being sold. Also less hay per bale because they're less dense. The majority of balers out there are solid core - that's why they use belts - the 'chamber' (where the bales form between belts) expands and the belts keep constant pressure on the hay. Most soft core balers use rollers instead of belts. These roller-type soft-core balers are nice for maintenance as you don't have to worry about belt replacment, but they also can suck a lot more HP than the solid core balers (kind of a lose-lose: it take more HP to make uglier bales with less hay in them). The only soft-core balers I know of that used belts are some of the old New Ideas like the 484. As long as your belts are in good condition to start with and you store it out of the sun whenever possible, a set of belts will last you for many, many years.

Depending on how old a baler you're looking for, it helps to get one with a monitor (a gauge in the tractor that tells which side of the baler to feed hay to, so you can make nice square bales). Most baler after about 1993 or so will have a monitor. I get by at my father's using the old Vermeer 504G without a monitor, it's just a bit more of a pain as you have to keep an eye on the bale by looking between the belts to see what side might be a bit low. It's a bit of a shock to the system when you go from our one farm with the newer Deere baler to his place with that old Vermeer. But it gets the job done just fine, and at the end of the day, the bales look/sell about the same.

If you're on a tight budget and looking at really, really old balers, you also have to be aware that there used to be a lot of 'closed throat' balers, which were a complete nightmare: The feed from the windrow into the bale chamber was through some sort of small gap/passage (the 'closed throat'), and often with a separate bed belt pulling it in. You'd have to hold your tongue just right, get your speeds perfect, and have the hay moisture just so to get it to start feeding right. Likely not an issue with any baler you'll be looking at: I don't think anyone's made closed throat balers since the early 80's at the latest. They're not worth any more than scrap value these days.

I'm assuming you're only doing dry hay. If you have any plans to do haylage, however, it might be worth looking up the models to see if they'll handle it. Usually ones meant for silage/haylage have some extra options like more roll scrapers etc. Some of the Vermeers had heavier bearings/shafts on their haylage/silage models. Probably not a consideration for you at this point, but you never know: With the wacky weather we're getting these days, it might be nice to have the option to bale green and hire someone to come in and wrap it rather than try to always find several days of dry weather. Some balers that aren't strictly meant for haylage will bale it just fine. We baled wet bales with our Deere 435 now and again. It's not a haylage or silage model, but it did just fine.