Baler speed

[Hondac]

Using a John Deere 530 baler. I have been told that baling with a faster ground speed is better than
a slower ground speed. Have tried both ways and can't really tell any difference in bale density.
What are your thoughts? Thanks.

 

[shaz]

You have less revolutions per bale at higher speed and less chance to drop hay.

 

[dun]

I just gauge it by how fast the pickup can suck it up. I hate clearing plugs!

 

[ohiosteve]

I just gauge it by how fast the pickup can suck it up. I hate clearing plugs!

I say the faster the ground speed the faster you get done, of course plugging will negate any time saved by going too fast. Ideally you want to travel just under plugging speed. On a side note why is it everytime my haybine plugs it's either thistles or poison ivy?

 

[dun]

I just gauge it by how fast the pickup can suck it up. I hate clearing plugs!

I say the faster the ground speed the faster you get done, of course plugging will negate any time saved by going too fast. Ideally you want to travel just under plugging speed. On a side note why is it everytime my haybine plugs it's either thistles or poison ivy?

Just lucky I guess

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

Travel at a speed so that the hay is feeding into the pickup consistently. To slow and the pickup will pull in hay and then go empty while it waits, too fast and the pickup will have trouble picking up the hay and you will either leave hay behind or plug up. Correct speed the hay should just flow up off the ground and into the bale chamber nicely.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

I just gauge it by how fast the pickup can suck it up. I hate clearing plugs!

Me too,I do bale as fast as possible, but if I start plugging up that isn't getting anything done.

 

[dun]

I just gauge it by how fast the pickup can suck it up. I hate clearing plugs!

Me too,I do bale as fast as possible, but if I start plugging up that isn't getting anything done.

We had one field this year that the hay was so thick and the raker had it piled so high that 1.2 mph was the fastest I could bale without plugging. Most times it's around 4-5 mph.

 

[Angus Cowman]

depends a lot on the baler and the HP tractor you are pulling it with on normal to heavy hay I run 6-6.5 mph and light hay I have ran as fast as 10mph or better
I have ran over 9 mph in some heavy hay 7-8 bales pr acre trying to get it up before a rain hit it
I was lucky was wrapping the second to last bale when started sprinkling and as soon as I got in the truck it really turned loose
baling oats this yr ran around 6.5mph was kicking a bale out every 45seconds it averaged 7 bales pr acre

 

[dun]

depends a lot on the baler and the HP tractor you are pulling it with on normal to heavy hay I run 6-6.5 mph and light hay I have ran as fast as 10mph or better
I have ran over 9 mph in some heavy hay 7-8 bales pr acre trying to get it up before a rain hit it
I was lucky was wrapping the second to last bale when started sprinkling and as soon as I got in the truck it really turned loose

I don;t have a single hay field that's smooth enough to go that fast even with a bombsight

 

[kenny thomas]

I feel that the roller needs time to make the revolutions to get the hay tight. The reason it is rolling is to pack it tight otherwise it would just be a stacker. If you really want to know for sure roll one roll as fast as you can ride and then the next at a much slower speed. Mark those 2 and after you finish take both somewhere and weigh them. That will give you the truth. I roll about 4.8mph but heck I am slow with everything I do. Of couse the hay and the fields will make a huge difference in how fast you can roll.

 

[Jogeephus]

I'm with you Kenny. We sometimes team up when baling hay to make short work of it and one of the guys is a speed freak and all his bales end up being loose.

Another way to test this is just stop right before it goes to wrap and let it turn a few times without any hay feeding and see what a pretty roll it will spit out.

 

[Hondac]

At the speed I've typically been going, I average about 15 rolls per hour. The 530 has a single tie arm and takes about 1 minute per tie cycle.
I've got a tension cylinder which has a leak. I'm going to get it repacked and hopefully that will make for a tighter roll.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

I just feel sorry for you about that minute tie cycle.

 

[Banjo]

I have an open throat Vermeer.....about the only time it will plug is if it doesn't start a bale and it will start a bale everytime if you just give it a second at the start. It 's still not as good as the late model JD's that have the stuffer knives in them...... with them, you don't have to look back you just go.
The closed throat or variable throat balers like the Gehl 1870 that I had a couple of years ago would plug in a heart beat if conditions weren't perfect.

 

[Banjo]

Using a John Deere 530 baler. I have been told that baling with a faster ground speed is better than
a slower ground speed. Have tried both ways and can't really tell any difference in bale density.
What are your thoughts? Thanks.

I think its all about the tension you have on the baler. some of the old chain bar balers couldn't make a tight bale or a pretty one. With these newer balers I don't think the speed makes a difference in the density, fast or slow wouldn't move the density meter much IMO but I could be wrong.

 

[Angus Cowman]

I had a post all written out and when I it send it said no internet connection available
you have to run the tension a little higher if you run faster

Unless I am in really heavy heavy hay if I run less than 5mph my pickup eats the hay faster than the tractor is feeding it to the baler, my baler makes a more consistent bale if I can keep the head pushinh the hay a little which is usually around 6mph give or take

plus it makes a difference on bale density on what type of grass you are baler longer stemmed hay wraps tighter with less revolutions than shorter stemmed hay in a solid stand of Bermuda I increase bale density adjustment on the baler

I have some heavy Bermuda to bale this afternoon that I will probably have to run around 4- 4.5 mph because it is really heavy and I will increase the bale density a couple hundred lbs on the gauge

If I could only average 15-20 bales pr hr I would NEVER get thru

 

[Banjo]

I had a post all written out and when I it send it said no internet connection available
you have to run the tension a little higher if you run faster

Unless I am in really heavy heavy hay if I run less than 5mph my pickup eats the hay faster than the tractor is feeding it to the baler, my baler makes a more consistent bale if I can keep the head pushinh the hay a little which is usually around 6mph give or take

plus it makes a difference on bale density on what type of grass you are baler longer stemmed hay wraps tighter with less revolutions than shorter stemmed hay in a solid stand of Bermuda I increase bale density adjustment on the baler

I have some heavy Bermuda to bale this afternoon that I will probably have to run around 4- 4.5 mph because it is really heavy and I will increase the bale density a couple hundred lbs on the gauge

If I could only average 15-20 bales pr hr I would NEVER get thru

What kind of baler are you baling with ? If you are able to netwrap, that seems to speed the process up more than anything. You must have a lot of flat smooth fields .....here its all up and down hills or rough or the majority of mine is.

 

[dun]

You must have a lot of flat smooth fields .....here its all up and down hills or rough or the majority of mine is.

We're in the same boot, even brush hogging I have to keep it below 4 mph or get thrown around in the cab too much, or thrown off of the open tractor. That's another reason why speed isn;t important with the mules, beats the snot out of you otherwise.

 

[Angus Cowman]

You must have a lot of flat smooth fields .....here its all up and down hills or rough or the majority of mine is.

We're in the same boot, even brush hogging I have to keep it below 4 mph or get thrown around in the cab too much, or thrown off of the open tractor. That's another reason why speed isn;t important with the mules, beats the snot out of you otherwise.

what I bale is land that is to steep or rough to row crop here in Arkansas where I was in Southern Mo Nothing was flat or smooth it is as steep or steeper than where Dun lives

the tractor makes a lot of difference on how smooth the ride is the larger the tractor the smoother the ride
I bale with a TS 110A NH and the wife rakes with a TS110 NH the A is a larger framed tractor and the comparison to the ride is NO comparison her 110 will beat you to death running the same speed both are 4WD
I mow with a 4640JD 2WD and it isn't to bad for the ride would be better if it was 4WD so the front tire would ride over the holes instead of falling in them