jedstivers
Well-known member
It won't cost $4 a bale for that kind of wrap.
I think we are going to try some of that next year.1wlimo":143rbmm8 said:It is possiable to wrap the bales in plastic using the baler. I have never done this or even seen it done but you can buy the plastic, this would make it easier if it works.
dun":1ynjs6ps said:Maybe you could lease/rent a machine or hire it done. Not only look at the upfront cost but what is the value of the spoiled hay each year that you could saveangus9259":1ynjs6ps said:Well, this all answers my questions - too pricey per bale for me to pursue since I'm still paying in the $100 a ton for hay range. It's hard to spend $4 to bale wrap em before equipment depreciation and time when a small bale only costs $20 and a big bale $50 to begin with. Back to the drawing board.
dun":36a75235 said:From the U of VA Extension
The outer 4 inch thick layer of a 6 ft. diameter round bale contains about 25 percent of the total bale volume.
If you can calculate the volume of a cylinder, way beyond my P poor math skills, it would be easy to figure out by varying diametersangus9259":2lm46vbw said:dun":2lm46vbw said:From the U of VA Extension
The outer 4 inch thick layer of a 6 ft. diameter round bale contains about 25 percent of the total bale volume.
Interesting. Seems like you lose more than 4 inches on a weathered bale of hay. Wonder how much is actually lost..... of course, on a smaller bale, 4" would be a smaller percent of the total bale. I need a slide rule. :???:
Caustic Burno":10zt8kjo said:SRBeef":10zt8kjo said:angus9259":10zt8kjo said:It'll be ball wrapped. That doesn't seem so awful bad. The "wrapper" is $2150.
I don't think there is a 3-point mounted "ball" (100% wrapped including the ends) bale wrapper out there especially not for $2150.
I suspect what you are looking at is one like I use:
These are a couple pictures from my wrapping last month of a portion of my winters hay. This year I am leaving a gap between bales and using up whatever pallets I can find for under a portion of my bales. These ones that are wrapped and up on pallets will be the last ones I feed next April.
These wrapped bales have definitely cut down dramatically on wasted hay especially from late December through the end of the WI hay feeding season May 1. I would not wrap over the corners as that traps water in side.
Cost of the plastic depends heavily on how much/how many wraps you put on. And there is definitely a knack to operating the machine efficiently. But you will learn. If you keep it to about 2 wraps average there is not that much plastic used. I just cut through it and the netwrap with a good sharp razor knife and the plastic plus the netwrap will compress into a volume about the same as a coffee can. I then put this in my recycling containers.
I plan on switching to black plastic film which is better for these open ended bales.
Other questions?
Jim
I have been to a goat ropin, rat killin and a county fair and ain't never seen nothing like that.
That is as neat as sliced bread.