mini small vs large round balers

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uscangus

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i am looking at safety, efficient for two people, low cost, and less machinery to acquire; hence, greater profit in the long run. I hate to purchase large round baler that require greater tractor' horse power and other machinery that is sitting in the utility shed, since you are cutting only three to twice a year. my neighbors have large and latest machinery, but it is sitting outside the weather or in the utility shed collecting dust. easy to manage and especially for safety. during winter feed with rain, less weight to haul when it is soggy. have someone had any experiences with mini-round baler with white plastic cover. thank you for your generous advices. uscangus :)
 
As for me bigger is better fewer trip hauling and less spoil if setting out side. The cost of bigger equipment is paid for in time saved. As for safety using small tractor for the job. If buying you will have to equip for what is available.
 
How mini is mini. If you're talking about the size of a small square bale what would be the advantage of round over square?
 
I don't understand the sitting outside as there is not a piece of equipment here that does, that is a choice. It could be as simple as covering with a tarp. What you didn't mention was your cutter, if you have a tractor big enough to run an 8 foot cutter there are a pile of balers to pick from. Now if you are wanting a Varible baler reasonably priced a MF 1745 fits the bill will make 3x4,4x4,and 4x5 bales for around 16,000. Tractor requirement is 45 or 50 the Vemeer Rebel is very good also. Couple things to think about as well is resale and parts.
You also mention two people in the baleing this is not a requiremnet for bigger, if I had to depend on help there wouldn't be any hay. There is one old fat man cutting, raking and baleing that has more chins than a Chinese phone book.

This is same baler as a MF 1745 as Agco owns all of them
http://www.agpowermag.com/articles/arti ... cleid=1888
 
I prefer smaller (4X4 or 4X5) round bales but I store all my hay inside. Using a smaller bale I can control feed intake and reduce spoilage at the feeder. Obviously it does take more trips back and forth from the field (daily) but, again, I prefer than to reduce spoilage. Also, around here, the smaller hay equipment retains its value much better and, as you say, requires a smaller tractor. From a safety standpoint, it seems to me they're all the same. I too don't know what a "mini" bale is but 4X4 would be the smallest I would go. Is there anything smaller?
 
angus9259":3e81ltfq said:
I too don't know what a "mini" bale is but 4X4 would be the smallest I would go. Is there anything smaller?
A neighbor put up some 3x3 bales last year, don;t know if he did it himself or had it custom baled.
 
I would say it depends how many cattle you have. For us, I wouldn't want a small bale. Ours are all 6x5. I like the fact that one bale will feed between 30 and 40 cows in a day. When you're feeding 140 head, a big bale is a nice thing.

As far as cost outlay, we bought our baler used, and the tractor runs the baler, loads the bales, feeds the cattle, pulls the post pounder, pulls the seeder and even the cultivator and, it is sure nice when we have to move a bunch of snow around. In all honesty I wish we had a bigger tractor, but we can make do with what we have.
 
To get a better answer to question,please tell us what size cow herd you have,tractor you have and how much hay you have to cut.There are a lot of variables to consider.

Please advise.
 
mtncows":186s4yxk said:
To get a better answer to question,please tell us what size cow herd you have,tractor you have and how much hay you have to cut.There are a lot of variables to consider.

Please advise.

I agree, many variables to consider. Ever put the pencil to how much a roll of hay would cost if you purchase equipment vs paying to have it cut, raked and rolled? I went the route of paying to have mine cut. $20 per 5x5 roll vs the cost of everything seemed to work better for me.
 
reason why i am thinking about small mini-round bale is time and efficient. last year, when my neighbor share crop my field, he mowed the grass, then tendered the hay, again-then rake the hay, and lastly bale with a square bale with two strings. then, needed to rotate the bale so the bottom is not wet, prior to bucking hay(which was a booth camp for me).

the reason with round bale (mini) with white plastic that cover the whole round bale is time and efficient with no tender,rake, rotation of hay to ensure is dried or baling. lastly, you don't have to wait for a solid three sunshine and hot days.

mini round bale is common in Europe and Asia. cost effective. since, my pasture is not too far from the barn. since i am planning to have 40-50 bred cows this winter and next year's winter of 75-80 cows, i am pondering about the cost effective on machinery and long term responsibility of paying and responsibilities. i am weighing how long the duration of this staggered economy in the long run and profit.
with today deficits and future outlook, i am being frugal and cautious in regard to new costs. I am also dollar averaging compare to share cropping with my neighbor's machinery. he needs hay and pasture for his sheep and milk.

anyway, thank you for your generous inputs and advices. i am sorry for the delay of my response due to my practice.
 
Sounds like you want to make silage instead of hay.

uscangus":1kzziz96 said:
the reason with round bale (mini) with white plastic that cover the whole round bale is time and efficient with no tender,rake, rotation of hay to ensure is dried or baling. lastly, you don't have to wait for a solid three sunshine and hot days.
 
1982vett":1zazp3pu said:
Sounds like you want to make silage instead of hay.

uscangus":1zazp3pu said:
the reason with round bale (mini) with white plastic that cover the whole round bale is time and efficient with no tender,rake, rotation of hay to ensure is dried or baling. lastly, you don't have to wait for a solid three sunshine and hot days.
Yup, that's baleage not hay. Unless you have a grapple type of deal, moving the bales after wrapping is a no-no unless you're hauling them to feed right away.
The wrapper is a pricey bugger and the cost of the plastic wrap was rediculous last year.
 
I googled "miniature round bale" and saw this:

http://smallfarminnovations.com/compactroundbalers.html

Don't know what is meant by easy to move manually a 250 to 500 pound bale.

Bale weight can range from 250 to 500 lbs depending on density and moisture content. Bales can be easily moved manually. Bales keep their density, the tying system is quick and it allows you to double tie if you prefer. Uses the same twine as all other balers sold in the USA.

The hitch swivels in front of the baler so you can bale in areas where maneuverability is limited.

The horse power required is 18 to 45

Here's one that makes a 20 X 28 inch bale:

http://www.agriquip.com/star/mrb.html
 
djinwa":3f07011n said:
I googled "miniature round bale" and saw this:

http://smallfarminnovations.com/compactroundbalers.html

Don't know what is meant by easy to move manually a 250 to 500 pound bale.

Bale weight can range from 250 to 500 lbs depending on density and moisture content. Bales can be easily moved manually. Bales keep their density, the tying system is quick and it allows you to double tie if you prefer. Uses the same twine as all other balers sold in the USA.

The hitch swivels in front of the baler so you can bale in areas where maneuverability is limited.

The horse power required is 18 to 45

Here's one that makes a 20 X 28 inch bale:

thank you very much for your advices and especially djinwa for a web site. these bales will be secure in the enclosed barn away from the sun. i am hoping to look for enclosed white plastic round bales so that the hay does not loose it's protein. i am hoping that NH, John Deere, or Kubota will make small mini round bales for small farmers like their compact or mid-size utility tractors. with today languished economy, i am hoping that they would be smart to capture small to medium farmers that are not full-time but part-time.
usually, market dictates itself, and if innovation does not improve with today demands of cutting costs these manufactures will not last long. uscangus :)
http:s//www.agriquip.com/star/mrb.html
 
Agricultural economists who've 'put a pencil' to the costs, suggest that unless you're running at least 600 rolls a year through your haying equipment, you're losing money on it, and you'd be better off, economically, to graze all your land and buy in whatever hay you need. In addition to that, there's as much as $10/roll in fertilizer value imported onto the farm for every big roll of hay you buy in, when you consider wastage and manure production.

And, you don't have to be held hostage to the weather, trying to get the hay cut, raked & rolled between rains, etc.

Have a look here: http://www.ca.uky.edu/Agecon/index.php?p=715
 
thank you everyone for your capital advices, especially Lucky_P, i did not think about the fertilizer or manure that is in the hay and the cost and time in the pasture. also, i did not know the special and important information about less than 600 haylage that you are loosing money. the boards are correct that it depends how many cows and calves. but, anyway, thank you for your generous advises. being a newbie, this board is excellent to get real advises.
uscangus :)
 
uscangus":28uwu82d said:
thank you everyone for your capital advices, especially Lucky_P, i did not think about the fertilizer or manure that is in the hay and the cost and time in the pasture. also, i did not know the special and important information about less than 600 haylage that you are loosing money. the boards are correct that it depends how many cows and calves. but, anyway, thank you for your generous advises. being a newbie, this board is excellent to get real advises.
uscangus :)

Don't be to narrow minded on that. Equipment cost can be exorbanant or they can be quite reasonable. New or used........the prices vary greatly.

I agree that many can buy hay much cheaper than they can buy hay. But I know for a fact, as along as I keep my fertilization costs under control, I'll raise and bale a much better quality of hay than I can find to buy at a reasonable and affordable price. My baling partner and I rolled a little over 300 bales last year. I know we came out ahead........and our equipment didn't cost $75,000.

A reasonable price for the man rasing it and an affordable price for the one buying it is a very thin line now days and quite frankly, neither is makeing much.

Personally, I am nearing the crossroad of "efficient" use of land by raising and baling my own. I'm also at the crossroad of "what is the use of even owning cattle you have to raise and find forage for when at the end of the year you have so little to show for it. Seems stupid on both ends of the argument. Fun is fun, but their is a limit to what fun is.
 
thank you very much 1982vett-it was very straight to the point and knowing there is a fine line of profit. also, knowing your having fun, i needed to know the cost factor of diminishing return on the value of purchasing equipment for forage and for purchasing for winter feed only. my forage during spring through fall will be excellent for my cow-calf's needs.

since i am using my own forages for early spring and summer to capture my winter feed, i needed to understand how to lower my cost and analyze my initial and variable costs in effecting the profit. besides, by knowing what could affect my profit, i needed to know how much to set aside for unseen vet's bills and the regular check-up for the herd's health.

thank you once again, 1982vette and to the boards who have the years of experiences. being newbie, you could read as much informations but receiving the daily practical advises from the boards is the utmost price. thank you for your generous help. :)
 

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