Round Bale Weight Question

[Running Arrow Bill]

Not looking for "specific" weights on bales, just a good estimate based on your experiences...

Given producers pack their round bales a little differently and all, as well as which cutting is involved, I would like some "average" weight estimates (or, if y'all have weighed your bales) for:

BERMUDA Grass (any species):

4 x 5 Round Bale Weights
5 x 5 Round Bale Weights
5 x 6 Round Bale Weights

I've noticed a number of producers are doing the 4 x 5 rounds (as a means to "show" less cost (or) as a service to people with small tractors to move).

My "guess" is that they are selling 4 x 5 (~700-800#), 5 x 5 (~1000 - 1250#), and 5 x 6 (~1250 to 1500#). I could be very wrong on this, however.

Will appreciate any feedback y'all can give me!

Thanks!

 

[Bez>]

I baled some straight orchard grass and brome grass bales last year.

I used a hardcore NH 650 and made the bales 5 foot diametre. They were 4 feet wide.

The baler pressure was set at 1500 psi and the grass was less than 12% moisture.

Those bales went over a scale and averaged between 820 and 840 pounds if memory serves.

The size of the bale - in my opinion is important, but the moisture content is equally and perhaps more important. Most people forget that.

I do know that despite the usual - not starting a fight - John Deere baled bales talk - the average weight of my neighbours JD baler - same size bales - was EXACTLY the same - so were the Case bales.

We did a neighbourly baling for a sick neighbour - and actually weighed them all for comparisom due to interest.

One gentleman had an old chain baler that made really nice 5X5 bales - once again working on memory - those bales were about 200 pounds heavier.

Have not weighed a dry 6X5 in a lot of years - but they are not as heavy as a lot of folks will want you to believe - unless they are baled with high moisture content - which of course means a lousy bale unless wrapped.

Only true way to tell is to actually scale them. Never believe someone about weights - folks love to over size their bale talk.

Test them for nutritional content and moisture before you buy.

Good luck.

Regards

Bez>

 

[Saltydawg]

My round baler is a Vermeer 504L with a lot of "miles" on it but it's in decent condition.

Timothy/Orchard grass/ red clover mix and I get about 800lb bales.

 

[plbcattle]

I have scales in my chute area that can weigh up to 5000 lbs. But it is a pain in the rear to haul up there to weigh. I wonder if there is some sort of net or string sling you could make and attach a scale to it and pick up a bale in the field with the loader on a tractor. Any other suggestions on how to weigh one.

 

[Moocow11]

load it on the back of a flat bed take it to the your coop and weigh it

 

[MarshallForage]

Hiya Bill, how are you liking that alfalfa-orchardgrass? I browse the boards only infrequently but I gotta put my 2 cents in here. Buy your feed by the pound or the ton and don't worry about what each bale weighs. A cow eats pounds, not bales. I can't believe people still try to sell hay by the bale. I can make a 650# mid-square (3x3x8) bale or a 1000# bale with a push of a button in the tractor cab. My round baler can do 800#-2200# 5x6's with a twist of a knob on the baler (856 Hesston). If I'm selling by the bale, where do you think I'll set my baler? I only sell my hay by weight and when I set my balers my only concern is grossing 80,000# on a US-bound semi-trailer with 54 bales. The 23 tons net weight I can get on a truck equals 54 mid-square bales @ around 850#. I have a digital platform scale I can take to the field and when I start baling a field, I'll weigh a few bales and adjust the baler for that particular day. Anybody who sells you hay by the bale is probably trying to rip you off. It's all about the pounds and you can't tell by looking at a bale how much it weighs. Keep 'em honest and find a scale.

Best regards, Jason

 

[MarshallForage]

Oh, plbcattle. You can get a really good estimate of bale weight by tee-ing a pressure gauge into the hydraulic line going to your loader lift cylinders. Weigh a bale or two on a scale, then lift them with your pressure gauge-eqipped loader. A couple 'calibration' lifts will easily get you within a hundred pounds. It's exactly the same process a trucker uses with air bags on a semi to tell what weight will pass the DOT scales. Not super-accurate but close enough to call 'bullshit' when buying hay. A 0-5000 psi gauge is what you'll need.

Hope this helps.

Jason

 

[MarshallForage]

'be nice'? that's not what I typed...

 

[Bez>]

and the grass was less than 12% moisture.

How did you know????

Tested it

Bez>