Round balers-twine or netting?

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annmariemz23

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We have made square bales for 30+ years. Then we decided to buy a round baler. We liked the fewer moving parts. However, the strings on it fall off the ends of the bales. We leave the bales in the field longer than the squares because people told us it took longer to cure and we didn't want to burn the barn down. It was easy to relax vigilance on how soon we hauled them, but frankly didn't know how long we were supposed to leave them in the field. Now we are wondering if strings typically fall off a lot on round bales or if it is because we left them in the field so long. We had a bunch of unusual rain events, and ended up leaving the bales a long time. We are also wondering if the netting is easier to use than string for this reason. I had to run around on the 4-wheeler and rewrap the bales the other way, and that still didn't help much.
 
If the bales are made tight and evenly with square shoulders, the twine shouldn't fall off the ends of the bales. You might be referring to the twine rotting on the bottom after sitting outside for a long time though. In that case, some around here have gone to using nylon twine because it's cheaper and won't rot on the bottom if stored outside like sisal twine will do. Several folks are switching to netwrap in my area, because it is much faster finishing a bale than with twine tie. Netwrap also seems to shed water better and help preserve the bales better if stored outside. That would get old fast having to go around and rewrap bales like you were talking about.
 
Like AJ said netwrap is much better because it takes less time to bale and sheds water better. The only problem with netwrap is it freezes onto the bales in our winters and is much harder than twine to get off. You might have that problem where you live though.
 
What is the make/model of your roll baler? Some people might have tips. You are new to roll baling. Bales should get better with more experience. Remember to gradually swerve while baling - left, center, right, center, left, repeat. Hay goes in left side of pickup, it wraps on left side of the bale. Should be a gauge that tells you if the bale is balanced.

I leave bales set out about 2 days to air. Longer if the hay was nasty. You can move the bales off the field, but I would wait to stack them inside. I have heard that roll bales can heat if they are stacked in a shed immediately after baling. It's the opposite with small squares - you are always trying to get them put away before the weather changes.

Unusual rain events. Yeah, I had 4.5" one day. Maybe a week later it dumped another 3.75". I am behind, too, due to a mechanical failure. And I try to make creek fence repairs here and there due to the flood. It's always something...
 
If the hay.is cured enough so you could square bale it but you round bale instead why leave it out. I try to never let the dew fall on mine after rolling. I want it in the barn the same day.its rolled.
As stated as you are rolling move from side to side of the windrow and fill the ends of the bale and the middle will fill. You might need to adjust the tightness of the twine as it feeds out. It should be hard for you to get your fingers under the twine when finished..
 
Leaving them in the field shouldn't have a thing to do with it. I've never stored a roll of hay anywhere except outside.
I'm betting the bales are barrel shaped and/or loose on the ends. As mentioned above feed hay into the baler from the sides and weave or build a wider windrow.
Net wrap is far superior to string.
 
Net wrap preserves the bales better if they are being stored outside. We stack and store the round bales ASAP after they are baled. (That we have room for) They're string tied. The rest sit outside and I don't know if the string falling off. It takes practice baling round vs square bales. Don't give up you will get better. Plastic twine lasts longer.
 
Good points in the previous posts.
I leave mine outside longer than most before moving but don't have much problem with the string. i do, however, use plastic twine. It doesn't rot on the bottom and is cheaper here. You have to be more careful to get it all picked up when feeding.
Getting a bale filled right and adjusting the twine may be all you need. A manual will fully explain both. If the baler kicks the bale out, it can sometimes cause some of the sting to unwind.
It would help if we knew the model baler you have.
 
I use a twine only round baler -- untreated sisal should last 6 months if stored outside (often longer) and that is in the very seasonal conditions of MN.

As others have mentioned -- a well made bale is key -- and a well made bale usually starts with a well-made windrow.
 
The outer twine wraps should be about 2-3 inches from the edge of the bale, if the bales are tight and square shouldered the twine should stay put. Some years we have mice chew the twine on the bottom of the bale if left in the field for a length of time.
 
I prefer net wrap. I'm convinced the rolls shed water better, and it's easier to remove and get all of it. I could never seem to get all the string picked up.

A year or two it occurred to me that there was an easier way to get the net off than I'd been doing. For bales that I'm turning the cows in on right away, or if rain isn't in the forecast before I plan to turn them with the hay, I drop the bale on end. I find the end of the netting, and start walking around the roll with it, wrapping it up into a ball as I go.
 
Moisture content is the key to bales not heating (too much). Ideally you want the moisture content to be 15% or below. But that is hard to get sometimes. I would not store any hay indoors if the moisture content at the time of baling is more than about 18%. Spontaneous combustion of hay is a real thing if the moisture content is too high. Also, you will lose a lot to mold ect. from heat damage.

Here is a graph I think I have posted before.

R.jpg
 
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We have made square bales for 30+ years. Then we decided to buy a round baler. We liked the fewer moving parts. However, the strings on it fall off the ends of the bales. We leave the bales in the field longer than the squares because people told us it took longer to cure and we didn't want to burn the barn down. It was easy to relax vigilance on how soon we hauled them, but frankly didn't know how long we were supposed to leave them in the field. Now we are wondering if strings typically fall off a lot on round bales or if it is because we left them in the field so long. We had a bunch of unusual rain events, and ended up leaving the bales a long time. We are also wondering if the netting is easier to use than string for this reason. I had to run around on the 4-wheeler and rewrap the bales the other way, and that still didn't help much.
Elaborate a bit on your haying operation....

What's your equipment? Cutter and width, rake and width, baler and width.

What type forage? Is it thin or thick?

Unlike square baling where you can just rake a windrow and the baler pulls it in and evenly distributes it into the bale chamber, round baling takes a bit more intuition. If you have a 4 ft windrow and a 5 foot baler, your going to get a barrel shaped bale where the ends are "soft" and strings slip off. It's hard to get a single side delivery rake to form a windrow that will bale a roll with both sides firm just because of the way the hay flares coming off the rake. Best to use a v-rake. Then you need to make a windrow(s) fit the pickup. Each side of the rake makes a row for half of the bale width. You want them placed so weaving your path across the windrow fills the bale evenly across the pickup. However thick the hay is will dictate how close together each rake delivers it's windrow.
 
I prefer net wrap. I'm convinced the rolls shed water better, and it's easier to remove and get all of it. I could never seem to get all the string picked up.

A year or two it occurred to me that there was an easier way to get the net off than I'd been doing. For bales that I'm turning the cows in on right away, or if rain isn't in the forecast before I plan to turn them with the hay, I drop the bale on end. I find the end of the netting, and start walking around the roll with it, wrapping it up into a ball as I go.
I can only imagine living in a world where that works.
 
Wow, thanks for all your replies. I will run them by my son tomorrow to see what he thinks since he is the one actually running the baler. The last time I ran that baler it plugged up while baling a neighbor's windrows that were full of short dry grass and bull thistle. I had to pull the thistle out by hand and swore I would never run it again.
 
Wow, thanks for all your replies. I will run them by my son tomorrow to see what he thinks since he is the one actually running the baler. The last time I ran that baler it plugged up while baling a neighbor's windrows that were full of short dry grass and bull thistle. I had to pull the thistle out by hand and swore I would never run it again.
You may want to check and see if they make a moisture meter for your baler. My hay guy has one on his so that he can constantly monitor the moisture content as it is being rolled.
 
Would your bales be frozen?

I prefer net wrap. It's hard for me to find all the plastic twine on a bale since I'm part colorblind, aside from wrap keeping quality better.
Yes, it freezes to the bale, to the ground, and to the bale beside it should they be touching. Sisal is my only option until they make a biodegradable net wrap.
 

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