Stacking Round Bales

[Smith1000]

What is the best way to stack large rounds, end-to-end, or side- by-side, or does it matter? I have always stacked end-to-end, but I have noticed where some stack them side-to-side.

 

[dun]

Depends on how much room and if you're going to cover them. Uncovered if you're in snow country end to end seperated by a couple of feet and the next row alongside seperated by a couple of feet.
If you're going to cover them I pyrimid them, depending on the size of the bales and the lift of the tractor governs how high I stack them. But you always want a one bale row to be the topmost row

 

[LaneFarms]

I stack mine end to end. I know you have some water seep in between them, but keeping the ends out of the elements has to maintain better quality than leaving them exposed.

 

[kenny thomas]

As said end to end very tight. Leave room between rows and put the rows in a direction where the sun can dry out between the rows.

 

[Angus Cowman]

What is the best way to stack large rounds, end-to-end, or side- by-side, or does it matter? I have always stacked end-to-end, but I have noticed where some stack them side-to-side.

the reason some people stack them side by side is so they can pick up the bales with their bale bed on their trucks had a guy this yr wnat me to stack his that way
I don't do it this way as I want the bales sealed as much as possible
I prefer them stacked end to end tightly and leave a couple of feet bvetween the rows

 

[hayray]

I stack them in a pyramid and cover with plastic/silage film. I tried a little this year putting them on flat side rather then on the radius surface, gonna see how that works for preserving strings on bales I want to move and sell. Kinda tough for me to get the hang of stacking that way using my loader bale fork.

 

[Angus Cowman]

I stack them in a pyramid and cover with plastic/silage film. I tried a little this year putting them on flat side rather then on the radius surface, gonna see how that works for preserving strings on bales I want to move and sell. Kinda tough for me to get the hang of stacking that way using my loader bale fork.

thats the way I stack all of mine in the barns outside I am not sure how this will work as I think the bottoms bales will wick alot of moisture from the ground unless you are stacking them on something
mine on the outside edge of the barn will even wick moisture

 

[Smith1000]

I'll keep stacking them end-to-end and will leave a couple of feet at least between the rows. It seems like they picked up a lot of moisture last year, but then again, we had a lot of snow and rain. Thanks

 

[kenny thomas]

Also put them in the rows as soon as possible after rolling, preferably the same day. That way when the top of the hay crusts over you will not break the crust stacking them.

 

[pdfangus]

For over twenty years my neighbor and I staked in the barn on a floor of rock dust.

One barn was a full barn and the other was just a roof. both kept hay very well.

we stacked three high on the flat sides building columns. we stacked the columns as tightly as we could.

actully Jack stacked and I hauled em to the barn. He could stack them faster than I could haul. He used a set of pallet forks that replced the bucket on his loader. I used bale spears front and back to haul and I would haul it to the barn and put in rows outside while they were still baling and then Jack would stack it in the barn after baling.

 

[Fred Belknap]

My understanding is that stacking round bales directly on the ground the bales will loose about 30%. Mostly from contact withe the ground. I use pallets under my bales and stack in a shed or barn. Very little lost to moisture. We have a lot of rain and any level land on my place is usually wet.

 

[ERNIBIGB]

What is the best way to stack large rounds.

Not trying to be rude but have to say "under a roof". I have tried all methods of storing hay outside and none have worked very well. If you have no other choice I would suggest something to get them off the ground (old tires or pallets, etc) and something else to cover them. More hay is lost on the bottom than the top if stored on the ground. I know of one man that would place them on rough sawn timbers on concrete blocks and cover each one but that was a lot of work. He finally built a bigger hay barn. Another method I have seen was a pyramid of 4-3-2 and he put plastic barrels on top in the middle to hold up the center of the tarp. He also had a coarse rock/gravel base and his hay looked good when I saw it.

 

[regenwether]

Not to change the subject but storing inside is the way to go. I'm currenty store around 200 bales inside. The savings is real! I'm currently looking at a program your local F.S.A. office has to offer. Low intrest loan (right now around 2.5%) for corn and hay storage. Most of the people here in this part of the country is taking advantage of the program to handle the ever growing corn supply. I think they will go out 7-10 years. Yes there is some paper work with it but well worth it in interest savings.

You want to know what spur got up my butt to build more storage. It isn't all hay savings. It was a couple years ago When P&K prices got so damm high. The COST of raising hay is so much more than ten years ago. A discbine and new baler is not cheap either. In the end that makes that hay loss so much more expensive.

The next area I'm going to work a little harder is Hay wastage around the feeder .

 

[pdfangus]

I have never understood the logic of going to all the trouble to make hay and then leaving it setting outside.

but people do it all around me.

but then I grew up in an era where boys were cheap and were expected to pitch hay.

the greatest invention of my youth was a hay baler that pulled the wagon behind the baler and I could stack right out of the baler. Previously I had to run along and throw bales up and then jump up and stack and repeat the process a couple thousand times per day. sometimes even got to do it in a covered livestock truck, throwing the bale in the door and then trying to jump in after it. i am vertically challenged and the jumping was the hard part.

these days folks think it is a sin to touch hay. even the small square bale guys have it automated.

dad "DISCOVERED" the Vermeer round baler the year after I went into the army.

 

[1982vett]

dad "DISCOVERED" the Vermeer round baler the year after I went into the army.

:lol: :lol: Strange how things evolve....

 

[Smith1000]

I see a lot of net wrapped bales around here. It looks like they hold up much better with less loss. Storing the bales inside would be nice, but there's the barn cost and the property taxes year after year. They tax everything around here.

 

[Angus Cowman]

I see a lot of net wrapped bales around here. It looks like they hold up much better with less loss. Storing the bales inside would be nice, but there's the barn cost and the property taxes year after year. They tax everything around here.

If you bales are good and tight and you space your twine no further than 4" apart twine will do just as good as net wrap on shedding water from your bale
I would rather have a really tight twine bale over a semi tight net wrapped bale if it was going to be outside

the biggest advantage of net over twine is speed of baling

I figure with % of loss on hay it takes me about 8 yrs to pay for a barn
cost of bale - % of loss equals amount towards a barn

$35-10%= $3.50 per bale savings so on 400 bales that is $1400.00 pr yr the last barn I had built 2 yrs ago cost me $11,000 so in actuality I am paying for that barn in 7.85 yrs
and I am being conservative at 10% loss I have seen plenty were the loss is 25% or higher

 

[1982vett]

Course, ya got to get rain for their to be a loss from rot.....

 

[Angus Cowman]

Course, ya got to get rain for their to be a loss from rot.....

ok smarta$$ good point :lol: :lol:

 

[1982vett]

Course, ya got to get rain for their to be a loss from rot.....

ok smarta$$ good point :lol: :lol:

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Yeah, I'm with you on the barn storage for us, but I hear a bunch of folks saying they ranch and farm on 10 inches of rain or less so I guess barn storage wouldn't be top priority need for them... Probably better to use resources for artificial rain.