Twisting Vermeer Super I belts

[M.Magis]

Is there a down side to twisting the 6" belts on a Vermeer Super I baler? If there's one thing that gave me trouble my first season with it, its that I can't see a thing as the bale is building. I have no idea if one side is larger than the other, and it gets especially troublesome in short second cutting grass. I do my best to feed even amounts per side, but it never turns out as even as I would want.

 

[jltrent]

The "I" baler I have when new came with twisted belts. The problem we soon had was the twist would not stay in front. It would go to different places on the baler and sometimes the same belt would twist 2 or three times. We had the dealer to take the twist out. The twisted belts that came in the baler were 2" longer as I assume to cover the twist. The dealer cut 2" off each belt and put all back in flat. Others may have had good luck with the twisted belts, but the baler worked better without it. You think your baler is hard to see a bale forming as the newer baler have lots more metal on them and you sure can't see. One option available on the newer balers is a bale shape indicator that shows which side of the bale needs more hay....

 

[M.Magis]

Thanks, that's exactly what I was worried about, the twist moving. I'll just leave it as-is, and try to get better.

 

[jltrent]

Thanks, that's exactly what I was worried about, the twist moving. I'll just leave it as-is, and try to get better.

A lot depends, window size etc. as the manual says to weave back and forth, especially with a 5' wide baler when filling. Seems I get a better bale driving more in the center and not doing as much weaving. I still get bales not square across the top and the cattle eats it just the same.

 

[1982vett]

Building a windrow that minimizes weaving is a key part in baling. In fact, I'll say a v rake is a must because of the way windrows flare open. I've raked using a single side delivery rake raking one windrow in and turning around and raking the next back towards the first. It helps but still hard to get a good windrow. With a v rake their is a sweet spot where light spots will make 2 smaller windrow where just a little wiggle makes a good bale and when the hay gets heave it's unnecessary to wiggle much at all. If your raking a windrow where you have to cross over from one side of the baler to the other side...your making it hard on yourself.

Going from a JD 410 baler to a Vermeer 605L took some getting used to because I couldn't see the bale forming as well. Ditching the side delivery for a v rake and learning the technique to think of the windrow as 2 windrows in one where each feed 1/2 of the baler eliminated the need to watch the bale as it builds. Just watch the windrows for density and weave accordingly. I still look at the bales after they are dumped to see if I need to adjust my technique.

 

[cfpinz]

My L had twisted belts on it from the factory, and I removed them for the same reasons Mr. Trent posted. It was really hard to see bale shape on that baler, specially since it had the two wide/two narrow belt setup. I noticed that if the bale was shorter on one side, the belt on that end would have a lot more vibration to it as you were baling.

The rake, (and windrow shape), have more to do with the shape of your rolls than the baler does. If using a wheel rake, set the rear hoop to hoop dimension on your rearmost wheels to match the width of your bales.

 

[M.Magis]

For all the more hay I do, I'm going to be stuck with the old side delivery rake for a couple more years I'm afraid. I think I'm getting better at making a decent windrow, but consistency isn't always the best. Especially with second cutting. I appreciate the advice.

 

[dvcochran]

I am pretty sure I remember seeing an add-on or kit in one of my Super I manuals that you need to run twisted belts. I think it helps the 6" belts track with the twist in them.
I cut my belts the same length and run without the twist. I have the 'beep' on the equal fill monitor turned on to know when to weave. You still get one a little off occasionally but nothing major or that will not stack.