how does a hay baler work

How A Square Hay Baler Works

1. First the pickup head picks the hay off the ground and moves it up into the bale chamber.
2. Next the plunger moves towards the hay, first cutting off the hay that didn’t make it completely into the bale...
3. Finally when the hay in the bale chamber moves far enough it trips the knotter fingers and they present the twine to...

Full Answer

How to tell if Hay is ready to bale?

The benefits:

• Faster, more even dry down
• The ability to produce higher quality forage
• Reducing the risk of rain damage
• Better feed value
• For dairy cows, it also means the potential to increase milk production

How to make a homemade Baler?

Why you might want to bale hay by hand

• Filling the baler with hay. Hay is added through the opening in the top. ...
• Additional photos of the baler. These photos were taken about a year after making the baler, and you can see that the wood has weathered.
• Resources. The following links are the only and best "plans" for the hand baler that I can find. (Please notify me if links are broken.

What do you do with bales of hay?

• Maybe it got left out in the rain
• Maybe the tarp protecting it from the snow blew into the next county
• Maybe you bought a trailer of hay and a trailer of bales weeds, sticks, and mold was delivered
• Maybe you didn’t get it in the barn in time
• Maybe the guy you hired to paint your barn didn’t put up a tarp and all your hay bales are red

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What is a bale of hay used for?

The potential benefits of using round hay bales are:

• System simplicity
• Easy to transport
• Requires less labor than other storage systems
• Optimal cost-benefit ratio
• High nutritional value of forage
• Ease of storage, transport, and handling
• Does not require an expensive investment in structures

How does a hay square baler work?

The baler gathers the cut hay from the windrow and compresses it into square- or round-shaped bales for easy transportation and storage. Most hay is stored as bales, with small square bales weighing 40-70 pounds (18-32 kg) and large round bales weighing 750-2,000 pounds (341-908 kg).

How do a baler work?

Grass is rolled up inside the baler using rubberized belts, fixed rollers, or a combination of the two. When the bale reaches a predetermined size, either netting or twine is wrapped around it to hold its shape. The back of the baler swings open, and the bale is discharged.

How does a baler bale hay?

To make round bales, hay is pulled into the baler and then wound or rolled until it reaches a preset size, at which time twine or netting is wrapped around it to maintain its shape.

How does a baler pick up straw?

The straw windrow is lifted from the ground by a pick-up reel having spring teeth (14) and transferred continuously to a conveying and feeding mechanism (3) as the baler moves forward along the windrow.

How much do balers cost?

Balers costing below $100,000 can be generally classified as low production balers. A mainstream high-production baler can cost between $100,000 and $750,000 or more depending on options. Ferrous balers can cost between $180,000 to $1 million.

Why are hay bales round?

Farmers often bale hay in large round bales instead of small square bales because they require less labor to bale and move than small square bales. The shape of round bales enables them to be stored outside, something you would never do with square bales. Rain and snow naturally run off their curved sides, like a roof.

How long hay dry after cutting?

It basically takes about three days of good weather to cure hay. This can be a challenge in late May or early June. A good strategy is to mow just before or right after a rain, because of the likelihood of good weather for the next few days.

How many bales of hay do you get per acre?

With an average bale weight of around 40 pounds (with our Abbriata small square baler or any of our mini round balers), that's 100 bales to the acre for a first cutting. Our farm aside, we can offer some guidelines to consider when trying to predict the productivity of your hay fields.

Why do farmers rake hay?

Most small farmers end up using the type of rake that is known as a “side delivery rake”. Raking is necessary to get the hay up off the ground, and into windrows to dry, where it can be baled.

How many acres of hay can you cut per hour?

with a 16ft sp we can cut 10-12 acres an hr.

What size tractor do I need to bale hay?

Most standard square balers on the market require 35 horsepower at your tractor's PTO, and a minimum tractor weight of around 3000 pounds.

What equipment do you need to bale hay?

Hay Equipment A compact tractor is the staple of every operation, but mowers, conditioners, hay rakes, balers, and sometimes hay tedders and bale wrappers are also needed. Pay close attention to make sure your tractor has enough engine horsepower to meet the horsepower requirement for each implement.

How does a baler work?

Cattles, horses, pigs, goats, rabbits and sheep all need to eat, in fact, they eat a lot of food. One of the most prominent feeds of these animals is hay, and balers are farming equipments that are used to gather the cut hay from the windrow and it also compresses the hay into the desired form.

What is a cylindrical hay baler?

It is called ‘cylindrical’ because it was designed to produce round or rolled bales. The grass is cut and rolled up inside the baler using either belts or a fixed roller, or a combination of the two.

What is used to turn hay?

There in the windrow, a hayrake is used to turn the hay so that the windrow can be completely dried, after which the hay baler does its work. There are two main types of hay balers; cylindrical and rectangular. Each comes in various sizes and it bounds in twine, strapping, netting and wire.

What does a knotter do after a bale is shaped?

After the bale has been created and shaped, there is a need to maintain the shape and to keep it from scattering. That’s the phase were the knotter wraps the bale with a plastic wrap but when plastic wraps are not available, the knotter ties the bale with a twine.

How is grass cut in a baler?

The grass is cut and rolled up inside the baler using either belts or a fixed roller, or a combination of the two. As soon as the bale reaches its predetermined size, the machinery automatically wraps netting or twine around the bale to maintain the shape.

Why are rectangular bales heavier than round bales?

Rectangular bales weigh more than the round bales because it is packed carefully. The rectangular bales are easier to transport than the round bales and they also save lots of space when compared to the round bales.

What is the first stage of hay farming?

The first stage of hay farming is the cutting which is usually done with a mowing machine when the hay crops are still green. As the mowing machine continues to cut, it crimps the forage and then discharges it into the windrow.

Step 1: Bill of Materials and Tools Required

The baler was built with one 4x8' sheet of exterior grade treated 1/2" plywood, 5 treated 8' 2x4's, some leftover cedar 1x4 and a piece of untreated 2x4 for the handle. The handle was untreated wood to minimize skin contact with treated wood during operation of the baler.

Step 2: General Construction Approach

1. First, take the cut list of materials and lay out the optimal way to utilize/cut the materials on paper, to minimize lumber waste.

Step 3: Twining and Operation

General operation of the hay baler should be intuitively obvious. However, a brief description of how to run the two strands of binding twine down the inside back, bottom and front door of the baler may be useful.

Step 4: Details

I apologize for leaving out this detail document on the first publication. First time for everything.

How to connect mini round baler to tractor?

The mini round baler can be connected to the tractor either by the 3-point hitch or by a drawbar. For most small farmers, the drawbar connection is the better choice. Not only is connection to the tractor much easier, but drawbar connection does not require you to lift the baler off the ground when turning corners.

What is a mini round baler?

The word is spreading about mini round balers, also called roto-balers. Once a rare oddity, many small farmers are finding that they are the best choice for getting their hay in the barn. The compact round baler works on the same principle as its bigger cousin, rolling the hay inside a chamber until it reaches a certain size, and then wrapping the bale with either twine or net and ejecting it out the rear of the machine.

Why won't my hay mower pick up hay?

There are a few reasons why this will not work. First of all, in most climates, hay will not dry well unless fluffed, flipped or turned by a tedder and/or rake. Secondly, the path left by the hay mower will generally not be conducive to pick up by a baler, resulting in a lot of missed hay.

How much does a square bale weigh?

Square bales are the easiest shape to stack, and with an average weight of around 40 pounds for an Abbriata square bale, are easy to lift and move around. Resale. If you are selling your hay, most customers will prefer the familiar shape and easy-feeding flakes of a square bale. The disadvantages of a square baler are:

What is a wheel rake?

These rakes are built for speed and productivity when handling dry hay. Wheel rakes are simple machines that require minimal adjustments for proper operation. The economical ground drive simplifies operation and reduces cost. However, its direct contact with the ground can cause dirt and stones to be introduced into the hay, decreasing overall quality. Furthermore, the windrow will not be as light and fluffy as those produced by rotary rakes or belt rakes. This means that only minimal drying will occur once the hay has been raked, so raking cannot occur until the hay is fully cured. Also, using a 3-point mounted wheel rake takes some practice, especially if your field has a lot of curves or corners. Wheel rakes are physically large, so they take up a lot of space when stored. Even with these drawbacks, wheel rakes are very popular due to their low cost of purchase and maintenance.

How does a lawn mower work?

The mower works with a reciprocating action, moving triangular blades back and forth between stationary guard fingers. Each back and forth action shears off any grass or vegetation that is between the stationary fingers. The action is the same as a set of barber's clippers cutting hair.

What are the different types of hay mowers?

There are three primary styles of hay mowers: sickle bar, disc. and drum. Each has Its advantages and disadvantages. In order to choose the mower that will work best for your situation, first fit the mower to the size of your tractor and then determine how you will be using it.

Rectangular (Square) Hay Balers

• Square bales, as they tend to be referred to as, are actually rectangular. They can be made to several different lengths but typically it’s 8' for straw bales, 7' for hay bales, and around 4' for haylage/silage bales which are wrapped in a protective film. A tractor or loader are required to m…

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