Best way of moving bales?

Sam Kade

Greengrass1 wrote: »

Lads it's a thousand bales all dsw has to do is draw them. We made a 1000 ourselves last yr and drew and stacked them

ask John or Jimmy Bourke how they manage it with 2000 bales they make with there own fusion and draw to the yard

darragh_haven wrote: »

Yeah Gg. but DSW is a one man operation afaik. big difference

I made 400 bales last year with my own gear. Mow, row in, bale, wrap, draw in, stack all with one tractor :eek:
am I a glutton for punishment or what?

Mehaffey1

Think the easiest way you can make it easier on yourself is get the friends/neighbours/others in to help but if not available then maybe just go for the contractor option, just one of those jobs that is and will always be hateful

frazzledhome

Would move to all bales here if SR rises further. Made 1200 last year and found the whole operation good value and handy.

Deepsouthwest

frazzledhome wrote: »

Would move to all bales here if SR rises further. Made 1200 last year and found the whole operation good value and handy.

Rising SR is another reason for making this switch, I want the flexibility to go in or take out bales any day of any month of the yr.

frazzledhome

Deepsouthwest wrote: »

Rising SR is another reason for making this switch, I want the flexibility to go in or take out bales any day of any month of the yr.

Had a feeling that was it

AntrimGlens

Mad4simmental wrote: »

Christ that brings back memory's. The black hole. Sum story's out of that place. I often got picked up from there on a Monday morning and straight to work. I couldn't do it now.

You mighta picked me up from Cheers while you were passing!! Ha

Deepsouthwest

darragh_haven wrote: »

Yeah Gg. but DSW is a one man operation afaik. big difference

Thanx for the support Darragh, but I normally have plenty options of lads willing to do slurry or other tractor work here. For this yr to start I'll try drawing with double handlers, know a few lads around here who I can get in for a day. Also my contractor normally has one or two lads drawing with double handkers aswell. I'll do the stacking with my own loader. Prefer to pay lads to come and do a job when I need them any day over putting pressure on neighbours, relying on favours etc.

Zr105

If going down the loading route it is hard to beat the elephant trunk type handler really to be honest, drop on 2 rows on the bottom leaving a small gap between them then plonk the row on top, a lot easier get on and off than pipe type handlers but the down side is it does leave the trailer about 4" wider, but just leave the over hang out to the road more so than to the ditch side

Tony Beetroot

Big tractor >200hp

Base price

Deepsouthwest wrote: »

Where have been storing the bales? Are they all in the one stack? Do u find different places are more prone than others to rats?

Two thirds or more of the bales are stacked in OH's yard and they are split between his two yards which are about 150 yds apart. In the main yard they are in two seperate stacks on either end of the main concrete yard which is about 70 or 80 yards long. In the other yard which is older & smaller we stack 50/60 bales.
The rest are stacked in mine (and my brothers) yard which is about 4/5 hundred yards away from OH's by road.
We always use the bales in OH's yard first as those bales get attacked/ruined by the rats. The bales in my place are hardly touched probably due to the fact that we do not overwinter cattle in the yard because of the lack of proper dung/slurry storage so cannot do so.

TBH I would not jump into water without dipping my little piggy to test the temperature first.
Experiment with both systems before deciding on one and be prepaired to switch between both if necessary particularly when it comes to inclement weather. Never put all your eggs in the same basket.
What works for me may not work for you and vice versa - it depends on land type, financial constraints etc.

BTW I would never jump into water irrespective of the temperature as I cannot swim

Panch18

Surely a big bale trailer is the way forward for a one man band, outside of keltec which are too dear for this scenario

a 30 ft trailer will have 14 on the floor and 6 down the middle so 20 a time, not far off 2 acres there in 1 load. Considering the distance that has to be the way forward surely??

freedominacup

Panch18 wrote: »

Surely a big bale trailer is the way forward for a one man band, outside of keltec which are too dear for this scenario

a 30 ft trailer will have 14 on the floor and 6 down the middle so 20 a time, not far off 2 acres there in 1 load. Considering the distance that has to be the way forward surely??

For a one man band hiring a keltec is the only option. Around 1.50 per bale max cost. Job completed shortly after the baler is finished. Risk of losses elsewhere in the operation massively reduced as operator not distracted by endless hauling of bales.

grazeaway

freedominacup wrote: »

For a one man band hiring a keltec is the only option. Around 1.50 per bale max cost. Job completed shortly after the baler is finished. Risk of losses elsewhere in the operation massively reduced as operator not distracted by endless hauling of bales.

Have to agree, used to bale and wrap in field and unless your bringing the bales across the the field with wide gaps that won't tear the plastic it's a disaster.

Using a double handler and front loader for longs runs us just a waste of diesel to be honest. How long does it take to drive a 2 mile round trip with only 2-3 bales. Add in the cost of diesel and it's expensive and time consuming silage.

Bale with a decent chopper baler
Draw with a keltec
Wrap and stack with a loader mounted auto wrapper.

Pacoa

Like this you mean.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSZXQKCzTNI

yellow50HX

Pacoa wrote: »

Like this you mean.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSZXQKCzTNI

Yeah this is exactly the way we do it here. Don't stack on the flat ends though.

Dunedin

Which is the best way to stack, on end or on the flat.

Are there pros and cons of each

freedominacup

grazeaway wrote: »

Have to agree, used to bale and wrap in field and unless your bringing the bales across the the field with wide gaps that won't tear the plastic it's a disaster.

Using a double handler and front loader for longs runs us just a waste of diesel to be honest. How long does it take to drive a 2 mile round trip with only 2-3 bales. Add in the cost of diesel and it's expensive and time consuming silage.

Bale with a decent chopper baler
Draw with a keltec
Wrap and stack with a loader mounted auto wrapper.

You'd have to go a fair distance around here to find someone to bale only. Almost all fusions. There's a few contractors with balers for straw but very few running separate wrappers. I don't think either farmers or contractors want the hassle of drawing unwrapped bales dropping them loading them onto wrappers and then stacking. Much less moving parts with a fusion. Bale and wrap, load in whatever way and then stack. As against bale, load, unload, onto wrapper and then stack.

topgeas

freedominacup wrote: »

You'd have to go a fair distance around here to find someone to bale only. Almost all fusions. There's a few contractors with balers for straw but very few running separate wrappers. I don't think either farmers or contractors want the hassle of drawing unwrapped bales dropping them loading them onto wrappers and then stacking. Much less moving parts with a fusion. Bale and wrap, load in whatever way and then stack. As against bale, load, unload, onto wrapper and then stack.

around dungaravan noting but keltics. dont know any one with fusion around here.

freedominacup

topgeas wrote: »

around dungaravan noting but keltics. dont know any one with fusion around here.

Head east. Once you get to Bunmahon even the farmers have them.

darragh_haven

at least 75% of the balers around here are fusions. They might be expensive but they produce the best bale. The best option for moving these wraped bales seems to get a lad in with a keltec trailer for the few hours to haul them

yellow50HX

freedominacup wrote: »

You'd have to go a fair distance around here to find someone to bale only. Almost all fusions. There's a few contractors with balers for straw but very few running separate wrappers. I don't think either farmers or contractors want the hassle of drawing unwrapped bales dropping them loading them onto wrappers and then stacking. Much less moving parts with a fusion. Bale and wrap, load in whatever way and then stack. As against bale, load, unload, onto wrapper and then stack.

Fusions seem to be way more popular out west. Never seen one working out here in the east, in fact i have never seen one working east of bandon. In fact I don't know of anyone who wraps in the field down here, the only lads I know that do that who be those who would leave in the corner of the field they made the in if they were cleaning off strong paddocks. That said for small draws or single fields I'll draw the bales to the yard using the tractor digger for wrapping.

Beauty of the auto wrapper on the loader is that the wrapping and stacking is in one go and you can use less plastic per roll as it's not being handled bounced and dropped repeataly.

Also volume wise you can bale, transport, wrap and stack a serious amount in a day. And for part time lads like me it's great as once I can have the grass mowed in the evening my self the lads will have the bales in and done while I'm at work.
We do about 300-400 a year usually with 1 main cut and possibly 2 smaller cuts.

Other thing to take into account is traffic across fields espically if you have to cross a couple of them at a time the more times you cross the field with a heavy bale or two behind the tractor it can do a fair bit of compacting.

I know from drawing hay and straw bales with a tractor, loader and trailer it takes a fair bit of time to do 100 never mind 1000. Cleared straw bales for the uncle 2 years ago when he was sick used his tractor with one on the front and 2 on the back (his trailer was full of grain he wanted for storage and I should have just brought my own down in hindsight). Fields were about 500m form yard and it took me the full long day to bring in and stack around 200 bales 3 at a time.

grazeaway

Fusion and keltecs

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dgIXhrIVMg4

That said was chatting to some of the local lads with keltecs and they all say the same. Faster with un wrapped bales. You need a good steady driver espically when picking the wrapped bales as if they rub the sides too hard they tear the plastic. Also ideally drop the bales on grass before stacking un wrapped bales can be dropped on concrete or hardcore as long as the yard is somewhat level your grand.

freedominacup

yellow50HX wrote: »

Fusions seem to be way more popular out west. Never seen one working out here in the east, in fact i have never seen one working east of bandon. In fact I don't know of anyone who wraps in the field down here, the only lads I know that do that who be those who would leave in the corner of the field they made the in if they were cleaning off strong paddocks. That said for small draws or single fields I'll draw the bales to the yard using the tractor digger for wrapping.

Beauty of the auto wrapper on the loader is that the wrapping and stacking is in one go and you can use less plastic per roll as it's not being handled bounced and dropped repeataly.

Also volume wise you can bale, transport, wrap and stack a serious amount in a day. And for part time lads like me it's great as once I can have the grass mowed in the evening my self the lads will have the bales in and done while I'm at work.
We do about 300-400 a year usually with 1 main cut and possibly 2 smaller cuts.

Other thing to take into account is traffic across fields espically if you have to cross a couple of them at a time the more times you cross the field with a heavy bale or two behind the tractor it can do a fair bit of compacting.

I know from drawing hay and straw bales with a tractor, loader and trailer it takes a fair bit of time to do 100 never mind 1000. Cleared straw bales for the uncle 2 years ago when he was sick used his tractor with one on the front and 2 on the back (his trailer was full of grain he wanted for storage and I should have just brought my own down in hindsight). Fields were about 500m form yard and it took me the full long day to bring in and stack around 200 bales 3 at a time.

Out west? You must be standing on Curracloe beach. East Waterford here. I won't say all fusions but certainly plenty of them around. Definitely the most popular model of baler.

yellow50HX

freedominacup wrote: »

Out west? You must be standing on Curracloe beach. East Waterford here. I won't say all fusions but certainly plenty of them around. Definitely the most popular model of baler.

Once you go beyond balincollig your out west to folks round her...ha ha

Carrigogunnell

Any one here using or used one. 25000 is some money ud buy a few good bale trailers for that.a fusion and tractor bale trailer is a 2 man job but with the keltec it turns into a three man job. Don't tink they wil suit a tight yard then. I would not mind hiring one for a day.

yellow50HX

Carrigogunnell wrote: »

Any one here using or used one. 25000 is some money ud buy a few good bale trailers for that.a fusion and tractor bale trailer is a 2 man job but with the keltec it turns into a three man job. Don't tink they wil suit a tight yard then. I would not mind hiring one for a day.

Keltec Is really for contractors rather then a farmers machine, just like a fusion.

As for size yes they are long but that would be the same length of bale trailer. The room really needed is for dropping the bales.

Deepsouthwest

Do many people stack bales 4 high? 3 is the highest I've gone here before, but will have extra bales this yr. would the bottom row suffer if I went 4 high?

Greengrass1

Deepsouthwest wrote: »

Do many people stack bales 4 high? 3 is the highest I've gone here before, but will have extra bales this yr. would the bottom row suffer if I went 4 high?

Yeah with fusion bales being 800 kg easy the bottom row will be flat I have seen it done though. Put if silage turns to crap Im fairly sure the silage wrap company won't take any responsibility

Reggie.

Many people go with the pink wrap this year

Muckit

Only in the bedroom!

MFdaveIreland

re stacking, i would reccommend stacking on their edges, as when bales go flat, the plastic becomes loose and air gets in, basically turing the silage to dung,

you can always spike the side of the bale when feeding, if access is what people find the issue

mf240

Deepsouthwest wrote: »

Do many people stack bales 4 high? 3 is the highest I've gone here before, but will have extra bales this yr. would the bottom row suffer if I went 4 high?

Went four high all on their side last year bales were dry.

Id say if done it with wet bales the bottom one would dissapear.

freedominacup

yellow50HX wrote: »

Keltec Is really for contractors rather then a farmers machine, just like a fusion.

As for size yes they are long but that would be the same length of bale trailer. The room really needed is for dropping the bales.

Was booking contractor to bale s few paddocks. Asked him about keltec. It only did a few jobs the first year he had it, was out a fair bit last year, now following fusion full time. Most customers using it. Bales stacked shortly after baler leaves.

9935452

How about this ??
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S47K8BF0sR4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69Suy4lz6aE
Sold a few years back on ebay for 1000 pound sterling

yellow50HX

9935452 wrote: »

How about this ??
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S47K8BF0sR4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69Suy4lz6aE
Sold a few years back on ebay for 1000 pound sterling

That's fair weight, you'd need a decent sized tractor to use it. Nice bit of bouncing on the road

yellow50HX

Deepsouthwest wrote: »

Do many people stack bales 4 high? 3 is the highest I've gone here before, but will have extra bales this yr. would the bottom row suffer if I went 4 high?

Depends on how dry the bales are. Stack 3 high if good, 2 otherwise.

Deepsouthwest

Made a start at silage ground today. Ideal conditions, mowed sunday, tedded yesterday, raked and in the bank today.

Deepsouthwest

From another angle

Pacoa

Keltec for sale in cork. Looks like an old one.

http://www.donedeal.ie/silagetrailers-for-sale/keltec-bale-carrier/9502774?offset=9

Greengrass1

Deepsouthwest wrote: »

From another angle

What's there 200? DSW? Take you long to bring in?

Dawggone

Greengrass1 wrote: »

What's there 200? DSW? Take you long to bring in?

What time did you get finished Gg?

Greengrass1

Dawggone wrote: »

What time did you get finished Gg?

300 done between yesterday and today. 200 stacked 100 wrapped there by 8.30 will get them in tomorrow. 18 ac still to do next chance we get. I've a feeling first cut might be pitted next yr .not much time between stock work and dad not able to stick long days

Markcheese

9935452 wrote: »

How about this ??
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S47K8BF0sR4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69Suy4lz6aE
Sold a few years back on ebay for 1000 pound sterling

Would you get away with sticking a double bale handler on the front instead of a weight? Or would that be taking the piss ?

Greengrass1

Today's lot

Odelay

Greengrass1 wrote: »

Today's lot

You'll sleep well tonight!

Deepsouthwest

Greengrass1 wrote: »

What's there 200? DSW? Take you long to bring in?

Around 180, it worked out at 9 bales/acre, I was expecting 8. First bale made at 230, all drawn and finished for 7. My tractor, plus 3 other lads, all with double handlers drawing, average draw 1 mile, but one of the fields had to be drawn through the village which can be slow. It's a big village!

9935452

Markcheese wrote: »

Would you get away with sticking a double bale handler on the front instead of a weight? Or would that be taking the piss ?

That was my thinking when i saw it. If the bales were lined up in twos and you had a big tractor able to handle it you could move a lot of bales quickly

smokey-fitz

Deepsouthwest wrote: »

Around 180, it worked out at 9 bales/acre, I was expecting 8. First bale made at 230, all drawn and finished for 7. My tractor, plus 3 other lads, all with double handlers drawing, average draw 1 mile, but one of the fields had to be drawn through the village which can be slow. It's a big village!

That was good going. Had 190 baled monday, took ages to draw 2 at a time. About 12 hours on my own between drawing and stacking.

Reggie.

smokey-fitz wrote: »

That was good going. Had 190 baled monday, took ages to draw 2 at a time. About 12 hours on my own between drawing and stacking.

That's a long time in the seat

smokey-fitz

Reggie. wrote: »

That's a long time in the seat

I have blisters :P yea it was, took a few breaks. From yard to field, get bales, back to yard and stack was about 10 to 12 min for 2 bales. Would of used the trailer but didnt have a lad to draw, bales were lifting the back wheels off the ground if I didnt have 1 on the back. Also the speed sensor on the tractor failed just before I started so I had flasing lights and beeping the whole time. Great craic..