Round Bales

obi604 · 27-02-2023 11:05pm #1

I have heard the father for the last few weeks (and indeed over the years) on about the round bales - as in there is a lot of waste with mould on some bales.

the bales we have are wrapped with the net first and then the plastic wrap. I causally heard some other father on about the way he wraps bales and he insisted he had no waste i.e. it has no net and just pure plastic wrap…….I’m not sure what this process is called

Is this pie in the sky stuff or is it simply down to the quality of the grass ?

50HX · 27-02-2023 11:09pm

He's using a film of plastic instead of the net, more expensive than net but people that use it swear by it

Mould issue could be silage not wilted/tedder consistently as in its quite dry but you have intermittent damp grass

tanko · 27-02-2023 11:51pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058286193/round-bales

It’s called NRF, Net Replacement Film. So you’ll have 2 layers of NRF and 4 layers of bale wrap, your fathers bales probably have only four layers of bale wrap. Mould and waste can be caused by lots of things, silage too wet or too dry, poorly packed bales due to steering wheel attendant incompetence, cats, rats, rough handling of bales etc. Used NRF here for the first time last year, found it excellent, wouldn’t be without it from now on.

mr.stonewall · 28-02-2023 12:44am

Used the plastic film the past 2 years and would never go back. As tanko said there are so many variables that can contribute to waste and most of them occur once the bale is dropped out of the wrapper.

The 2 biggest factors are rough handling and pest damage birds, cats and dogs

On the rough handling, bale handlers with net wrap has a tendency to pinch the plastic where it sits on the tube of the handler. This increases exposure to air when the bale is toppled on its end. This damage is increased by the pilot and tends to be greatest when there is only one bale at a time that can be hauled in

obi604 · 28-02-2023 7:51am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120296256#Comment_120296256

Thanks for the reply !!

What do you mean by the cats and dogs thing? As in when bales brought in to yard etc that cats and dogs would be scratching at them is it and making holes.

also don’t understand the one bale at a time being hauled in scenario, how would this cause more damage

mr.stonewall · 28-02-2023 9:11am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120296440#Comment_120296440

Cats are notorious for climbing on bales and the claws can create small pin holes. I have even seen dogs running on top of bales stacked in the yard.

On the hauling one at the time. Majority of the time is a rush to get these hauled in. This increases the speed and let's the bale rock more on the handler. That's before bales falling off handlers, light 2wd drive tractors with the front rearing due to the weight and the bale on the back scraping on the ground. Most folks with double handlers and a bale on a loader tend to travel slower, this helps a lot. I have once even seen a guy roll old carpet on the bale trailer.

All of the above help greatly, but the biggest has to be a pilot with their head screwed on drawing in bales. After all you are relying on 4 layers of 25 micron plastic stretched to 70%. This leaves a total of approx 0.085mm of plastic covering the bale

Thekeencyclist · 28-02-2023 9:47am

Net Replacement Film, i'm assuming that cant be used with balers that use net wrap?

Different set up etc i'm assuming for NRF.

hopeso · 28-02-2023 10:18am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120296580#Comment_120296580

Those balers that can use the film can also use net….but it’s a very limited number of balers that can use the film. It’s mainly newer Fusions and similar combi balers that use it.

hopeso · 28-02-2023 10:24am

Another way of reducing mould is to increase the layers of wrap applied to the bale from the standard 4 layers to 6 layers. It increases the cost of the wrap by 50%, but works very well…..

obi604 · 28-02-2023 10:43am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120296525#Comment_120296525

ah ok, have ya now, we dont have any dogs and I have not seen a cat around the yard in years (they may well be around, just not when I am there)

yeah, we have a 2wd Massey 4355 with the bale handler on the back and we are very careful bringing them in

obi604 · 28-02-2023 11:14am

how much extra per bale is this Net Replacement Film?

28-02-2023 11:55am

I gather alot of people only put 4 layers on a bale. I've been putting 6 on for past few years and results are smashing. In the last 3 year I have had what would add up to 1 or 2 bales of mould and that would have been down to me stacking and making a hole and not noticing it. Now I bale and wrap my own, 6 laps may not be an option if your paying a lad to do it. I also despise the white film, it doesn't suit my feeding system.

tanko · 28-02-2023 12:52pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120296851#Comment_120296851

Two layers of NRF plus 4 layers of wrap is one euro more than four layers of wrap and net.

obi604 · 28-02-2023 12:55pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120297244#Comment_120297244

sounds like its worth it from the comments so far and not a cod

fulldnod · 28-02-2023 1:34pm

I tried flim on flim this year and didn't see any difference, I'm going back to all net this year

obi604 · 28-02-2023 3:06pm

are most contractors doing this NRF thing now?

Or is the Net still the default scenario more so?

Bass Reeves · 28-02-2023 3:28pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120297457#Comment_120297457

I do not have a mould issue. I be sticking with the net and plastic. As the bales hold more silage than ten years ago I go with 6 layers on anything I think I will be holding over a second winter. If it's extremely dry I put 5 layers on the first cut.

obi604 · 28-02-2023 3:39pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120297975#Comment_120297975

what would be better:

Net and 6 layers (and cost)

NRF and 4 layers (and cost)

Bass Reeves · 28-02-2023 7:08pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120298046#Comment_120298046

Would not have a clue which is best I would imagine the 6 layers. The extra two layers costs a tad less that two euro off last year's plastic prices. Some of the newer bakers can put on 5 layers.

Cost of NRF is an extra euro per bale. However a contract will not switch from NRF to netting while he is Balu g for you. In my case I can get him to bale the first 40 bales with 5 or 6 layers of I think they will be left over into the following year

ruwithme · 28-02-2023 10:04pm

Typically wrappers following balers are operated by youngsters in a awful hurry through life.seen many off them here over the year's, the half of them at best might do what their asked & put on the extra wrap,the rest not.

Always go for extra wrap here on bales. Come winter when opening it may not always be evident on the bale, but I'd know by the lighter wrap when rolling it up, most bales with some mould would have the less wrap on them.

Nrf on a small number here, would think it good job if you were having recurring problems with net bales.it was €1 extra in 2021,can't see it still only been that this year?nets easier & quiter taken of a bale in my opinion if dealing in big numbers

obi604 · 01-03-2023 12:55am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120299502#Comment_120299502

Thanks. I find the net finicky enough to get off the bale, I would have thought the NRF would be easier, but again just thinking aloud.

blue5000 · 01-03-2023 11:08am

If you are selling bales NRF isn’t able for all the handling. But one advantage would be with a bale shear the whole lot can go together, no separate wrap.

Dozer1 · 01-03-2023 12:33pm

Sorry to derail thread but roughly how many square bales of hay would be equivalent to a bale of dry silage. I owe a friend for 150 square bales and he asked for silage in return so want to be as fair as possible

minerleague · 01-03-2023 9:12pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120300908#Comment_120300908

12

893bet · 01-03-2023 9:27pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120302880#Comment_120302880

12 sounds very low?

tanko · 01-03-2023 9:35pm

I was thinking ten.

Tileman · 01-03-2023 9:36pm

The old method was 10 small bales to a round bale. Newer round bales are much bigger and more compact. Somewhere between 12-15 would be fair. If it’s a friend I’d give the 15.

Dozer1 · 01-03-2023 9:50pm

Sound lads I was think 15 per bale myself as it would be 10 bales even, he saw me out of a hole and I'm glad to be able to repay the compliment but there are as many bales here as he needs, I won't see him short

minerleague · 01-03-2023 10:41pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120302959#Comment_120302959

A lot of stuff in round bales of silage, 150 @ £3(maybe small squares making more ?) =£450 would be 12 @ £37 - about right, depends on quality after that

Silverdream · 02-03-2023 9:16am

Is it only the kuhn balers that can do this?

https://youtu.be/v86raIGMiOg

Round Bales

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