Twine versus net for rounds

[5030]

I run a NH 450 Twine / net round baler that is all computerized so I can alternate between twine and net anytime. My customer don't care how I wrap them so it don't matter but pricing net (52" over the edge) versus poly RB twine, poly twine wins hands down. Having said that, the twine takes longer to wrap than the net (about 30 seconds per bale more than net).

This year I'm, running twine. Last year I ran net. I can program my baler to wrap the twine in any configuration I want. I find twined bales to be a bit harder to handle in the field versus net but my customer keeps everything under roof any way so spoilage from weather isn't an issue.

What is the consensus of twine versus net for you?

 

[LouNY]

Twine is cheaper, your customer doesn't care.
My choice would be easy twine all the way.
That said if you ever end up wrapping any bales the net makes a better wrapped bale.

 

[5030]

Like I said, run them both ways. Net is faster and the baler always has a roll of net in the duckbill just in case. I think if I was looking at weather and was running a field, I'd switch to net to get it done but if there is no rush, twine is the way to go. I run the NH mega balls of RB poly, like 25,000 feet in each ball and it's pretty blue too. Mega balls are 29 bucks each and I can get over 200 rounds on 2 of them. 52 over the edge net is 270 bucks a roll and I can get 300 rounds per roll. The cost difference is quite a bit.

Net bales weather much better outside and handle easier in the field when loading but my rounds for my cattle stay in the barn and the rest are sold and the guy who buys them keeps them inside too. Think this is my last year for cattle. I believe I'll disc the feedlot field and put it to hay too. The way the farm climate is today, meat prices are on the rise so thinking about selling all of them.

 

[RickB]

If you get to the point where you have more hay to bale in a day than time to do it, net gets pretty cheap.

 

[Diggin It]

Yeah but 30 seconds. 30 WHOLE seconds. I mean like that's an eternity, how could anyone be expected to wait such an incredibly long and arduous time?

My question .... which causes more waste when the bales are to be used? Which is reusable for other purposes?

 

[big bubba]

My question .... which causes more waste when the bales are to be used? Which is reusable for other purposes? Diggin It

good question. so what becomes of the net after use?

 

[Tx Jim]

If you get to the point where you have more hay to bale in a day than time to do it, net gets pretty cheap.

Ditto after baling with net for several yrs I'd charge extra to put twine on a bale!!!!!

Net on a average is 25-30% faster when applying twine to bale when baling. That can mean the difference of getting hay baled before it rains. Anyone care to figure the $$$$$ savings getting hay baled beating a rain vs rained on hay & the hassle of getting hay dry enough to bale? Plus on my JD rd baler utilizing twine sometimes the cut end will catch on crop stalk when bale is ejected causing long dangling twine that when moving bales FEL operator must get off tractor to cut the dangling twine OR wrap this dangling twine around axle shafts. I realize this doesn't apply to 5030's question but if hay is to be stored outside then to me it's a "no brainer" because net wrapped rd bales sheds more water than twine wrapped bales. IMHO net is easier/faster to remove from bales than twine when feeding rd bales. I think under most conditions net wrapped hay will have less waste & both net & twine nee to go in the garbage ALTHOUGH I deliver net rd bales to several local horse owners that never remove the net.

 

[stuckmotor]

I've been buying 100 or more bales per year for sometime. My supplier is now using net. I prefer twine. It's easier for me to remove and if I need something to tie a panel to a T post, there it is.

 

[Diggin It]

ALTHOUGH I deliver net rd bales to several local horse owners that never remove the net.

So, the road apples come out pre-wrapped?

 

[RickB]

Yeah but 30 seconds. 30 WHOLE seconds. I mean like that's an eternity, how could anyone be expected to wait such an incredibly long and arduous time?

My question .... which causes more waste when the bales are to be used? Which is reusable for other purposes?

Never baled much hay, have you? It can easily take more time to wrap a round bale with twine than it does to form the bale.
There are instances where the difference is harvesting a useable/saleable crop or not.

 

[ovrszd]

Most hay is stored outside here. 99% is net wrapped. Noticeable production difference at the end of the day.

So, if doing custom baling you'd hafta compare the cost to production loss. Might not be as much difference as it appears?

 

[atsah]

Most hay is stored outside here. 99% is net wrapped. Noticeable production difference at the end of the day.

So, if doing custom baling you'd hafta compare the cost to production loss. Might not be as much difference as it appears?

Same here..

 

[LouNY]

Well none of our hay stays in the field or is stored outside unless wrapped.
It costs to much to produce quality feed to let it lay out and get rained and snowed on,
round bales left outside around here will be at a minimum 20% wasted usually closer to 50%.
Also when baling we backup and turn the baler a quarter of a turn before dumping the bale out,
we use a self loading bale wagon to pickup the bales and bring to the farms for storage or wrapping,
with the bales turning to be inline with the fields direction of travel we have less twisting and turning in the field,
which is easier on the equipment and the field.
But different strokes for different folks and climates.

 

[atsah]

Any hay left outside is wrapped..

 

[5030]

Yeah but 30 seconds. 30 WHOLE seconds. I mean like that's an eternity, how could anyone be expected to wait such an incredibly long and arduous time?

My question .... which causes more waste when the bales are to be used? Which is reusable for other purposes?

None and none are reuseable. 30 seconds per bale is a long time when you multiply that by say 200 bales. That is 1/2 hour extra for twine versus net and factoring it cost per roll of net versus twine it gets worse. My only issue with twine is, if there is any in a field, it has a bad habit of getting arong the underside of the turtles on my disc mower and poly twine is death on seals and bearings whereas net isn't an issue.

1/2 hour can make or break a baling session if rain is coming. I can switch on the fly from twine to net with my baler, even when bale forming.

 

[5030]

Well none of our hay stays in the field or is stored outside unless wrapped.
It costs to much to produce quality feed to let it lay out and get rained and snowed on,
round bales left outside around here will be at a minimum 20% wasted usually closer to 50%.
Also when baling we backup and turn the baler a quarter of a turn before dumping the bale out,
we use a self loading bale wagon to pickup the bales and bring to the farms for storage or wrapping,
with the bales turning to be inline with the fields direction of travel we have less twisting and turning in the field,
which is easier on the equipment and the field.
But different strokes for different folks and climates.

Again, everything goes inside here and at my customer's farm. Nothing is outside. I like the net for ease of handling versus twine. I store all my rounds vertically stacked on plastic pallets. Vertical storage is nice and the rounds don't get 'squished' either.

 

[Tx Jim]

So, the road apples come out pre-wrapped?

Horse apples aren't wrapped but when I deliver hay for horses I see a lot of net laying around in pens/pastures. I remove net from rd bales when I put them out for my cows but I'm not removing net from rd bales for lazy horse owners.

 

[stuckmotor]

Horse apples aren't wrapped but when I deliver hay for horses I see a lot of net laying around in pens/pastures. I remove net from rd bales when I put them out for my cows but I'm not removing net from rd bales for lazy horse owners.

I guess horse owners come in all flavors. Around here they have a reputation for being fussy about what they feed their horses.

 

[atsah]

Around here they have a reputation for being fussy about what they feed their horses.

Same here..

 

[Tx Jim]

I don't cater to the know it all horse owners. I got tired of hearing how this type hay or that type hay could make a horse colic when in reality any type hay or any other feed a horse consumes plus many other factors can cause a horse to colic. I've been told more than once that Johnson Grass hay will cause a horse to get diabetes when back when I owned horses for over 40 yrs a vet told me to feed one horse I owned strictly JG hay so she wouldn't get constipated.