Getting hay balers ready

[Tx Jim]

Been spending a lot of time helping assembling units lately. It's done and ready to come to the farm. Problem is, it will have to be physically driven here as the new bailer is to large (high and wide) to put on the roll back with the tractor attached to it.

From my past years of new equipment assembly experience I must ask how do you assemble equipment & continue to create posts on discussion forums during the daytime? Your Kubota dealer must be very lenient

 

[5030]

From my past years of new equipment assembly experience I must ask how do you assemble equipment & continue to create posts on discussion forums during the daytime? Your Kubota dealer must be very lenient

Part time duh.... (if you bothered to read my comment). Been raining here almost every 3 days so no hay. Don't even have the garden tilled up, ground it too wet to do anything with. In fact very few fields around here are even fitted. Once things dry out I won't be here much at all which will make you and Hay Dudette happy (and me as well) as this is just a diversion anyway.

 

[Jims1025R]

For my experience as a 27 year rural volunteer firefighter, it seems to me that getting a round bailer ready should include installing one good sized fire extinguisher on the bailer, a second on the tractor, and most importantly, assuring that you could uncouple the bailer from the tractor easily, should it catch fire.

I can recall most years, attending at least one bailer fire. Half of those events also took the tractor, as the operator could neither extinguish, nor uncouple. Upon noticing a bailer fire, uncouple first, get the tractor away, then consider fighting the bailer fire is safe. Sure, your cell phone works, and 911 works, and the fire department will arrive as quickly as they are able. Can they figure out your path to that field? Will their truck make it into the field?

We never saved a bailer. We lost a bunch of coupled tractors too. To add insult to injury, a burned tractor and bailer are both expensive, and useless for getting out of the field. At least if you can save the tractor, the fire fighters will help you couple the bailer back up after it cools, to get it out of the field.

This was a friend's tractor and bailer, 15 minute drive from the fire station. Added concern for the hydro wires he just happened to burn under. We did get our second fire truck stuck in the lane to the field for an hour. It could not get more water to the first truck, and rendering it, and the truck at the scene unavailable to return to the fire station to be ready for any other fire call. Dave told me that he was not carrying a fire extinguisher at all that day....

 

[Tx Jim]

5030
Sorry but I have no desire to read ALL your posts verbatim.

 

[Hay Dude]

Part time duh.... (if you bothered to read my comment). Been raining here almost every 3 days so no hay. Don't even have the garden tilled up, ground it too wet to do anything with. In fact very few fields around here are even fitted. Once things dry out I won't be here much at all which will make you and Hay Dudette happy (and me as well) as this is just a diversion anyway.

Really curious as to why you call me names publicly, then PM for advice?
Like you expect me to help you after all the name calling?
Do you live your life that way….Call people names, then ask them for help all the while bragging about the same guns, tractors, trucks over and over and the “no payment books” hoax?
Sounds like a quick road to having zero friends in life or here on this website.

For my experience as a 27 year rural volunteer firefighter, it seems to me that getting a round bailer ready should include installing one good sized fire extinguisher on the bailer, a second on the tractor, and most importantly, assuring that you could uncouple the bailer from the tractor easily, should it catch fire.

I can recall most years, attending at least one bailer fire. Half of those events also took the tractor, as the operator could neither extinguish, nor uncouple. Upon noticing a bailer fire, uncouple first, get the tractor away, then consider fighting the bailer fire is safe. Sure, your cell phone works, and 911 works, and the fire department will arrive as quickly as they are able. Can they figure out your path to that field? Will their truck make it into the field?

We never saved a bailer. We lost a bunch of coupled tractors too. To add insult to injury, a burned tractor and bailer are both expensive, and useless for getting out of the field. At least if you can save the tractor, the fire fighters will help you couple the bailer back up after it cools, to get it out of the field.

View attachment 747131

This was a friend's tractor and bailer, 15 minute drive from the fire station. Added concern for the hydro wires he just happened to burn under. We did get our second fire truck stuck in the lane to the field for an hour. It could not get more water to the first truck, and rendering it, and the truck at the scene unavailable to return to the fire station to be ready for any other fire call. Dave told me that he was not carrying a fire extinguisher at all that day....

If you’ve ever operated a round baler and watched how fast the fire happens (I have, maybe you have, too), it’s a spectacular lesson on combustion. Panic sets in. “do I detach from baler”? “is the hitch pin stuck”? Or ”do I try to put the fire out while detached”?
I have had 3 near misses. 2 of which were on a brand new baler. It happens unexpectedly and its a helpless feeling.
By the time you smell/see fire, it’s sometimes too late.
A fire extinguisher may help, but once it gets going, it’s like peeing on a bonfire.

Personally, I think balers should be equipped with a 25-50 gallon water extinguisher system. Once you pull the lever, the entire pressurized tank of water sprays out into critical areas and it’s over. I don’t believe this would add a lot of cost to a 40K round baler or a 250K large square baler.

 

[Tx Jim]

Jims1025
Besides having a fire extinguisher on rd hay baler having good comprehensive insurance is also needed. Having a rd baler catch fire & burn isn't a nice experience. BTDT many yrs ago but I managed to save my tractor. In fact that same tractor pulled my rd baler day before yesterday. I have been lucky enough to extinguish several fires since my baler fire using my 2-1/2 gallon extinguisher with a product called "Fire Out' added to the water.

All brands/colors of rd balers have the capability of burning & turning into a "Crispy Critter"!

I realize emergency vehicles have crossed those windrows but if I was the owner of the rake that made those irregular/clumpy windrows that rake would have another zip code IE be gone. Nice uniform correct width windrow causes rd baling to be so much easier.

 

[5030]

Really curious as to why you call me names publicly, then PM for advice.
Like you expect me to help you after all the public harassment?
I mean it’s really bizarre

You never answer anyway if I send you a pm, so what is your issue. Not calling you names, just referring to you as I see it (and you do that to me and I don't say squat and don't care actually). Quit being a thin skinned onion and get over it. Personally, I find 'Hay Dudette' to be apropos for you... Better than 'Mushroom grower'...

I don't need your help, never have, my PM to you was concerning hay prices, something I believe all growers, you, me and everyone else needs to collaborate on for comparisons and tips.

These are unusual times that require not normal business ethics.

 

[sea2summit]

Really curious as to why you call me names publicly, then PM for advice?
Like you expect me to help you after all the name calling?
Do you live your life that way….Call people names, then ask them for help all the while bragging about the same gun, tractor, truck and “no payment books” lies?
Sounds like a quick road to having zero friends in life or here on this website.



If you’ve ever operated a round baler and watched how fast the fire happens (I have, maybe you have, too), it’s a spectacular lesson on combustion. Panic sets in. “do I detach from baler”? “is the hitch pin stuck”? Or ”do I try to put the fire out while detached”?
I have had 3 near misses. 2 of which were on a brand new baler. It happens unexpectedly and its a helpless feeling.
By the time you smell/see fire, it’s sometimes too late.
A fire extinguisher may help, but once it gets going, it’s like peeing on a bonfire.

Personally, I think balers should be equipped with a 25-50 gallon water extinguisher system. Once you pull the lever, the entire pressurized tank of water sprays out into critical areas and it’s over. I don’t believe this would add a lot of cost to a 40K round baler or a 250K large square baler.

Not sure about the added cost, last time I priced a 125 gallon fire skid it was over 6k. You’d probably want 50-100 for what you’re talking about? Not a fireman just lost my parents business to fire when I was a kid, so still freaks me out.

 

[Tx Jim]

5030
It won't matter whether you commence baling hay, assemble equipment, run forums post count up or supply hay for bucking bulls. All will have no bearing on my happiness.

I'm happy God chose for me to open my eyes for ONE MORE TIME.

 

[Hay Dude]

Not sure about the added cost, last time I priced a 125 gallon fire skid it was over 6k. You’d probably want 50-100 for what you’re talking about? Not a fireman just lost my parents business to fire when I was a kid, so still freaks me out.

125 is much too big. I was thinking like 25-50 would be plenty.
It seems like to me you could add a stainless steel Badger extinguisher on top of the baler with a divider valve, 4 hoses with sprayer nozzles kinda cheaply. A Badger 10G extinguisher is about $250. I realize there’s more to my proposed system, but would also think a company like Hesston/Massey or Deere could get large price break on bulk purchases of tanks & parts.
I would not make it automatic. Mine would be to just pull a pin, cord or lever and she sprays. Keep it simple and effective. Fire is out and property/lives saved.

 

[5030]

Personally, I think balers should be equipped with a 50 gallon water extinguisher system. Once you pull the lever, the entire pressurized tank of water sprays out into critical areas and it’s over.

The NH I traded on the Kubota bailer was equipped with on board fire suppression via pressurized water. I never used it. In fact I've never had one get that hot. I tend to stop frequently and shoot the side sheets and bearings with an IR thermometer to see if it is getting hot. My philosophy about round bailers is, it's insured against all perils and if it ever did catch on fire, I'd pull the hitch pin and drive away and hell with the hook ups. All my hydraulic connectors are break under excessive pull anyway and far as the electrical/electronic controls, they will decouple themselves. I might see of Kubota offers fire suppression on this one, but I don't believe they do. Fires on round balers are usually caused by overheated roll bearings and all the rollers on the new baler are central point pressure greased and the drive chains also have centralized pressure metered oiling.

I've seen a lot more combines go up, especially when running dry beans and wheat than anything else. My buddy down the road lost his late model JD that way last fall. He had time to detach the grain table and back away but that was it. By the time the VFD got there it was nothing but a black smoking hulk. They do burn quite nicely and produce a lot of smoke.

 

[5030]

Sounds like a quick road to having zero friends in life or here on this website.

I've never counted as 'friends' any poster on most websites I frequent, to me you are nothing but an electronic signature and little else and I'll never meet you in person (and candidly don't want to). There are actually a select few on here I do know personally and have interacted with them, face to face but again you ain't one. Far as 'friends go' I have plenty around here, some close and some not. I do find that people have 2 faces they exude. Their 'forum' face and their in person face. Kind of like the old CB radio thing back in the day. You can be a 'radio rambo' and have a Harvey Milktoast personality.

I only frequent 4 forums and this one is the only 'tractor' forum I frequent. Been here a long time too.

I count my 'friends' on one hand. Always have. Life and here are 2 distinctly different things for me. This is nothing but a diversion from my actual life. Nothing more and it's always been that way and will never change. On another totally non related forum that I've been on as long as this one, I have quite a few 'friends' I interact with. In fact one of them is stopping in next Friday on his way from Tennessee to the upper-lower as he and his wife are attending his son's daughters graduation. He's a moderator on that forum. Known him for years, personally.

I could pass you on the street and not even know who you are, likewise with you passing me. I much prefer to leave it that way.

My 'life' is entirely different than on here in 'fantasy' land. All good with it.

 

[Tx Jim]

The NH I traded on the Kubota bailer was equipped with on board fire suppression via pressurized water. I never used it. In fact I've never had one get that hot. I tend to stop frequently and shoot the side sheets and bearings with an IR thermometer to see if it is getting hot. My philosophy about round bailers is, it's insured against all perils and if it ever did catch on fire, I'd pull the hitch pin and drive away and hell with the hook ups. Fires on round balers are usually caused by overheated roll bearings and all the rollers on the new baler are central point pressure greased and the drive chains also have centralized pressure metered oiling.

I agree if rd baler fire can't be extinguished in short amount of time disconnect electrical harnesses, pull tongue pin & drive tractor away from baler. IR thermometer is a very good tool to detect faulty brg.

My WAG is not ALL of Kubota rd baler brgs are lubricated by grease bank but I'm not familiar with hay tension on the Kubota rd baler. Is you baler fixed or variable bale chamber?

Yrs ago I had a baler with automatic chain oiler that I stopped putting oil in that reservoir due to premature chain failure. I think the premature chain wear had to do with soil type in my area.

 

[Hay Dude]

Well back to hay balers. Here we are back at it today on some more repairs & improvements on the Hesston 4910.

One thing I noticed with last years knotter issues was a few twine fingers were not working properly. They weren’t getting oiled. Got into those and got them free and moving again.

Also had a bearing getting loose. Got that off and replaced.

Rain started moving in while doing my last repair for the day-replacing a worn out driveshaft U-joint.

Back together and ready to bale!

 

[HayDR]

I bet Agri-Supply is less that the HayDr. In as much as you are running it and you seem to be pretty conscientious, I don't see you getting tangled up in it anyway.

Most dealers can sell the Bare-Co shield for CV-PTO's. AGRI-Supply does not list any CV Shield applications. There is a difference than a CV PTO Shield and a standard PTO shield. I don't sell the BARE-CO system but it is a very good system of shielding. The key is safety. I'm not trying to profit off this customer.

 

[Quickster2]

I'm going to slow down my complaining to the Wife about me maintaining the hay equipment after seeing these rigs. My Hesston 1091 Mower/Conditioner, MF120 Baler, and New Idea 402 Rake take a few hours each every year to maintain. I rebuilt the hay wagon this year that took a good 12 hours or more Lol.