Square Bale Wrapper. For Silage?

[Wildcat Ranch]

Would wrapping wet hay bales with a machine like this make them into silage bales? How would the silage turn out with the hay not being chopped?

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[mark.r]

Isn't the moisture content more important than if its chop or not? I thought chopping it was more so for storage concerns i.e. packing it in a bunk or a pit.

 

[chh]

I have seen the setups that wrap round bales used, they claim that they make good silage and that chopping isn't necessary. Moisture and a good enough wrap to not let air in are supposed to be they key from what I understand. They also need to be handled carefully so that the wrapping isn't damaged.

 

[Wildcat Ranch]

I was more curious then anything. I haven't seen anybody putting up the round wrapped silage bales but I have heard that there is one operation in our area that has been doing it for a few years.. Its mostly the dairy's around here that chop it and pack the stuff in bunkers.

Now, slightly off topic but I don't know what other category to ask in. We have always had a problem with getting sweet corn to germinate. We don't plant much, just enough for the family to eat. The few plants that do, are usually weaker and we start getting our fall winds which knock the plants over before most of the ears ripen. The few corn fields that are in our area are already 3-4 feet tall, where ours are only 6 inches.... Do they put down a certain fertilizer right after planting to help germination and growth?

 

[Trac-Tech]

Hi Guys
I have had a lot of experience with this machines predecessor Kverneland 7655 and I am sure that Renze will also have had experience with it as well.
Almost all of the silage made here in Aus and NZ are wrapped bales, either square or round. We have round balers with the wrapper attached as one machine and also wrappers towed directly behind the baler as seperate units. I have to sy that seeing these wrappers working in the flesh in full auto mode is very intriguing to me. They are a very clever piece of kit.
There is still call for clamp silage and some contarctors still have self propelled choppers for this job. This has been the case for more than 15 years or so now. They have become more popular as the weather becomes less and less predictable. Grass cut for hay and a rain cloud looming gets baled and wrapped either the same day or the next one depending on the moisture content. The 7664 will wrap two Claas 1100 quadrants at once and there is quite a science that has been put into overlap so as not to waste film. As for the quality, seems that it may be better and as for handling, soft grab bale clamps are used on front end loaders. This particular machine can wrap squares and rounds as well. Good machine that has had a lot of changes made to it over the years and every one of them for the better. There is a McHale machine that is similar but is a lot heavier machine.
Cheers

 

[mark.r]

What has puzzled me about Europe and probably other places outside of the US is that I read about the wrappers being used on horse hay. Talking to my boarders and other customers I have heard that it's an absolute NO NO for the obvious fermitation reason. I could maybe see someone wrapping horse hay 4-5 days after it has dry thoroughly but I have even been told NO on that. What gives?

Sorry for going OT.

 

[kidr]

What has puzzled me about Europe and probably other places outside of the US is that I read about the wrappers being used on horse hay. Talking to my boarders and other customers I have heard that it's an absolute NO NO for the obvious fermitation reason. I could maybe see someone wrapping horse hay 4-5 days after it has dry thoroughly but I have even been told NO on that. What gives?

Sorry for going OT.

There is a product out there called "Horsehage" It's a fermented grass product that's great for horses with respiratory problems, Been sold for years.

 

[chetlenox]

Thanks for the great pictures, Trac-tech. We never see that sort of thing down here in Texas (although we saw it sometimes when I lived up in Western Oregon a few years back). You are right, those wrapping machines seem like pretty amazing peices of equipment.

I have to say, with all the struggles that we all have with timing the weather right, the idea of cutting, baling, and wrapping all in one stretch is HIGHLY attractive!

Chet.

 

[Wildcat Ranch]

At what moisture percentage can you start making silage bales?

Trac-Tech, Awesome pictures!

 

[Grrrr]

In the UK we do a lot of wrapped bales - big square, round and small conventional square bales for horses.

Silage is often baled and then wrapped when it is not worth having a clamp, eg for a small heard or for a last cut when opening up the clamp again is not worth it. Also, the wrapped bales are very convenient when you just need a bale somewhere, and you can transport them and sell them.

Wrapped round or big square is pretty much the same, but some of the big squares can weigh an absolute ton. Most of the rounds are kept to 4ish foot to make them easier to handle. We tried some 5ft ones before and the net broke when we tried to pick them up with a spike.

We also have a little bale wrapper for small squares, you have to man handle the bale on to it and then press a button and is wraps it.

They are mainly used for making haylage - basically slightly damp hay. It is helpful because you can bale a bit sooner, so the weather is not so dependent, and most horse owners say the hay is much much better.

It is completely dust free, has more 'goodness' apparently in it, and contains much more energy. You don't need to feed horses as much of the stuff.

They also command a massive price premium, probably the equivalent of $7 more per bale. And the best bit is that the bales are baled a lot shorter, so you get more bales per field. If you make them too long, the bales are too **** heavy to pick up, especially when you have no string to hold.

The wrap has got quite expensive, but they are still popular. If you would like some more details on them I will try and explain.

Some of the big round bales have a set of knives behind the pickup, so they can chop the grass before it gets baled. They use a lot of fuel when there chopping though, but a lot of farmers like them chopped still.

We have a separate wrapper so we can send the baler and wrapper to different places, and most of the wrapping is done at night. We take it in turns whos wrapping each night.

Wrapping is also the most mind numbingly boring job there possibly is during the summer, especially at night. And you have to get out of the cab every so many bales to change the rolls of wrap over which gets old quick.