Hay: Wire or Twine? - Around The Farm

Tallying the votes, wire is out. I have not seen wire bales in years around here. The only times I saw it years back were on the much larger 75-100+ lbs bales.

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As Bluey said the knotter can be changed over on just about all balers. Not expensive but not cheap either when labor is included. The change and installation is not that tricky for the average to good DIY. But the Knotter has to be &#;set up, aligned&#; just right after installing the new parts to give trouble free operation. There is a bit of an &#;art&#; to this, trust me. Nothing worse than having baling problems especially knotter problems when you NEED to get hay out of the field and into the barn before a thunderstorm rolls in. Knotters that are out of alignment will kick out a few bales just fine and this miss-tie a few after that. Miss-tied bales blowout all over the place when they are &#;shot&#; out of the bale thrower.

Knowing how many bales have been run through the machine is good to know as is age. Problems do not come to light until you are in the middle of baling. It is good to have a relationship with a &#;field mechanic&#; before you need one. The good ones understand &#;time is of the essence&#; and will show up on site with all of the &#;likely&#; parts needed to get the baler up and running.

The &#;knotter&#; is a pretty cool bit of engineering. But it has a lot of moving parts, just about all of which need to maintain &#;close tolerances&#; and &#;play well&#; together to give trouble free operation. But certain &#;key&#; parts do wear out depending on how many bales have been made and or how well it has been maintained. So there will come a time when the Knotter will need a complete rebuild. My late 90&#;s (second owner) N-H 570 needed this done a few year ago, around $2,500.

I run Sisal for hay. I feel it is environmentally friendly after the string is throw out, biodegradable. Requires another famer to grow it. Twine that can end up in a paddock breaks down quickly. Less chances of a horse getting it wrapped around their leg and not breaking like plastic. Or getting wrapped up in my mowers.

I tend to run plastic for straw. I like to bale straw on the heavy side of things so it is compacted tight in the baler. But straw is very &#;fluffy&#; so when it leaves the baler it can expand pretty good putting a lot of tension on the twine. Sisal tends to break at the knots.

Making good hay is not nearly as easy as it looks. There is quite a learning curve to getting it right. Along with knowing/learning all the tricks of keeping the equipment running properly when needed. More than a few people I know tried for a couple of years and ended up with far more bad hay than good and gave up. They have a whole new appreciation for producers.

When friends ask me if they should give it a try. I say do as the lord leads you. But I am pretty sure in the end you will find you will be much better off finding an experience producer and &#;share crop&#; your hay field. Might be hard to do with only a few acres unless the person lives next door and or very close by.

We just cut 60 acres yesterday. The future forecast looked perfect until Saturday. That changed looking at the weather forecast this morning. Strong probability of thunderstorms tomorrow afternoon. There is going to a bit of &#;high anxiety&#; around the house tonight and tomorrow. My wife knows to stay clear of me for the next 24-36 hours.

Goto Kaiyuan to know more.

Bit of a long reply to a short question. Typical of my posts. But most things are more complicated than face value. IMO and experience.

If you work in agriculture or the recycling industry, you understand the importance of baling wire. Baling wire allows you to move materials around easily. When you have the proper bale tie size, you save money, and it is less time wasted down the road. 

Wickwire Warehouse is a top baling wire supplier near PA that has been trusted for years to provide the right advice for choosing the right baling wire size. Before we discuss sizing, let&#;s go over another crucial part of baling wire: the gauge.

What is a Wire Gauge?

A wire gauge can be described as the thickness of a wire. It is crucial to pick the suitable baling wire with enough gauge to make sure it can handle whatever job it needs to do. Something that can be confusing for people is how gauge wires are labeled: the smaller the number, the thicker your wire will be. For example, a 12 gauge wire will be thicker and stronger than a 14 gauge wire. 

Why the Right Size Matters

When you are deciding on different types of baling gauges, it is crucial to consider the type of baler you are using, the material you are baling, and the various dimensions of your bales.  

Vertical and Horizontal

Depending on if you are using a vertical or horizontal baler, the kind of gauge you will need will vary. With vertical balers, you could require a gauge wire ranging from 12-14, while the baling wire gauge for a horizontal baler will be as thick as 11-13. 

Material

Materials like newspaper and corrugated cardboard that are usually packaged with a baler impact the bale tie size you need. The two examples we just mentioned can be fine with a thin 14 gauge wire, but other thicker materials will require a 10-11 gauge wire. 

Getting the Right Dimensions

This is an important step that shouldn&#;t be missed. It is essential to get the proper measurements on your baler to know the right length of your bale tie and the thickness of the gauge you will need. To get the proper dimensions for vertical balers, measure the width and height of your bale. For horizontal, measure width and length.

The Best Wire Suppliers in PA

Picking out the right bale tie size doesn&#;t have to be hard! The professionals at Wickwire Warehouse can ensure you will find the best options available from our baling wire gauge selection. As leading steel wire suppliers in PA and the surrounding areas, we know you will be satisfied with our service and products! Contact us today for more information!

For more hay baling wireinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.