Neighbor gave me 60 acres. The first two fields were good the second field was terrible. Very weedy. He swathed it for me but the swather guy went the same direction as the combine and really fast. So, half the stubble was bent over instead of cut and he didn't get any of the wheel tracks.
I got my 1500 bales of 100lb 3-tie straw and now am working on my 7,000 bales of 60lb two tie. We did 1,800 in the last two days.
I got the baler Tuesday after the fellow who wants the straw called and confirmed. I am selling it by the bale so the weight doesn't matter. (As long as it is 60lbs) What matters is getting enough bales in a stack and on the truck.
I had given up on the little Hesston 14x18 baler and was attempting to either get our Freeman 200 going or rent a baler from the local Case-IH dealer. I decided the 14x18 was not going to work and had moved on to the 16x18.
Then I remembered by brother-in-law has a brand spanking new Case-IH baler and I was sure it was 16x18.
Went to look at it and it is a heavy duty two-tie baler. Split knotters, extended chamber, extra bracing on the chamber, hydraulic tension, and the paint was not even worn off the inside of the chamber.
So we towed it to the field and put it on the White 2-135. The straw was so heavy I couldn't use the 70hp John Deere I had rented as it's lowest speed was 1.5 mph. The 2-135 will do 1 mph with the 540 pto shaft in.
I'm not sure if it is the 130 hp or the baler but it really puts out the bales for it's size. I am a little worried we will hit a heavy clump and the baler will just start spinning over and over from the torque.
I started picking up the bales and they were 14 x18" bales. (14 x18 x46" actually) So now I am back to trying to find how to get the most in a stack that will fit on a truck.
I have to get the bottom layer on edge so you can pick the stack up with a squeeze. So that makes it 18" + (14 X 7) = 116" The stack should be 16" times 7 = 112"
I could go 7 high with three layers on edge, 18, 18, 14, 18, 18, 14, 14 = 114"
The bottom must go on edge 18" and two tie layers must be flat (14") and the stack has to fit on a truck and so can't be much higher than 112".
The guy hauling my straw thinks he is over heigth at the ideal stack of 8 high which is 116"
Going with non tie layers on edge and the top flat is the next best but will it stand up?
In other news here is the beached whale...
And this is what I found in a shed where I am baling. Anyone seen one of those before?
Posts
It must be nice to run new equipment for a change. Not a clue on that yellow piece of machinery in the shed. One fine old Buick too. Even got the wide whites. I'd trade a few bales of hay for that one.
ReplyDeleteAC round baler
ReplyDeleteRalph, it was not that nice a Buick.
ReplyDeletedH, yes it was in fact an old AC rotobaler. I think it still works.
Never seen a real roto-baler but I have a toy one on the shelf. I guess I don't really see what the selling point was but A-C sold a lot of them back in the 50's.
ReplyDeleteThe round bales would shed a little rain, didn't have to get in a tizzy about rushing to pick them up if it started to sprinkle. They wouldn't rot clear through if you didn't have the best storage facilities. Baker worked well with the AC hand clutch that ran in oil. A lot of pausing and waiting for each bale to be wrapped in binder twine. My grandfather had a Rube Golberg rig equipped with a long arm that reached down, picked the bales up and tossed them into a dump wagon. Never had to touch the bales, probably put some of those bale hookers out of business.
ReplyDeleteThey came out with the roto baler before there was ever a round bale so it was a break through in technology and it could make a bale anywhere from 25 to 100 pounds making bales heavier than square bales
ReplyDelete