The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Smallholding => Land Management => Topic started by: FiB on August 07, 2012, 05:57:03 pm

Title: How big is a small bale?
Post by: FiB on August 07, 2012, 05:57:03 pm

I've googled and the answer ranges between 22" and 4 ' in length - what would you expect?    Last year my neighbour had the baler set so big that they had a tendancy to bananna shape and were hard to move - so my first field this year I asked for small bales (for me).  Just cut last 2 fields and dont want to count my hay before its baled.... but.....  what size to bale for sale?  I know you can always adjust the price, but Id like to do it right.  Fingers crossed again!
Oooooo  just noticed more icons :excited:   :sunshine: :sunshine: :sunshine:  Cheers, Fi

Title: Re: How big is a small bale?
Post by: SallyintNorth on August 07, 2012, 06:33:50 pm

They need to be exactly twice as long as wide in order to stack correctly.

Generally the depth would be 4/5 the width, so that 5 on their sides is the same as the length of two.

The width and depth are fixed by the baler, so it's not easy to vary the length of the bale without losing those ratios and getting bales that won't stack safely.

However, they can be baled more or less dense.  If densely packed, they'll be heavy to move, stack, etc, but you're getting more for your money.  If less densely packed, they're easier to handle now, but come winter, the strings will be too loose and you'll find them coming apart in your hands.

Not sure if that helped any...

Size isn't the best measure, really.  We work on 40 small bales per tonne.  But unless you have a weighbridge you can get your load to, that doesn't help much either.  Sorry.

Title: Re: How big is a small bale?
Post by: lachlanandmarcus on August 07, 2012, 06:41:29 pm

generally people expect a small bale to be 1metre by half a metre, there or thereabouts, baled quite tightly, tho it does vary when your baler is as temperamental as Blasted Bertha our one....

Title: Re: How big is a small bale?
Post by: robert waddell on August 07, 2012, 07:05:42 pm

the bale density is more sun dependant   if it is bright sunshine the bales will be lighter  the same as if the hay has damp patches  the bales will be heavier than dry hay    international used to have a hydraulic bale tension-er as opposed to the rest with a screw and spring system :farmer:

Title: Re: How big is a small bale?
Post by: jaykay on August 07, 2012, 07:27:46 pm

About 25kg

Title: Re: How big is a small bale?
Post by: FiB on August 07, 2012, 08:35:22 pm

Thanks all - I'll go and measure the width and work from that. Hoping for  :sunshine: :sunshine: :sunshine: , but still feel releived - once its cut thats it, all you can do is hope, wait and turn. Got the big bale contractor on standby for haylage just in case.