# Bale length



## Motzie53 (Jun 24, 2016)

I have a New Holland 268 Hayliner and I want to get a 36 inch bale. Is there any secret to get this length? I know where and how to adjust the length. Is it just trial and error to get the right length.


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## stack em up (Mar 7, 2013)

Motzie53 said:


> I have a New Holland 268 Hayliner and I want to get a 36 inch bale. Is there any secret to get this length? I know where and how to adjust the length. Is it just trial and error to get the right length.


Yup


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Motzie53 said:


> I have a New Holland 268 Hayliner and I want to get a 36 inch bale. Is there any secret to get this length? I know where and how to adjust the length. Is it just trial and error to get the right length.


Welcome to haytalk Motzie53.....the "secret" to achieve consistent bale length is to be consistent with the flow of crop into the baler at a consistent ground speed and pto speed. You want to achieve "flakes" of hay about 3" long and about 15-18 strokes per bale. But in the end, it is trail and error.......good luck


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## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

Also look at the teeth in the length wheel. They wear out, especially likely in a baler of that age. Someone on HT discussed a weight for the length gage arm to help with the jumping around that occurs especially if you are not feeding the baler fast enough and you are running at 540 pto speed. Plunger hitting already compressed hay will vibrate the wheel and arm causing it to skip.


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## Cmm (Jun 5, 2016)

Good info above

Identical speed
Identical pto power

If you change so will bale


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## Tater Salad (Jan 31, 2016)

Cmm said:


> Good info above
> 
> Identical speed
> Identical pto power
> ...


These guys will have You a PRO by the end of the day !!!!!!!!!!


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

I'll add to what others stated that a consistent windrow aids in consistent bale length.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Motzie53 said:


> I have a New Holland 268 Hayliner and I want to get a 36 inch bale. Is there any secret to get this length? I know where and how to adjust the length. Is it just trial and error to get the right length.


It does involve a little adjustment....but if you do not have a consistent windrow, and sometimes it is impossible to do so, make adjustments with your speed by moving up a gear in thinner windrow areas and down a gear in heavy windrow areas.

Regards, Mike


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

Also the type of hay will make a difference. If you go from alfalfa to grass without changing length settings you will have different bale lengths


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## thendrix (May 14, 2015)

Tx Jim said:


> I'll add to what others stated that a consistent windrow aids in consistent bale length.


I'll agree with this but will change the word aids to is almost required


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## VA Haymaker (Jul 1, 2014)

Motzie53 said:


> I have a New Holland 268 Hayliner and I want to get a 36 inch bale. Is there any secret to get this length? I know where and how to adjust the length. Is it just trial and error to get the right length.


Lots of great advice.

Just to add a few things. IMHO a New Holland baler in the 200 series, i.e. 268, 273, etc., where they used the feed fingers to push hay across the width of the pick-up into the bale chamber, need to be fed close to the plunger side of the pick-up. FWIW - JD balers recommend feeding the opposite side, but they use auger to move the hay over - a totally different mechanism.

I like to run my baler at full 540 PTO rpms. The reason is to get full potential/kinetic energy from the flywheel to the plunger face as it slams home another charge of hay. The other reason - and more to the point of your question is - max flakes of hay.

IMHO - the #1 way to make consistent length bales is lots of flakes, 2 or 3 inches each. It is the flake size that determines the final length of the bale - when the knotter trips. So if you got a 35.5 inch bale, the baler is on the edge of tripping with the next charge of hay and a big 6 inch wad of hay is mashed into your bale, tripping the knotter, then your bale will be something on the order of 41.5ish inches. If you got 2 or 3 inch flakes, that variance is limited. In my limited experience, once I've established solid bales, good windrow feeding and small bale flakes, I don't have to adjust the trip arm stop anymore. At first, it was, like was mentioned, trial an error. Perhaps others adjust that stop, but I no longer do. I shoot for a 32 inch bale too.

It is also important IMHO to have a tight bale. I feel the tighter the surface of the bale - that the star wheel rides on, give a more consistent rotation of it - as it has a nice positive surface to roll it. A light fluffy bale may or may not turn the star wheel at the same rate.

On my New Holland 68, I replaced both the knurled wheel and the trip arm. The knurled wheel was only a few dollars and a very simple fix. Mine had worn smooth.









I could have saved some $$$'s and NOT replaced the trip arm as the new one was smooth - just like the old one. I though it would have serrations like the wheel - which newer model balers do. That change made a big difference and even without aggressive serrations like a New Holland BC5070 or my JD348, it works fine.

IMHO - the 268 is a fine baler.

Good luck,

Bill


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