# Round Balers 4x6 vs 5x6



## dwarner (Aug 28, 2012)

Hello everyone, we've been kicking the idea of getting a round baler around. Right now we hire neighbors who mainly just bale ditch hay for us. Many who have balers don't hire, one who does a good job can be hard to get on time, another who can usually come on time won't make bales as tight as we'd like. So I have been looking at used balers ~ 15 or less years old. Seems like 90% of the area is green in the RB department, which we are most familiar with also. Wondering if a 4x6 would perform better in some of the narrow ditches we bale? Almost everyone around here does 5x6, but they also feed their own and we will sell our hay. Would really prefer net wrap so looking at 467/8 and 567/8 balers Has anyone used both that can compare? 95% of the used machines are 5x6 so that is a factor, also not sure if anyone would custom hire a 4x6 rig, or maybe there would be "specialty" business so to speak since it is uncommon here. How many bales/year would justify owning a baler like this? I have zero experience with the inner workings of round balers so any input is appreciated!


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## CRE10 (Sep 28, 2013)

4' wide bales tip over easy, but stack good on a 102" gooseneck. I would get a 5' wide baler. We haul with inlines and want the biggest bales we can have.


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## Circle MC Farms LLC (Jul 22, 2011)

If you sell to customers that haul on semis, many prefer a 4ft bale so they can run legal. If they are rolled properly with good square shoulders they won't tip over. I make decent money selling tight 4x5'8" that way 1000-1200. I use a 2006, Jd 467 w/net and I love the baler. It'll make a good bale even in some of the toughest hay.


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## Lewis Ranch (Jul 15, 2013)

If I wasn't hauling any and just feeding it 5x6 would be the way to go. With everything here getting transported 4' is the only way.


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## barnrope (Mar 22, 2010)

In SW MN there isn't a big following of 4 foot balers, but you might be able to carve a niche. Like a previous poster said, they fall over easily in ditches. I drove from Albert Lea to Worthington and north through Marshall and Morris last Sunday, and I think every ditch along the way was either being cut, raked, or baled.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Most guys here with the 4' wide bales sell to horse market either direct or threw the smaller local hay auctions/Sometimes they will pay near the same per bale for 4x5 vs 5x6.Bur rhis is for smaller lots maybe 6-8 bales a time,I forget what town you are at but there are auctions at Morgan,Windom,Worthington,Jackson,Slayton.Maybe go to a auction and check it out?


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

barnrope said:


> In SW MN there isn't a big following of 4 foot balers, but you might be able to carve a niche. Like a previous poster said, they fall over easily in ditches. I drove from Albert Lea to Worthington and north through Marshall and Morris last Sunday, and I think every ditch along the way was either being cut, raked, or baled.





barnrope said:


> In SW MN there isn't a big following of 4 foot balers, but you might be able to carve a niche. Like a previous poster said, they fall over easily in ditches. I drove from Albert Lea to Worthington and north through Marshall and Morris last Sunday, and I think every ditch along the way was either being cut, raked, or baled.


Hauling for the Amish?

Yea every blade of grass is baled here.I know some guys baleing over 75 miles of ditch.There are even fueds over it just like renting farm ground.


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

One thing to keep in mind if you're selling hay is 6 ft tall bales are difficult to transport stacked double high on a semi trailer because of height. 4 ft bales stand up fine & not fall over if baled correctly.You couldn't run fast enough to give me a 5 ft wide baler. JD 467 is by far the best baler I've ever owned.

Speaking of baling ditch hay do you find many broken glass bottles baling ditch hay causing cut tires?????


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## rajela (Feb 15, 2014)

If the area favor 5X6 then I would go 5X6. Here it is a mix with a slight advantage to the 4X6 or 4X5.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Tx Jim said:


> Speaking of baling ditch hay do you find many broken glass bottles baling ditch hay causing cut tires?????


There is not a lot of bottles in ditches but mostly cans,plastic bottles,fast food garbage.And then you also get tires,either thrown in ditch or from blown tires.Peoples garbage and appliances,and stuff that fell of trucks,etc.I've seen a lot of tin and crap that falls off on the back road leading to metal recycler also.

I baled 18 miles on I-90 for a few yrs until it became a bidding war and a guy willing to pay $100 a mile(1 side)for it.Plus now the state doesn't bid it out anymore.

Oh I forgot to say the guy bidding the $100 had just filed bankruptcy???


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

Oh I forgot to say the guy bidding the $100 had just filed bankruptcy???

Now isn't it the fact that stupidity begets poor money management.


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## jtpfarm (Aug 19, 2011)

I don't think the 4 foot baler will fit the ditch any better. A 4 foot baler will still have a 5 foot pickup. A 5 foot baler with a standard pickup (not wide) will work just fine. A neighbor had a 4x6 baler for about 2 years then went to a 5x6. In the ditches you will find there are a lot of times the windrow has to be on the slope of the ditch because of a sharp/narrow bottom. If you eject a 4x6 bale on he slope it WILL tip over. We bale about 45 miles of ditch with a 5x6 and sell it all. Guys have no problem hauling it at all, it gets done all the time. Step deck trailer 2 wide top and bottom will hold about 32 bales and not be over height.


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## dwarner (Aug 28, 2012)

Thanks guys, yes the 5x6 are way easier to get your hands on. We have a few ditches that don't really have a flat side to put the windrow on, probably shouldn't be baled at all. We do leave several areas lay. Right now we just do our own ditches, but also have a little alfalfa that we are working with so in a pinch we might want to roll that up instead of small square bale it. I also cut for a relative with 30-40 acres alfalfa that might hire me, have to visit with him more on that.

SWMN-I am ~ 35 miles from windom, slayton, morgan, and just about anywhere that is somewhere! I should take a few sales in this winter to see how the market goes. Ditch hay is a pretty big deal around here too I guess, we have neighbors taking a few of ours depending on location.


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

I guess the overpasses are taller in the North than in Texas. Some in Texas are 13"6" tall. Sounds like fun loading from the ditch on an 18 wheeler sitting on the side of the road. .I'm glad I only bale rough gopher/fire ant infested hay fields.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

dwarner said:


> SWMN-I am ~ 35 miles from windom, slayton, morgan, and just about anywhere that is somewhere! I should take a few sales in this winter to see how the market goes. Ditch hay is a pretty big deal around here too I guess, we have neighbors taking a few of ours depending on location.


Pipestone,Luverne and Rock Valley are all larger auctions a little farther away but you could check them out also.They all usually sell by the ton.

Westbrook??IIRC.


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## dwarner (Aug 28, 2012)

Yep I'm by walnut grove but between there and westbrook


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## barnrope (Mar 22, 2010)

swmnhay said:


> Hauling for the Amish?
> 
> Yea every blade of grass is baled here.I know some guys baleing over 75 miles of ditch.There are even fueds over it just like renting farm ground.


Sold a bull and also put 6 cow calf pairs on a pasture up their. Now I have to go back at corn picking time to load em up and bring em home! Nothing like having 260 miles to go to get to the pasture! :huh:


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