# Sisal twine quality



## MartinK (Jun 7, 2013)

Switched from Holland sisal twine to Agco sisal twine and having nothing but problems with twine breaking in the baler. Since prices were comparable, although our Farm Bureau provided the twine at a "supposed" savings, what's up with the sub-standard quality? The Agco twine is very thin in some parts of the roll, and starts out very kinked and twisted. Why would our Farm Bureau be promoting this?


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

That's why most people have switched to plastic even though I always preferred sisal back in the day. We always used New Holland 7200 with our thrower wagons.


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## MartinK (Jun 7, 2013)

OK, but the question remains as to why the farm bureau would promote sub-quality twine. What's the Agco connection? Seems like a money-maker off our backs.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Sure it is, just puppets, Martin

Martin, put your location in your profile, thanks


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## MartinK (Jun 7, 2013)

Figured as much. Shame on our farm bureau.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

I can tell you that I use agco poly 220# and love it, I used to use sisal but switched to poly and glad I did....


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## MartinK (Jun 7, 2013)

Guess our issue is with the farm bureau becoming Agco salesmen.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

I use Bridon #210....never a single failure. Really amazing when you think about it. This is my fourth or fifth year using it. Splice goes right thru my square baler....no problems.

Regards, Mike


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

MartinK said:


> Guess our issue is with the farm bureau becoming Agco salesmen.


Mine too, do ya have kids? Wait till they come home selling magazines or flipping doughnuts, when my kids were younger, I took the school a check and told them I didn't send my kids to school to become peddlers for the school, told em to leave me out, here's my check.....there's no honor anymore with that type of practice.....they've figured out they have a captive audience with mom, dad, grand mom, granddad, etc. wouldn't be too surprised to see them bring home life insurance forms with them listed as beneficiary.....


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Vol said:


> I use Bridon #220....never a single failure. Really amazing when you think about it. This is my fourth or fifth year using it. Splice goes right thru my square baler....no problems.
> 
> Regards, Mike


Ya get what ya pay for with twine, no doubt about that, and sometimes ya don't get what ya paid for, do ya know how much u paying for that Bridon vol, I can't remember what I'm paying for the agco, it was about 1600 a pallet I thnk, just can't remember how many bales that was.....I thought about giving them a try next pallet, although I've been very pleased with the agco...if I can save a dollar....


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## MartinK (Jun 7, 2013)

somedevildawg said:


> .....there's no honor anymore with that type of practice


Seems all too similar to the gov't these days. Yeah, kids grown. Ate a lot of cheap chocolate back in those days. Just couldn't see going door to door.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

MartinK said:


> Seems all too similar to the gov't these days. Yeah, kids grown. Ate a lot of cheap chocolate back in those days. Just couldn't see going door to door.


Lol, me too..I still get so many damned magazines that I literally had to buy a larger mailbox to accomidate all of them, and that's been 8-9 years ago....I never sold one subscription, bought all 10 so my kid wouldn't have to got to school on the day everybody else had to go that didn't sell theirs.....my mom and brothers got some good subscriptions tho, they just didn't pay for em....

And imagine that, if you sell enough of these widgets we 'll let you not come to school on one of those days your mom and dad paid for, I was like wth....this is lunacy

I forgot about that damned chocolate, "worlds best" think they called it, as ranked by school systems worldwide, only saving grace was the wrapper had a $1 off coupon for McDs or Wendy's


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## Bonfire (Oct 21, 2012)

MartinK said:


> Guess our issue is with the farm bureau becoming Agco salesmen.


Ask for a few minutes at the next county board meeting and give them your thoughts. Should be a Field Services person from the state at the meeting. Possibly a state director as well.


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## [email protected] (Jun 5, 2013)

Farm Bureau has been selling sisal twine made by Cordex for years. Cordex began making sisal for AGCO several years ago. Sounds like Cordex had more AGCO branded product than they needed and are working it off through FB.

Over the past few years sisal manufacturers have been cutting the bale weight of their twine to offset the increasing costs of the product. As bale weights go down it can have a dramatic impact on quality. There are still a couple of mills producing 39 lb net bales. The key is to pay attention to the weight on the package as you normally "get what you pay for".


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## blueridgehay (Dec 25, 2012)

I just ordered a pallet of poly twine from a company called caribbeancargo.net/hay-twine.html."]http://www.caribbeancargo.net/hay-twine.html. I ain't tried any of hit yet, but the price is right on. Urednecku recommended it and said he ain't had no problems. I generally use Bridon, which is very good twine. But there is such a price difference, I just had to try it. Caribbean cargo is as much as $11.00 less than any other. I'll keep youins posted as to how it does. Speak to Gerald, who was very helpful and easy to work with. To me, poly is the only way to go.


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## S10491112 (Apr 11, 2013)

I use 170 knot strength plastic in 8500 ft or 9500 ft balls in New Holland 565 square balers for the last 15 years or so. No problems at all.


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## bensbales (Jul 18, 2011)

As a kid we always used portugal green sisal twine it worked great for years then we quality issues for two years in a row tried a few other brands they had same problem, thick and thins spots so we tried poly twine and haven't had a twine issue for 15 years. Currently useing cordex blue 180 12000 ft bales getting them for $52


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## sethd11 (Jan 1, 2012)

bensbales said:


> As a kid we always used portugal green sisal twine it worked great for years then we quality issues for two years in a row tried a few other brands they had same problem, thick and thins spots so we tried poly twine and haven't had a twine issue for 15 years. Currently useing cordex blue 180 12000 ft bales getting them for $52


12000 foot 180# twine???? Where can I buy that? That would save me a fortune!


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## bensbales (Jul 18, 2011)

sethd11 said:


> sethd11, on 07 Jun 2013 - 11:06 AM, said:
> 12000 foot 180# twine???? Where can I buy that? That would save me a fortune!


We used to drive up to quebec and get it a a JD dealer, but know i got our local IBA guy to carry it for us. He had never seen the 12000 ft rolls before and he had been carrying cordex products. It took a little effort but he was able to get it. I would think anyone who sells cordex products should be able to get it for you. Those rolls fit quite snugly in a jd twinebox but they do fit. Now i have a New Holland 5070 with the big twine box that holds 8 bales off twine i never have to add twine while balleing.


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## sethd11 (Jan 1, 2012)

I also have the hay liner with the big boxes but I have never found big enough rolls to make use of the extra space. Now I get to find a cordex dealer!

On that sisal thing, we are switching to plastic because of the problems with sisal quality. However last year we used Brazilian Gold hd 7200 sisal. Zero issues with that stuff. Ordered another pallet and got shipped a pallet of Lincoln=(


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## cwright (Oct 19, 2011)

somedevildawg said:


> I forgot about that damned chocolate, "worlds best" think they called it, as ranked by school systems worldwide, only saving grace was the wrapper had a $1 off coupon for McDs or Wendy's


 I had a kid come by sellling "worlds finest chocolate" and decided to see how good a saleman he was.

He gave his spill about fund raising and for every point I countered with things like candy makes you fat, runs up your colesterol ect.

His last pitch I told him its bad for your teeth and gives you cavities. He said " No sir, this is imported chocolate and it is guranteed not to rot your teeth."

I bought 10 bars from him and told him he was a really good liar. That was over 30 years ago and I think its almost certain he made a career in sales.

CW


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Lol, he probably grew up and sold you a tractor...
You're right it was "worlds finest"...losing it I tell ya...


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## ANewman (Sep 20, 2012)

I've used Gold Crest 9000 sisal for the past several years. It's what the local co-op carries. Haven't had any issues with it. I tried plastic but my baler didn't seem to like it.


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## barnrope (Mar 22, 2010)

I use Holland for the small squares. It has always been great. I tried the twine from Mills Fleet Farm one time. I bought 4 bales and ended up burning 3 and a 1/2. What a joke!


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## S10491112 (Apr 11, 2013)

I use 8500ft tyrite put 4 balls in new Holland 565 and bale all day. I see no need for a 6 or 8 ball twine box. Each ball is 8500ft they fit a little snug but they go in and that will make 2000 bale if I make more than 2000 bale in day I'm doing good. I like to run two balers when we bale so that would make 4000 bale I can't pick up that many bales in a day.


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## NDVA HAYMAN (Nov 24, 2009)

If you we're to unwind the sisal twine, you would see thick and thin places throughout. There is no quality in sisal anymore. I guess there are still a few good companies making it but for the most part, it is crap. I use nothing but plastic in my NH balers with 0 problems.


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## Dill (Nov 5, 2010)

One big advantage to sisal is the smell. Probably garunteed to cause cancer but I love the smell of baling twine. It was raining heavy on Memorial day weekend so my father and I filled the back of my mother's subaru with bales of twine. We got 40 bales of twine crammed in there. Which really dragged down the suspension, but man did it smell good.


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## MartinK (Jun 7, 2013)

Gotta get this Agco used up and plan on switching back to the Holland. As for the poly twine, not sure how horse folk (most of our buyers) feel about it. Either twine makes for nasty wounds if they get wrapped up in it, but I'm assuming the sisal would break. Holland says their twine is actually edible!


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## R Ball (Feb 26, 2013)

I don't like plastic. It hurts your hands. My 565 loves nh bale sisal.

Plastic seems to turn up everywhere when I use it. Tired of cutting it out everything.
Figured I did not Need orange bale twine if the baler wasn't missing.

Paid almost as much at TSC for plastic as I paid at a NH dealer for sisal.

Baler not missing

Happy happy happy


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## MartinK (Jun 7, 2013)

Hard to believe, but we still plow up some black poly that was used over 40 years ago, and it ain't in bad shape!


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

ESH Hay Equipment in Lancaster pa, services and rebuilds thousands of small square balers every year . They recommend New Holland brand twine


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## cwright (Oct 19, 2011)

Dill said:


> One big advantage to sisal is the smell. Probably garunteed to cause cancer but I love the smell of baling twine.


Wonder if you could bottle that smell or put it on a card shaped and printed to look like a bale of hay and sell it as car/truck air freshener. Sell it at the tractor dealerships?

The plastic twine wont rot and does get caught up in everything later thats for sure.

CW


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## MartinK (Jun 7, 2013)

endrow said:


> ESH Hay Equipment in Lancaster pa, services and rebuilds thousands of small square balers every year . They recommend New Holland brand twine


Dumb question, but New Holland isn't the same as Holland Extra, is it? How does the price compare?


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

I tried different brands of sisal twine including New Holland sisal in my NH 5070 hayliner and it absolutely did not want anything to do with sisal. When I first got this baler I could not figure out why it would not tie the knots, the twine would get all wrapped up in the knotters and the few bales that were successfully tied broke as soon as they came out of the bale case. The NH rep told me that baler would not work with sisal twine, started using plastic and haven't had a problem since. I don't have a problem with the plastic getting wrapped up in other equipment as I am very particular about not throwing any twine down and pick up any that is dropped. On a round baler I used sisal and it seemed to be laying everywhere so I never tried plastic in it.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

FarmerCline said:


> I tried different brands of sisal twine including New Holland sisal in my NH 5070 hayliner and it absolutely did not want anything to do with sisal. When I first got this baler I could not figure out why it would not tie the knots, the twine would get all wrapped up in the knotters and the few bales that were successfully tied broke as soon as they came out of the bale case. The NH rep told me that baler would not work with sisal twine, started using plastic and haven't had a problem since. I don't have a problem with the plastic getting wrapped up in other equipment as I am very particular about not throwing any twine down and pick up any that is dropped. On a round baler I used sisal and it seemed to be laying everywhere so I never tried plastic in it.


Don't use sisal on them round bales if stored outside....ran out one year, had some leftover sisal, thought I'd use it up.....mistake, that crap is biodegradable and it biodegrades rather quickly on the bottom of the bale, it can be a real mess....


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

somedevildawg said:


> Don't use sisal on them round bales if stored outside....ran out one year, had some leftover sisal, thought I'd use it up.....mistake, that crap is biodegradable and it biodegrades rather quickly on the bottom of the bale, it can be a real mess....


 Yeah I found that out that out the first year I round baled since I did not have any dry storage. It rotted within 3 weeks. I also found out that you can't hardly give away hay stored outside here. I said I was not going to bale any hay that I could not store in the dry from then on out...built a barn last year and didn't build it big enough so I am having them come any day now and more than double it in size and thinking about starting another one also. I don't believe I will ever get enough dry storage.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Me too, could use much more than I have, just going to have to lease some more this year..


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## hillside hay (Feb 4, 2013)

Ive been hapy with the sisal in my old New holland. I use the newholland brand and john deere brand. This year I'm switching to poly as well as the sisal. Using the different colors and materials to differentiate between cuttings and type of hay as I am often not in the barn as the customers are loading up. Yellow poly first, blue poly second,green sisal third, yellow sisal straw mulch hay.

I do stay away from off brand sisal twine as the "savings" amount to squat if you gotta throw it away


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## astropilot (Jun 3, 2008)

Here in Kentucky I sale a lot to horse people and they like sisal better than plastic, but that being said if I use plastic I will use Tytan twine and for Sisal I use "Super Tough" both from Caudill Seed here in Louisville. The Sisal is very consistent. Pricing wise it is as reasonable as those other brands mentioned.


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## MuleRider (Jun 21, 2012)

We switched from sisal to poly and it cured almost all tying troubles. We use the 9000 orangeline from TSC with no problems in our small square balers.


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## Darton2 (May 20, 2013)

The tytan sissal at our farm supply is terrible (9000). I have been using Harvest Green from Orshelns and found it to be very good so far.

http://www.orschelnfarmhome.com/sisal-baler-twine-9000-feet/ctl16754/cp58053/si5187178/cl1/


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## Hawkeye4117 (Jun 12, 2013)

Not all twine is created equal, Dont be afraid of sisal either, there are still companies that make a quality product and have not decided to build cheap sisal to make a sale. Do your home work and ask the questions like i did. I like sisal as it is still a biodegradable twine and it works well on our farm. I have found that some of the sisal is very cheap in quality such as thick and thin spots and even shorter runnage than stated. I have noticed i can get more bales with certain twines such as HOLLLAND EXTRA and HARVEST GREEN, than i can with other brands like tytan or balecord. Not saying they are junk but there are very noticable differences between the brands. As far as the agco twine goes it is the same as cordex (balecord) and if you use it you do set yourself up for problems. Not sure how the FRMBRU can sell a trademark name but it has not faired well for me in the past. Ill spend the extra money to get the better sisal not having to get off the tractor every 10 bales is worth every penny. In the past i have found that even the COOP sisal is very consistant if you are looking to find a new twine to try.


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## blueridgehay (Dec 25, 2012)

For me, it boils down to price. Sisal has gotten too high and poly serves my needs better. Since I'm squarin all of mine for horse customers, whether it will rot or not is not a concern of mine. I like the strength and the fact that my baler really tied well with it. I do use the 7200 which is a larger diameter and makes it easier on the hands.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Some retailers don't sell quality,they get the lowest bid from wholesaler and that is what they sell.Some retailers will have a different brand every time you pick some up.The buyer for the retail store probably doesn't know the difference in brands and maybe gets some bennys for selling a certain brand.


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## MartinK (Jun 7, 2013)

Hawkeye4117 said:


> Not all twine is created equal, Dont be afraid of sisal either, there are still companies that make a quality product and have not decided to build cheap sisal to make a sale. Do your home work and ask the questions like i did. I like sisal as it is still a biodegradable twine and it works well on our farm. I have found that some of the sisal is very cheap in quality such as thick and thin spots and even shorter runnage than stated. I have noticed i can get more bales with certain twines such as HOLLLAND EXTRA and HARVEST GREEN, than i can with other brands like tytan or balecord. Not saying they are junk but there are very noticable differences between the brands. As far as the agco twine goes it is the same as cordex (balecord) and if you use it you do set yourself up for problems. Not sure how the FRMBRU can sell a trademark name but it has not faired well for me in the past. Ill spend the extra money to get the better sisal not having to get off the tractor every 10 bales is worth every penny. In the past i have found that even the COOP sisal is very consistant if you are looking to find a new twine to try.


My thoughts exactly - had excellent results with Holland Extra. Not looking forward to using up this Agco, but if it'd just stop raining for a few days, I'd be happily baling using anything!


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## Hawkeye4117 (Jun 12, 2013)

MartinK said:


> My thoughts exactly - had excellent results with Holland Extra. Not looking forward to using up this Agco, but if it'd just stop raining for a few days, I'd be happily baling using anything!


Can i ask where you purchased the sisal in question from, what area?? I just want to make sure i dont get the same stuff as i do some business with our local Farm Bureau. Atleast i will know what to look for.


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## MartinK (Jun 7, 2013)

Capital region, upstate NY, but there's no telling where the FB may have had it shipped in from. Trying to tread lightly here - don't want any repercussions w/ the FB, don't ya know... Sounds like Agco/Cordex must be some sort of FB sponsor or supporter. We'll definitely go with Holland Extra next year.


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