# make bermuda square bales harder



## Thad (Nov 29, 2011)

I have 110 acres of bermuda that I round bale and square bale. My jd338 square baler was new last year, had no problem with it. The thing i would like is a harder bale and not so much a heavier bale. I like to bale a 50 lb bale. I can make the bales harder but then they get to heavy. The baler only had 1 set of wedges in it. I have got another set for next year or would bale skiis help on this matter? It is common bermuda, it doesnt get tall but thick and has a small stem. Its very soft and I think that coud be some of my problem. Any advice?


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## Blue Duck (Jun 4, 2009)

Tighten the tension some and make a little shorter bale.


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## NCSteveH (Jun 30, 2009)

+1 on that, tighten it down and shorten it up, I make a 32" bale that weighs 55lbs, they are solid, square, and stack like a dream. Plus 3 wide fit nice on the trailers.


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## Thad (Nov 29, 2011)

I like to bale a 36in bale, thats what my accumulator and grappel are set up for. The bales I am baleing now, the strings are tight but just a soft bale. If there is any way to help on this Im all ears.


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## ronald dansby (Jun 1, 2011)

thad said:


> i like to bale a 36in bale, thats what my accumulator and grappel are set up for. The bales i am baleing now, the strings are tight but just a soft bale. If there is any way to help on this im all ears.


 slow your ground speed down an get more strokes per bale


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## hay wilson in TX (Jan 28, 2009)

For a tighter 55# bale the bale will not be longer than 34" long. (35 bales/T )

For a tight 36" bale the weight will be more like 65#s. (30 bales/T )


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## sedurbin (May 30, 2009)

Tighter or harder bales always equals heaver, unless you shorten the bale. More hay more weight.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Thad, maybe if you could let the hay lay for one more day and dry more that would help. 36" bales makes a nice square stack....my accumulator also favors 36" bales.

Regards, Mike


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## jdhayboy (Aug 20, 2010)

Sounds to me like u may have common Bermuda grass... very short, thick and full. I describe as kind of carpet like. Longer hay will bale tighter bales.


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## Thad (Nov 29, 2011)

jdhayboy that I have found to be true. I gess short small stimed hay = soft bales. They are tight and hard win they come out but win u put thim in the barn the stack ends up falling.


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## Toyes Hill Angus (Dec 21, 2010)

I have a bale skii and really like it, it does help bale shape and density but I think that there are other issues mentioned above that need some thought also.

Oh yeah, I didn't mention but I don't know anything about bermuda - I've never seen it in real life just pictures and we don't grow it up here!


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## hay wilson in TX (Jan 28, 2009)

*Oh yeah, I didn't mention but I don't know anything about bermuda - I've never seen it in real life just pictures and we don't grow it up here*!

Those of us in the bermudagrass belt it may come as a shock that a tropical grass is not known universally.

We grow the weed bermudagrass as a crop, as a yard cover and as a surface for athletic activities. There is a variety for golf putting greens, another for fairways. There is a variety for base ball and foot ball surfaces. There are varieties better adopted for grazing, while others are better for hay.

Eighty years ago a Feeds & Feeding text stated that bermudagrass was equal to timothy for working mules. 
Bermudagrass is better adopted to survive overgrazing and general pasture abuse than the native forages.

Now That is asking for the difficult if not the impossible.The usual hay varieties are 60% or 70% leaves and soft by nature. 
One option for Thad is to rake the hay with a 50% humidity and bale with a 30% humidity, loosing 50% of the dry matter and ending up with a bale of stems. Stems that in most cases will be maybe 4% protein. 
We see this done more often than we would like, especially with custom operators baling round bales with a string wrap. 
A 55# 14"-18" - 36" bale may be possible baling wheat straw and if enough leaves are shattered off it may be possible, BUT I doubt it. 
Good bermudagrass baled hay makes a comfortable bed for sleeping.

Stacking alfalfa is a pleasure. Almost like stacking bricks. Bermudagrass on the other hand the bales tend to shift. A big stack of hay can decide to shift enough to fall. You can sure find out if the barns walls are sturdy that way.

A 50# 36" long bale would be like a 500# large square bale. All the stings will be loose. Just the reverse of trying to stuff 15# of scat into a 5# bag.

Thad and any others have only two good options. Bale a loose 70# solid 36" bale to match his equipment needs, or bale a 50# 33" for his customers and modify his hay handling equipment


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