# Br 740 bale density



## Sd1030 (Feb 4, 2015)

Ive looked through the manual and dont really see what would be the ideal pressure to run the tension system on a br 740. Basically from what ive read it all depends on the crop being baled which makes sense. My question is what have yall found that works good for baling dry grass hay?


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## FCF (Apr 23, 2010)

Just bought a new to me BR740A. From the manual on page 2-34 the guide pressures to use on various crops:

Alfalfa: 1600 - 2200 psi

Grass hay: 1600 - 2500 psi

Straw: 1200 - 2000 psi

Silage: 1500 - 2200 psi

HTH


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

Run on the high end of the recommendations unless it won't start bales.


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## hay rake (Dec 31, 2011)

it all depends on how tight you want your bales. max pressure for a 740 is 2500 psi. i cant remember for an A series but i thought they were higher. were those max pressures for the A FCF. we run our 740 at 2450 all the time never change. also your ground speed will effect you bale density as much as pressure. slow speed will make a thin rap on the bale and give the belts time to compact it. high speed makes a thick rap and a lighter less dense bale. we bale what we call shot gun rows, two windrows side by side for no weaving. we bale at about 3 mph at max pressure and make a 700 to 750 lb 5 foot bale in 12 percent or under grass hay


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## Sd1030 (Feb 4, 2015)

Thanks for the responses, i went back and checked that page in my manaul and those numbers are listed. I missss that when i went through the book. Ive been told that running at max pressure is hard on the belts is this true?


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

hay rake said:


> also your ground speed will effect you bale density as much as pressure. slow speed will make a thin rap on the bale and give the belts time to compact it. high speed makes a thick rap and a lighter less dense bale. we bale what we call shot gun rows, two windrows side by side for no weaving. we bale at about 3 mph at max pressure and make a 700 to 750 lb 5 foot bale in 12 percent or under grass hay


Good points!

Add in PTO speed and with your ground speed, moisture content and windrow quality (size and shape) and you have everything that affects bale density almost as much as the density setting.

Ralph


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## hay rake (Dec 31, 2011)

we turn 540. i like to keep the raps as thin as possible. our 740 is a 2005 haven't replaced a belt yet. after saying that they will all blow. it has to be harder on them than running soft but did you buy it to last forever or do what you want. said that kind of meanly,sorry. imo sun and rain are harder on them than running at max pressure. also when you store it after the season back the hyd hand valve all the way off.


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## hay rake (Dec 31, 2011)

like i said open mouth insert foot. lost a swedge roll bearing today. of course dealer doesn't have one. rain tonight. big square to far away. i never should have opened my mouth. gotta love sealed bearings.


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## Sd1030 (Feb 4, 2015)

Man i hate to hear that...ive found its always something when it comes to farming, especially doing it on a budget and as a side gig to your full time job. Got a question for you i am having trouble getting a tight core in the bales, it seems they are more star shaped if that makes sense....ive adjusted the density valve, tried slowing ground speed down until its starts growing then speeding up, bout everything i know to do but it still seems the core looks odd. I know that the way nh forms the core is different from other balers and from my understanding they aint as tight as other balers. However my neighbor has a br 740 a silage special and he seems to make a tigher core than me. Anyways do you have or had this problem? I know that the rake job plays a big part too.


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## Sd1030 (Feb 4, 2015)

Just looked back at a earlier post, i remembered mike 10 answered some of my questions on core formation....im prolly rambling bout nothing and letting it worry me when i shouldnt but i want to make a good looking bale.


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

Your density valve doesn't control core density.


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## Sd1030 (Feb 4, 2015)

Gotcha, im a newbie and learning as i go. This was a big step up from a hesston 5530, still trying to learn it though.


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## hay rake (Dec 31, 2011)

how slow do you figure is slow and how big are your windrows. we bale 34 feet of hay that the wind rows look like this. OO little or no weaving .they are just about five feet wide so when squeezed in they make a square 4 foot wide bale. when we used a nine foot rake we raked the same way just half the hay in each windrow. this being said top baling speed for us is about 3 mph. about half that when starting the bale. if i was smart enough to load pictures on this you would see a spiral from the center out. we probably bale slower than needed but i believe in big windrows baler moving slow. when i started the kid on the round baler i showed what i wanted then told him i don't care how fast you go the feeder will only take it so fast. go to fast it plugs, you plug it you dig it out. seemed to work he only plugged it once. also 740s are getting a little old now how are the bars on your starter rolls. they may not be getting a grip on the hay to start the core. like 8350 said density control has nothing to do with core. until bale core is over 30" belt tension has nothing to do with it. do you have bale command plus monitor or the small one.


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## mike10 (May 29, 2011)

If you are not feeding the hay to the outside of the baler during core formation you will get more of the star effect.


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

hay rake said:


> we bale 34 feet of hay that the wind rows look like this. OO little or no weaving .they are just about five feet wide so when squeezed in they make a square 4 foot wide bale. when we used a nine foot rake we raked the same way just half the hay in each windrow. this being said top baling speed for us is about 3 mph. about half that when starting the bale.


I'm glad I bale with a JD 467. I rake three 9'3'' cut windrows together in hay making five 4X5.5 bales per acre and bale @ 5 mph.


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## hay rake (Dec 31, 2011)

yes but are you baling 3 ton to the acre


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

hay rake said:


> yes but are you baling 3 ton to the acre


How many tons are you raking into a 34' windrow??


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## mike10 (May 29, 2011)

I have been around long enough and seen enough operators to know anecdotal evidence is just that. I have operators I need a four wheeler to keep up with and then I have others who take a more relaxed attitude about their baling. It does not matter. Both are happy at the end of the day. I like this forum because there are few pi$$ing contests, so lets not get into one now.


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

mike10

IMHO asking how many tons per acre that "hay rake" is raking into a 34' windrow isn't or wasn't intended to start a urinating contest on my part! 
Jim


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## hay rake (Dec 31, 2011)

me either. i took it as a question of one area asking a question of another area. example when h&s first started making mergers and we were having trouble a factory rep came up to see what the problem was. when he saw the fields he went nuts. he said those won't work in that kind of hay never was supposed to. then he had them take pictures of him standing in the standing hay and then the windrows. every area is different. so what is a lot in one area is nothing in another. back to the question asked. i don't know. but this i can say. we use a kuhn 6002 rake at 17 feet we go up and back for our two rows. then we make a bale every? don't really know. i guess maybe 3-5 hundred feet. don't know never thought to measure. bales weigh approx 700 lbs at 12% moisture or under. i know there has to be has to be a math problem to figure it but im not that smart. next time we bale i'll try to figure it out. never thought about the windrow just the field. the baler would probably do it but then my raps would be a lot thicker. when we unroll them i like the rap to be 2-3 inches. any faster and we get into the 6-8 inch raps. makes it harder to feed the baler with the unroller.


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

hay rake said:


> don't really know. i guess maybe 3-5 hundred feet. don't know never thought to measure. bales weigh approx 700 lbs at 12% moisture or under. the baler would probably do it but then my raps would be a lot thicker. when we unroll them i like the rap to be 2-3 inches. any faster and we get into the 6-8 inch raps. makes it harder to feed the baler with the unroller


hay rake

It amazing you don't know the weight of your bales but you ""guesstimated the weigh of my bales(1200 #s"" through cyber space. .He-He

Seriously isn't the twine speed(number of wraps) independently adjustable from baler rpm's?? I know it is on my baler.

Jim


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

He's talking about the thickness of the hay as it wraps around the bale. Or maybe he's talking about something that rappers do. It could go either way.


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## hay rake (Dec 31, 2011)

no no i know exactly what my bales weigh. we average 700 lbs in a 4wx5d 12% or less bale. have no idea what your bales would weigh. i would expect it would have a lot to do with your type of grass and moisture. you asked what the tonnage was in the windrow i'm not smart enough to figure that. yes i was talking about the thickness of the rap of hay in the bale. i like to keep it as thin as we can. that's why we bale big windrow moving slow with the baler turning 540 when you could turn it easier but i want those thin raps on the bale. i wish i could type as well as i think. i think it and type it but i always seem to confuse or offend someone. i'm just not good at explaining with my hands. no no i agree with bruce willis you want me to scream play some rap


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

OK how many 700# bales are you baling per acre? I'm baling Coastal/Ryegrass mix @ 15% or below moisture


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## hay rake (Dec 31, 2011)

8-10 is a pretty good average on first crop. about half that on second. no such thing as third crop baled here. how does this compare in your area. a friend of mine in ohio get's about the same or just a bit more but he does it in five cuttings but that's alfalfa. he goes nuts when he see's pictures of our windrows and timothy heads over the hood of the tractor when we mow. there won't be any of that this year. lucky if we get half that growth. 50-60 degree just don't grow huge hay.


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

So basically you're baling around 3 tons per acre. About the same or maybe a little more than I am. Hay production per acre here is above normal because of the above normal rainfall(over 20 inches in May) that is if/when it quits raining long enough to cut rake & bale. I'm old & disabled but managed to get 550 rd bales baled in the last 10 days with the help of a couple friends. It's raining here now courtesy of tropical storm "Bill". .I'm supposed to get 4''-6'' more rain


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## hay rake (Dec 31, 2011)

hay rake said:


> yes but are you baling 3 ton to the acre


guess i should have added "we are" sorry. like i said i talk poor with my hands


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

hay rake

You'll find this funny I just reread your original statement & I'll quote you

[/quote]yes but are you baling 3 ton to the acre[/quote]

and I mis read it the 1st time as as I comprehended inaccurately that you were stating I was baling 3 ton to the acre when in fact you were asking if I was. Dang sometimes I wonder what I was thinking. SORRY

Have a good un,Jim


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

My rule of thumb for tension, crank it all the way down on the adjuster unless the hay is getting on the dry side then back the tension off so the extra pressure doesn't pulverize it.

I run max even on wet cornstalks and haven't had a problem yet. Running a BR740A Silage Special, a few of those wet stalk bales have weighed 1500 lbs or better according to the scale I added.


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## hay rake (Dec 31, 2011)

i saw the posts when you put the scales on and thought about doing it myself. didn't do it but we still weigh everything coming into storage then get our average that way. but i would like to do it so we don't have to guess on applicator rates. jim don't sweat it no sorry needed. like i said i don't explain very well when i'm typing. besides everything is bigger and better in texas. if you don't believe it ask my wife, she was born there so she feels she's a texan.


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