# big square vs round baler



## balerguy1975 (May 6, 2012)

How many bales an hour can you make with a big square baler? Was told they were faster than round baler, I have a hard time believing this.


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## CF-Farmer (Jan 10, 2012)

I am not familular with round balers but we run 2170 Hesston 3x4 balers and we can average 30 - 50 tons per hour of alfalfa. Most depends on how smooth the fields are. These new balers, speed is mostly the limiting factor with field conditions. If you can sit in the seat, you can bale it. 
Market is 3x4 bales in our area. That is the other factor, square bales are not as popular in most areas. As far as production, I would say the big squares are faster. IMO...


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## ks 4790 (Sep 3, 2011)

dont know much about round balders myself but my hesston 4790 which is a3/4 foot bale will do 50 bales and hr in grass hay with out any problems tonage is all about the moisture of the hay we bale @ 13% or less because of are market


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## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

I have a 6x5 NH BR780A and 3x3 NH BB940A square baler and there is no comparison in the capacity of the two machines. The 3x3 square baler will make exactly 60 bales per hour max at 850 lbs. or about 25 tons per hour. Bigger windrows, you slow down, smaller ones you go as fast as you can take it in the seat. The baler simply will not put any more thru it than that. The round baler has the capability of making a full size 1500lb+ bale in 30 seconds and another 13 sec. to wrap it. The baler doesn't not need to slow down below 8 mph if the ground conditions permit and windrow side is limited by what will go underneath the tractor. The best I ever did was on a custom job, very smooth field, the guy raked 4 9ft swaths together on first cutting fescue. I rolled 30 bales in 20 minutes. I would barely get the 8670 powershift up to the gear I wanted before the baler was full again.


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## deerezilla (Nov 27, 2009)

I have 6 krone 1290's last year I was in oats I had it makeing a bale every 36 sec and that was a 1450 lbs bale. Get rid of that 3x3 and step in to a 3x4 then you will see a big jump in capacity.


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## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

deerezilla said:


> I have 6 krone 1290's last year I was in oats I had it makeing a bale every 36 sec and that was a 1450 lbs bale. Get rid of that 3x3 and step in to a 3x4 then you will see a big jump in capacity.


I know. My next baler will be a 3x4


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## balerguy1975 (May 6, 2012)

I would be able to roll up on a heavy field about 50 1500 lbs bales an hour, have done a tick more. I've heard of guys doing better but this hay isn't raked together either, that would be a 14-16 ft windrow.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

balerguy1975 said:


> How many bales an hour can you make with a big square baler? Was told they were faster than round baler, I have a hard time believing this.


You need a 3x4 or a 4x4 big square baler to out bale a _good_ round baler. Problem being from how I understand it, the bigger the package (3x4 or 4x4) the harder it is to get to keep.

I can make a 1000lb 4x5 in about 28 seconds, another 15 or or so to wrap and discharge, seem to recall somebody saying a 3x3 makes one 800lb bale a minute.


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## CF-Farmer (Jan 10, 2012)

Like deerezilla said the 3x4 will out do a 3x3 hands down. We have ran side by side with on and I was amazed how much faster I could bale and make more hay than a 3x3. I would say that a 3x4 will do more tonnage per hour than round, but never been around them so can't say for sure. The only good thing is you don't ever have to stop with a 3x4. The last thing is market. The market here is big 3x4 bales and not round. If you don't have that market they won't do any good. Have to run what sells I guess.


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## haystax (Jul 24, 2010)

And then how many days does it take to get the round bales hauled and stacked?

I can consistently stack over 60 bales per hour all day and night long, put them in the barn 7 high and then shove them in a container, dry van or flatbed the next day or keep them standing for a year. Haven't seen a very good system for rounds - maybe a stinger but that just gets them roadsided.

I've only been jealous of the round bale system when you feed the bales in the same field they were made, from the comfort of your pickup truck.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

haystax said:


> And then how many days does it take to get the round bales hauled and stacked?


Depends on how many I've baled that day. I haul 11 on the truck, 11 on the trailer. Back up to the first one with the three point for counter balance, grab two more on the front of the loader, stack two at a time as well. Unload 2 at a time and can sometimes even stack two at a time. O stack em on the ends so they keep their shape and they breath better. Had some left over from last year, still as round now as when they went in. I'm a one man show and I just got done baling, would never get big squares picked up before dark but my rounds can sit there all week if that's what it takes.


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## stonegrownllc (Jul 31, 2011)

I switched from rounds to a 3x4 and I won't ever look back. I can out bale two round balers with twine or about 1.5 round balers with net wrap. I still have my round baler but it never leaves the barn. All my neighbors have rounds and I smoke them putting up hay. I bought a pro ag stacker and if the stack is near the field its nothing to have 75 to 100 bales a hour up in a stack. No way can a guy with a round baler keep up with a big square.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

stonegrown, do you have an accumulator on your 3X4 and if so does the stacker work well with the way the accumulator puts it down?


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## stonegrownllc (Jul 31, 2011)

No accumulator just run a BB960A New Holland baler with roller chute and a Pro Ag h4sr stacker, its the 6 bale model.


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## stonegrownllc (Jul 31, 2011)

I actually think a accumulator would work great with the stacker, just drop them in a row and come and grab them with the stacker.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

After looking at Proags website I think it would work well with an accumulator as well. I have one on my 3x3 baler that puts 4 down. 2 on each side. Not ready to fork out the money yet on one of these, but some day. Also would need a bit more powerful tractor for one. Wouldn't want to take the one off the baler to stack. Stacking with a loader tractor and trailer takes awhile if I have a lot of bales.


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## JoshA (Apr 16, 2008)

It is not uncommon for me to make 70 bales (3x4x9) an hour with my 2170 Hesston in dry crop (hay or straw). 1450lb bales of alfalfa/grass mixed hay, 1050lb straw bales. Found out that the Hesston accumulator doesn't quite keep up after 80 bales/hour.

My 5x6 round baler is twine, which makes it impossible to get past 30 bales an hour.

The ProAg 16k bale runner (16 3x4 model) costs about as much as the baler itself.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

I guess it makes sense in some overpriced way that the big Proag 16k costs as much as a larger baler. Look at the price of the NH self propelled stackwagons. Though they do have more to them.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Speed of baling is determined by how much $ you spend on equipment!


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## JoshA (Apr 16, 2008)

Teslan said:


> Speed of baling is determined by how much $ you spend on equipment!


LOL!! Truth.


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## haystax (Jul 24, 2010)

JoshA said:


> It is not uncommon for me to make 70 bales (3x4x9) an hour with my 2170 Hesston in dry crop (hay or straw). 1450lb bales of alfalfa/grass mixed hay, 1050lb straw bales. Found out that the Hesston accumulator doesn't quite keep up after 80 bales/hour.
> 
> My 5x6 round baler is twine, which makes it impossible to get past 30 bales an hour.
> 
> The ProAg 16k bale runner (16 3x4 model) costs about as much as the baler itself.


What load setting do you typically run and how many flakes per bale on your 2170? I was in some really nice heavy 1st cut last week and was pushing as hard as i dared with my 4790 and was making a bale every 56 seconds with a load setting at 240 and 38-40 flakes/bale. I'm not looking at baling at 10mph but a little more than 4.5 would have been nice Bales were really nice and came in around 1500# Just wondering how the newer balers compare to the older models like mine.


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## JoshA (Apr 16, 2008)

I typically run at max load setting. If I get baling super fast or super dry I will back it off until it quits barking at me. (Usually just a notch or two)

Flakes range quite a bit, I am usually racing rain so I don't let the flakes dictate much. I like to see in the 40s, but I've been as low as 28s before. I typically make 9 foot long bales. 1 flake per stroke if I'm in a hurry, otherwise I like to see 2 strokes per flake.

I bale a good percentage of high moisture baleage. With the 4790 the limiting factor for me was the pickup, it would plug in everything, Silage dry hay straw, then break the flywheel sheer pin. Limiting factor on the new baler is the stuffer, plug that up a lot, especially longer grass or wet stuff. I buy stuffer size bolts in bulk.


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