# Does anyone on here use Bale Skis?



## Indy Farmer

I always see these bale ski ads and was wondering if anybody uses them and were they worth the price. They state they save on wear and tear, save fuel, and make more uniform bales. If you use them, does that hold true? I have one of the earlier NH 575s and thinking of getting them if folks have had a good experience overall. Thanks in advance.


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## jd6400

We use them on our 570 and I think it helps the uniformity issue we had. I need a fairly uniform bale for my system and it definately helped. Not so sure though an extra set of wedges wouldn`t have done the same thing.


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## Indy Farmer

Thanks JD. They seem to cost more than I would like to pay, but if they are helpful in uniformity and wear and tear they may help keep the old baler going for a little longer. I have neighbors that are having fits with their new balers regardless of brand and my old girl keeps on going.


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## Production Acres

Run! Run! Run! You will never bale a bale of hay weighing more than 45# again! We tried them 2-3 years ago. It is more or less a piece of UHMW plastic that lines the inside of the bale chamber, might work well on high moisture wheat hay - not straw, hay or other gummy sticky type hays, but they stayed in our baler for about 2 days before we sent them back to the manufacturer and demanded our money back. They didn't want you to use any hay dogs and with the hydraulic downpressure adjusted all the way down, you just could not make a tight bale of hay ~60#.


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## ButchAutomatic

I was going to try them, had to many banana bales with JD & NH small square balers. Instead went to a inline small square baler and now all bales are good bales. Friends tried bale skis and sent them back for refund.


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## Rodney R

Why would you turn the pressure all the way down? Naturally if you run zero pressure in the chanmber you'll wind up with dish rags with strings......

We've got 2 sets in 575's with 1/4 chutes. We ran a bale case extension right along side of a baler with no extension and just the bale skii, and I thought it worked just as well, maybe even better. Certainly made the baler shorter - less bales in the chamber before any adjustments show up, shorter baler = nicer to get in the shed, and less chance of getting the 1/4 chute all bent up from turning/backing...... Are they worth the extra money???? if you run a thrower - no. The bales get all twisted up in the wagons anyway. If you run a 1/4 chute and a stackwagon, or an accumulator and grab - probably.

You run 2 sets of wedges, and all the hay dogs.

Rodney


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## Production Acres

I wasn't making myself clear - we increased the hydraulic pressure to the maximum and still could not make a tight bale - the manufacture told us not to use any wedges in the bale chamber as that was what all the dimples in the UHMW were for. we did screw in the two adjustable side plates on the bale chute( possibly unique to the NH575 baler) but still to no avail.


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## jd6400

I was told to leave one set in.The closests to the front of the baler. unbolt them and slide the skis in use those noles as a starting point and put the wedges back in overtop of the skis. With the Kuhn system they definatey helped.


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## Rodney R

I don't understand all the different directions for installing these things..... I talked to Leyland directly, and the directions I got was to install a set of wedges in the front of the skiiis, and then another set on the front edge of the skiiis (to hold them down), and that's what the printed instructions said to do..... Of course, this was on a NH 575, so maybe other balers are different?

For me, I wouldn't run a baler without them. Our one set has right around 250,000 bales through it, and the other around 150,000, and both sets look the same, and I'd bet that they are nearly as good as new ones. The botl heads and washers that hold them down wear out - every 75-100k bales they need replaced, but not the plastic.....

You ever notice how hay moves back with the plunger, and then follows the plunger front again???? Not with the skiis. It goes back, and stays back. I was walking away from the baler after checking adjustment, and I heard it stop..... Turned out that the baler was still running, but it had come to the end of the roll, and the lack of noise was that the hay was staying where it was supposed to be - in the chamber......

Rodney


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## Itsalwayssomething

Any more opinions on bale skis? I'll try anything for a more uniform bale. I read an article in Progressive Farmer where an Indiana guy uses a Hesston 4590 with skis. I use an older New Holland (276) currently and plan to buy a newer baler very soon as I need a baler that can bale more hay, faster. I'm also having troubles with badly shaped bales. I've adjusted the feeder tines all I can. The only thing left is the pressure clutch, which I'll replace this winter. Is this an inherent problem with NH balers? With all non-in-line balers?
Any opinions are very much appreciated.


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## kfarm_EC_IL

We had a lot of trouble with our 276 and badly shaped bales. are your feeder tines 4" from the end? Having said that I can tell you sometimes it didn't matter. Got to where we drove closer or farther away from the windrow. This helped but not every field is straight. A constant pain, however the baler had a rough life before we got it. We bought a different baler and solved the problem.


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## HayDan

HI:

I run an MF124 baler, and installed BaleSkii in it 4 years ago. Installation was done as per the instructions from the suppplier. This addition reaaly improve my baler performance. Bale consistancy is much better. The bale weigth and density is much less affected by the change in moisture, and ambient temperature. Steel react fast to change in moisture level compare to plastic. We were able thighter bales with less compression pressure on the compression spring. Bales density vary much less between small windrow to really heavy ones.

At last, baler capacity and true put was improved with this addtion. Will add on any future baler.


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## dennis

We bale with 3 580 nh balers and wouldn't bale without them. They help make a better bale with less hyd pressure and save a lot of wear on your baler.


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## Marc_in_CO

I installed some in my New Holland 320 Baler beginning of last season, help up well for season #1. I put together a video of the install if anyone's interested.


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## Ox76

I use a NH 315 that's been neglected and had acid run through it. The bale chamber was all rusted and pitted. What was left of the wedges was laughable because just a little bit of metal was left, right around the bolts that hold them. I installed bale skis because my bales were rough and ragged and not uniform. With the skis I put in a single pair of new wedges at the front most location. Bales became uniform and nice looking. I released a load of pressure off the tensioners and still was making 60-65 lb bricks. Quite happy with the better performance and would do it again.

For the guys trying to make 40-45 lb bales - how the heck do you keep them from falling off a trailer when loaded? Seems like it would be a load of much with twine mixed in! Are they 36" long or do you shorten them right up? Inquiring minds want to know....


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## 8350HiTech

Marc_in_CO said:


> I installed some in my New Holland 320 Baler beginning of last season, help up well for season #1. I put together a video of the install if anyone's interested.


I sent you a pm.


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## JOR Farm

My hesston 4590 had them installed for no telling how long before I bought it. Since then I have ran probably 20000 bales through it with no sign of wear that I can tell. My massey 1835 has a few less than 20000 total no baleskiis and is already showing some wear. The 4590 bales better hands down and I believe the skiis have a lot to do with that.


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