# New stroke counter from GFC



## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Earlier in the year I ordered a stroke counter for my Massey 1837 square baler from GFC, the folks who make the Bale Bandit. They had a few glitches when the started to roll out the product and decided to hold off shipping the product until they had those issues resolved. I purchased the "kit" for $450 (I think) and am happy to report that the unit functions as advertised. The "kit" included everything you need to install, down to the tye wraps and batteries. I was a bit disappointed in that my iPad was not new enuf, but my 4s iPhone worked just fine. Downloaded the app for my iPhone, turned on the Bluetooth and viola I was connected. The stoke counter not only measures strokes per bale bad total bale count, it also gives a mathematical equivelant of bales per hour and ditto for remaining twine. Really cool product packaged in a nice kit for an easy install, took me maybe 40 min to install. I've included a pic of the app while working, while I was taking this screen shot, I was going a bit too fast for the winrow and the strokes had dropped to 7, tried to keep her around 12-14 and the bales looked great. My hats off to the folks at GFC, if you've ever considered a stoke counter, but hated those big clunky vacuum fluorescent display counters that have been available to us, here's ur counter. Maybe Santa will bring me a newer iPad.....


----------



## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

Thanks! I bought the app but couldn't find out a price from them.


----------



## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Here's a few pics of the install....

Again, even a caveman could do it.....


----------



## Grateful11 (Apr 5, 2009)

I've seen a lot of Apps over the years but I never would have thought they would have an App for a bale stroke counter. That's pretty darn cool.


----------



## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Grateful11 said:


> I've seen a lot of Apps over the years but I never would have thought they would have an App for a bale stroke counter. That's pretty darn cool.


I think so too....I started to make my own a couple of years ago because I just didn't like any that were being made.....I like the twine meter function as well, the 1837 only has space for two balls of twine on each side, one can easily forget on a long day of square baling. I just thought about something as I was posting this, I didn't even try to use the iPad, I believe mine to be too old to use as they (apple) changed to a newer Bluetooth version and the Bluetooth transmitter is not backwards compatible, but I could have at least tried it....had to bale hay......iPhone worked....had to bale hay

Yep, bale stroke counter, there an app for that!


----------



## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

slowzuki said:


> Thanks! I bought the app but couldn't find out a price from them.


Slowsuki, call em and talk to Brian, the kits are made up for the particular baler so their may be some differences in price, but I don't thnk it's anything significant.


----------



## Coondle (Aug 28, 2013)

Electronics make it easy for the operator, and especially easy for the installer being wireless.

I have to use the old method of counting the strokes between the "thunk" of the knotter going off.

Does drive me a bit crazy doing lots of counting.

Guess I may be dragged kicking and screaming through the 20th Century soon and maybe into the 21st, my children are working on that. Unfortunately the cell phone reception is junk here and the i Phones do not cut it.

Nice instal, in the pics, thanks somedevildawg for sharing that with us.


----------

