# Moisture Meter....which one?



## urednecku (Oct 18, 2010)

I know this has too many threads already, (yea, I did the 'search') but putting them all in one perspective takes more time than I have this morning. I'm thinking now it's time for me to get a moisture meter...wondering which one would be the most affordable, & accurate to use both hand-held and baler mounted in my JD336. My buyer has had a little trouble with hay we thought was dry enough to last a week or 2 molding.
Thanks!!


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

urednecku said:


> I know this has too many threads already, (yea, I did the 'search') but putting them all in one perspective takes more time than I have this morning. I'm thinking now it's time for me to get a moisture meter...wondering which one would be the most affordable, & accurate to use both hand-held and baler mounted in my JD336. My buyer has had a little trouble with hay we thought was dry enough to last a week or 2 molding.
> Thanks!!


Handheld my choice would be Delmhorst. In cab baler monitor my choice is Agra-Tronix BHT-2....this new series is as accurate as any meter made today and has some handy features.

Regards, Mike


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

[sup]I have Deer hand held and Deere baler mounted, Like them so far.....[/sup]


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## urednecku (Oct 18, 2010)

Does one of them do both, with just switching the probe or sensor cable? Need to keep it as 'in-expensive' as possible, but not "cheap" to the point of no accuracy. Don't think I could afford 2 units, if 1 would do.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

The delmhorst will do both, just gets pricey, has a probe for bales, windrow, and baler mounted. Bout 600. Ouch


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## davang (Apr 7, 2010)

I got the agratronix HT-Pro, handheld with calibration adapter. Works well. The only thing is the instructions say it is calibrated for Alfalfa and will read about 5% higher in grass hay ( I have bermuda and blue stem) so I'm not exactly sure what numbers I should be shooting for. I tried it in some commercial bales of alfalfa and it read 14%. In most of my dry bales it reads 18-20 so I'm satisfied.


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## steve in IN (Sep 30, 2009)

I have two Delmhorst. One handheld that runs on battery and a baler mounted one that runs on 12 volt and sits onm my fender and reads automatically. They can be interchanged. I have the Harvest Tech in my round baler. I have learned that thes are just close ballpark figures. They are not inexpensive in my book. The Delmhorst handheld I believe was around $300 and the baler mounted was under $500. The Harvest Tech was with the round baler as an option when I bought it new. It seems to be close to my portable. They are all pricey but so is moldy hay, rained on hay as well as a burnt barn.


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## urednecku (Oct 18, 2010)

steve in IN said:


> They are all pricey but so is moldy hay, rained on hay as well as a burnt barn.


That's a fact...why I'm looking to take the 'looked like it'd be OK when we baled it, now it's moldy' outta the equation, and it'll let my buyer know how fast he needs to feed it.

Thanks for all the input!


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## steve in IN (Sep 30, 2009)

One other thing I have learned is that over the years going by the twist and tear method I was baling hay way too dry. Like I said earlier its just a ballpark. I am still a believer in preservative on almost all my hay just in case.


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## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

You can buy a baler sensor for the handheld Delmhorst that works fine.


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## charlesmontgomery (Jun 4, 2011)

I don't see the point of a baler mounted moisture tester? So I start baling and I hit a green patch, so I quit for a few hours just because I hit a spot that was thicker and greener than the rest? Moisture will vary across the field due to thickness of grass, shade from trees, etc.

I am supposed to be baling and watch the moisture meter, what do I do if I get a green one? mark it with spray paint and not put it in the barn?, sounds like way too much trouble for me. The twist method has worked fine for me for nearly 60 years


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

charlesmontgomery said:


> I don't see the point of a baler mounted moisture tester? So I start baling and I hit a green patch, so I quit for a few hours just because I hit a spot that was thicker and greener than the rest? Moisture will vary across the field due to thickness of grass, shade from trees, etc.
> 
> I am supposed to be baling and watch the moisture meter, what do I do if I get a green one? mark it with spray paint and not put it in the barn?, sounds like way too much trouble for me. The twist method has worked fine for me for nearly 60 years


With practice, the twist method does work well on most grasses.....but does not work well on Alfalfa. Moisture metering is a great help for alfalfa.

Regards, Mike


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## steve in IN (Sep 30, 2009)

No one said you have to mark them its just a little helper. If you find a swale that is tougher then I put more acid on. It is also nice to know when to adjust tension during the day as hay dries or toughens up. After using mine for a couple of years I dont know how Id go back.


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## urednecku (Oct 18, 2010)

charlesmontgomery said:


> I don't see the point of a baler mounted moisture tester? So I start baling and I hit a green patch, so I quit for a few hours just because I hit a spot that was thicker and greener than the rest? Moisture will vary across the field due to thickness of grass, shade from trees, etc.
> 
> I am supposed to be baling and watch the moisture meter, what do I do if I get a green one? mark it with spray paint and not put it in the barn?, sounds like way too much trouble for me. The twist method has worked fine for me for nearly 60 years


Hit a green patch, maybe go to the other side of the field, or pull out & wait on the field to dry so there is no mold in the middle of the stack?. OR, like my buyer does, put the dryer stuff in the back & feed the wetter stuff that'll mold right away.
My Dad used mules to plow fields with @ 1 time, worked fine for him, then he found a better way, they got a tractor.
I understand they used to put the hay in the barn loose with a hay-fork, worked fine for them, then they found a better way.
I'm new to the business of deciding when to bale, so I want to do the best job I can. Yea, I grew up helping bale....we cut it down with a sickle mower & left it in lie for several days. Then rake & bale. Now we can use a conditioning machine, and/or tedder to get the same grass dry in less than 1/2 the time--even tho it 'worked fine for 60 years.'
The hay I baled today probably could have been baled yesterday, *IF* we had known *for sure* it was dry it was dry enough.
The last batch of hay I baled twisted dry, rustled when ya shook it, men working it knew it was dry enough to hold. THEY feed hay EVERY DAY, so I think they should know dry. They found mold starting in it a few days after it was baled.
Yea, I want a moisture meter so_* I KNOW *_what is in the bale, and *my buyer will know *how to store it.

(Sorry, off my soap box now.)


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## rjbaustian (Oct 16, 2012)

If a guy could have only 1, which would u use? Hand held, or baler mounted? I've bought a JD 567. I haven't baled in 15 years, and even then I was just a dumb kid. I'd like a little reassurance that my hay is dry.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

rjbaustian said:


> If a guy could have only 1, which would u use? Hand held, or baler mounted? I've bought a JD 567. I haven't baled in 15 years, and even then I was just a dumb kid. I'd like a little reassurance that my hay is dry.


That would be personal preference. Hand held is obviously more flexible. In cab is alot more convienent. Since you are inquiring for round baling, I would suggest this one. http://www.balesuppl...ed-hay-tester
Others may have a different recommendation.

Regards, Mike


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## rjbaustian (Oct 16, 2012)

Thanks


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## dbergh (Jun 3, 2010)

rjbaustian said:


> If a guy could have only 1, which would u use? Hand held, or baler mounted? I've bought a JD 567. I haven't baled in 15 years, and even then I was just a dumb kid. I'd like a little reassurance that my hay is dry.


My recommendation would be a Delmhorst handheld. My experience with baler mounted units is you get readings of the hay that is going by the sensor pads and that is ok to certain extent but doesn't always tell you the whole story. If you step up to the higher dollar baler mounted units you get the best accuracy of what goes through your baler but I believe you are looking at around $6K to get into those. The handheld allows you to get "inside" that bale and see exactly what is in there. Our baler mounted units give us the general direction moisture is headed when we bale and then we use the handheld to get a "finer" reading when we are getting closer to our upper limits on moisture.


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