# 4' x 6' bales - Wrong Size ??



## Heavy Calf (Aug 12, 2015)

Anybody making 4x6 bales? I hear they are too top heavy and hard to stack compared to a 5' wide bale.

Can anybody comment if they are too hard to move, haul, and stack?


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

Around here they tend to fall over in the field. Most of our ground is rolling though.

A friend was donating some 4x5's for drought relief a few years ago and the truckers would not haul, said the stack was too tall.


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

4X64'' is as large as I will bale. Yes 4X6 bales tend to fall over easier plus when hauling them they take a fairly high underpass to not drag when double stacked on a trailer


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## Heavy Calf (Aug 12, 2015)

That's helps. I was looking at a 604 Super M cause I want 4' wide for hauling. I gotta look at that height issue.


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

I've unloaded a load bought from someone, I liked handling them in the yard, quite a bit more weight than 4x5. I could see them tipping on a hill for sure though. My 4x5 don't tip when dumped on the side hill.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

Heavy Calf said:


> That's helps. I was looking at a 604 Super M cause I want 4' wide for hauling. I gotta look at that height issue.


You do not have to make the bale a full 72 inches with that baler. You can make 4x4's if you want. The Super M is a heck of a baler.


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## Heavy Calf (Aug 12, 2015)

I know the 604 Super M can make shorter bales. Looks like a 554XL or 664 Rancher will make 66" bales. What is the advantage to the 604 other than heavy duty parts inside?


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Heavy Calf said:


> I know the 604 Super M can make shorter bales. Looks like a 554XL or 664 Rancher will make 66" bales. What is the advantage to the 604 other than heavy duty parts inside?


Wider pickup,Hyd bale kicker on the SM.A better monitor available on the N.Some other options available on SM and N that aren't available on the rancher like power feeder for corn stalks.

I've never seen a rancher model in this area.Everyone has a SM or N.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

Heavy Calf said:


> I know the 604 Super M can make shorter bales. Looks like a 554XL or 664 Rancher will make 66" bales. What is the advantage to the 604 other than heavy duty parts inside?


The SM and N are commercial balers. I know a farm in Missouri that runs three SM balers. They rotate them out of production when one reaches 40,000 rolls.


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## Tightwad (May 29, 2016)

I like the 64" tall bales here at the house, but have to keep them at 60" if hauling them on the road. I've got a 43' step deck and can get (30) 60" rolls on it, but if I bump it up to even 62" I run out of deck space and lose capacity.


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## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

I had a 4x6 baler. Made a couple close to 6 ft. What a pain. They would flop over in the field, then you couldnt grab them with the grabber cause they were too big in diameter. The baler was TALL. At the time I only had one shed that the baler would fit in..


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## Widairy (Jan 1, 2016)

I have a 664 Rancher. Makes a great bale, is a lot better all around machine than the old JD 535 I traded in on it. The biggest drawback of the Rancher would be the standard pickup that is only the width of the chamber. Works great in dryer hay, not impressive in cornstalks or silage hay. Depending on what you are baling the Rancher would be a good baler and you should be able to save some money.


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## Widairy (Jan 1, 2016)

And I forgot to say 4x5 are more stable then when I make them the full 66" tall.


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## joeberg (Jun 8, 2011)

I have a 4 x 6 baler. It works well for my environment

Based on my experience, if the bale tips over, it's not the fact the bale is 4 x 6 it's the driver of the baler not distributing the material in the bale evenly.

I normally make a 48" x 70: bale. It works out well for stacking my in hoop shed. I turn one bale on it's side and then stack two rows on top. I just clear the radius of the hoop shed.

If the bail was 5', I wouldn't be able to accomplish this.


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## Heavy Calf (Aug 12, 2015)

How do you haul the 48"x70" bales?


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## joeberg (Jun 8, 2011)

I own a 30' PJ gooseneck flatbed tandem-dual trailer.

Side-by-side 10 rolls are on the bottom and I put 4 on top. I only strap the last four.

Any more bales on the trailer makes getting in and out of my fields too difficult. My approaches are not ideal.


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## Heavy Calf (Aug 12, 2015)

have you ever weighed one of your 48"x70" bales?


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## Cozyacres (Jul 16, 2009)

I run a Vermeer 604L, never had problems with them falling over, unless I made one lopsided, I don't haul them too far so I don't know about transport problems


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## TJH (Mar 23, 2014)

The key to a full 48x72 inch bale is a double rake. If you have to weave your screwed. If one side is soft on rolling terrain it will fall over, or if you try to spear it above center you will push it over. Windrows that match the bale width is what you have to do on a full 6 FT bale.


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## joeberg (Jun 8, 2011)

Heavy Calf said:


> have you ever weighed one of your 48"x70" bales?


No I haven't.

I'm rolling up some hay today. If I get a chance, I'll run a few over the scale and tell you what they weight.


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## LukeSEWI (Jan 6, 2010)

I run 604 SM - alfalfa/grass hay I've had 1400 lb bales when they are 70". Wrapped up 1500 straw bales last year and they all ran 790-810 lbs across the scale.


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