# Twine vs. Net wrap



## NHTS110 (Jul 19, 2008)

Hi all, new here. Quick question. Is the additional cost of baler and wrap worth while in the short or long run?


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## Erock813 (Jun 3, 2008)

Bought a new baler last year that has both netwrap and twine and the dealer put 8 new balls of twine in,i took them out and gave them to the neighbor. When it takes about 10 seconds fom the time my alarm goes off till im off and running again,you cant beat netwrap. Easily bale 60 bales an hour. Cost wise...we paid just over 200 dollars for netwrap delivered this year. Youll notice less waste under the baler where you stopped and wrapped your bale. and if you plan on doing baleage,you dont want string.


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## Harp4430 (Jun 22, 2008)

You can bale half as many string bales per hour as wrap with $4 to $5 fuel figure that up.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

I use 75% net 25% twine.I have my vermeer 605 M feeding in 4 twine to speed tying.32 bph twine vs 38 bph net.Twine costs me about .30 net 1.70.I use twine if I am not in a hurry,not to dry,not looking at a big field or a black cloud.LOL


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## Harp4430 (Jun 22, 2008)

Do those balers have four twine arms? I still dont see how you can put enough twine on 4 at a time because the bale still has to turn over more than twice as many turns as wrapping. That doesnt make sense to me but heck I'm from Missouri you just have to Sho-Me.
On our 567JD you still have more string wraps on both ends of the bale, this amounts to twice as many revolutions as the wrap takes let alone string on the middle. Even with four strings I would not be able to increase to that near to wrapping speed.
In Missouri our fields just dont allow for that kind of production. Too many point rows odd shaped fields as well as small fields. I can shove hay in the 567 as fast as terrain will allow, but many days 150 bales is a great day. A day with 250 per day is amazing.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Vermeer 605 M has 1 twine arm with 7 holes in it for different spacings.I use hole1,3,5,7 using 2 twine together from each side.Puts twine on 2" spacing.Talked to Vermeer district man he says some guys run 3 twine,hole1,3,7 for 3" spacing.He had concern about electric motor on twine arm but I had no problem with the 2005 I traded.My time for net from start wrap to done is 10 sec,for twine is 25 sec.


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## greenacres (Jun 5, 2008)

It just depends how much you are baling 100 a year or 2000 a year or more. If you are selling them go with net the DOT doesn' like twine (experience)


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## Tamara in TN (Jul 29, 2008)

> NHTS110 said:
> 
> 
> > Hi all, new here. Quick question. Is the additional cost of baler and wrap worth while in the short or long run?


 yep...esp if you intent to ship the hay any distance and if you are growing very good second and third cuttings the net wrap keeps your product on the bale and not in the air or on the ground...









Tamara in TN


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## Hay DR (Oct 28, 2009)

When you get to 5x4 balers only 10-15% are netwrap equipped. 
Here are some of the main reasons.

Extra cost up front on the baler.
Cost per bale is 3 times more for netwrap. Smaller operators are more cost sensitive so the use sisal or poly twine.
5x4 baler operators tend to bale less than 100 bales a day.
Most of hay is stored outside in the Mid-South and disposal of the netwrap is a pain for operators when they feed the hay. The time saved while baling is spent 10 fold when you have to wrestle the net off the bale when feeding in freezing temperatures.


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## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

[*]Most of hay is stored outside in the Mid-South and disposal of the netwrap is a pain for operators when they feed the hay. The time saved while baling is spent 10 fold when you have to wrestle the net off the bale when feeding in freezing temperatures. 
[/LIST][/QUOTE]

That is what sold me on net wrap originally. I bought some straw from a neighbor 10 years ago that was net wrapped. Set out in freezing rain, net peeled off with no problem. Our bales wrapped with plastic twine, we were using an axe and a crowbar to remove twine and still did not get it all. I haven't baled a bale with twine since. Net wrapped bales also shed water a lot better than twine. Our net wrapped grass has less than 2 inches on top bad after 30 inches of rain this summer, twine bales (or bales with the net tore) have 12" of rot on top.


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## hay wilson in TX (Jan 28, 2009)

From what I hear it cost from $190 to $225 and hour to drag a RB around behind you. That is with $15/hour labor cost.

Here String tie maxis out at 20 bales/hr with green paint realistic is in the 12 bales/hr range.. With net it & green paint it maxis out at 40 bales/hr range, realistic is in the high 20 to the low 30 bales/ hour range.

Cost per bale roughly $17/bale string & $8/bale net. *Maybe your numbers are different*, but here we seldom see 5 bales an acre. Two to three bales/A is a good day.

*The key is in the raking*. Sorry raking means more time spent baling. We have custom operators who do not like to bale if their wives have not raked the hay. Teenagers and imported help should never do any raking.


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## hay wilson in TX (Jan 28, 2009)

Here we have a 3 hour window for square baling going from too wet to too dry. Wit RBs the window is even smaller. This means, HERE, a lot of is baled too dry. This means a lot of leaves are left on the ground, HERE.
Shatter off leaves and you loose both quality and quanity. 
Start with 1800 lbs of 12% CP grass hay, & hope to only loose 5% DM. Means That means 1700 lbs of 11% CP gets in the bale. Bale too dry and loose at least 20% ending up with 1450 lbs of 10% CP hay in the bale that started as 1800 lbs. 
Put another way 200 bales on the ground could have been 250 bales of 12 % CP Hay. At $50/bale that is $250 you will not have to pay taxes on.


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## CATTLEMAN (Jun 19, 2009)

I vote for NET !! I have had 3 RB's with string; and because most of my business is equine, I store all of my bales; and color and quality of hay is important to horse people. I run a NH644 that has NET and TWINE both, and I have only used twine once when my Bale Command had the net module screwed up on it. I can dump a net wrapped bale in 10 seconds from the time I hit the clutch till I drop the gate and let out on the clutch. I can't see as discarding of net is any worse than getting rid of plastic twine. I deliver a lot of rounds to my customers, and they load nicer, and haul nicer than twine wrapped. I won't bale w/o net anymore. I paid $192 per roll for net in 09, and I bale about 1,000 rounds a year.


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## Wrenchbender (Dec 4, 2008)

I vote Pro-Net also!

I only put twine on if that is what the buyer wants.

Net stores outside better and the bottom of the bale doesn't fall off when you pick them up. WB<><.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Wrenchbender said:


> I vote Pro-Net also!
> 
> I only put twine on if that is what the buyer wants.
> 
> Net stores outside better and the bottom of the bale doesn't fall off when you pick them up. WB<><.


Here in MN we can have trouble with net freezing down.Worst case is getting Jan/Feb thaw and snow melting around bales and the water refreezing the net to ground.If using poly twine you can get them picked up net they explode.It helps to set the bales on sod/grass,bare soil is the worst

A lot of guys will set one on end with another on top like a toadstool so no net is on ground but if you get alot of rain the bottom bale turns to crap as the water runs into it.

Used all net this yr.


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## jeroberts (May 20, 2010)

I am new to baling hay but not feeding it. I cut the net wrap and unwrap it off the hay. With twine I have to cut each strain and pull it takes 10 times as long plus I never seem to get it all off. Then the string on the ground.....that's another story.

When I bought my baler, last Friday, I started with net wrap. Love it


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