# What exactly is a "silage special"??



## kirkmcquest (Sep 6, 2014)

Ok guys I know this may seem like a dumb question to some but I'm kind of new to alot of this stuff. Thinking about a round baler to suppliment my square baling and reduce handling. I see so many of these "silage specials" but can't find much information about what exactly makes it different from a regular round baler. Somebody told me that it can pick up wet as well as dry. Somebody else told me that bales can be wrapped in the machine. IDK. Can a silage special make regular round hay bales as well as baleage/haylage? Does that mean it can wrap, and use twin or net? If it can wrap does that mean a bale wrapper is not needed with one of these? So confused


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Silage special is made to pick wet or dry hay. Farmers who want to make "hay in a day" can bale up green wet hay can use a silage baler for this. The SS balers have heavier bearings, rollers and scrapers that can handle heavier crop. AFAIK, they cannot wrap inside the baler, but John Deere offers a wrap that will wrap the outside of a round bale. You would still have to wrap the bales in plastic with a seperate bale wrapping machine.
I bought one because I make a lot of mushroom hay which may have higher moisture content and be heavier and harder on a standard baler.


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## Dill (Nov 5, 2010)

There are some balers that will bale and wrap. Krone makes one, a custom operator here has one. Its pretty darn slick to watch. But takes a big tractor due to the weight.


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

Dill said:


> There are some balers that will bale and wrap. Krone makes one, a custom operator here has one. Its pretty darn slick to watch. But takes a big tractor due to the weight.


But that's a combo baler, not a silage special.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Dill said:


> There are some balers that will bale and wrap. Krone makes one, a custom operator here has one. Its pretty darn slick to watch. But takes a big tractor due to the weight.


That must be way cool. Probably $100,000?
Would think it would be a silage baler since most wrapped hay is silage or wet hay.


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## kirkmcquest (Sep 6, 2014)

So, with one of these you can bale wetter hay but dont you lose alot of quality or have mold issues unless you wrap it? Another words, if you don't have a wrapper, what is the benefit of a silage special baler...or is there any?

I've only ever made square bales so my knowledge of round baling is pretty limited..I know that damp hay is a big no-no for squares.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

kirkmcquest said:


> So, with one of these you can bale wetter hay but dont you lose alot of quality or have mold issues unless you wrap it? Another words, if you don't have a wrapper, what is the benefit of a silage special baler...or is there any?


A silage special baler can physically handle wetter hay, but it won't really do anything to cut down on mold. 
It's like comparing a 1 ton dually truck to a 1/2 ton pickup. The 1 ton can handle heavier weight and last longer doing it than a 1/2 ton pickup. 
The SS baler can handle more weight and last longer under more wet/heavy working conditions than a standard baler.


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

JD3430 said:


> That must be way cool. Probably $100,000?
> Would think it would be a silage baler since most wrapped hay is silage or wet hay.


Obviously it's a silage baler. But it wouldn't be labeled a "silage special". Yes, it might just be a semantic argument but the OP is specifically asking about "silage specials", which, incidentally, someone baling dry hay might desire just for the heavier bearings.


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## Dill (Nov 5, 2010)

8350HiTech said:


> But that's a combo baler, not a silage special.


I know but I was just throwing it out there.









This is what his looks like. Actually bought it at an auction for not too much. Too a lot of work to get it up and running right however. Saves a lot of time not having a second and third tractor to wrap.

There are some European balers that really only make silage. The Morras, Ghalliginis and some of the old Duetz's, but for the most part if it can make silage it will make dry hay just fine.


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## PackMan2170 (Oct 6, 2014)

Dill, I'm assuming the "combipack" will wrap on the go? So you just have to stop to eject the bale, not sit there while it wraps?


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