# Round Bale Weights



## cattleranch (Dec 17, 2010)

What weights of bales are you guys getting on your round bales? Bale size, baler model/manufacturer, hay type, and tractor size would be helpful.


----------



## Flying F Farms (May 11, 2010)

Clauss 62 string tie, 4wide 5 high bale, 750# alflafa. Baling with a case 970 85hp.


----------



## OkhayBallr (Dec 18, 2009)

Bermuda, 4x5.5 468 Net wrapped, Avg 980,


----------



## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Averages from what I've hauled to the auctions so far this winter:

850 lbs on 2nd cut straight alfalfa (was getting stemmy from rain delays)
1100 bs on fourth cut orchard grass/alfalfa mix

4x5 bales baled with a NH BR740A Silage Special using net wrap and ran with a White 2-110 (110hp).


----------



## NDVA HAYMAN (Nov 24, 2009)

New Holland 5x6 7090- first cut alfalfa 1480-1520 # Fourth cut 1900#
New Holland4x5 7060- alfalfa/og 980- 1060# Timothy 940-960

All bales net wrapped

Baled with a JD4240 and JD7230 and JD6430 with baler pressures set at #1800 if my memory serves me correct
All are scale weights


----------



## Hayking (Jan 17, 2010)

JD 568- 1700-1800 lb alfalfa on 1 st thru 4th cutting the last cutting weighed 2200lb.
Our bermuda grass bales weighed 1550 fresh baled but sold come in oct and they weighed 1350. 
pulled the balers with T 7040 new holland and 155 case puma


----------



## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

I bale my hay at two size 56"x5' for storage under tarp and 62x6' for storage inside. I bale at about 1800 PSI on my belt tension which give me about 11-1200 lb bales at 56" and 13-1400 lb bales @ 62" weighed at baling time.

I use a NH BR780A will Bale Command.

Ralph


----------



## ne_mn (Nov 25, 2010)

5'10''x4' bales coming out of a vermeer 604 super j. Mostly grass or grass clover mix. 13-1400 lbs. That is for when there is mostly grass around 15% moisture. 150 horse tractor.

I love when people estimate the weight of the bales based on the book. The scale never lies. We havent had ours weighed out on a truck but just put bales on the TMR mixer from time to time to get a good feel for different hay types and other variables. Have had full six foot tall bales consistently weigh over 1600 in good packing low ground hay at 17-18% but that is hard on the baler.


----------



## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

I bale with a Vermeer 605 SJ that has a scale on the baler so it is quite interesting.Moisture,speed of baling,size of windrow,coarsness of hay.Usualy the bales are 1500-1800.I don't usualy make them heavier than that unless i know the end user can handle them.And I don't usually go much over 2000# because skid gets tippy.

Baled 1 bale of junk out of standing water.3200#.I set it away from everything thinking it may start on fire.checked it week later and it was HOT,got a blister on my finger.


----------



## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Just how much difference can speed make on the weight of your bales Cy? I'm going to try to add weigh bars to my baler yet this year before hay season starts. With my old baler and the tractor I ran it with, speed was limited by the tractor HP, with the new baler and bigger tractor speed is only limited by smoothness or lack of in the field.


----------



## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

mlappin said:


> Just how much difference can speed make on the weight of your bales Cy? I'm going to try to add weigh bars to my baler yet this year before hay season starts. With my old baler and the tractor I ran it with, speed was limited by the tractor HP, with the new baler and bigger tractor speed is only limited by smoothness or lack of in the field.


It could be 200 lbs a bale in a heavy first cut windrow.I'm talking 3 ton acre and 26' of hay in windrow.But what do you do?push it to the max to beat the weather or slow down?I try to find a happy medium,slow down 1 gear then it will actualy take it in.I have 160 hp so have pleny of power.Heavy 1st cut windrows run about 9mph,later cuttings 12mph.

Another thing that is interesting baling hay at 18% vs 14% the difference in wt in sane legth of windrow will be 200#.There isn't much visable loss of leaves but about 12% more wt per bale.

40 acres x 2.5 ton=100 ton - 12% = 88 ton.12 ton difference X $100 a ton is $1200 on 40 acres.OUCH


----------



## NDVA HAYMAN (Nov 24, 2009)

Cy, I rake 32' into each windrow. First cutting is 6mph. Second and beyond is 8mph on smooth fields except for pocket gopher mounds. Man, you guys fly!!


----------



## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

NDVA HAYMAN said:


> Cy, I rake 32' into each windrow. First cutting is 6mph. Second and beyond is 8mph on smooth fields except for pocket gopher mounds. Man, you guys fly!!


I had some Annual Ryegrass that did 3.8 ton an acre,raked 26' together and had to slow down to 7 mph.









___O___O___O___O___O___O___O


----------



## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

I rake 25' together and run about 4-6mph on really heavy first, run around ten or so if the field conditions allow it on later cuttings. Did most of first with the old tractor as I was waiting on the new one to show up then also had to move wheels, move controls etc. Was late enough even with the x-tra sweep pickup the rows were large enough had to run slower to allow the pickup to pull the hay in from the sides in some places so I wouldn't leave streaks.


----------



## cattleranch (Dec 17, 2010)

Thanks you guys for all the replies! From what I gather average weight is about 200 lbs less than factory est bale weight.


----------



## hayray (Feb 23, 2009)

I bale with a NH BR730, 4x4 bales and they are around 450 lbs. in first cut. Use a 105 horse White 2-105.


----------



## hayman568 (Jan 23, 2011)

jd 568 alfalfa orchard mix, 1600-1900, later the cutting heavier the bale. run my tension right on the edge of the red. Most grass hay 1450-1700, but in my area grass hay consists of waterways and small pastures and has 30 different types of grass in one bale. Not sure if speed makes a difference but I do some custom work on the side so usually running behind and I bale as fast as I can seat in the seat or the tractor will pull it, especially after the summer we had this year, one day of baling, three days of rain.


----------

