# Moisture sensor in the chamber



## steve IN (Jan 13, 2010)

I am adding a preservative applicator to my NH BC5070 square baler this year and was wondering if the chanber mounted moisture sensor from Delmhorst is worth the 465 dollars or should I just use my hand held and check hay as conditions cahnge? The in chamber sensor would make it easier to upgrade to auto in the future. I am purchasing the kit from Nutritional Blending in New Paris, IN.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

I have the Harvest Tec applicator on my round baler and from personal experience it's amazing how much the moisture in a row can vary from one end of the field to the other. Same goes for high spots, low spots, endrows and anything that had shade on it. At first I didn't believe it and checked the bales with my handheld unit and one I borrowed from a cousin, in my area at least their really is a ton of varience throughout the field.

So I would say yes, the in chamber moisture sensor should be worth it.


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## BCFENCE (Jul 26, 2008)

I have a harvest tech, My moisture sensors are little wheels monted on the belly of the bale chamber, They are real close to the plunger, and yes you do see a big diffrence from not only from one end to the other but just a few feet sometimes.


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

When you have stopped using the applicator you will continue to use the moisture tester.


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## Rodney R (Jun 11, 2008)

I assume BC that you have an automatic system? I didn't know they had the little star wheels on them.

We've got the standard harvestec, and then run the moisture tester along side of it. Last moisture tester was like $240, and it's a farmex. If you get the right delmhorst, you can use the same one as an in-the-cab monitor, and a handheld. I think they are well worth the $$$, but you have to know how what you do will make them react, and you have to be aware that you can fool them. Its a valuable tool, but it comes with a little learning curve.

Rodney


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## BCFENCE (Jul 26, 2008)

Rodney R said:


> I assume BC that you have an automatic system? I didn't know they had the little star wheels on them.
> 
> We've got the standard harvestec, and then run the moisture tester along side of it. Last moisture tester was like $240, and it's a farmex. If you get the right delmhorst, you can use the same one as an in-the-cab monitor, and a handheld. I think they are well worth the $$$, but you have to know how what you do will make them react, and you have to be aware that you can fool them. Its a valuable tool, but it comes with a little learning curve.
> 
> Rodney


Yes rodney they have the little star wheels, Its a automatic system, I have ran it on manual sometimes , Heres the problem i see with it, You will be baling along and seems it goes high then low, high then low, As you know the moisture sensor reads the hay after its been baled then applies the preservative as it comes into the baler, wich is too late most times, The ideal moisture meter would measure moisture before it comes to the spray nozzels , I know that would be hard but would be ideal, Any body have any ideas.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

I've thought the same thing, it'd be nice to measure the moisture and react to it before it gets past the nozzles. The one on the round baler isn't horrible as you replace the infeed discs with the moisture sensors. Problem I see with a sensor of some kind on the pickup is trying to pack it to get an accurate reading.


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## kingranchf350 (Dec 13, 2009)

I have been using 2 New Holland (Farmex) baler mounted moisture sensors (in a small square and a round baler) for several years now. I absolutely love them - (except I had a problem with some interference in one tractor with the controller and the FM radio, but Farmex fixed the problem at no cost) I use a New Holland handheld probe for checking baled hay and have found the baler mounted sensor to be extremely accurate - however you will see a good bit of variation when using one in a round baler because they way the bale spins in the chamber - I just try to average the highest readings.


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## Cannon (Aug 18, 2009)

I use both farmex in bale meter and a Delmhorst. I like the Delmhorst for the hand probe ( i think its the best and most consistent meter on the market) but I like the farmex in bale chamber better. with the FX-2000 Delmhorst it reads the high, current, then the average and rotates this. I like my in chamber to tell me whats there now. I can average it myself plus I can tell whats going on in the windrow and area of the field better. You got to remember in chamber gives you a good idea of whats going on, a hand probe gives me a better reading of the bale i am probing.


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## cmsc (Feb 14, 2010)

we run a delmhorst on our small square and a harvest tech atuo on our big square. i can bale side by side with both balers and the big sqaure will give a different reading then what the small will. most of the time the small baler might be saying its drier then whatthe big does. the small has the senses on the side of the chamber in the middle behind the plunger like the book says and it reads drier at times. the big square has the rotor chopper and has the star wheels mounted on the top of the chamber behind the knotters The difference i see is that the big square mixes the hay better and gets a more true reading. however i see times where the bottom of the windrow will be damp and the middle and top fo the windrow is drier and the small bale just picks up the windrow slides it into the plunger and the damp hay stays on the bottom of the ble bypassing the meter where as on the big square it mixes the hay giving it a mow true reading


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

mlappin said:


> I've thought the same thing, it'd be nice to measure the moisture and react to it before it gets past the nozzles. The one on the round baler isn't horrible as you replace the infeed discs with the moisture sensors. Problem I see with a sensor of some kind on the pickup is trying to pack it to get an accurate reading.


I missed the factory built hay preservative. Mine is strictly home built. 
As I understand the factory system they change pressure to change the amount of acid applied. With mine the sprayer had an off and on setting, and I varied the application rate by changing the strokes per bale count. Hay in the 22% moisture range I would use 20 strokes per bale. As the moisture comes down I could go up a gear. Nothing even close to fine tuning, and most of the time I over apply the acid. With a Hydro transmission the variation would be a lot smoother. 
Above 22% moisture I added another nozzle to the feed. I could go up to 30% moisture using 18 strokes per bale, but that sure used a lot of acid.

I found the slightly damp hay does not feed easily on the NH Balewagons. So I kept the moisture tester and have not used the application system for 10 years now.

I have always used a analog dial moisture tester, holding the read button in with a small C-clamp.

If I keep my mind on my business I can fairly well anticipate damper hay. I still have a Canadian Spike on the face of the plunger. At 18 strokes per bale. This gives me a 2" thick charge and the spike will push on through, giving me a air channel in the center of the bale. Speed up for 12 strokes per bale makes for a 3" charge and the spike does not make a hole through the charge.

With the analog needle you can see that the moisture is reading lower when the bale is *not* being pushed by the plunger. When the bale is being pushed by the plunger the moisture reads higher. I use the reading when the bale is being pushed by the plunger.

Grass hay just naturally reads lower than alfalfa. Or to put it another way after the bale is tied and in a stack the grass hay will red higher than you think, and alfalfa reads much the same as id did during baling.

Operator technique comes into play during the entire harvesting process. I keep in mind the bales that were baled a little above 18% moisture. These bales end up on the top of the stack or in a stack that is exposed to air on three sides, plus the top.

I mow in a pattern to make raking easier. (When I have to use the tedder the mowing pattern has little effect.) I rake in a pattern to make baling easier. I bale keeping in mind how I want to pick up the hay. I pick up the hay, keeping in mind how the hay was baled, and where I want each stack to go in the barn. 
OI record on a spread sheet where each stack is in the barn and what field and cutting is in each stack. So when I sell a bale of hay I can tell the buyer when the hay was cut, baled, and what it tested. 
Not bad for a two bit small time hay farmer, if I do say so myself.


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## Keith (Aug 8, 2009)

hello hay wilson-lots of good stuff in your post ! just one question-what is a canadian spike?
thanks keith


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Great post Hay Wilson in TX. It sounds like you put a lot of thought into your hay process. I have much to learn. When I arrive at the fields to cut/ted/rake/bale, stress and anxiety seem to get the best of me and I end up not haying quite the way I set out to. 
The hay moisture issue really un-nerves me the most.


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