Difference between revisions of "Balers"

The most important tool for round bale handling is the bale spear or spike, which is usually mounted on the back of a tractor or the front of a skid-steer. It is inserted into the approximate center of the round bale, then lifted and the bale is hauled away. Once at the destination, the round bale is set down, and the spear pulled out. Careful placement of the spear in the center is needed or the round bale can spin around and touch the ground while in transport, causing a loss of control.  When used for wrapped bales that are to be stored further, the spear makes a hole in the wrapping that must be sealed with plastic tape to maintain a hermetic seal.

Alternatively, a grapple fork may be used to lift and transport round bales. The grapple fork is a hydraulically driven implement attached to the end of a tractor's bucket loader. When the hydraulic cylinder is extended, the fork clamps downward toward the bucket, much like a closing hand. To move a round bale, the tractor approaches the bale from the side and places the bucket underneath the bale. The fork is then clamped down across the top of the bale, and the bucket is lifted with the bale in tow.

The airtight seal between each bale permits the row of round bales to ferment as if they were in a silo bag, but they are easier to handle than a silo bag, as they are more robust and compact. The plastic usage is relatively high, and there is no way to reuse the silage-contaminated plastic sheeting, although it can be recycled or used as a fuel source via incineration. The wrapping cost is approximately US$5 per bale.

A type of baler that produces small rectangular (often called "square") bales was once the most prevalent form of baler, but is less common today.  It is primarily used on small acreages where large equipment is impractical, and also for the production of hay for small operations, particularly horse owners who may not have access to the specialized feeding machinery used for larger baled. Each bale is about 15 in x 18 in x 40 in (40 x 45 x 100 cm). The bales are usually wrapped with two, but sometimes three, or more strands of knotted twine. The bales are light enough for one person to handle, about 45lb.

Bales prior to 1937 were manually wire-tied with two baling wires. Even earlier, the baler was a stationary implement, driven with a tractor or stationary engine using a belt on a belt pulley, with the hay being brought to the baler and fed in by hand.

Later, balers were made mobile, with a 'pickup' to gather up the hay and feed it into the chamber. These often used air cooled gasoline engines mounted on the baler for power. The biggest change to this type of baler since 1940 is being powered by the tractor through its power take-off (PTO), instead of by a built-in internal combustion engine.

Not all stationary wire tying balers used 2 wires. It was not uncommon for the larger bale size (usually 17" x 22") machines to use 'boards' that had three slots for wires and hence tied three wires per bale. Most North American manufacturers produced these machines as either regular models or as size options. 'Small square' three wire tying pick-up balers were available from the early 1930s, principally from J. I. Case & Co. and Ann Arbor. These machines were hand tying and hand threading machines. Although New Holland credits itself with inventing the 'successful small square twine tying baler', it produced such machines for the first time in 1940 after acquiring Ed Nolte and his baler. This baler baled successfully from 1937 onwards. Certainly the quality of the New Holland machines, popularised twine tying hay balers. In Europe, in as early as 1939, both Claas of Germany and Rousseau SA of France had automatic twine tying pick-up balers. Most of these produced low density bales though. The first successful pick-up balers were made by the Ann Arbor Company in 1929. Ann Arbor were acquired by the Oliver Farm Equipment Company in 1943. Despite their head start on the rest of the field, no Ann Arbor balers carried automatic knotters or twisters. Oliver introduced these in 1949.

As tractor horsepower further increased, the next innovation of the thrower-baler was the hydraulic tossing baler. This employs a flat pan behind the bale knotter. As bales advance out the back of the baler, they are pushed onto the pan one at a time. When the bale has moved fully onto the pan, the pan suddenly pops up, pushed by a large hydraulic cylinder, and tosses the bale up into the wagon like a catapult.

In United Kingdom|Britain (if small square bales are still to be used), they are usually collected as they fall out of the baler in a ''bale sledge'' dragged behind the baler.  This has four channels, controlled by automatic mechanical balances, catches and springs, which sort each bale into its place in a square ''eight''.  When the sledge is full, a catch is tripped automatically, and a door at the rear opens to leave the eight lying neatly together on the ground.  These may be picked up individually and loaded by hand, or they may be picked up all eight together by a ''bale grab'' on a tractor, a special front loader consisting of many hydraulically powered downward-pointing curved spikes.  The square eight will then be stacked, either on a trailer for transport, or in a roughly cubic field stack eight or ten layers high.  This cube may then be transported by a large machine attached to the three-point hitch behind a tractor, which clamps the sides of the cube and lifts it bodily.

[[Image:Baler Poly Packer.jpg|left|thumb|A specialized baler designed to compact stretch wrap.]]

Industrial balers are typically used to compact similar types of waste, such as office paper, Corrugated fiberboard, plastic, foil and cans, for sale to recycling companies. These balers are made of steel with a hydraulic ram to compress the material loaded. Some balers are simple and labor-intensive, but are suitable for smaller volumes. Other balers are very complex and automated, and are used where large quantities of waste are handled.