Have a demonstrator Combi baler coming when the weather is a bit sensible (soon, hopefully) and going from a 9 year old machine to a new one, how much do you reckon output will have increased, wondering whether it might be able to do 150 acres of first cut grass in a long day (reckon 7 or 8 bales/acre) think there is any chance??

Baler is a Krone, and will be on a 200hp tractor.

McHale Fusion 2

 

 

totaly agree with mursal if i was buying one mchale would be first choice

McHale are one of those companies that you just can't explain how good they are without coming over like you're a salesman for them! Try one!

1200 bales in a day is one of those things that you should never say never, but I don't think you should set out expecting to achieve that. Or even close to that!! That's two very good days work, or realistically expect three days and be pleasantly surprised if you get finished early!!

Farmer Dan 6465:

wondering whether it might be able to do 150 acres of first cut grass in a long day (reckon 7 or 8 bales/acre) think there is any chance??

 

I thought the whole point of round bales was that you didn't have to do it all in one hit.You may as well clamp it if you want to do it in a day ?

I agree with the others though mchale fusion 2 is the best. There were a few other combi balers in this area but they've nearly all been replaced with mchale's now.

with a 12 hour day (moderatly long) you'd be doing a bale ever 40 or so seconds (thats baler net and unload) id be pleased to push that out of my quadrant in silage. however, im sure someone will soon do it...

Farmer Dan 6465:

Baler is a Krone

Is that the one you dont have to stop with?

Farmer Dan 6465:

 Have a demonstrator baler coming

Ah, just noticed that bit! I think eyebrows may be raised if you return a demonstrator having done that much in a day!!!

 I hate to say for all of the fans of the Fusion 2 on here, that I don't think the Fusion is a well suited baler to us.  A contractor friend ran one for a bit last season, and wasn't impressed with the bales, which were quite soft - not driver issue, as the bales he makes with a Welger are the most perfect bales you could ever see.  Also, the wrapping ring on the back doesn't have enough ground clearance for some of our gateways and would get bent on the ground, and only single axle, could see it sinking.  Not knocking McHale though, we currently have a McHale wrapper and they are the most fantastic company to deal with, and the stuff is well built.

Th clamp - well, if only, but unfortunately we don't actually have a clamp on the farm, so would need a fair bit of investment to get that sorted.  Also, I wanted to stagger the baling out a bit, but 3 weeks of rain every day means needs must, and it all needs cutting ASAP, did get 65 acres done before the weather broke though.

Not the non stop one, and may not be returned if all goes well, other option is a Welger Tornado, but it is 20k more than the Krone.

Farmer Dan 6465:

Also, the wrapping ring on the back doesn't have enough ground clearance for some of our gateways and would get bent on the ground, and only single axle, could see it sinking.

 

Fair point, but a single axle will give far better traction on slopes.

As for the cost of a clamp, we have two earth bank clamps dug out of the ground with concrete floor. They didn't cost very much at all to build, the main cost being the floor. A lot of stone was sold whilst excavating so that paid for itself. Virtually no waste as you can roll every inch. Well worth a thought if you have a suitable site. Also very cheap and easy to extend if necessary.

Well if your ground is so wet the fusion 2 will sink maybe its just too wet.If your contractor friend had spoken to mchale i am sure he would of seen someone appear to help him set up his baler as it is quite an easy adjustment.

And if my gateways are that bad then i would maybe repair them as anything else you pull through them will bottom out to!!!!!!!!!!Including the welgar and krone as they have a much lower ground clearance . If i had a new £50000 machine i would do that gateways

ade b:

Well if your ground is so wet the fusion 2 will sink maybe its just too wet.If your contractor friend had spoken to mchale i am sure he would of seen someone appear to help him set up his baler as it is quite an easy adjustment.

And if my gateways are that bad then i would maybe repair them as anything else you pull through them will bottom out to!!!!!!!!!!Including the welgar and krone as they have a much lower ground clearance . If i had a new £50000 machine i would do that gateways

 

Blimey, steady on.  I think the McHale is a good machine, just not particularly suited to us.  The bale density thing I am sure could be got over, and I agree Mchale are the best company in the world regarding customer service.  Maybe some of the ground is a bit wet, but I think that is the nature of where we are, as we get over 5 feet of rainfall in an average year, and are on heavy clay soils, which also happen to be full of springs, but with knowing the ground and a machine with as low a ground pressure as possible we get by without making a mess.

The gateways are not 'bad', but there are a couple that are a very steep slope.  One in particular is the only gateway off the road into a 50 acre block of grass that is not suitable for grazing (TB ground), the field level is 6 feet above the road level, and there is a water main 15 feet in from the road, buried 2 feet (we have found it, trying to make the gateway less steep), so we have to go up 4 feet in 15 feet off the road, that is where I think the wrapping ring would get bent.

 And, I'm guessing the Fusion 2 would be cheaper than the Krone, or maybe not ...... ?? .....

Oh, if you do get that wee job done, might be worth considering throwing back the demonstrator, and go for a new one straight out of the box?

mursal:

And, I'm guessing the Fusion 2 would be cheaper than the Krone, or maybe not ...... ?? .....

 

McHale half way between Krone and Welger on price, dealer the same one as the Krone, so no issue there.

Was thinking of a really long day (more than 12 hours certainly), but then sleeping during the rain which is sure to come the following day, just to get done as the grass is well past when it needed cutting. (this is not another Jamiev6 scenario, working 20 hour days all the time, just a one off to get done)

Will have to see how it goes, hoping for a few dry days soon. 

again i am agreeing with wnw. a clamp is the best investment you can make.

concrete floor, earth walls. for a lot less than your baler /wrapper.

a clamp will cost about 2 to 3 yrs wrap bills.

my silage kit is a new holland 525 chopper, cost £500, two sts of silage sides for £100

manitou fills the pit.

i do from 100 to 150 acres/yr

please dont buy the tornado i have a friend with one and has nothing but problems with it the one he had last year burnt !!! on hes second now and still not much cop

glasshouse:

a clamp is the best investment you can make.

 

I actually agree with this, and so does everyone else here and a clamp is a long term plan, but we have done a lot of building work in the last few years, and still have a lot more to do.  Over the last 6 years we have done: cubicles, parlour, dry cow housing, fresh calver housing, loose boxes and a barn for straw, next on the list is the TB isolation unit, followed by a lagoon, then hopefully silage clamps.  But these things all take time, and we expect it to be 3 years minimum before the clamp gets done.

This means we are looking at the baler to get high output in short periods (and local contractors not always reliable enough), with this years first cut being 215 acres, total silage will be approx 450 acres, and there is often 100 acres needing doing at the same time.  Also, we are looking at this as a good step up to a self loading forage wagon for when the clamp is built.  Forager isn't really an option for us as staff will be the problem, not needing them all year round, but only for a couple of days.  We had a baler on demo when I did the last lot of silage and despite our wrapper being in the yard and ready to go, there wasn't a driver to go on it, so I wrapped them when I had finished baling.  Using an in-line wrapper at the moment, and it needs to be another one of these of a combi.

how much is a combi baler ?

and 5000 bales worth of wrap?

 why not build an on ground stack? no walls no floor, next to no cost.

thats what forage wagons were designed for in the first place was it not? drive over the stack and unload as you go

Gulli:

drive over the stack and unload as you go

 

......then overturn !

welshnwilling:

Gulli:

drive over the stack and unload as you go

 

......then overturn !

 

not if you roll it properly in between...

 

you can build a stack on the ground, but it is somewhat illegal.

perfect for loader wagons, but messy in winter.

glasshouse:

how much is a combi baler ?

 

Between 40 and 60k depending on make

 

glasshouse:

5000 bales worth of wrap?

£8250 including net.

 

How much is a clamp ?

How much are the sheets for a clamp

How much is a forage harvester trailers tractors to pull them man power etc

How much is a forage wagon though this is no where near as fast as a baler to clear the ground and if the land is a fare way away as slow as hell

How do you feed the silage in the winter will it cost more to feed pit silage, more waste

We went from pit silage to round bale about 20 years ago we use the old silage shed for cows now though it was never that good for silage anyway saving about 10 grand for a new shed

glasshouse:

you can build a stack on the ground, but it is somewhat illegal.

perfect for loader wagons, but messy in winter.

 

how much is somewhat assuming that you put in an effluent drain somewhere in the vicinty?

and potentially messy yes, but if you build it where you plan to put a clamp in the future then it doesnt really matter