Silopacter

[Speedstar]

W

Haven't done any proper research yet but a couple of quick questions:

1) Any make stand out or to be avoided?
2) Roughly what HP needed?

We have a KC they are good
There are other makes but I have not seen these working before
We have worked it on any thing from a 125 case to a 7620 MF

 

[Speedstar]

I’ve only seen one working once and I thought it was a waste of time. It was on the back of a 130 hp and bossed it about, he couldn’t climb a modest ramp and wouldn’t dare go near the sides with it. When I drove over what he’d done I put it down another 4-6 inches. They would have been better with just a heavy tractor and getting more done.
It could have been operator, it could have been situation but it didn’t impress me or anyone watching

The driver could not us it right then
Sides of a pit after our one has rolled it are like concrete

 

[vantage]

I’ve only seen one working once and I thought it was a waste of time. It was on the back of a 130 hp and bossed it about, he couldn’t climb a modest ramp and wouldn’t dare go near the sides with it. When I drove over what he’d done I put it down another 4-6 inches. They would have been better with just a heavy tractor and getting more done.
It could have been operator, it could have been situation but it didn’t impress me or anyone watching

They are not a machine just to put on at the end to tidy up, they should be used throughout the ensilage process, the pit will be solid and not spin out.
[QUOTE="Speedstar, post: 7003324, member: 2964"
The driver could not us it right then
Sides of a pit after our one has rolled it are like concrete
[/QUOTE]
Absolutely.

 

[Beef farmer]

Can you over compact silage? Break the cell walls of the grass?

 

[PhilipWatkinsLtd]

Made this one, 8” solid en24 steel shaft and a grease nipple on each wheel. Weighs 5tonnes and wants a big tractor on it. Does a hell of a job, most customers won’t go chopping without it now.

Made this one, 8” solid en24 steel shaft and a grease nipple on each wheel. Weighs 5tonnes and wants a big tractor on it. Does a hell of a job, most customers won’t go chopping without it now.

It looks like the tractor wheels are doing a far better job than the press in this photo?

 

[kiwi pom]

It looks like the tractor wheels are doing a far better job than the press in this photo?

I thought that too. The wheels would do an even better job if the press was lifted up.
The buckrake operator is the number one factor in how good the clamping job will be.
In my opinion if the crop is coming in too fast for one buckrake, then put two on or just have a heavy tractor rolling. Load one side while the other is being rolled then swap, dont waste time rolling the middle that will happen naturally as the clamp is built.

 

[james ds]

It looks like the tractor wheels are doing a far better job than the press in this photo?

The wheel tracks are lower meaning the wheels pushed the grass down lower that the compactor , I can’t see 5 ton in that roller on the tractor, where is it in it , I can’t see any advantage to having a compactor on another tractor paying another driver to use it , we use a 15 ton loader which has a higher weight per square foot than any compactor by about 500 % , pit’s don’t sink after and we don’t have any waste . there are none of these working in Ireland that I’ve heard off , so in my opinion they are a total waste of time unless your only pushing up with a very light weight machine on the pit.

 

[kiwi pom]

I wonder if the silopacter was born because contractors were struggling to get customers to pay for 2 buckrakes or just an extra tractor rolling? Put something on the back of the second tractor and you can sell a service.

Is a silopacter on a second tractor better than just one machine on the pit? Probably but running a second tractor with no packer would be as good, if not better in my opinion.
A lot depends on the bit behind the steering wheel though.

 

[Beef farmer]

I wonder if the silopacter was born because contractors were struggling to get customers to pay for 2 buckrakes or just an extra tractor rolling? Put something on the back of the second tractor and you can sell a service.

Is a silopacter on a second tractor better than just one machine on the pit? Probably but running a second tractor with no packer would be as good, if not better in my opinion.
A lot depends on the bit behind the steering wheel though.

A tractor with 2 ton on the front and let's say 3 ton weight on the back will exert a lot more downward pressure. Silopactor is 5 ton but over 3m.
So for sure it's a clever way to extract money from a farmer, no doubt it does a good job but......

 

[bitwrx]

A tractor with 2 ton on the front and let's say 3 ton weight on the back will exert a lot more downward pressure. Silopactor is 5 ton but over 3m.
So for sure it's a clever way to extract money from a farmer, no doubt it does a good job but......

A tractor of any weight will exert the same average ground pressure as the air in its tyres (excepting any effects of tyre carcase stiffness).

 

[Beef farmer]

A tractor of any weight will exert the same average ground pressure as the air in its tyres (excepting any effects of tyre carcase stiffness).

So a 15 ton tractor and a 5 ton tractor on the same tyres will exert the same ground pressure?

 

[bitwrx]

So a 15 ton tractor and a 5 ton tractor on the same tyres will exert the same ground pressure?

If they have the same air pressure in the tyres, yes. It's all about the the pressure.

The heavier tractor will have a bigger contact patch. Pressure = force ÷ area holds true.

(This is the bare physics of it, which includes approximations. One of which is the carcase stiffness. Another is the complicating effects of lugs. Generally the pressure on the lugs is so high, they just sink into the substrate (silage, soil, whatever) until the non lugged section makes contact. Then you're more or less back to P = F/A.)

 

[Bloders]

The wheel tracks are lower meaning the wheels pushed the grass down lower that the compactor , I can’t see 5 ton in that roller on the tractor, where is it in it , I can’t see any advantage to having a compactor on another tractor paying another driver to use it , we use a 15 ton loader which has a higher weight per square foot than any compactor by about 500 % , pit’s don’t sink after and we don’t have any waste . there are none of these working in Ireland that I’ve heard off , so in my opinion they are a total waste of time unless your only pushing up with a very light weight machine on the pit.

They do weigh in the region of 5 tonnes. Any idea how much a single one of those wheels weighs? Have a google and then add them up.
They will exert a MUCH higher pressure than the tractor wheels as the weight of the compactor is spread over quite a small ares - the wheels are fairly narrow and a relatively small diameter.
Physics!
I dont understand why people say they dont work when quite a few on here have said they do??

 

[Speedstar]

The wheel tracks are lower meaning the wheels pushed the grass down lower that the compactor , I can’t see 5 ton in that roller on the tractor, where is it in it , I can’t see any advantage to having a compactor on another tractor paying another driver to use it , we use a 15 ton loader which has a higher weight per square foot than any compactor by about 500 % , pit’s don’t sink after and we don’t have any waste . there are none of these working in Ireland that I’ve heard off , so in my opinion they are a total waste of time unless your only pushing up with a very light weight machine on the pit.

you need to have a look at good silage you toy town loader will never in a million years roll a pit as well as a compactor can, but jimmy boy is the silage king & we all know nothing about making a quality feed ,

 

[Speedstar]

They do weigh in the region of 5 tonnes. Any idea how much a single one of those wheels weighs? Have a google and then add them up.
They will exert a MUCH higher pressure than the tractor wheels as the weight of the compactor is spread over quite a small ares - the wheels are fairly narrow and a relatively small diameter.
Physics!
I dont understand why people say they dont work when quite a few on here have said they do??

it is the rib on the train wheel that packs the grass right in, you have to see one working to know how good they are

 

[Lofty1984]

Unless you actually see one working being used by a competent driver who knows what he’s doing your not qualified to right them off, I’ve pushed in alongside one and it does a hell of a job the fact the train wheel has the ridge around it puts tremendous packing power down far more than any tractor wheel, just to add I’ve buckraked far more grass in with out one Just rolling as I go or with another tractor and unless the grass is very wet there is no way you can roll it as tight

 

[Mouser]

But apparently you just need to inflate your tyres to twice the pressure et voila, you've doubled the ground pressure ?

 

[CWS]

They do weigh in the region of 5 tonnes. Any idea how much a single one of those wheels weighs? Have a google and then add them up.
They will exert a MUCH higher pressure than the tractor wheels as the weight of the compactor is spread over quite a small ares - the wheels are fairly narrow and a relatively small diameter.
Physics!
I dont understand why people say they dont work when quite a few on here have said they do??

I think it's probably more to do with the fact some people just can't grasp the idea of agreeing with another person's opinion or experience. We use one and are really happy with the result. It's easy to do and almost anybody with a brain can roll. Not the same can be said of buckeraking. With it being 3m wide it's easy to roll the edges without catching the tractor mirror and whilst it's rolling it levels any bumps out(sort of)

 

[Beef farmer]

But apparently you just need to inflate your tyres to twice the pressure et voila, you've doubled the ground pressure ?

Your like me? Calling bull sh!t? We had a 6430 weighing 5 ton on 600 and 540s also an 820 on 650 and 540s weighing 8ton. The 6430 would travel every day of the year to spread fert, the fendt wouldnt. All tyres at 15psi

 

[Mouser]

Yeah it's a bit silly really. Like 1050 tyres with15psi will be same as 520s with 15psi. Agree with lofty, speedy and james though. No doubt they do a good job and very noticable with a smaller loader/tractor buckraking. Put a big loader with big fork flicking (no pushoff) up the pit you're adding a lot of vibration as well as huge weight on front axle to compact, makes a huge difference even compared to a 10ton fendt with 3 ton on buckrake with pushoff is just driving not vibrating.
Even our loader tractor with 35psi in front tyres wont squash it any more.