Arcusin c series bale packers

[rs1]

How are people picking up the packs once they’re baled?

 

[Goweresque]

Big bale grab with extra row of tines.

Got to have the larger hooks to get enough grip in the sides of the bales. One advantage of the flat 8 is you can pick up packs slightly on an angle, which make stacking into shed corners etc far easier. Downside is that if the packs are loose the bottom layer will sag when picked up.

 

[BDBed]

@Clever Dic

 

[rs1]

Big bale grab with extra row of tines.

Got to have the larger hooks to get enough grip in the sides of the bales. One advantage of the flat 8 is you can pick up packs slightly on an angle, which make stacking into shed corners etc far easier. Downside is that if the packs are loose the bottom layer will sag when picked up.

we had a browns big bale grab, The hay was very short seeds, the grab kept pulling through the bales

 

[Goweresque]

we had a browns big bale grab, The hay was very short seeds, the grab kept pulling through the bales

Did it have an extra row of hooks though? If you don't get the hooks into the end bale of the pack then all the weight goes onto the last hook which pulls out and so on. I also have a short row of 4 spikes (about 4-5" long) fitted to a beam bolted to the head plate, where the hooks pull the pack towards. They go into the first bale and give some extra support at the near end. I also make the bales as solid as possible, and a bit shorter to compensate. A tight 38" bale is better than a looser 42" one. Hence I run my packer on 3 strings, not 4.

 

[rs1]

Did it have an extra row of hooks though? If you don't get the hooks into the end bale of the pack then all the weight goes onto the last hook which pulls out and so on. I also have a short row of 4 spikes (about 4-5" long) fitted to a beam bolted to the head plate, where the hooks pull the pack towards. They go into the first bale and give some extra support at the near end. I also make the bales as solid as possible, and a bit shorter to compensate. A tight 38" bale is better than a looser 42" one. Hence I run my packer on 3 strings, not 4.

Yes, it had 5 rows. I upped the bale density and shortened the bales. They were still heavier than I would like. Do you know what weight your bales are? It was very brittle material.

 

[glasshouse]

Use an old 21 bale squeezer

 

[Goweresque]

Yes, it had 5 rows. I upped the bale density and shortened the bales. They were still heavier than I would like. Do you know what weight your bales are? It was very brittle material.

Normally about 25kg, maybe slightly less. I have occasionally had issues with very short second cut meadow hay, that makes very spongy bales that are harder to pick up in packs.

 

[Goweresque]

I think @Simon Chiles uses a quadrogrip for an alternative view.

 

[Simon Chiles]

How are people picking up the packs once they’re baled?

I’ve seen Arcusin bale packs handled by every sort of bale grab ever made and also muck forks, pallet forks and spikes. One of the reasons for buying the Arcusin was that, as a contractor, I didn’t need my customers to have to buy a specialist grab to use my services. I used to use a flat 10 grab until one day when I was struggling to pick up packs because the hay was short and brittle. I used the Quadrogrip and have used it ever since. As @Goweresque says a flat 8 grab is better if it has the longer tines. If you’re struggling with a flat 8 grab, picking the packs up width ways instead of lengthways often makes a big difference. One of the advantages of the Quadrogrip is that I can stack six bale packs high with a tractor loader. I’ve recently bought a Quadrogrip TS which can pick up two packs at once if the bales are less than 1m long. It also has the option of longer arms than the mark 2 Quadrogrip in the photo.

 

[Simon Chiles]

Yes, it had 5 rows. I upped the bale density and shortened the bales. They were still heavier than I would like. Do you know what weight your bales are? It was very brittle material.

I’d concentrate more on the packer pressure, you don’t want to make the bales too heavy, it defeats the object of having small bales. On fluffy meadow hay you need to be running at a pack pressure of at least 200 bar, maybe up to 220. Only run down to 160 bar for really tight, dry bales of straw. Obviously you’ll need to adjust pack pressure to the conditions and to some extent the strength of the twine you are using in the baler. 12,000 twine isn’t really good enough for bales that are going to be packed, you need at least to be on 10,000 and 9250 is the best if your baler can handle it. You’ll need to check with your baler’s manufacture about using 9250, a Welger certainly can cope with it.

 

[Clever Dic]

I run my Welgar's on 8600 string same as my packers.
For picking up packs just use a side squeeze (Broadwater) but then I only ever make packs of 10.

 

[Clever Dic]

Just bought a new D14 so interested to see the improvements.
Got a C14 for sale now .....
Just saying.....?

 

[Goweresque]

I run my Welgar's on 8600 string same as my packers.
For picking up packs just use a side squeeze (Broadwater) but then I only ever make packs of 10.

Thats interesting, I was sorely tempted to try 8600 in my small baler, because my packs suffer from popped strings on bales, even on 9250, but was afraid I might break something
But it works OK on Welgar knotters? What adjustments if any were needed?

 

[Goweresque]

I’d concentrate more on the packer pressure, you don’t want to make the bales too heavy, it defeats the object of having small bales. On fluffy meadow hay you need to be running at a pack pressure of at least 200 bar, maybe up to 220. Only run down to 160 bar for really tight, dry bales of straw. Obviously you’ll need to adjust pack pressure to the conditions and to some extent the strength of the twine you are using in the baler. 12,000 twine isn’t really good enough for bales that are going to be packed, you need at least to be on 10,000 and 9250 is the best if your baler can handle it. You’ll need to check with your baler’s manufacture about using 9250, a Welger certainly can cope with it.

Despite running 9250 in my small baler, I still regularly pop the bale strings in the packs at 160bar.....I think it must be the knotters in my baler (JD459) they are very reliable, but seem to stress the string when forming the knot, and when the pressure is put on in the pack they can break, right by the knot every time.

 

[Clever Dic]

We were popping bale strings in the packer when pushing hard and nearly all our bales are haylage at 4ft and tight. 8600 in the baler really helps.Do not do baling myself but I gather the only issue is the knotts where you join balls . Need to keep as small and neat as possible.

 

[Simon Chiles]

Thats interesting, I was sorely tempted to try 8600 in my small baler, because my packs suffer from popped strings on bales, even on 9250, but was afraid I might break something
But it works OK on Welgar knotters? What adjustments if any were needed?

Despite running 9250 in my small baler, I still regularly pop the bale strings in the packs at 160bar.....I think it must be the knotters in my baler (JD459) they are very reliable, but seem to stress the string when forming the knot, and when the pressure is put on in the pack they can break, right by the knot every time.

No adjustments were necessary on the Welger, however I just re-adjusted the twine retainer tension because I thought it was the right thing to do. I think you’re making the bales too tight, on hay and straw you shouldn’t be breaking any strings on 9250. If you decrease the bale pressure you’ll need to compensate by increasing pack pressure. Obviously the bales need to be firm, they don’t need to be heavy. As I said before I’d run at a pack pressure of 200-220 bar for soft meadow hay. For coarser, drier bales such as straw I drop to 160. You’ve got to adjust and balance the bale and packer pressure otherwise you will start breaking bale strings.

 

[Simon Chiles]

We were popping bale strings in the packer when pushing hard and nearly all our bales are haylage at 4ft and tight. 8600 in the baler really helps.Do not do baling myself but I gather the only issue is the knotts where you join balls . Need to keep as small and neat as possible.

Personally I wouldn’t want to be running on 8600 in my baler, it certainly isn’t necessary in hay and straw but I can understand that in a 4ft haylage bale you might have to. The art of joining string that is a bit too thick for the application is to split the ends of the twine in half, cut one half of each string a bit shorter and then form two knots joining the long and short twines of each string together. The art ( and it takes some practice) is to get the two knots positioned so that when the twine is pulled tight both halves are in equal tension.

 

[Clever Dic]

Personally I wouldn’t want to be running on 8600 in my baler, it certainly isn’t necessary in hay and straw but I can understand that in a 4ft haylage bale you might have to. The art of joining string that is a bit too thick for the application is to split the ends of the twine in half, cut one half of each string a bit shorter and then form two knots joining the long and short twines of each string together. The art ( and it takes some practice) is to get the two knots positioned so that when the twine is pulled tight both halves are in equal tension.

I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about having never driven one...but I will pass this tip onto the baler drivers and hopefully they will understand.
Many thanks.

 

[Goweresque]

Personally I wouldn’t want to be running on 8600 in my baler, it certainly isn’t necessary in hay and straw but I can understand that in a 4ft haylage bale you might have to. The art of joining string that is a bit too thick for the application is to split the ends of the twine in half, cut one half of each string a bit shorter and then form two knots joining the long and short twines of each string together. The art ( and it takes some practice) is to get the two knots positioned so that when the twine is pulled tight both halves are in equal tension.

Like this? Beginners luck I think!