Film baler

jamie

Member
Location
Duns
Hello, I am considering buying a round baler to do silage and would like to be able to tie the bales with film rather than with net. Has anybody got any experience with this? Mainly how the bales cope with being moved to the wrapper and how the cost compares to using net. Which baler would be best?

Many thanks
Jamie
 

kill

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
South West
I am sure you will have a netwrap system if it’s needed as a backup but I’d see no reason why the film shouldn’t hold bales together.
 

Fendt516profi

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Yorkshire
How you moving them to wrapper they will not stand spiking maybe ok with cradle but any tiny nick of the plastic and the will start to open. Had one get touched with roller on chamber door and before wrapper had started it had burst open
 

Sid

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
South Molton
How you moving them to wrapper they will not stand spiking maybe ok with cradle but any tiny nick of the plastic and the will start to open. Had one get touched with roller on chamber door and before wrapper had started it had burst open
Only really works on combi balers from speaking to a user.
Another issue is when you got to use the bale knife can easily slit the film on bale as well.

Perhaps need a different knife to open a film wrapped bale like a seat belt knife used by fire and rescue?
 

Fendt516profi

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Yorkshire

Sid

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
South Molton
How much is net? Got a pallet of film @ £149 does 150 bales at 4layers last lot was £135
That's the bonus, 4 layers on wrapper as 2 or more already round the bale.
Looks good for job does that knife. I just open them where I want them

We all sharpen out knives and cut half the net at the same time. Film would be worse?
Would bale film work with a keltec type bale slice that holds the wrap and net?
 

Bullring

Member
Location
Cornwall
An issue I could see a problem with is if it wasn’t baled by a combi baler and you had to wrap them independently is in hot weather the wrap would be soft as sh*t after an hour or so could see burst bales being a real problem.
 

Fendt516profi

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Yorkshire
Isn’t net around £150 but you get around 300 bales per roll, but as said you save on wrap as the bale already has film on it so you could get away with 4 layers of wrap on the wrapper to produce a end product with the equivalent of 6 layers.
Don't honestly know price of net as the last 7 seasons I haven't had more than 4 rolls
 

Henarar

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Somerset
That's the bonus, 4 layers on wrapper as 2 or more already round the bale.
I haven't seen a film baler in years but went to a demo years ago and it wasn't putting film right to the edge of the bale so that bit would only have four layers of film on and its one of the most likely parts of the bale to get damage,
they may well be better now though but would have to get the film right around the corner of the bale to get six layers all over the bale
 

Fendt516profi

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Yorkshire
I haven't seen a film baler in years but went to a demo years ago and it wasn't putting film right to the edge of the bale so that bit would only have four layers of film on and its one of the most likely parts of the bale to get damage,
they may well be better now though but would have to get the film right around the corner of the bale to get six layers all over the bale
It doesn't go right over the edge now I think it's 1380mm wide don't know if you can get wider stuff that will go further over edge or not
 

jamie

Member
Location
Duns
How you moving them to wrapper they will not stand spiking maybe ok with cradle but any tiny nick of the plastic and the will start to open. Had one get touched with roller on chamber door and before wrapper had started it had burst open
Usually use 2 spikes. Have a mchale soft hands grab too
 

jamie

Member
Location
Duns
An issue I could see a problem with is if it wasn’t baled by a combi baler and you had to wrap them independently is in hot weather the wrap would be soft as sh*t after an hour or so could see burst bales being a real problem.
That's what I'm worried about. It's a lot of money to pay to end up with burst bales. Not hearing of any one doing it is putting me off the idea a bit.
 

SamN

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Cornwall
I don't know that you can get a baler that puts on film that isn't a baler wrapper combi. You can't just swap the roll of net for a roll of film, there's more to it I think.

Edit: happy to have been proven wrong
 
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