Making haylage for Lorries

[neilo]

I’ve always done haylage in round bales, but realise they aren’t the best way of moving them any distance.

For moving on artic lorries, I assume the best/most efficient way is in quadrants? What length bale is best, both for wrapping and (road) transport?
How many can you move in a load?

I’ve seen them in stacks, but never seen square bales actually being wrapped. Are they just done on a normal wrapper, of which there are plenty about locally?

 

[sherg]

Different wrapper to round bales but there's plenty of square bale wrappers around

 

[Derrick Hughes]

We move any size as long as well baled and firm , need to be around 25 % M or they are to heavy to put a full load on , it helps if you know the weight when loading as lorry drivers are warry of going overwieght
4 to 5 ft on sqrares is a good lenght for horse market ,4 string or 120, 70 ,
Quality for the horse market is far more important that bale shape , like those who leave them out for more than a day to be pecked to death
Its not easy , i make far more selling the grass to dairy farms and a lot less stress and work
An artic is 45 ft so 120x 70 , go 4 high, two wide , number depends on legnth with a small gap

 

[ffukedfarmer]

What is the end market? Not many horse yards can use a 120x90x180 and 80x70x120 not much good for cattle.

 

[d williams]

I’ve always done haylage in round bales, but realise they aren’t the best way of moving them any distance.

For moving on artic lorries, I assume the best/most efficient way is in quadrants? What length bale is best, both for wrapping and (road) transport?
How many can you move in a load?

I’ve seen them in stacks, but never seen square bales actually being wrapped. Are they just done on a normal wrapper, of which there are plenty about locally?

I wouldn’t worry to much about transport
I’d consider bale size and market place I was looking to sell into
The quadrant are probably the most cost effective way of baleing and transport but not all yards like using them because of their size

 

[d williams]

What is the end market? Not many horse yards can use a 120x90x180 and 80x70x120 not much good for cattle.

We have a 80x70 and a cattle man wanted these to go along his feed barrier rather then anything bigger
I’d say you won’t beat a round bale for cattle in a ring feeder

 

[M-J-G]

We move any size as long as well baled and firm , need to be around 25 % M or they are to heavy to put a full load on , it helps if you know the weight when loading as lorry drivers are warry of going overwieght
4 to 5 ft on sqrares is a good lenght for horse market ,4 string or 120, 70 ,
Quality for the horse market is far more important that bale shape , like those who leave them out for more than a day to be pecked to death
Its not easy , i make far more selling the grass to dairy farms and a lot less stress and work
An artic is 45 ft so 120x 70 , go 4 high, two wide , number depends on legnth with a small gap

To me 25% is too bet wo be classed as haylage, but it's a very fluid term covering anything from damp hay to silage that had a tedder put through it once.

Haylage to me is hay with just enough moisture to ensure that it's dust free.
80 to 85% DM ideally

 

[Punch]

Quadrants 4 or 5ft long about the easiest size to shift.
Agree they are best the size the user wants.
5ft cheaper and quicker to wrap when averaged over whole field as there is correspondingly less of them.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

I see a lot of hay reading 20% if its any dryer thsn that it wont ferment properly
I find haylage fine between 22 and 28

 

[livestock 1]

5 ft is a good length for them

 

[d williams]

I see a lot of hay reading 20% if its any dryer thsn that it wont ferment properly
I find haylage fine between 22 and 28

Surly you mean Haylage??
Hay won’t be any good at those moisture levels???

 

[neilo]

To me 25% is too bet wo be classed as haylage, but it's a very fluid term covering anything from damp hay to silage that had a tedder put through it once.

Haylage to me is hay with just enough moisture to ensure that it's dust free.
80 to 85% DM ideally

I assumed @Derrick Hughes was talking about moisture content, rather than DM%?

 

[Derrick Hughes]

I assumed @Derrick Hughes was talking about moisture content, rather than DM%?

Yes what the moisture probe shows me

 

[spin cycle]

surely moisture correlates to dm directly?

20% moisture means dm of 80%?

hay at 20% moisture.....think your meter needs recalibration DH

 

[neilo]

surely moisture correlates to dm directly?

20% moisture means dm of 80%?

hay at 20% moisture.....think your meter needs recalibration DH

Selling by the ton...

 

[BAF]

Small bale haylage is where its at @neilo you'll get loads on a lorry
Didn't there used to be a haylage packing place in Worthen, sort of your direction.

 

[deleted user 837354]

Neil are you making these things to sell on or are you intending to move them via truck for your own use? It's not evident from your post?

 

[neilo]

Neil are you making these things to sell on or are you intending to move them via truck for your own use? It's not evident from your post?

Sorry yes, for own use on an away block of land.
Tarmac farming is where it's at.

 

[Northeastfarmer]

Crikey @neilo is keen to get baling….be nice to get some fert on let alone the baler.

unless this is your outfit….

 

[neilo]

Crikey @neilo is keen to get baling….be nice to get some fert on let alone the baler.

unless this is your outfit….

This was my grass last week. Gotta crack on before it heads...