One man band silage making.

[ollie989898]

Just clean the cab before he touches it, change the cab air filter, air con bomb it and make sure he stays in it?

I did some work earlier in the month on a farm, turned up, got in a machine and didn't speak to anyone face to face. What risk is that?

 

[RhysT]

I am a "One man band" too. My philosophy is more than 400 bales to do, get the Fusion in... I invested in a cheap "soft hands" grab a few years ag and it was a revelation and saved a fortune in damaged wrap when carting the wrapped bales at leisure. Takes all the pressure off as described in the OP.

Do you carry them standing on ends?

 

[cows sh#t me to tears]

Same here, It was easy enough to bale and wrap 100 bales a day with the RP12 and a Parmiter mini-wrapper. I used to mow like mad one day with my "big " Stockman tractor, rake it up quick with the little B250 before dark, then on the 2nd day bale with the big one and wrap with the B250. Then it has had a day,s wilt. On the 3rd day, get them home and finish early. I could do up to 120 in a go like that and I'm not very hard working. Now we are two, and Mrs Fred drives the B250 so it is done quicker. Round bale hay is a complete doddle.

Little fergie on rake. 5130 did everything else. Had to finish baling, unhook baler then go cart to wrap. We have a provonost tube wrapper. So everything needed carting home to wrap. Could be up to a 5km haul as well.

 

[michael N123]

It’s only 60 bales

 

[glasshouse]

I am a "One man band" too. My philosophy is more than 400 bales to do, get the Fusion in... I invested in a cheap "soft hands" grab a few years ag and it was a revelation and saved a fortune in damaged wrap when carting the wrapped bales at leisure. Takes all the pressure off as described in the OP.

I tried carting at leisure last year, but the crows spoiled the party
Never again

 

[spin cycle]

can you not cart them home then wrap?...i thought you could leave bales unwrapped for coupla days?

 

[Zippy768]

Just clean the cab before he touches it, change the cab air filter, air con bomb it and make sure he stays in it?

I did some work earlier in the month on a farm, turned up, got in a machine and didn't speak to anyone face to face. What risk is that?

My "help" is having to stay inside for the next fortnight as his other half is having minor surgery in 2 weeks time. Hospital orders for the household to stay home!
Absolutely ridiculous!

 

[Nithsdale]

can you not cart them home then wrap?...i thought you could leave bales unwrapped for coupla days?

Nooooooo!!

They need wrapped as soon as possible! A few hours is fine but no more - they're cooking like hell by the next morning

 

[michael N123]

Nooooooo!!

They need wrapped as soon as possible! A few hours is fine but no more - they're cooking like hell by the next morning

I wrap loads the next morning

Doesn’t matter how much I complain people still love to lead bales into silly bendy rows to get wrapped then ring me....

 

[steveR]

can you not cart them home then wrap?...i thought you could leave bales unwrapped for coupla days?

Personally, I wouldn't leave them overnight...let alone a couple of days!

 

[steveR]

Do you carry them standing on ends?

Yes, and stack on ends now too.

 

[spin cycle]

Nooooooo!!

They need wrapped as soon as possible! A few hours is fine but no more - they're cooking like hell by the next morning

Personally, I wouldn't leave them overnight...let alone a couple of days!

oh right ...sure i read that on here at some stage

 

[kill]

The guy who helps me at silage time has been told buy letter to self isolate, he perfectly fine but has to stay inside, at home, so l think l will have to do some or most of my baling myself, is there other who just work away them selves, l will just have to bale 60 bales, then cart them in and wrap them, going to be a bit of a drag, hopefully he'll get let out buy this time next month.

How many acres? Weathers very easy going but if you have hundreds of acres just get a Baler in or a Fusion and save wrapping aswell or find other helpers

 

[Red Fred]

I find they start to get warm and sag even if left overnight, so baling and wrapping is always done the same day. If I puncture any taking them home on the third day, I build them into the middle of the stack and don't bother with tape or anything as they seal under their own weight

 

[Nithsdale]

oh right ...sure i read that on here at some stage

You know how hay heats if it isn't right, and can get a bit hot after a day or 2?


Silage will cook your hand the next morning. Try it yourself and see...

 

[Red Fred]

Another labour saving (idle )improvement was to hook a couple of old defunct tractors out of the hedge and make up a couple of "bitzers" over one winter. I ended up with an IH434 and 674 which would offend the collectors, but were perfectly able to do a stint at hay making time saving me having to unhitch tractors in the summer. So I had a B250 on the Kuhn rake, 434 on the new tedder or the wrapper if silaging, 674 on the drum mower and the Stockman (now JX90 ) on the baler, and loader. This makes it more flexible as you can hop on and off at will, change when you get bored, and leave everything ready to go without folding it up after greasing it up at night. Both my bitzers are getting a bit tired now after 20 years, but will be OK with another rebuild.

 

[kiwi pom]

Just get a contractor with a baler wrapper and cart them yourself as the 7610 man says.
You might find you make better silage, than you do spiking and lifting them a couple of times to let all the air in before you wrap them.

 

[1594mac]

Well I have wrapped loads the following day never had a problem with sagging etc whilst not ideal it still worked alright and much better than wrapping through the night! Crows are the biggest problem if left out overnight when wrapped.

 

[neilo]

Do you carry them standing on ends?

You can do either with a ‘soft hands’ handler. Like @steveR , I get a contractor in with a Fusion now and use a ‘soft hands’ handler. Bales are chopped & wrapped in the field, excluding air asap, and I am carting as soon as they’ve baled a couple of dozen. I cart, and stack, on their sides as I’ve never noticed any difference from doing it either way.

I think I ripped 3 bales last year, out of 450, and can remove bales from the stack to load on trailers without ripping as well (with telehandler, not loader tractor).

 

[Red Fred]

It must depend on the grass, I find it can lead to a flat spot by next morning so the bale is covered unevenly although it looks OK from the outside. In the days of mini-wrappers, it became right frolic having a stale bale.