silage sheets

[Farmer Keith]

Interested in how people hang the side sheets on concrete walls, first year away from earth banks last year and it was an awful job, 4 meter high walls don’t help, up and down the ladder I was pig sick by the time it was done, so much so I’m thinking of going without this time. The buckrake man mashed a fair few of them down to. I miss the earth banks.

 

[Wesley]

Interested in how people hang the side sheets on concrete walls, first year away from earth banks last year and it was an awful job, 4 meter high walls don’t help, up and down the ladder I was pig sick by the time it was done, so much so I’m thinking of going without this time. The buckrake man mashed a fair few of them down to. I miss the earth banks.

I lift father up in the handler bucket certified & tested lifting apparatus. He ties it up. Cut the string into appropriate lengths before hand. Takes no time at all.

 

[Rich_ard]

Interested in how people hang the side sheets on concrete walls, first year away from earth banks last year and it was an awful job, 4 meter high walls don’t help, up and down the ladder I was pig sick by the time it was done, so much so I’m thinking of going without this time. The buckrake man mashed a fair few of them down to. I miss the earth banks.

Someone needs to start a buckrakeing school!
It was posted earlier there are metal clips that could do it. I tie it up to the concrete panels. I'm more bothered by wind flapping it about before the first loads are in. Get less waste with concrete I think, and rats.

 

[Lewis]

I accept that this what you have observed but there are multiple factors that can change results from year to year.
Im a big believer in the most visible sign you will see of avoiding waste is by taking care on sealing - folding in and overlapping side sheets with cling seal and top sheets - but the waste you dont see (dry matter losses) can be significant and a top quality oxygen barrier along with effective sealing at joins can dramatically reduce this by getting the PH down and stable as soon as possible. Theres plenty of research to show this is the case.

100% agree, having people around who take pride and care in sheeting down is No1. One of the most important jobs of the operation!! But the problem is when your the only one in amongst a 5-8 man team who all want it done asap to get to the next job /go to bed…can’t be in 8 places at once making sure its done to my own standard, especially when the wind always picks up at the time of sheeting, and many hands make light work so the help is needed.can be frustrating at times .

Always trying to improve things so though one sheet could really help

 

[Farmer Keith]

I lift father up in the handler bucket certified & tested lifting apparatus. He ties it up. Cut the string into appropriate lengths before hand. Takes no time at all.

I was on my own, we mow and Ted our own so never many spare bodies around before the chopper lands but might have to make it happen if there’s no one to help we’ll probably go without side sheets.

Someone needs to start a buckrakeing school!
It was posted earlier there are metal clips that could do it. I tie it up to the concrete panels. I'm more bothered by wind flapping it about before the first loads are in. Get less waste with concrete I think, and rats.

Only year we had rats around there was when we put a feild of wholecrop in it, one of the reasons it only happened once. We’ve roofed it over this winter so hopefully the wind shouldn’t be an issue, lots of waste around the walls this winter but the rain had ran down between the side sheets and the walls and out through the bottom, it was always sheeted onto the banks previously so took it away, we get 60” annually so it looks like a roof is essential when you’ve no earth banks.