NET WRAP

John im Md · Jan 11, 2010

I just picked up 10 rolls of net wrap on sale for $231 each. I'm starting to wonder if it's worth net wrapping verses twine. Has anybody figured how many bales per roll at 9840'/roll. I wonder how many wraps per bale we could get away with and still hold together and shed water?

Billy NY · Jan 11, 2010

From my experience, I think it's more important to make sure the bales are hard packed, even/uniform, or that net wrap and probably twine as well, is not worth a darn. Either on the back of the baler cover or on the sheet in the role, I recall seeing a table specifying the number of wraps etc. We run a JD 582 sileage special round baler and sometimes process the hay, well you don't want to do that with straw, something with that extra set of knives and or the process, makes a sloppy bale that will fall apart, no matter how many wraps, though my experience is limited compared to others with this, I handle these bales all the time and there's nothing worse than a sloppy or lop sided bale, I think it's most important to get your bales right 1st, then the twine or wrap does its job.

Steve Okla · Jan 11, 2010

I think it depends on what you are doing with the hay. I sell all of mine and put twine on it because my baler doesn't do wrap. My customers would prefer the wrap and are willing to pay the extra money it takes to wrap it. If I was feeding all of my hay I would not want the wrap. Just more cost and I don't see the advantage for the extra money. If the bale is put up right then the twine does a good job and if its not wrap won't make it any better. IMO

Nebraska Cowman · Jan 11, 2010

In alfalfa a wrap and a half should do it. Grass and straw, 2 wraps. Runs out to about a buck a bale. Twine will run 50¢ The big advantage to net is speed in baling. It takes me 45 seconds to put twine on and in heavy hay I can make a bale faster than I can tie it. I spend more time stopped than I do baling. This also translates into more wear on the baler. What does that cost?

Pair-a-dice farm · Jan 11, 2010

The last 3 years I"ve had a custom operator bale my hay with net wrap instead of baling it with my string baler. He charges $1 a bale more for the net than string. In my case it"s well worth the extra. If stored out in the weather there is a lot less waste.

Anonymous-0 · Jan 11, 2010

Sounds a little cheaper than the slip on bale bonnets that I use, they run $3.00/bale, but they do keep the moisture out better, only loss is about 2-3" at the bottom. Or course, it also takes about 5-8 minutes/bale to put them on. On the recycling side, that black plastic burns as good as a log of locust, in the shop stove!

Tx Jim · Jan 11, 2010

JD's operators manual show for grass type hay 1 3/4- 2 1/4 wraps. Netwrap is not only faster going on the bale which also means less fuel burned and wear & tear on machinery as one can bale 25% more bales with Netwrap than twine. It is easier to remove with less of it left on/in bale IF bale is raised off ground than twine.

If selling hay Netwrap gives bale of hay more "eye appeal" than a string wrapped bale!

I custom bale and charge more to bale with twine than Netwrap because of the difference in the time required to bale the same field.

kyplowboy · Jan 11, 2010

I don't have a baler that uses net but I have bought alot of wrapped hay and hired a few custom balers that used wrap. Every one I have talked to says that net runs about $1 more per bale than string. Most folks who sell hay or do custom work would rather use net cause it is so much faster and there is so many fewer turns of a full bale on the tractor and baler. That is fine for me, the only disadvantage of net I can see is it is a pain to get off if it is covered with snow or ice. Hay will keep much better when net wraped and left out side than twine. If I was going to keep it inside I would use sisal twine and feed it with the string on, but builings cost alot more than net or dealing with getting rid of it.

From what I have delt with the best net wrap jobs only have 1.5 to 2 wraps. Less than that will come apart, more is a pain to get off and wadded into a feed sack, and doesn't really have any better hay under it.

Dave

PJH · Jan 11, 2010

Dave - don't you re-use the bale bonnets? My neighbor has some barrels where he stores his hay - he pulls them off and stuffs them in the barrel. He gets several years out of them. I've never tried them myself. I use bale tarps every other year. The years I use them, I get so aggravated with them that I swear I'll never use them again. I'll skip a year, memory will fade, and I'll try "one more time".

Paul

Anonymous-0 · Jan 11, 2010

I re-use the ones that come off whole. Unfortunately, I have tremendous winds that often do damage to them, never blows them off, but lots don't come off in one piece. I also have buzzards that roost on the top of them, and poke holes into the plastic, ripping up those that the wind don't!

phillip d · Jan 11, 2010

If your baler is equiped with net than I say use it anyways.Like the other said,5 bales net done in the time/fuel/wear and tear it takes to do 4 with twine.That can be very benificial if you've got nice dry hay ready and it decides to shower earlier than predicted.We use 1.75 wraps per bale no matter what we're baling and get 250 bales out of a roll.

NET WRAP

John im Md

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Billy NY

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Steve Okla

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Nebraska Cowman

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Pair-a-dice farm

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Anonymous-0

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Tx Jim

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kyplowboy

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PJH

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Anonymous-0

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phillip d

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