Round Balers For Sale in Ireland

The purpose of the machine is simply to take a cut crop, typically hay, straw or silage, and form it into more compact bales. This makes the crop easier to handle, store or transport, while also saving a substantial amount of space. Different types of baler exist to do this, giving different sizes and densities of bales and also different shapes. The two most common types of baler are round and square. Some balers will bind the bale with netting, twine or wire, or wrap the bale for protection from the elements. Hay was originally simply cut by hand and piled into haystacks. Mechanical cutters appeared from the 1860s, and in 1872 Charles Withington invented a knotter machine to bind and bundle hay. This was mass-produced in 1874 by Cyrus McCormick, who founded International Harvester. This was probably the first real mechanical baler and it was improved in 1936 by Innes, whose baler also tied the bales. This in turn was improved by Ed Nolt, who patented a more reliable design in 1939.

The round baler is undoubtedly the most common type of baler in use today. It was invented in 1910 by Ummo Luebbens and produced commercially from 1947 by Allis-Chalmers. The bales it produces are actually cylindrical but the term is used to distinguish them from square bales. The bales have a similar structure to that of a thatched roof, insofar as they are designed to let water run off them. This makes them fairly resistant to bad weather. The mechanism has improved over the years to offer tighter, denser and better-wrapped bales but the basic technology hasn’t changed too much. A pick-up feeds the crop into the baler, where it is rolled internally by rubber belts and/or fixed rollers. When it reaches the target size, it is wrapped in twine or netting to hold the bale tightly together and it is then expelled from the rear of the machine.

Round balers come with fixed or variable chambers. The variable-chamber models typically make bales of between 120cm and 180cm in diameter and 150cm wide. Bales can weigh up to a tonne, depending on the crop, size and moisture content. Choosing a round baler involves a number of key decisions. The most obvious is probably capacity. The baler must be able to produce enough bales in any shift to satisfy your requirements. Size is another factor. The size of bale produced should suit your handling equipment and storage facilities. The baler should also be able to handle the type of crop you are producing. Many balers are both multi-crop and can be fixed or variable chamber, to allow you to select the most appropriate size.

The pick-up should be able to clear your field without leaving too much behind and the baler should be able to produce well-formed, tight and dense bales. The bales should be tied appropriately and some combined machines today will also wrap your bales in a single operation. You should ensure that the control and monitoring technology is readily understood and compatible with your tractor. As with all farm equipment, running costs make up a substantial portion of the total cost of ownership, so also take a look at the service intervals and make sure the user-maintained components are easily accessible.