Fast bales

Anything to do with moving any shape and size of a bale takes a bit of effort .Most dairy lads now have very little spare time for any type of tractor work.
 
I load in the field and contractor lifts off and stacks in the yard or vice versa. For some we'd organise four trailers or a short draw two trailers.
 
Mf240 said:
I load in the field and contractor lifts off and stacks in the yard or vice versa. For some we'd organise four trailers or a short draw two trailers.
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2 trailers and a loader hired in is minimum of 120/hour. How many bales and hour can you move with that system?
 
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wheatwhacker said:
2 trailers and a loader hired in is minimum of 120/hour. How many bales and hour can you move with that system?
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I was just saying the way I do it. I'm not trying to knock your system . I never really worked it out tbh but the four trailers were keeping me going from 4 miles away , but 4 miles of the worst roads in the country.
 
Mf240 said:
I was just saying the way I do it. I'm not trying to knock your system . I never really worked it out tbh but the four trailers were keeping me going from 4 miles away , but 4 miles of the worst roads in the country.
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I take offence to that ..
I live on the last bit .
Yep . They are middling enough . A good few narrow bends .

You could get a pit contractor draw the grass for you instead 😉.
Signed.
Not a bale lover .com.
 
jf 850 said:
I take offence to that ..
I live on the last bit .
Yep . They are middling enough . A good few narrow bends .

You could get a pit contractor draw the grass for you instead 😉.
Signed.
Not a bale lover .com.
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It gets right bad after my Gate 😃😅
 
No matter what way you look at it from what I've seen is any trailer being there is a benefit. Over the summer got a call to draw to help draw bales. Draw was short, was just up the lane but the fusion had taken off from the 2 lads drawing. 1 tractor was taking 4 (had 2 double handlers), the other was taking 3 (1 double and front loader). When I got there, fusion was 2 fields ahead. For the trailer I decided I should take 8 at a time cos trying to get onto the lane from some of those fields was sketchy enough to be carrying 11. I stuck to the front loader like glue the whole time. after 6 hours of drawing we caught up to the fusion and in next morning one tractor had to go to do other jobs but I and front loader kept up pace. by the end of it we were 2 bales behind. Obviously it's not as efficient as a Wilson or 2 and I myself would love one for what we be doing just to keep the wrapper going in the yard
 
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Mf240 said:
I was just saying the way I do it. I'm not trying to knock your system . I never really worked it out tbh but the four trailers were keeping me going from 4 miles away , but 4 miles of the worst roads in the country.
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Not knocking anybody's system, I'm just curious how it works cost wise.
Some say I'm expensive, some say I'm cheap. I'm just wondering how an alternative system would work (cost/bale) for a lot less money invested.
 
The last few years Iv been under serious pressure to draw in bales for customers as everyone else was at it. I couldn’t justify another tractor or 2 and a trailer or whatever to move bales. The going rate here is 3 Euro a bale to draw and stack with the contractors that are at it. That’s up to a 3 mile draw over that is more. Instead I get a couple of young lads mad for work with their own tractors to do it. Lads don’t mind giving them 3 euro a bale, but if I put an extra 3 on my bill even to draw them it would be a big ordeal with some lads
 
wheatwhacker said:
Not knocking anybody's system, I'm just curious how it works cost wise.
Some say I'm expensive, some say I'm cheap. I'm just wondering how an alternative system would work (cost/bale) for a lot less money invested.
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I'd say your offering ok value. You must be if your busy.

Lot of pokie yards, gaps and lanes around here. Though.

I assume pit men would charge extra for four miles of a draw aswell?
 
The other thing not being discussed here is the actual capital investment.

a trailer an be used all year round, theoretically you could have the same trailer draw silage, corn, clay, fertiliser, spud boxes, livestock, all owned at less money than a dedicated chaser.

if you are a outfit that has work for trailers all year round a chaser is less of a ‘no brainer’ in my opinion.

i do not doubt that the chaser is the most efficient way to move round bales, i’d just speculate that it is not the most cost efficient machine to own, unless you are like @wheatwhacker is suggesting that you could make almost a fulltime in season job out of it.
 
Ó hÉidin said:
The other thing not being discussed here is the actual capital investment.

a trailer an be used all year round, theoretically you could have the same trailer draw silage, corn, clay, fertiliser, spud boxes, livestock, all owned at less money than a dedicated chaser.

if you are a outfit that has work for trailers all year round a chaser is less of a ‘no brainer’ in my opinion.

i do not doubt that the chaser is the most efficient way to move round bales, i’d just speculate that it is not the most cost efficient machine to own, unless you are like @wheatwhacker is suggesting that you could make almost a fulltime in season job out of it.
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Great point. Its a huge capital investment and its annoying to see them sit for 5 months of the year. On the plus side, they have a long service life.
Its very difficult to justify one as the payments are high. My first one was 5K a year plus VAT, so there was almost 2 weeks hauling just for the payment. Thankfully that pain is over and now its just a few tyres every year.
I did consider a 28' trailer when I bought the second machine but at 2 euro/bale, my hourly rate would only be 34/hr, giving myself a load an hour. plus, I needed a loader in the field. Wages are 15/working hour so profit was being eroded quickly. Unloading is slower. The 15-20 min taken to unload the flat trailer would have the wilson putting a second load in the field.
We all have to remember that every hour clocked on a tractor will be deducted when it comes time to trade. A man boasting about 2k hours a year will be quiet when hes turning in a 10,000 hr tractor after 5 years. I'm just trying to make every hour count.
 
Why do contractors give out about having to draw in bales? Just charge enough for it, that’s what they do around here and I’ve no issue with it.
dairy farmers by nature are stock men, they look after their stock, that’s what makes them their money, some are dog rough on gear, some are not, it’s not their bread and butter, they don’t have to.
 
I have 2 lads to move bales for me sometimes during the summer. 40-45 an hour is what they charge. That’s either with a trailer or if close enough to yard just the loader and rear lifters.

the lifters works out at about a euro a bale.

the trailer can be anything obviously depending on length of draw but typically 2.50 a bale would cover it
 
Everyone's system is different we could be moving bales a mile and the next place 10 miles Id cry carrying 10 bales at a time that distance.
Youd also need a good pilot on one and that's something that's not always available as they may be off at another job.
I'm just a flat rate per hour for every machine involved.
I'd say its rare the baler ever gets over 100 bales ahead, why complain about it?
The whole system would be easier if you didn't have to do it less machines less labour less headaches regardless of what you charge its still a pain.
 
Tipp_Man said:
I have 2 lads to move bales for me sometimes during the summer. 40-45 an hour is what they charge. That’s either with a trailer or if close enough to yard just the loader and rear lifters.

the lifters works out at about a euro a bale.

the trailer can be anything obviously depending on length of draw but typically 2.50 a bale would cover it
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The problem with the bale lifters I see is that if there's a big amount of bales your crippled from continually going through gaps ect
Normally this is what we do in them kinda jobs put 3 on the back and two on the front and draw with the loading shovel too.
If we were wrapping at the stack then I'd definitely have a chaser
 

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johndeere6920s said:
The problem with the bale lifters I see is that if there's a big amount of bales your crippled from continually going through gaps ect
Normally this is what we do in them kinda jobs put 3 on the back and two on the front and draw with the loading shovel too.
If we were wrapping at the stack then I'd definitely have a chaser
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You move a lot of bales with that setup.
 
Yer lucky to have the option of a contractor drawing the bales in wheither a euro a bale or ten euro to bring them in.dont know of anyone providing that service.there is a man with a keltec trailer near cavan but that over an hour on a tractor.
Alot of contractors round me wont wrap them til there " lined up ".
Im normally baling at their off peak and mostly their 1st bales of the yr and i have quit lineing them up.to much time lost and tramping bringing all to one area.would have alot stacked before you'd get to draw in
 
Bencroy said:
Yer lucky to have the option of a contractor drawing the bales in wheither a euro a bale or ten euro to bring them in.dont know of anyone providing that service.there is a man with a keltec trailer near cavan but that over an hour on a tractor.
Alot of contractors round me wont wrap them til there " lined up ".
Im normally baling at their off peak and mostly their 1st bales of the yr and i have quit lineing them up.to much time lost and tramping bringing all to one area.would have alot stacked before you'd get to draw in
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Jaysus if you were told to line them up, the wrapper be a few hours behind the baler waiting for bales. That wouldn't sit right with me one bit tbh. The wrapper imo is better off chasing the baler. Usually get a bale wrapped before the next bale is made
 
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