Zero grazer vrs round baler

dungfly

Zero grazer vrs round baler for an outside farm?

Nekarsulm

Depends how many you are feeding. Will they need more than a bale at a time? If you need 4 bales per day, the constant trundling in and out from the field to the yard will become a pain, and hard on the rollers and bearings. Unless you have a good heavy duty grab and loader, ripping bales apart is not easy. Wagon/grazer stuff easier to actually feed, I would think.

dungfly

Will be feeding 80 cows. How much for a good baler and a zero grazer?
I presume a baler is designed for major output in terms of bales produced in order to justify its cost?

visatorro

Z grazer around 25000 plus vat I think. Suppose you could pick up a second hand baler for a few thousand. You'd need a good mower aswell. You have two runs to do with the tractor aswell

grazeaway

If your thinking of buying a ZG for that amount then maybe a 2nd hand silage wagon and a front mounted mower might be better. You could use it for ZG in a single run as well as your silage needs if you do pit work. I know it would probably mean changing tractor but I think it's a better long term solution.

Using the baler would be ok for the odd bit if you were stuck for a few days but as the lads say they are not built for transporting a full bale inside them. Also you would have to be swapping over a mower unless you had two tractors and even the they would need to both be big enough to drive a decent sized mower and baler.

Nekarsulm

80 cows, baler is out I would reckon. Second hand wagon and an 8 foot mower. Lots of trailed 8 foots for sale, as people all want 10 foots now.
Budget for a 80hp tractor to leave the mower on permanently, if you don't already have a spare one. Something simple like a Fiat 880/5 or a Same Leopard or something.
Probably cheaper than getting a front PTO & linkage set-up.

MickeyShtyles

Nekarsulm wrote: »

80 cows, baler is out I would reckon. Second hand wagon and an 8 foot mower. Lots of trailed 8 foots for sale, as people all want 10 foots now.
Budget for a 80hp tractor to leave the mower on permanently, if you don't already have a spare one. Something simple like a Fiat 880/5 or a Same Leopard or something.
Probably cheaper than getting a front PTO & linkage set-up.

Have a look at Zuidberg Frontline Systems. They're front links & PTO brand sold by FarmHand in Dublin.

mf240

I say baler. But not for drawing grass but for making silage. Top quality silage. The very best bales can be stacked seperatly.

In spring when your rearing calves / getting out slurry/ getting out fert. And 101 other jobs. It will be a lot easier to open a bale of silage made the previous may. Than giving half the day bollixing with a tractor and mower and a silage wagon.

Keep it simple!!!

dungfly

mf240 wrote: »

I say baler. But not for drawing grass but for making silage. Top quality silage. The very best bales can be stacked seperatly.

In spring when your rearing calves / getting out slurry/ getting out fert. And 101 other jobs. It will be a lot easier to open a bale of silage made the previous may. Than giving half the day bollixing with a tractor and mower and a silage wagon.

Keep it simple!!!

I agree a simple solution is best.