Weight of hay bales

No Pants

Was out for a spin on the bike and I saw a shed full of round bales. I remember lifting regular rectangular bales when I was a kid. How much does each type weigh, approximately?

Dtp1979

No Pants wrote: »

Was out for a spin on the bike and I saw a shed full of round bales. I remember lifting regular rectangular bales when I was a kid. How much does each type weigh, approximately?

Think the round bale is a ton.

sheebadog

Dtp1979 wrote: »

Think the round bale is a ton.

Not a prayer.

Conmaicne Mara

Small square bale of hay is supposed to weight 3 stone/42lbs/19kg.

But they often don't due to one sale wonders baling them light or short for "sale".

Should be a law, not kidding either.

Sam Kade

Dtp1979 wrote: »

Think the round bale is a ton.

A ton of hay in a round bale 2-300kg more like depending on the size of the bale and how well packed it is. Small square bales weigh around 20-25kg

Sam Kade

Conmaicne Mara wrote: »

Small square bale of hay is supposed to weight 3 stone/42lbs/19kg.

But they often don't due to one sale wonders baling them light or short for "sale".

Should be a law, not kidding either.

I know a fella that was baling straw for sale one time and someone told him there wasn't enough straw in the bale to hatch a hen

Conmaicne Mara

Sam Kade wrote: »

I know a fella that was baling straw for sale one time and someone told him there wasn't enough straw in the bale to hatch a hen

Last fella brought me good heavy bales of decent hay, but I had him well warned that ordered or not they hadn't been paid for and they wouldn't be leaving the truck if they were shyte or half pans.

Couple of sellers at the mart in Maam Cross should be ran out of the place, pure con artists.

No Pants

Thanks for the answers so far. What's the advantage in round bales? I would have thought that they'd be more difficult/less efficient to store.

Genghis Cant

No Pants wrote: »

Thanks for the answers so far. What's the advantage in round bales? I would have thought that they'd be more difficult/less efficient to store.

No manual handling.
Better weather resistance.

GrandSoftDay

Conmaicne Mara wrote: »

Last fella brought me good heavy bales of decent hay, but I had him well warned that ordered or not they hadn't been paid for and they wouldn't be leaving the truck if they were shyte or half pans.

Couple of sellers at the mart in Maam Cross should be ran out of the place, pure con artists.

I seen bales somewhere last week and they were as tall as they were long

mayota

GrandSoftDay wrote: »

I seen bales somewhere last week and they were as tall as they were long

A new meaning to 'square' bales.

Sam Kade

Any hay I made this year and last I packed the sh1te out of the bales with a Welger rp 12 baler less bales and less storage

Conmaicne Mara

GrandSoftDay wrote: »

I seen bales somewhere last week and they were as tall as they were long

Same fella would be as close to you as me I reckon, he must get around!

GERMAN ROCKS

id say they wouldn't want to be packed too much either like silage bales. more chance of heating.
definatly with straw them wouldn't want to be packed as muc. they turn into cakes of bales and stick together

sheebadog

GERMAN ROCKS wrote: »

id say they wouldn't want to be packed too much either like silage bales. more chance of heating.
definatly with straw them wouldn't want to be packed as muc. they turn into cakes of bales and stick together

I make 5x4 packed to 190bar pressure which is the max. These would weigh between 480 and 500kgs.

GERMAN ROCKS

sheebadog wrote: »

I make 5x4 packed to 190bar pressure which is the max. These would weigh between 480 and 500kgs.

hay, straw or silage?

sheebadog

GERMAN ROCKS wrote: »

hay, straw or silage?

Hay.

Sam Kade

GERMAN ROCKS wrote: »

id say they wouldn't want to be packed too much either like silage bales. more chance of heating.
definatly with straw them wouldn't want to be packed as muc. they turn into cakes of bales and stick together

If any bales heat it means it was baled before it was fit. Hay fit to bale won't heat no matter how packed the bales are.

sheebadog

Sam Kade wrote: »

If any bales heat it means it was baled before it was fit. Hay fit to bale won't heat no matter how packed the bales are.

They will. I have to leave them out for at least two weeks or they heat. That's why they make "buns" in Ireland.
Big squares are worse for heating and need to be left out and turned.

triggerharvey

Dtp1979 wrote: »

Think the round bale is a ton.

id love to get the man who makes your bales

Damo810

triggerharvey wrote: »

id love to get the man who makes your bales

I'd rather be the man selling them to him!

farmerjj

sheebadog wrote: »

They will. I have to leave them out for at least two weeks or they heat. That's why they make "buns" in Ireland.
Big squares are worse for heating and need to be left out and turned.

I never left hay out more than a night and never have a problem with bales heating no matter how packed. If there fit for baling there fit for the shed.

sheebadog

farmerjj wrote: »

I never left hay out more than a night and never have a problem with bales heating no matter how packed. If there fit for baling there fit for the shed.

Ok. I'm talking about the highest quality hay. Not old hay meadow that's as dry as straw before it's cut.
The sort of hay that today's Derby winner eats.
Big difference.

Sam Kade

farmerjj wrote: »

I never left hay out more than a night and never have a problem with bales heating no matter how packed. If there fit for baling there fit for the shed.

Exactly but sheebadog is in France so I would presume he is baling more grassy type hay.

farmerjj

sheebadog wrote: »

Ok. I'm talking about the highest quality hay. Not old hay meadow that's as dry as straw before it's cut.
The sort of hay that today's Derby winner eats.
Big difference.

I,l talking about good quality hay to.

sheebadog

farmerjj wrote: »

I,l talking about good quality hay to.

Of course. If I make hay in 35+ degree weather with close to zero humidity, tell me what I'm doing wrong.

farmerjj

sheebadog wrote: »

Of course. If I make hay in 35+ degree weather with close to zero humidity, tell me what I'm doing wrong.

How could i tell u that,i,m just talking from my experience.So cant understand why your experience is different

Robson99

Hay that is fit to go straight into the shed is usually left a day or two longer than it should be to be of good quality. Too much hay is burnt to a crisp before its baled. Bale it and leave it out for a week

Sam Kade

Robson99 wrote: »

Hay that is fit to go straight into the shed is usually left a day or two longer than it should be to be of good quality. Too much hay is burnt to a crisp before its baled. Bale it and leave it out for a week

I baled hay after 3 days this year still green and in the shed now with no heat. If you round bale hay that isn't fit it will heat.

yellow50HX

Dtp1979 wrote: »

Think the round bale is a ton.

Hardly!

Un chopped bale of silage is about 500-700 kg, silage is a little heavier then hay so I would say about 500 kg when put in the shed, over time as it drys out itll get lighter.

farm14

240kg for a 4x4 bale of hay.

Reggie.

farm14 wrote: »

240kg for a 4x4 bale of hay.

Sure you'd nearly pick that up yourself

farm14

Reggie. wrote: »

Sure you'd nearly pick that up yourself

That's all they are. Would want to be a hard fellow to do that ha

Sam Kade

farm14 wrote: »

That's all they are. Would want to be a hard fellow to do that ha

That would be about it around 200 kg dm.

jmrc

I'd agree with the 200-250kg range for the 4x4. have had to manhandle them into a trailer before and two lads would get it off the ground.
dry straw about the same, silage.... well depends on how much water is in it.. they can be up to the tonne...