What's new

Welcome to obtun | Welcome My Forum

Join us now to get access to all our features. Once registered and logged in, you will be able to create topics, post replies to existing threads, give reputation to your fellow members, get your own private messenger, and so, so much more. It's also quick and totally free, so what are you waiting for?

Hay Baler Vs Corn Silage Baler [Side By Side] — Farm & Animals

Hoca

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Mar 21, 2024
Messages
172
Reaction score
0
Points
16
While you’re purchasing for farm gear, it’s essential to grasp what you’re getting your self into. Realizing the variations between a hay baler vs corn silage baler is one distinction you’ll must make.

Can I Use a Hay Baler for Baling Corn Silage?​

Can I Use a Hay Baler for Baling Corn Silage

Hay Baler

Earlier than we delve deeper into the variations between hay balers and corn silage balers, it’s essential to reply a query that lots of people have.

Can you utilize a hay baler for different duties, like baling corn silage? If the reply is sure, then that’s excellent news as a result of it means you possibly can reduce on the lengthy checklist of different gear you may must buy.

Nevertheless, the reply is extra sophisticated than a easy sure.

The difficulty with baling corn silage (or silage of any sort) is that it’s a lot wetter than what you’d usually bale. So whereas you should utilize a hay baler to bale corn silage, there’s likelihood that the moist forage will rot – that’s, if it even stays within the bale.

There are balers which might be designed particularly to deal with the duty, which known as baleage. On this course of, every bale is wrapped in hermetic plastic. This permits fermentation to happen throughout the bale – one thing that might occur in a standard coated pit or silo, too. Most baleage is made with hay however you might additionally use corn so long as it’s correctly chopped.

Hay Baler vs. Corn Silage Baler – the Variations​

Corn silage baler difference

Corn Silage Baler

Listed below are some key variations between hay balers and corn silage balers.

Perform​


Hay balers are supposed to bale dry hay, whereas corn silage balers are used for silage.

What’s the distinction between the 2?

Hay is solely dried grass – normally with a moisture content material of 12%. Silage has a moisture content material of as much as 60%. Whereas the latter can be saved in bales, it’s normally not. As an alternative, it’s compacted and saved in hermetic circumstances with out being dried. Right here, it’s allowed to ferment.

Hay might be coated with plastic to maintain the weather off of it, however it doesn’t should be. Silage is at all times coated tightly.

Silage can feed all types of animals, simply as hay can. Cattle can eat each sorts of feed. Nevertheless, silage has the next vitality content material so it could go a bit additional on the farm. It’s extra simply digested as effectively.

You don’t should have a corn silage baler with the intention to produce corn silage. Nevertheless, having a corn silage baler is useful, providing many benefits over storing silage in silos. It gives animals:

  • Elevated milk yield and reside weight acquire
  • Improved milk and meat high quality
  • Higher animal wholesome
  • Improved diet

Wrapped silage bales additionally take up much less house and might enhance total profitability. Silage bales take away oxygen at baling and preserve oxygen out, resulting in much less spoilage and waste.

Right here’s a video exhibiting you the way maize silage is baled:

Historical past of Use​


Hay balers have been round for a few years. In reality, the primary baling machines have been stationary models that have been developed within the 1800s. Corn silage balers, however, are a lot newer sorts of know-how.

These have solely been used since 2003, with the primary chopped maize and corn silage produced by the Orkel MP2000.

Although the know-how is comparatively new, corn silage balers (also called maize balers) are extraordinarily widespread and simple to search out, utilized in greater than three dozen international locations.

Value​


Hay balers value round $500 to $25,000 relying on what sort of know-how you’re excited by buying. Small sq. balers are cheaper than people who produce giant spherical bales.

Don’t neglect that you simply’ll additionally must put money into the equipment to function the baler, too, similar to a rake, mower, and tractor. Many of those are additionally wanted when working a silage baler, too.

A corn silage baler will value wherever between $50,000 and $70,000 for a brand new machine. It’s potential to search out cheaper used fashions on the market, too, however these are much less widespread because the know-how continues to be comparatively new.

It’s additionally essential to recollect that you’ll want to purchase wrapping machines and plastic for wrapping if you’re contemplating the price of silage balers, too. Though these are bills that is perhaps included for hay balers, too (in case you select to wrap your bales), they’re non-compulsory for hay balers whereas they’re obligatory for corn silage balers.

Count on to pay $6,000 to $12,000 per wrapping machine and round $3 to $4 in wrapping per bale of silage baled.

An alternative choice to wrapping silage bales is wrapping. This may be cheaper, but in addition extra technically challenging to execute.

Longevity of Bales​


You is perhaps questioning which machine will produce bales that last more in storage – a hay baler or corn silage baler. The reply to this query is difficult, too, because you’re speaking about various kinds of completed merchandise.

The typical hay bale will final indefinitely whether it is saved in perfect circumstances – however perfect circumstances are arduous to search out. Even when hay bales are wrapped they’ll solely final (at finest) for 3 years). The time is dramatically decreased if moisture is current or if the hay is saved outdoor.

Silage bales will preserve their feed worth for about 12 months. Once more, that is beneath perfect circumstances. The suitable moisture stage must be attained and the plastic has to have minimal holes in it. Even so, it’s best practice to feed silage bales inside 9 months.

The place To Purchase​


You should purchase hay balers and corn silage balers from most agricultural gear sellers. In fact, there are many on-line retailers to take a look at in addition to commerce exhibits you possibly can attend, too.

There’s not a lot of a distinction right here with regards to the place you’ll purchase your machine. The one one to notice is that, since corn silage balers are comparatively new applied sciences, they are often more durable to search out inside a used resale market.

Which is Higher?​


When figuring out whether or not you should purchase a hay baler vs. corn silage baler, it’s actually as much as you to determine which one will probably be finest.

Once more, neither is best – however every does have very particular functions. Get the correct instrument for the job as an alternative of making an attempt to cobble collectively an answer with equipment that’s not correctly suited to the job!
 
Top Bottom