Classifieds spotlight: Hay tools you will need to make quality bales

With plenty of rainfall across the country this year, farmers are expecting a great harvest all round regardless of what they’ve sown, whether it be grass, hay or grain. In fact, experts are predicting a bumper year for grain harvest, which could be up by 71 per cent compared to last year.

Spring has sprung which means farmers are getting ready to mow, rake, bale and wrap hay. So we looked into our classifieds section to pick a few items that we think will help you make the most of your hay production this season.

The first step is crucial to determining the quality of the silage or hay product, so having a decent mower or mower conditioner to do the job properly is of utmost importance.

Mowers simply chop up the grass ready for the next step whereas mower conditioners have added rollers or crimpers within the machine that crushes or ‘wrings’ the grass to allow faster and more even drying.

German manufacturer CLAAS produces a comprehensive range of haymaking tools. The company said its DISCO mowers are capable of moving independently from tractor front linkage and follow the ground contour closely for more efficient mowing.

In 2018, its DISCO 1100RC mower conditioner even smashed a word record by clearing 141.1ha of lucerne in eight hours!

This CLAAS Disco 3200F mower for sale in Victoria is 3m wide and has only done one season so far. It comes with new blades ready to be put straight to work.

Location: Victoria

Condition: Used

Price: $19,800 (excluding government charges)

Find other hay mowers and mower conditioners for sale

The next step after cutting up the hay is to use a tedder to ‘aerate’ and spread the grass out so the grass dries quicker and better in preparation for raking or windrowing.

Tedders are especially important in regions where humidity is high and hay might not dry as quickly or easily. If hay is too wet and is simply left to dry without getting spread out, they might mould before they make it into hay bales.

We found this brand new Minos tedder for sale in Victoria that has a width of 5.5m but can fold up hydraulically to a width of less than 3m for easy transportation. The seller said it has a simple structure which makes it easy to service and maintain.

Location: Victoria

Condition: New

Price: $13,950

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Once the hay has been aerated and is dry enough for baling, farmers would then deploy rakes to get the hay ready for baling.

The rakes serve to further fluff up the hay and move them into windrows ready for balers to pick up. There are several types of rakes available on the market including rotary rakes, wheel rakes and belt rakes.

This Sitrex H90-V8 wheel rake for sale has eight rake wheels configured in a V-shape with a working width of 6.1m. It can fold hydraulically to a width of 3.6m for transport. The seller said it “has done very little work” and is in near new condition.

Location: NSW

Condition: Used

Price: $7700

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The last step of the process is to collect all the hay, once it’s dry enough, and compress it into bales with a baler. There are two types of balers on the market – round or square.

Deciding between a round or square baler really depends on how you will be storing your bales, and also the size of your operation. Square bales are smaller, therefore easier to handle and store while large round bales are heavier and requires more effort to move around. However, round balers are less susceptible to spoilage due to the density and are more cost effective especially for larger feedlots.

Krone is a well-known brand when it comes to its hay range, featuring the best of German technology that is well suited to Australian conditions.

Its Krone Comprima round balers are tried and tested in the industry, featuring a variable chamber with two belt and slat elevators that wrap the entire bale from the core.

This Krone Comprima V180XC for sale is capable of producing bales with widths between 0.9m and 1.8m and looks to be in excellent condition.

Location: Vic

Condition: Used

Price: $42,000 (excluding government charges)

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After baling, farmers might decide to wrap the bales in net or plastic for various reasons. For one, wrapping the bales helps them hold their shape and density. Secondly, it prevents rain from damaging the bales, if farmers choose to store their hay outside.

Plastic wraps also keeps oxygen out which prevents the bales from moulding.

Some balers even have integrated wrappers which completes the job in one pass instead of farmers having to handle the baling and wrapping separately.

McHale is another trusted name in haymaking that hails from Ireland. We spotted a McHale 991 high speed bale wrapper for sale in Townsville, QLD in excellent condition.

The wrapper has two aluminium dispensers which help maintain a consistent stretch on the film and maximise film usage. The seller bought the machine new in 2016 and has wrapped under 1000 bales.

Location: QLD

Condition: Used

Price: $44,000 (excluding government charges)

Find other bale wrappers for sale

Whatever else you might need for hay making and handling – including bale grabs, loaders, elevators, wagons and forks- you can find them here on farmachinerysales.com.au