State Of The Art Bale Wrap

State of the art bale wrap HAY & FORAGE HARVESTING Bale Handling (5) 17-2-15 Bale wrap machines have been catching on fast over the past few years but there's always been one big drawback -they take a lot of time and labor to use. Several years ago Wisconsin farmer-inventor Lloyd Krutza set out to solve the problem by designing a totally automatic 3-pt. bale wrap that lets the operator remain seated on the tractor during the wrap cycle. In fact, it'll wrap bales on-the-go while you transport them to the edge of the field or back to the farm. "I conceived the machine myself, built the prototype, and have tested it for two years on my farm. I also did the patent search, application and drawings by myself with no outside help. So far I've had interest from two manufacturers but no commitments," says Krutza. The bale wrapper has one large spear and two smaller ones. When the operator raises the bale up after spearing it, an electric switch is automatically triggered, starting the bale wrap process which takes 1 min. for a 5 by 5-ft. bale (it wraps the circumference of the bale for weather protection - it's not a silage bale wrapper). The bale is rotated by a hydraulic motor controlled by a variable speed valve. Plastic is stretched 10 to 15 percent. After plastic is cut, the bale is rotated so the loose end is on the bottom of the bale to hold it in place when it's set back down. "It's fast. I've wrapped as many as 23 randomly dropped bales in the field in an hour," says Krutza, noting that other bale wrappers require one person on the ground during wrapping to get the plastic started and to cut it off. To build the machine, Krutza used a variety of miscellaneous components including windshield wiper motors, garage door track and rollers, can opener motors, and a variety of other salvaged components. Contact FARM SHOW Followup,Lloyd Krutza, 9692 Hwy K, Amherst, Wis. 54406 (ph 715 824-3264).

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