Ultra-Wide Baler Belts Eliminate Plugging Problems, Save Leaves

Ultra-Wide Baler Belts Eliminate Plugging Problems, Save Leaves HAY & FORAGE HARVESTING Balers (6) 24-2-39 If you own a belt-type round baler, you'll want to take a look at what Manitoba farmer Jake Wiebe has been doing to his baler. Wiebe called FARM SHOW one day to tell us about the idea he came up with for his New Idea soft center 484 baler. "A couple 4-in. wide belts went bad. I replaced the two belts with a single 10-in. wide belt. I had to take out the divider between the two belts. It worked so well I decided I might as well go wider. I just replaced all the belts with a single 5-ft. wide strip of rubber belting. "My dealer looked at me funny when I told him I wanted a 5-ft. wide baler belt. But after he thought about it, he said he figured it just might work." The belting Wiebe used is the same material as regular belts are made of. The material is made in wide strips and then cut to size for each particular baler. You just have to request full-width strips. He installed the wide belts himself using regular lacing on the ends. The only modification he had to make to the baler was to take off the spacers that go between the belts. "Hay no longer can get stuck between the belts and I'm loosing less leaves out of the baler. It seems to run smoother and the repair was quick and easy to make," says Wiebe. His New Idea baler has several sections of belt. He is gradually replacing each section as they go bad. He's looked at other belt-type balers and says he sees no reason why the idea shouldn't work on them, too. He says the wide belts were no more difficult to handle and he feels the wide belt is stronger and should last longer than individual belts. If you decide to try it, Wiebe suggests you shop around for belting. He got widely different prices from different dealers. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jake Wiebe, RR1, Winnipogis, Manitoba R0C 2G0 Canada (ph 204 656-4468).

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