Moisture Meter Finds Wet Hay Inside Bale

2014 - Volume #38, Issue #4, Page #18

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The baler-mounted moisture meter from Gazeeka detects slugs of wet hay inside big square bales. The meter’s microwave technology “looks” inside each bale as it exits the baler. If a wet spot is found, it paints the side of the bale.
  “One customer told me the system more than pays for itself if it prevents a bad load of hay from being sold to a buyer,” says Tony Kellen, The Fine Twine Co., distributor of the moisture meter. “You can set aside bad or marginal bales. If they do caramelize or heat up, they haven’t been shipped or stored with other bales.”
  The meter includes 2 antennae mounted to either side of the baler. Bales are checked without stopping. An LCD display unit mounted in the cab provides a constant stream of updates of maximum (peak) and average moisture readings.
  “If the meter detects a moisture level above the preset point, it puts a red mark on the bale where the moisture was detected,” explains Kellen. “If you want, it can give an audible alert if the moisture is above or below set points.”
  The units are calibrated for cereal hay, alfalfa and grass hay. They have been tested against Dairyland Labs’ oven dry samples and found to be accurate to within 0.5 percent.
  Kellen says the technology was developed for the mining industry. A transmitting antenna generates and transmits a beam of microwave energy into the bale. A passive receiving antenna on the opposite side collects microwave energy not absorbed by the bale. A cable carries that data back to the first antenna where it is compared with how much energy was originally transmitted. The speed of transmission and the amount absorbed indicates the moisture level in the bale. Water slows the speed of the microwaves.
  “The Gazeeka meter only requires 4 bolt holes on the back of the baler for mounting,” says Kellen. “AGCO Hesston 2014 balers have the holes pre-drilled. Extensive and clear directions are provided in the manual.”
  To date, most of Kellen’s sales have been in southern and southwestern states, but he sees the greatest need in more humid areas. He says the Gazeeka meter is superior to other moisture testing systems that use probes or test the surface.
  “The Gazeeka shoots about 50 waves per second, reading about 1/3 of the hay inside the bale. With a Rheostat tester, if there is a slug in the middle of the bale, you’ll never know it. The Gazeeka will catch it.”
  The Gazeeka baler-mounted moisture tester has a suggested retail price of $7,299.
  Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, The Fine Twine Co.,  4833 Kingbird Ave, Alton, Iowa 51003 (ph 712 898-7713; 866 999-1006; info@thefinetwineco.com; www.thefinetwineco.com).

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Moisture Meter Finds Wet Hay Inside Bale BALE HANDLING The baler-mounted moisture meter from Gazeeka detects slugs of wet hay inside big square bales The meter’s microwave technology “looks” inside each bale as it exits the baler If a wet spot is found it paints the side of the bale “One customer told me the system more than pays for itself if it prevents a bad load of hay from being sold to a buyer ” says Tony Kellen The Fine Twine Co distributor of the moisture meter “You can set aside bad or marginal bales If they do caramelize or heat up they haven’t been shipped or stored with other bales ” The meter includes 2 antennae mounted to either side of the baler Bales are checked without stopping An LCD display unit mounted in the cab provides a constant stream of updates of maximum peak and average moisture readings “If the meter detects a moisture level above the preset point it puts a red mark on the bale where the moisture was detected ” explains Kellen “If you want it can give an audible alert if the moisture is above or below set points ” The units are calibrated for cereal hay alfalfa and grass hay They have been tested against Dairyland Labs’ oven dry samples and found to be accurate to within 0 5 percent Kellen says the technology was developed for the mining industry A transmitting antenna generates and transmits a beam of microwave energy into the bale A passive receiving antenna on the opposite side collects microwave energy not absorbed by the bale A cable carries that data back to the first antenna where it is compared with how much energy was originally transmitted The speed of transmission and the amount absorbed indicates the moisture level in the bale Water slows the speed of the microwaves “The Gazeeka meter only requires 4 bolt holes on the back of the baler for mounting ” says Kellen “AGCO Hesston 2014 balers have the holes pre-drilled Extensive and clear directions are provided in the manual ” To date most of Kellen’s sales have been in southern and southwestern states but he sees the greatest need in more humid areas He says the Gazeeka meter is superior to other moisture testing systems that use probes or test the surface “The Gazeeka shoots about 50 waves per second reading about 1/3 of the hay inside the bale With a Rheostat tester if there is a slug in the middle of the bale you’ll never know it The Gazeeka will catch it ” The Gazeeka baler-mounted moisture tester has a suggested retail price of $7 299 Contact: FARM SHOW Followup The Fine Twine Co  4833 Kingbird Ave Alton Iowa 51003 ph 712 898-7713; 866 999-1006; info@thefinetwineco com; www thefinetwineco com

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