One Man Automatic Bale Wrap Machine

One man automatic bale wrap machine HAY & FORAGE HARVESTING Bale Handling (5) 14-1-26 One man can load, wrap, transport and stack round silage bales and never leave the tractor with the new "System-Bee" bale wrap machine, according to Farm Bag Supply, a distributor based in Glenford, Ohio. "System Bee" is manufactured by Acme-Gerrard Ltd., in England, where farmers have used it for three years. The unit mounts on either the tractor's front end loader or 3-pt. hitch, and loads, wraps and stacks 5 by 4 ft. or 4 by 4 ft. bales in one automatic operation. Two large 5 ft. long cylindrical tines, which move back and forth horizon-tally to adjust to varying bale size, pick up the bale and turn it while an overhead rotating arm wraps the bale twice around with a 50% overlap, in effect applying four layers of specially formulated "pre-stretch" film. "Other bale wrappers require one tractor and operator to operate the bale wrapping machine and another tractor and operator to haul bales away with a front-end loader. They also require that the operator get off the tractor to start the film and get off again to cut the film off. With the System Bee, all you need is a tractor and an operator, and you never have to get off the tractor. It takes only about 2 min. to wrap one bale. It'll wrap bales faster than two balers can make them," says company representative Marge Willey. A patented clamp arm cuts off the end of the plastic and holds it for the next bale. Another unique feature of the baler is that it pre-stretches the plastic film so that when bales shrink during storage, the wrap retains its tension, keeping air out to keep mold and weight loss to a minimum, according to Willey. "The same machine that wraps bales transports them so you never have to worry about puncturing the film. However, if you do accidentally puncture the bale, the tightness of the stretch wrap keeps air from permeating between the wrapping and silage and confines bale damage to the area of wrap damage." Willey says it costs about $3 to wrap one 4 by 4 ft. bale. Sells for $11,743 (demos sell for less.). For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Farm Bag Supply, Inc., 9500 Brownsville Rd. S.E., Glenford, Ohio 43739 (ph 800 327-6224, in Ohio call 614 787-1832).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.