All articles about Balers and wrappers

Whether making round bales or square bales of hay, straw or silage, the balers that produce them are advanced machines with technology that gives operators greater control over the bale-forming process – and bale wrapping where the bale wrapper is integrated – for efficient transport and storage.

Advice and tips

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Sharing livestock machinery: Advice and options

Justifying a new tractor or baler for a beef and sheep enterprise on a family farm is becoming increasingly hard as costs inflate to erode margins. The depreciation and power…

BALERS AND WRAPPERS

Tips for buying a second-hand New Holland square baler

New Holland has a long history in the big square baler game, having launched its iconic D1000 four-stringer in 1987 and followed it up six years later with the equally…

BALERS AND WRAPPERS

Ultimate guide to buying a big square baler 2021

New models promising further increases in bale weights, greater versatility and easier operation feature in this year’s Ultimate Guide to big square balers. The choice of models, features and specifications…

BALERS AND WRAPPERS

Ultimate guide to buying a round baler 2021

With Isobus electronics becoming increasingly popular for its common display format across different types of machines, this year’s Ultimate Guide to round balers highlights the machines on which this added-value…

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Case studies

WORKSHOP SKILLS

Winning Inventions Comp entry up for grabs in farm sale

After 53 years, several million small square bales and dozens of farm inventions, Cotswolds contractor and farm-scale engineer Frank Henderson is calling time on his career – and his bespoke…

BALERS AND WRAPPERS

Contractor adapts McHale Fusion for single-pass silage bales

Mulling over his council mowing contract in the local pub, Nottinghamshire contractor Mitch Platts devised a novel way of turning the clippings into saleable livestock feed. His ingenious plan involved…

BALERS AND WRAPPERS

Farmer builds ingenious twin-chamber double square baler

Keen to increase the pedestrian pace of small-bale hay production, Virginia farmer Rusty Inskeep designed and built a baling system that almost tripled the farm’s output. The slick setup allows…

BALERS AND WRAPPERS

Video: Homemade silage station reduces round-bale headache

After developing a strong aversion for wrapping bales in the field where the baler dropped them, Geoff Eyre wasn’t a fan of the somewhat tedious job of collecting wrapped rounds…

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Community

WORKSHOP SKILLS

Inventions Comp 2021: Mitch Platts’ single-pass McHale Fusion

In a bid to make use of surplus grass from mowing butterfly meadows and sites of special scientific interest, Nottinghamshire contractor Mitch Platts built a single-pass mower, baler and wrapper…

WORKSHOP SKILLS

Inventions Comp 2020: Bale net winch snatches second place

Thomas Mathias' bale net lifter is runner-up in the intermediate category of the Farmers Weekly Inventions Competition. A back-saving round bale net lifter was the centrepiece of Thomas Mathias’ course…

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Insights

BALERS AND WRAPPERS

Ultimate guide to buying a big square baler 2025

Having forged a partnership with Kuhn for a range of big square balers launched in Britain in 2013, John Deere has now quietly withdrawn from this market sector to concentrate…

BALERS AND WRAPPERS

Ultimate guide to buying a round baler 2025

Tougher build and technology updates for faster and easier working are among the features of the latest round balers and baler-wrappers featured in our 2025 Ultimate Guide. We look in…

BALERS AND WRAPPERS

Novel Staheli West baler attachment adds moisture to dry hay

With a prolonged hiss and machines briefly shrouded in vapour, a US commercial hay grower’s baling outfit is ready to get to work. Conditions may not be ideal; it’s a…

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News

BALERS AND WRAPPERS

Kuhn and Kubota add automation features to round balers

New automation and data collection features for round balers are among the technical innovations set to be revealed at the EIMA agricultural machinery show in Bologna, Italy. Kuhn proposes a…

BALERS AND WRAPPERS

McHale revamps fixed-chamber round balers with new F5 series

Isobus electronics feature for the first time on McHale fixed-size round balers as part of a host of upgrades that warrant a change of identity from F5000 to F5 series.…

BALERS AND WRAPPERS

Latest Vicon round balers get more automation

Moisture sensing, film binding and tractor implement management (TIM) are some of the new options available on selected Vicon round balers. The latter automates repetitive tasks such as decelerating the…

BALERS AND WRAPPERS

Claas Rollant 630 RC Uniwrap offers faster bale transfer

Claas has unveiled its third-generation round baler wrapper, which has received a smattering of updates to increase output, improve durability and make it easier to work on. Unlike the two-model…

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Test and reviews

BALERS AND WRAPPERS

Driver's view: McHale Fusion 3 Plus baler-wrapper

We get the lowdown on the McHale Fusion 3 Plus baler-wrapper run by Powys contractor Paul Brute of DS, DA & PD Brute, Gwndwnwal Farm, Llan-Talyllyn, Brecon. What made you…

BALERS AND WRAPPERS

Driver's view: Martin Rosewell's Kuhn FBP 3135 Intelliwrap

We head to Devon to meet farmer and contractor Martin Rosewell, of Chelson Farm Contractors, Salcombe Regis, who tells all about the performance of his ex-demo Kuhn FBP 3135 Intelliwrap.…

BALERS AND WRAPPERS

Driver's view: JS Haddy’s John Deere C441R Maxicut

We get the lowdown on the C441R Maxicut baler-wrapper run by Devon contractor JS Haddy, Fields and Furrows, East Allington, Devon. See also: Driver's view: John Deere 8600 self-propelled forager What…

BALERS AND WRAPPERS

Driver's view: Johannes Visser's Case-IH RB545 Silage Pack

We get the lowdown on the RB545 Silage Pack baler-wrapper run by East Sussex contractors Johannes and Wiebe Visser of J Visser Contracting, Ebeneezer Farm, Heathfield. See also: Ultimate guide to buying…

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Video

WORKSHOP SKILLS

Winning Inventions Comp entry up for grabs in farm sale

After 53 years, several million small square bales and dozens of farm inventions, Cotswolds contractor and farm-scale engineer Frank Henderson is calling time on his career – and his bespoke…

BALERS AND WRAPPERS

Video: Homemade silage station reduces round-bale headache

After developing a strong aversion for wrapping bales in the field where the baler dropped them, Geoff Eyre wasn’t a fan of the somewhat tedious job of collecting wrapped rounds…

MACHINERY

Video guide: Getting the best from a round baler

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Power Farming’s ‘Getting the best from’ series of articles and videos continues with the round baler. With the help…

MACHINERY

Video: Krone demos non-stop round baler

  Round balers are getting faster and faster, but the fact they grind to a halt every time they need to tie a bale seriously limits their potential. Several manufacturers…

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