wire tie bales

**fordson major** · #1 12/23/12, 04:14 PM

has anyone used a wire tie square baler? how heavy can you make the bales? looking at tieing up some bales to make a straw bale wall and had a thought that maybe a wire tie would work better than plastic baler twine.

Old Vet · #2 12/23/12, 04:29 PM

I have used both and the string tie is the best. they will hold the asme as far as strength but the string tie is more common and you can find it anywhere.Wire is hard to find at some locations.

oregon woodsmok · #3 12/23/12, 05:40 PM

I've bought a lot of alfalfa in 160 pound bales, wire tied. I don't think you'd get straw that heavy. It's a lighter weight product.

Wire will hold up a heck of a lot better to the weather and sunlight if you are using the bales to build something outdoors.

sammyd · #4 12/23/12, 09:44 PM

even straw will make heavy bales with wire.
As a kid I used to drive while dad stacked bales on the wagon. One year we were down in OH and dad and I baled up some barley straw for his brother. I wondered why he only stacked them 3 high instead of 6. Tried lifting one and found out....

dkhern · #5 12/23/12, 09:49 PM

its been years since ive fooled w/hay but here used to bail w/twine sold by bale ocassonally would get parrie hay baled to be sold by on always baled w/wire some would be over 100# same size so one is 2.5 - 3x the density of other. imo no way to get twine as dense as wire

catahoula · #6 12/23/12, 09:53 PM

mice aint gettin' through wire...just sayin'

You are looking for structural, go with wire.

FarmboyBill · #7 12/23/12, 09:57 PM

I have a wire tie bailer. Theys all that was used down here in NE Okla. Up home, in NE Kans, all they used was twine bailers. AND THAT after everybody everywhere used wire on the old stationary bailers. My grandad was part owner of one of the first bailers, and I can remember seeing some of the ties from it in the barn

Paquebot · #8 12/23/12, 10:12 PM

We never weighed any bales but I'm almost certain that there never was a bale less than 100# from our Case wire tie, hay or straw. Step-uncle made certain that every inch of the wires were used with no concern for anyone having to handle those bales. They produced a generation of farm boys with shoulders like the Incredible Hulk.

Martin

rambler · #9 12/23/12, 10:28 PM

Interesting question as to building with. Do you want a solid but lighter bale for insulation and ease of building? I'd think plastic would be the way to go.

Get a real heavy wire bale, will it work as well for building?

I've only seen one wire tie baler in my life, they were not liked here. At all. Seems wire is popular to the West, and not in the Midwest.

Paul

**fordson major** · #10 12/24/12, 07:05 AM

thanks for the info, one of the reasons for wire tie that i was thinking was mouse damage!! Old vet, string tie is real easy for me, have had the baler for ten years now (others before that) and while it needs work to the knotters to tie plastic, it ties sisal just fine. even the plastic ties were not mouse proof! like you Paul, only seen one wire tie baler in my life, an old oliver i think (40 years ago) not sure if i could retro fit our New Holland or not! neighbor buys equipment all over North America, so if i want a wire tie, he can supply either baler or knotters. density of the bales may mean that heavier is not the way to go! more research! OS, you coat the structure with a plaster mix after stacking, supposed to be very fire proof and warm.

pancho · #11 12/24/12, 09:27 AM

We used to have one of those stationary balers.
You could make a bale of hay any size or weight you wanted.
It was easy to make a hay bale that you could pick up with one hand or a bale that would take two men to lift.

fishhead · #12 12/24/12, 11:34 AM

I've bought alfalfa bales that were 3'x8' and weighed either 400 or 600 lbs and they were tied with plastic string.

Plastic won't rust either.

fantasymaker · #13 12/25/12, 12:17 AM

If your talking small squares wire will make a much tighter bale. Better insulation value and easer to build with.If your going to build something structural look for straw from a center feed baler.
the reason for twine is a bite or two of twine wont puncture a gut.

oregon woodsmok · #14 12/25/12, 02:29 PM

It's been so long since I bought hay with wire that I can't even remember when. It's been decades.

Ya can't homestead without baling wire to do odd jobs. I had to buy a roll of baling wire. That thing is sitting in my shop and I am always cutting off a length to use for some job or another. Best money I ever spent.

Paquebot · #15 12/25/12, 03:58 PM

The Case that we had didn't take a spool of wire, they were pre-cut and formed with a loop on one end. They were sold in bundles that just fit into a tube on the baler. Took 2 people to operate in addition to tractor driver and loader. On one side, a rider set the shuttle and fed the wires. Rider on the other side tied them by putting the bare end through the loop and twisting it back once around. Best use of the wire was to only have an inch that wasn't used. There was not a dirtier job on the entire farm than the tying side of those balers. Still wasn't enough to make me want to go back to putting up loose hay.

Martin