I have a neighbor looking at round balers. Going to do wet and dry. Refuses to get a string baler. Wants net wrap. What are your thoughts about chain vs. belt? Or other comments to the idea.

I was in the custom haybaling business when I was in college. Net wrap is the easiest on the person running the equipment. You can tie a bale out in about 15 seconds vs. about 50 seconds on twine. I always ran belt balers. Chain balers are a thing of the past, although my uncle runs one and likes it (it is realy slow and doesn't make a pretty bale). I don't know if they even make chain balers anymore. Net wrap is more expensive per bale, but I think it last longer than twine (if you are storing hay for more than one year, this is important).

On the flipside, if I am the one feeding the hay, I like twine the best. It is easier to get off of the bale. That's my two cents.

Have had chain made bales in the past. Seemed soft and spongey to me.

This year have been feeding net wrapped. Stored inside but don't really see how much rot would be avoided if they were outside.

Net is easier to get off, I think, than twine. But these are inside-no frozen stuff to cut through.

Also seems to me that the net wrapped tear loose easier, but I use a Vermeer bale cart to move not a spear.

Net wrap are a little better than twine if you move them 2 or 4 times easer to load to hall on a truck load looks better. If I'm going to feed them I want twine tied hate the net wraped if you unroll them you need to take the net off. then burn it or dispose of it. Net tears real easy Just got done on 40 loads of net wraped 2 years old half of net was gone bales looked like marshmellows 1550 lbs bales.

Chain type work OK if you like to weave back and forth to keep your bale uniform. Seems like the bars got bent often. Belts do wear out but can be replaced fairly easily. We've used net wrap bales for about five years now, and we love them. Stored outside on wood pallets and covered with tarps. They don't freeze to the ground and they don't rot on the bottom. 800 lb. bales, unwrap pretty easy when stood on end.

There is still a chain baler available with Krone.If I am buying it would be chain and bar.I have had 2 belt balers and 2 chain and bar balers and the chain and bar is for me. I would not consider them a thing of the past. I do both dry and wet with mine and the bales are better than the belt bales without the hassle given by belts at times.Everything wears out with age but the chain and bar last longer than the belts at least the belt balers I have had.

Net wrap is good except for the taking it off in cold weather on wrapped bales or outside stored bales.Otherwise they work but I still prefer twine and don't get much spoilage with mine.Need some bedding anyway.I use sisal twine so that it isn't a problem if I don't get it all off in the winter.

If bales are spongy the bale tension needs to be adjusted.I use a New Holland 848 which uses air shock absorbers for the tension method.

Hope this helps some.

my farming partner has both a chain and belt balers the belt baler has not been used in several yrs the hay with it had to be dry as can be or it would wad up on the belt rollers and then the belts would start walking. had to spend more time cleaning rollers than baling the chain baler is a nh and yes the bales are alot softer and will egg out in just a short time but i need to also add the way we have been doing it is start cutting early this morning tetter it that evening and bale the next day the bales sometimes will be smoking but the cows will lick the ground and get every crumb of it up when we unroll it the middle almost smells like it pickles the baler is a 1976 model and all we have done to it is replace 1 bearing and the drive belt couldnt ask for it to do any better but i will caution if chain bales are left out in the weather there will be about 40% more loss where they dont bale real tight

leaf lose?

There was an ongoing theory that there was too much leaf loss with the chain and bar but the best I could see with my comparison of the 2 types,there was not anymore either way.

Again I will say that there is not a need to have soft bales with the chain and bar.Have to watch the tension with the air models as they will leak air and lose tension over time.I don't think Krone uses that type of tension.Have to go to the dealers today so will check.

I have used both . I like the chain baler the best , I roll most of my hay as the sun is going down , no leaf lose this way . If you read your baler book they will tell you not to roll in heat of day . Belt baler is ok but have trouble with the belts flipping and will not roll once the sun goes down .I no longer sell hay or roll for anyone else so if my bale is a little loose dose'nt really matter . The belt baler will roll a tighter bale unless you have the air bags .