How was hay baled in the 1800s?

Asked by: Josh Hawkins

The first hay baling equipment was invented in the late 1800s. These early baling machines were stationary, and the hay had to come to it. Hay was carried by hand to wagons that then took the hay to these early balers, where the machine pressed the hay into square bales.

How did they make hay in the old days?

It had to be hand-cut with a sickle or scythe and hand-raked with a wooden rake or fork. On a good day, a farmer could harvest 1 acre of hay. Not enough. Believe it or not, this was an improvement over hay production from 1640 to the early 1700s.

What is the process of baling hay?

Round bales are made by pulling the hay into the baler, which winds or rolls the hay until it reaches the size set for the bale, at which time twine or netting is wrapped around the bale to maintain its shape. The bale is then dropped from the rear of the baler and can be moved by a tractor with a bale spear.

When was the first pick up baler invented?

Nebraskan Ummo F. Leubben invented the first modern baler in 1903 and patented it in 1910. Leubben’s machine gathered the hay, rolled it into a large round bale, tied it and ejected it from the machine. In 1940 he sold the rights to Allis-Chalmers, which adapted his ideas to develop its Roto-Baler, released in 1947.

Who invented the first baler?

Farmers were saved from the backbreaking chore of slinging hay bales in the 1960s, when Iowa State agricultural engineering professor Wesley Buchele and a group of student researchers invented a baler that produced large, round bales that could be moved by tractor.

How was hay baled before balers?

Baling Hay

These early baling machines were stationary, and the hay had to come to it. Hay was carried by hand to wagons that then took the hay to these early balers, where the machine pressed the hay into square bales. By the 1930s, hay baling equipment could be pulled by tractors and pick up the hay from the ground.

How is hay harvested?

Hay can be raked into rows as it is cut, then turned periodically to dry, particularly if a modern swather is used. Or, especially with older equipment or methods, the hay is cut and allowed to lie spread out in the field until it is dry, then raked into rows for processing into bales afterwards.

How long can hay lay before baling?

Subject: RE: How long does your hay lay to bale dry? Cut first thing in the morning, ted about 2-4 hours later, do nothing the next day, rake as soon as dew is off (-48 hours after cutting), let dry about 3 hours, and bale. Sometime takes an extra day to dry or occasionally a day less if perfect weather.

Is it OK to cut hay in the rain?

If hay has partially dried and become brittle, quality can especially be lost to leafy forage when rained on after being cut. The force of the rain shatters the leaves which are the highly digestible and high protein portion of the crop. Rainfall shortly after cutting is likely to be less of a problem.

Can you mow hay with dew on the grass?

Hay Master

First the old wives tell us to cut after the dew to prevent the spread of fungal diseases. Hay that is spread out full width behind the machine, will dry faster than hay that is dropped into a windrow. .. Hay that has 5 hours of direct sunshine will be dried where the leaves are drier than 42% Moisture.

When were straw balers invented?

September 1931

In September 1931, the very first CLAAS patented straw baler, a “Press-Bu-Bi”, left the plant in Harsewinkel. Its advantage over the existing binder technology lay in the fact that straw could now be pressed in dense, uniform bales, providing a far more compact product for storage purposes.

When was the first square hay baler used?

Many people argue that the small square bale is all but a history lesson . . . but is it? Nolt, a Pennsylvania Dutchman, invented the prototype for the small square baler back in the 1930s. His patent was purchased and mass produced during the 1940s. It was an instant hit on farms across the United States.

When did square bales of hay start?

Back in the 1950s and ’60s, most hay was put up in small square bales (also called conventional bales in some parts of the world). These small rectangular-shaped bales usually weighed 20-25 kilos (50-60 pounds). They were shaped in a way that they could be stacked by hand in a hayloft or barn until they were needed.

When did round hay bales come out?

People report using the Roto-baler as early as 1947. Actually, two brothers in Nebraska invented the concept of a round bale in the late 19th century, and received patents in the early 1900s.

Why do we need a hay baler?

The baler gathers the cut hay from the windrow and compresses it into square- or round-shaped bales for easy transportation and storage. Most hay is stored as bales, with small square bales weighing 40-70 pounds (18-32 kg) and large round bales weighing 750-2,000 pounds (341-908 kg).

How much is a baler?

Balers costing below $100,000 can be generally classified as low production balers. A mainstream high-production baler can cost between $100,000 and $750,000 or more depending on options. Ferrous balers can cost between $180,000 to $1 million.

Why do hay bales sit in fields?

Spoilage Due to Weather

Round bales do have less ground exposure so the water can run off instead of soak in like it might with square hay bales that are resting almost completely on the ground. What is this? If the round bales are packed tightly, this makes it harder for water to get in, too.

What is a cardboard crusher called?

Cardboard Balers, also known as cardboard compactors or cardboard crushers, are a popular machine that is designed to compress cardboard boxes or other bulk packaging materials.

How much is a square bale of hay?

From the hay market, square bales, on average, will cost you between $3 and $10 per bale, but some farmers prefer selling their hay per pound, in which case such a bale will be around 50 pounds.

How many bales of hay do horses eat a day?

A horse can eat anywhere from 15-25 pounds of hay a day, which generally equates to a half of a 45/50-pound square bale of hay per day (~15-30 bales per month).

Why is hay so expensive?

Drought, excessive rain and a late spring hay harvest are causing prices to rise on hay. The weather last year, over the winter of 2018-2019, and the wet end of winter this year are causing hay prices to soar, according to several sources.

Is it cheaper to buy hay or make it?

In most environments where forage production is based on natural rainfall, you can almost always buy hay cheaper than you can produce it.

What is the machine called that cuts hay?

A tedder (also called hay tedder) is a machine used in haymaking. It is used after cutting and before windrowing, and uses moving forks to aerate or “wuffle” the hay and thus speed up the process of hay-making. The use of a tedder allows the hay to dry (“cure”) better, which results in improved aroma and color.

Is growing hay easy?

Commercial farms have little difficulty raising hay or sourcing out their needs, but smaller farmers and urban hobbyists can also grow, harvest and bale hay even on a smaller scale. Haying can be challenging, and some farmers simply enjoy that challenge.