MYTH: The baler forms the bale.
People tend to think if you simply feed the hay into the baler it should come out correctly or that the baler forms the bale for them. When the bale doesn’t come out correctly, they assume it’s the baler’s fault. Really, the problem is often windrow formation. The rake makes the proper bale.

People who have a 4-foot-wide baler, for instance, need to have a windrow or swath in front of the baler that is a few inches wider than the baler to get the maximum bale density.

If you have a 3-foot windrow, and your baler is 4-foot wide, and you’re weaving through the windrow, you’re going to weave softness into the bale, whether it’s a round bale or square bale. Just by changing your windrow, it will change your bale density.

So you want a windrow that will be the same width or slightly wider than the bale chamber if you want the maximum bale density possible. This principle applies no matter what brand of baler you’re using.

You truly want the windrow just a little wider than the chamber. So if the chamber is 48 inches, then the windrow should be 52 inches wide. That way you’re rubbing the sides of the baler as the hay is coming in to get the maximum density.

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At farm-show equipment demonstrations, for instance, the rakes go through the field but it’s a challenge for the guys following with the balers to make a good bale because the rake isn’t necessarily properly set for the windrow that will match the baler coming behind it.  FG