Wrapping Bales

Some tips for wrapping bales:

★Do not over stretch the film, Ensure the maximum stretch rate of 70% is not exceeded.

★Apply a minimum of 4 layers at 50% overlap

★Inspect the bales regularly and repair any holes or other damage immediately with an approved repair tape.

★Store wrapped bales on ends only.

★Do not roll the wrapped bales as damage may occur.

★Ensure no chemicals come into contact with the film as this will cause premature breakdown.

★Use only approved baling twine.

★Prevent roll damage as this will cause the film to break when wrapping.

★Keep livestock away from wrapped bales.

★Store bales clear of vegetation that can damage the film.

★Inspect and repair any damage caused by rodents or other animals.

★Store unused film in a cool, dark, and dry area.

★This film will last for a minimum period of 12 months from time of wrapping when used in accordance with the above instructions.

★Take care handling this product as the weight excess 20kgs.

Handle the plastic with care. Throwing rolls around will damage the plastic, making it impossible for the wrap to unroll properly.

In hot weather, keep the roll boxed and in a shaded area until needed. This will limit excess tack coming out of the plastic. Film that is very tacky will cause tack build up on the stretch unit rollers, and result in the film ‘necking down’

Keep the rollers clean. Some tack will stick to the rollers whatever steps are taken, so make sure that they are cleaned using a white spirit between roll changes when the weather is hot. Dirty rollers will affect stretch percentage, and cause too much neck-down on the bale.

To measure that the correct amount of stretch is being achieved, mark or tape 2 points horizontally 10 inches apart on the roll after pulling the wrap through the pre-stretcher. Measure the distance once the wrap has been applied to the bale. For conventional film such as Silawrap, 55% stretch would mean a reading of 15.5 inches and 60% would mean a reading of 16 inches.
To check neck-down, the width of wrap on the bale should be 580mm to 610mm for 750mm ( 30 inch) wrap, and 380 to 410mm for 500mm (20 inch) wrap.

Always wrap bales within 2 hours of baling.
If wrapping in the field, move bales to the stack straight after wrapping.

Follow the bale wrapper manufacturer’s recommendations for setting up the machine.
On single bale wrappers, make sure that the centre of the bale and centre of the roll of film are horizontal. Take into account different bale sizes and adjust the height of the psu accordingly.

To ensure that 6 layers of film are applied, count the number of revolutions it takes to completely cover the bale once. Add one more and repeat twice.
So, if it takes 7 revolutions to cover the bale once, add 1 (= 8) and multiply by 3. Therefore, 24 revolutions are needed to apply six layers of film.

On in-line wrappers, the number of layers applied is adjusted by altering the number of inches the bale is moved forward per revolution of the hoop. To apply 6 layers on an inline wrapper (with 2 pre-stretchers) using a 30 inch (750mm) roll of film, adjust to a 5-inch movement. (30inches divided by 6 layers).

Buy a Good Plastic!

At this time of year, with snow on the ground and minus temperatures, thinking about buying balewrap may seem a little odd. However, the manufacturers and their sale people have been working on 2013 numbers for sometime. Many of the dealers have already decided which brand they will be going with, and will have some idea of where they think the price will be. And, while it may seem too cold to think of making baled silage, or any type of forage harvest right now, it is not long until March and the start of the growing season in warmer parts of the country.


I am going to congratulate you all for storing your equipment correctly, and so when it is time to use it, the machines will be ready (I wish!)



Therefore, make sure that you purchase a decent quality wrap. A product such as BeneAg silage wrap. A co-extruded film manufactured in China by the people who invented bale wrapping.

Web : www.bpsindustries.com/silagewrap.php