Care and maintenance of the baler

The constant jolting over rough ground is found to loosen nuts and screws. This could cause breakages and costly repairs, much valuable time being lost. A frequent inspection and. tightening of nuts and screws will save much time and prevent breakages. Before using the en­gine to operate the baler, it should be operated a few times by hand. This will ensure that everything is turning freely. It will also help the operator to understand its oper­ating principles. The machine should also be operated empty under power for a short period before putting it into the crop. This will familiarize the operator with the sound of the machine and allow the oil to penetrate the bearings. The ground speed of the machine is governed by the ground condition and weight of the crop. A slow speed at first is recommended to enable the operator to understand the capacities of the machine. Speed may be increased gradually to the full capacity of the machine.

At the end of the season the machine should be cleaned and checked for worn and damaged parts, a coat of oil painted around the inside of the baling chamber to pre­vent it from rusting and the machine is to be stored under cover.

BALED SILAGE COSTS

The cost of harvesting silage by pick-up baler does not appear to differ greatly from the cost of harvesting by other methods. The evidence based on farmers' records and recollections suggests, however, that baled silage re­quires less man-hours per ton of silage harvested.

The method of harvesting adopted on the farms con­cerned was briefly as follows. After mowing, the swaths were side-raked or turned to put two swaths into one so as to make a swath big enough to bale satisfactorily. Where the grass was long and the crop heavy, the side-rake or swath turner was necessary to make the swath narrow enough for the baler to pick up easily.

The commonest make of baler used was the Interna­tional B45, slightly modified to make half-size bales. The bales were loaded by lifting them on to trailers by hand for transport to the pit; some farmers preferred to allow a day's wilting in the field before ensiling as this was believed to encourage initial heating in the pit. The bales were unloaded by hand and consolidated in the pit by rolling with a tractor. Sometimes it was necessary to cut a bale and spread the grass to fill in cavities and some tramping was often necessary for proper consolidation.

The greater the use that can be made of the baler and the greater the area baled, the lower will be the cost, per acre and per ton, of baling silage.

Of the total of 13 farmers, 11 stated that they found baling easier than other methods of harvesting silage, and they hoped that the bales would be easier to feed.

1. Study the following words:

Labour, baler, trailers, Bearings, shafts, mounted

2. Complete the sentences with appropriate words from the text:

a) Therefore the modern method of pick-up baling is found to be very valuable: it saves time and …

b) Most modern pick-up balers are driven by an engine … on the baler.

c) This method is known as…. take-off.

d) Before commencing … operations it is always advisable to check thoroughly the equipment to be used.

3. Give your own definitions of the words:

side-raked, bales, tramping,equipment

4. Insert prepositions if necessary:

a) The bales were loaded by lifting them on to trailers … hand for transport to the pit.

b) Most modern pick-up balers are driven … an engine mounted on the baler.

c) More hay can be baled in a given time … a pick-up baler than can be done with a stationary baler.

d) This method is known as power take…

Text 6

COMBINE HARVESTING