Machinery and tractor special: What difference does film-on-film wrapping make?

Mr Brown started contracting 20 years ago and has been baling ever since. Today as a specialist baling contractor, he runs no less than five McHale balers, including three Fusion models and two McHale V660 variable chamber machines for hay and straw.

“I started using McHale Fusion balers in 2010,” says Mr Brown.

“I still keep a Fusion 2 model for back-up. However, most silage baling is done with the Fusion 3 models, which in a typical year will total around 22,000 bales.

“I purchased my first Fusion 3-Plus version last year. To be honest, it was a huge gamble, not only because it required a greater investment, but also because I was not sure if any of that investment would be returned on its trade-in value.

“The other consideration was my customers,” concedes Mr Brown.

“Film-on-film adds about a 15 per cent increase to the price of each bale, and when I bought the baler, I only had one farmer who had specifically stated he wanted film-on-film bales."

So what difference does film-on-film make to the design of the baler? The answer is very little. In fact the McHale Fusion 3-Plus baler-wrapper is essentially identical to the standard Fusion 3 model.

The difference between them, is the integration of the film intake system on the 3-Plus model, which features a hydraulic pre-stretch roller unit on the film-feeder in front of the bale chamber.

“The beauty of the Fusion 3-Plus is that it can be used with either net or film,” says Mr Brown.

Systems

“McHale has done a superb job of combining the net and film intake systems together, and swapping from net to film, and vice-versa, barely takes a couple of minutes.

“This has made it very easy for me to demonstrate the benefits of film-on-film to my customers, so they can see the difference in the bales for themselves.

“In the past 12 months, I would estimate that 25 per cent of my clients have opted for this system of wrapping, and based on the feedback I have had so far, that number will increase substantially in the near future.”

According to Mr Brown, the customers which chose film-on-film have revealed that the tightness of the bales not only makes them easier to handle and stack, but has also significantly improved the quality of the silage they are feeding to their livestock.

Grass bales are wrapped in plastic to create an air-tight environment, in which the process of anaerobic fermentation can turn that bale into silage. The potential for damage to that air-tight seal caused by bale grabs, sharp edges on trailers and poorly executed bale stacks is exasperated by poorly shaped or loose bales.

“You can double-wrap a poorly formed bale, but if it will not hold its shape, the chance of damaging its protective plastic wrapper is significantly increased.”

According to Mr Brown, by using film-on-film, the amount of wrap required to seal the bale on the wrapping table has slightly decreased, as there is no longer the need to wrap bales with six or eight layers of plastic, to make them more durable over winter.

Bales

“The only thing which can affect the Fusion 3-Plus bales, is if you use a full bank of 25 knives,” says Mr Brown.

“This chops the material too short, so we use 13 knives for the best results.

“If there is a minor downside to using film-on-film, it is that a roll of film lasts only 100 bales, whereas a roll of net wrap will usually manage 300 bales. It also takes slightly longer to film a bale than it does to net-wrap it,” says Mr Brown.

“However, on the plus side, if you are putting on six-plus layers of wrap, you no longer have to wait for the wrapping table to empty because the bale chamber is full.

“The Fusion 3-Plus has completely changed my perspective of baling silage. I change my balers every two seasons and, this year, I will be replacing my Fusion 3 with a second Fusion 3-Plus.

“The new baler features weighcell technology, which will enable me to record bale weights, dry matter, field location, the start time and so on, which can be printed out and given to the customer.”

He concludes: “Without the support of my local dealer, David Wardman at Wardmans [Matlock], I probably would not have moved onto film-on-film.

“David’s encouragement has enabled me to make the transition to Fusion 3-Plus and pass on the benefits to my customers.”