A baler compresses and binds materials into a round or rectangular shape for transportation and storage. Agricultural balers cut vegetation for animal feed and are pulled by a tractor. Industrial balers compress materials for recycling. Different balers produce bales of various sizes and shapes. The power of an agricultural press comes from the tractor. Round balers produce silage for animal feed. Industrial balers can be used on their own or as part of an automated process. Most industrial presses are powered by electricity.
A baler is a machine that compresses and binds a volume of material into a round or rectangular shape for transportation and storage. In agricultural applications, the baler cuts vegetation or hay usually intended for animal feed and is pulled behind a tractor. In industrial applications, a stationary baler is used to compress and bind materials such as paper and cardboard in preparation for recycling.
Cut vegetation such as alfalfa, clover or hay is chopped up and left in the field in a narrow strip known as a swath. A tractor pulling the baler moves along the swath, where a row of tines rakes the cut material off the ground. The internal mechanism keeps the feed under pressure to compress it and continues to add material until the bale reaches the desired size. The bale is wrapped with twine or wire to secure it.
Different agricultural balers can produce bales of various sizes and shapes. The smaller rectangular balers are suitable for more modest, less mechanized farming operations. They are more easily handled, weighing only about 50 pounds. Large rectangular or round bales are produced by large-scale commercial operations. These bales can weigh up to a ton and require specialized heavy equipment to transport them. For small bales, the baler drops the bales on the ground for later pick-up or uses an ejector to drop the bale into an open trailer pulled behind the baler. Large heavy bales are left in the field for later picking.
The power of an agricultural press comes from the tractor that pulls it. Using a PTO, energy from the tractor is diverted to the baling machines. The power of the tractor provides sufficient force for all the steps performed by the rescue equipment.
A round baler is often used to produce silage, which is animal feed that is cut and packaged while still green. The packed material is sealed inside a plastic wrap and left to ferment. This fermented feed provides better nutrition for livestock than dried hay during off-harvest seasons.
Industrial balers that process waste materials for recycling can be used on their own or as part of an automated process that shreds or separates materials before packaging. One variation is called a baler, which uses a large platen to flatten the material and then ties it into a bale. A vertical unit is top-loading and may be set to produce only one bale before requiring manual unloading. A horizontal unit loads one way and the other produces a finished bale. Most industrial presses are powered by electricity.
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