Hand Baling

[GrahamB]

Matt wanted to see my hand baling operation, so this morning we did our usual Saturday morning baling operation. As I am on summer break from school, I spend an hour each morning throughout the week, cutting hay with a trimmer. I have fitted a brush cutter disc and sharpened the heck out of it, so it cuts pretty good. I let it lie for at least a couple of days until the kids are home from summer school. There's nothing like a bit of child labor to get things done.





We pile it onto a tarp and then drag it down the hill to the barn.





Sophie is my stringer. She sets the baler twine in the bottom of the box by slipping it behind some eyelet screws that are butted up against the side of the box.





We then pile the hay into the box, pressing it down with the ram every so often.





Then once the box is full, we cut the twine, and thread it up through the slits in the ram plate.



Sophie then threads the loop end that we had hooked on the two screws, up through the slits so I can pass the cut end of the twine through the hoops, pulling it out from behind the eyelet screws in the bottom of the box.



Sophie then uses all her weight to pull down on the lever arm, while I tie off the baler twine.





After I have lifted the ram off, Sophie then shows her muscles by pulling the new bale out of the box.







I had the box in the barn when we moved in, so when I found the article here I knew what to do with it. It's a slow process, but I'm in no hurry. If it turns out to be no good for livestock, then I'll just use it for mulching.

[matt walker]

Graham, thank you so much! I love it, great post, great kids, great project. Just wonderful. I'm totally inspired, looks like it's time to build a box! I've often wanted to hay my excess summer pasture, but there's not enough to have a machine come out, and too much to waste. This is perfect, thank you again.