What is more profitable for wrapping bales – bale net or twine?

There are many factors to consider in order to produce quality feed. Even a carefully prepared product can lose value during transportation and storage. This can be minimized by appropriate packaging material.

The most popular are the bale twine and net. Therefore, we decided to compare them. Twine is cheaper, which is why it is widely used by manufacturers. But is it really so?

Bale twine: Features

This is a packaging material made of polypropylene filaments. They are produced from primary propylene granules. They are processed by extrusion. As a result, polymer fibers are created, twisted together. This production technology makes it possible to obtain an elastic, durable and wear-resistant material.

Benefits:

Suitable for baling any type of forage.
Suitable for simple equipment and small farms. Net wrap and twine dealers offer material for various purposes. In particular, there are products for powerful agricultural machinery (130 m / kg) and round balers (750 m / kg).
With the help of twine, the irrigation systems are fixed, the plants are tied up and other household work is performed.
Has a more affordable price than analogs.

The specifics of the hay knitting mesh

It is a tying material that is the main competitor to twine. With its help hay, silage, straw, and haylage are baled. If the twine is chosen for accessibility, then the net is for performance. It allows you to pack more bales in the same period of time. Moreover, they are denser and more resistant to environmental influences.

Benefits:

High productivity, due to the reduction of the pause between the winding by 4 times;
Better preservation of the quality of feed due to tight fit;
Reduction of losses during winding of dry hay by 65%;
Protection from the influence of UV radiation and moisture;
Simplicity of additional strapping;
Ease of storage of feed.
Economy.

Ease of use: net wrap vs twine

This factor is one of the most important when choosing a material. Paying a little more for it is not scary. What’s really expensive is buying a new baler.

The hay twine is suitable for simple equipment and small farms. Operated with all European, Russian and American balers. Suitable for wrapping round bales and rectangular bales. Safe packaging requires 4 turns of material (approx. 48 m).

Hay knitting net is less versatile. It is also used with balers, but not all. The mesh is installed in agricultural machinery with a variable or fixed chamber of the corresponding diameter. Provides secure feed packaging. Due to its high fit, it is consumed in a significantly smaller amount. Reliable packaging is achieved when performing 2-2.5 turns (12 m).

The use of modern materials can significantly simplify the procurement process. They are compatible with current equipment on the market, which allows you to fully or partially automate the process. Depending on your needs, one or another type of packaging material may be relevant for you.

Cost comparison: net wrap vs twine

The right choice involves not only comparing prices for packaging materials but also taking into account possible costs during procurement. Ultimately, the price of feed also takes into account labor, fuel, and loss of feed value. Therefore, packaging efficiency is important. To determine it, we will make a twine vs net wrap calculator, and compare them on two indicators:

Material consumption for one bale. For example, a secure twine requires 4 rounds of material (approx. 48 m). If we talk about net wrapping, then due to the high fit, it is consumed in a significantly smaller amount. Reliable packaging is achieved when performing 2-2.5 turns (12 m).
Performance. Baling takes place in 4 stages: filling the baler chamber, baling, pause, and wrapping itself. The duration of the stop varies depending on the packaging material used. For the twine, the pause is 60 seconds. For a bale net, 15 seconds. This allows the latter to pack 40 bales per hour. When using twine, this performance will take 2.5 times longer.