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Leesburg, Ohio | Jim: We used to use some of the sleeves for a few years. Figured out quickly that they are a pain to put on and not easy to get off without damage. Also discovered that we were maybe saving a little of the top center of the bale, but were still exposing the ends to weather, and what's worse, the bottom of the plastic just holds moisture, instead of letting it drain away, so we were actually losing more than we were gaining.
Then we tried a large tarp made for covering a pyramid stack of round bales. Kind of a job to put on, but not too bad. Protects the hay really well, especially if you have the stack on gravel or a well-drained spot. Not too bad to remove, but you almost have to remove it from the whole stack all at once, exposing the whole stack to winter weather while it's being fed out. We tried folding the tarp back a bit at a time, and half at a time. Either way, the wind will shred it unless you just take it all off, fold it up, and put it inside. Getting that done without alot of snow/mud/moisture rolled up in it was almost impossible. That turned out the be the worst part of the whole deal.
When the tarp was "used up" after three or four seasons, we went to net wrap, and probably won't change from that. Lots faster baling than twine. Sheds water fairly well...or at least better than you would think. Not nearly as much spoilage as the sleeves or bare twine.
All that said, we still like putting them in the barn, but don't have enough space for all.
FWIW...kd | |
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Bale Sleeves (pic)
