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When the Allis Chalmers Roto-Baler was first mass produced in 1947 it brought an innovative alternative to square baling of forage crops. While it produced a good bale it was a complicated machine with 2 sets of compression belts to form the bale. The machine was also quite large. The Ibex TX31 Mini Round Baler produces the same type of round “rolled” bales that have all the same advantages over square bales in a smaller, simpler machine. The TX31 occupies only a small fraction of the …

Here at Tractor Tools Direct, we have narrowed our hay mower inventory to exclusively drum mowers. Here’s why…..For more than a decade we have provided small-acreage farmers with the hay equipment they need for their farms, and we have learned a thing or two. During this time, we sold both sickle bar mowers and disc mowers. We found the occurrences of operator error to be greater, the cost of parts replacement to be higher, and the incidents of breakage to be more frequent with these two types o …

There are several ways to bind hay bales. These include twine, net wrap, and wire. Wire is rarely applicable to small farm hay production since it is used mainly for large, high compression bales typically found on large farm and hay marketing operations. Net wrap was addressed in a previous blog. Therefore, let’s delve into the different types of twine and their advantages/disadvantages.There are two basic types of twine--synthetic and natural. Polypropylene is the most common type of synthetic …

Providing customers with top-notch service and support is as important to us here at Tractor Tools Direct as providing the equipment needed to operate their small farms. We know that every minute on a small farm is precious. That is why we keep our website updated with how-to videos covering topics from assembly to maintenance to proper use of our implements. That way when you are putting together an implement on an evening or weekend or dealing with an issue in the field, answers to your questi …

When baling hay, one of the decisions a producer must make is what type of bale binding to use. Hay binding materials include hemp twine, polypropylene twine, sisal twine, net wrap and others. This blog will discuss hemp twine. What is hemp? Hemp is a plant with thin stalks and compound palmate leaves. Its flowers are small and greenish yellow. Though hemp originated in central Asia, it is now grown in temperate regions throughout the world. Not to be confused with cannabis, the source of mari …