|
Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot | http://www.delmhorst.com/Moisture-Meters/Agriculture/Hay/F-6-6-30
Wouldn't think of baling without one. Most of the time we are baling alfalfa, need to be right at 16% to get maximum leaf retention and a pretty 'flake'. But 17-18% is too much. Actually 16% is too much if it has any stem moisture, but if it is dew it is okay. Yesterday we started baling, hay felt fine but I could poke a bale and got several 20%, waited 1/2 hour and it was down to 16%. No way can you tell that by hand.
I actually like the cheap model with the needle rather than the digital indicator. Sometimes you can poke a bale and it will show 20-25%, with the needle version you can move it while it is reading and see if it goes up or down. Gives you a better idea of what the hay actually is than the digital type. Only problem I usually have is I will break a probe now and then, but we tend to bale very dense bales that are hard to get the probe in.
I can't imagine the ones on a baler working well. Even my hand probe will get honeydew sticking to it, and I'll have to clean it to get an accurate reading. Start out in the morning by trying a couple bales that are too wet, and you'd have the baler mounted unit gummed up, maybe they are better now. Ones on Hesston big balers supposed to work well. | |
|
Hay moisture testers?
