How to String a Baler

Before the 1930s, and the widespread use of tractors and balers, farmers would rake their hay up by hand. It was then gathered up by wagons and loosely packed in a barn or outside in a hay stack. With the invention of hay balers, farmers were able to quickly move through a field of hay, shaping it into bales and preparing it for storage. A hay baler uses twine to secure the bales as they come out of the baler, and, typically, many balls of twine are loaded into the baler to be used in a single field.

Things You'll Need

  • Balls of twine, one for each location in your baler
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Instructions

    • 1

      Open the lid of the twine box. Place a ball of twine in each location of your twine box, and pull the loose end from the top of each ball.

    • 2

      Grab the loose end from the top of the twine ball to the far right and closest to the outer side of the twine box. Feed the end through the loop on the lid directly above it, and repeat with the far left ball of twine. Feed both ends through the tension plate according to the instructions for your baler; some balers require the twine ends to be in a particular order through the tension plate.

    • 3

      Tie the outer loose end of the twine ball on the far right side to the loose end at the top of the ball of twine next to it, and tie the far left twine ball to the ball next to it in the same manner. Continue tying the twine balls together, keeping the middle two balls of twine apart, making two long chains of twine tied end to end. Clip the excess twine from each knot.

    • 4

      Feed the ends in the tension plate through the eye on the needle frame just outside of the twine box.

    • 5

      Feed the twine through the remaining needle guides and tie the ends off according to the instructions for your baler.