size of large hay bales

[HelsB]

I am thinking of using these, we have a very local farm which we could collect them from and they would load a bale onto a trailer for us, then I was thinking of leaving it on the trailer, and tarpaulin it and use from the trailer.

This will save money as the supplier tells me there is the equivalent of 13/14 small bales in what they call the 'mini heston' which is £25 - whereas the small bales are £3 each.

Just wondering if anyone knows the actual size of large bale hay? Need to buy a trailer and want to make sure the one I am looking at is big enough!!

 

[barbaraNcolin]

We have started using large bales this year and were told they are the about the same as 15 small bales. At the moment we have 4 large haynets each day and a bale lasts around 3 weeks.

They are about 8ft long and 4ft wide and high.

 

[HelsB]

Thanks BNC- sounds about the size of the ones I would be getting.

Really excited at the prospect of saving some money! I reckon I can save about £150 a year for 1 horse!!

 

[barbaraNcolin]

Definitely, we usually do 300 small bales a year (300 @ 3.00 each is 900.00) but with 20 big bales for the year we're saving 400 quid, which is very nice for the pocket!

 

[Michelle73]

Has anyone gone from using small bales to large bales recently that can be more specific? i.e. I plan to use 6 to 7 bales of hay per week for one horse so a large bale should last me two weeks... Has anyone found this to be the case?

 

[HelsB]

[ QUOTE ]
Has anyone gone from using small bales to large bales recently that can be more specific? i.e. I plan to use 6 to 7 bales of hay per week for one horse so a large bale should last me two weeks... Has anyone found this to be the case?

[/ QUOTE ]

I think that so long as you ration it the same and don't use more 'just because it is there' it should last right.

 

[flyingfeet]

Our mini hesstons average about 8ft, but some are 10ft. So I would get a trailer than could take 12ft easily as otherwise it won't be that easy for the tractor driver to put the bale on!

 

[HelsB]

Thanks CotswoldSJ

How wide are they?

Trailers I am looking at are at least 12' long - need to check width. Don't want to buy wrong!!

 

[barbaraNcolin]

Michelle, the large bales are about the same as 15 small bales.

 

[flyingfeet]

3ft, but its quite hard to get them close together on the trailer unless using a flat 8 or similar to move them (if they are using spikes allow for a gap)

 

[HelsB]

Thanks, I will only have one on a trailer I should think, will last a month or more for the one horse!

I'm really excited, wish i'd thought of it years ago!!

Now need to find a cheap trailer safr & capable of doing 10 trips a year 2 miles down the road & back!

 

[flyingfeet]

Just get good locks for it - the pikeys nicked our plant trailer!

 

[HelsB]

[ QUOTE ]
Just get good locks for it - the pikeys nicked our plant trailer!

[/ QUOTE ]

Will do! Also it will be kept out of sight, begind 2 locked gates that are noisy to open and you have to go right past the house!

Also don't intend to spend much - hoping to get one for under £150 - one year's hay saving which I thought was a sensible amount to spend! If we can get something even cheaper, all the better, OH is pretty handy at fixing things if they need it

 

[mcooper]

Hi

Whenever we have rebaled mini hesston bales of our own we have got 15-16 conventional bales out of one 8ft long bale. Mini hesstons have 4 strings and are 80cm wide and 90cm high and hay bales are normally 6ft6 to 7ft 6 long. Straw bales are normally 8ft as a HGV lorry is 8ft wide so they fit ok crossways.

HTH

Mark

 

[parsley]

I'm buying mini heston bales of hayledge this year - the grower says there is the equivalent of about 12 small bales. It might be different for hay though.