Rabbit® Helps to “Bale Out” the Farming Industry
We have been very pleased
with performance and dependability of the BL1810. Our customers are amazed by the automation of the Bale Band-It product.
Farming is a labor intensive occupation, requiring patience, determination and critical thinking to maintain profitability. One of the most commonly traded commodities in farming is hay. GFC Inc. developed the Bale Band-It band machine, built upon the Rabbit BL1810, to increase efficiency and revenue in the farming industry’s hay baling process.
Several baling methods are employed to harvest hay. Traditionally, small rectangular bales are produced since they are easier to manage by a single person. With advancements in baling machinery, larger bales weighing up to 2,200 pounds are now widely used because they are easier to stack and transport, and they retain moisture better than smaller bales; however, the smaller hay bales are still desirable since they are easier to handle and produce less waste.
GFC, Inc. found a happy medium by developing the Bale Band-It, which takes smaller hay bales and bands them together to make a large, easy-to-manage bale. The Bale Band-It follows behind the primary hay baling machine, picking up small hay bales and compressing grooves into the top and bottom of each one. Metal strapping is attached to groups of 21 bales, creating one large bale out of the individual small ones.
Two BL1810 single board computers are the main controllers on the Bale Band-It. Connected to the BL1800 are a collection of inputs, nine magnetic read switches, three photo eyes, and a Hall Effect sensor bar. These sensors provide feedback to the BL1800 about hay position, stack count and strapping supply. The BL1800 controls the on-board hydraulic manifolds. Each Bale Band-It contains three main hydraulic manifolds, where each manifold contains 19 directional solenoids valves and multiple check valves and flow controls. Inside the cab of the tractor, the BL1800 is connected to an operator interface that provides the operator with troubleshooting information on a 4 x 20 character display. Information such as bales in the machine, number of larges bale that can be made, and strapping supply is also displayed. Earlier versions of this system used a serial connection between the operator interface and the BL1800. In more current versions of the Bale Band-It, the connection has been upgraded to Bluetooth wireless to improve connective stability.
“The Bale Band-It provides the agricultural industry with a product that greatly reduces the labor involved in handling small square bales of hay,” says Lacy Brown of GFC Inc.
Brown explains that handling small bales is very labor intensive and requires a crew of workers to produce 10,000 – 15,000 bales a year. The Bale Band-It enables production of 30,000 – 40,000 bales a year, using only a few individuals instead of an entire crew. Not only does the work load decrease and production increase, but the gross return is greatly improved. Large bales are sold for $100/ton; small bales are sold for $110 /ton; and the Bale Band-It’s 21-bale bundles bring in $120/ton. The small bale pulls a higher price, and with the Bale Band-It the price of the 21 block hay bale increases by 9%. In one year, based on at 1,200 ton load, the price of large bale is $120,000, while the 21 bale bundle earns $144,000, showing a 20% gain.
GFC Inc. has found a way to increase profits by while saving money on labor, and the company credits this success to Rabbit and the BL1810.
“We have been using the BL1810 since the 2000 production year. Over the years, the BL1800 has allowed us to easily make enhancements to the performance and ease of use of the Bale Band-It product,” says Brown.
Rabbit’s quick integration, affordable cost, legendary ease-of-use and reliability have enabled GFC Inc. to develop a product that translates savings to their customers.
“We have been very pleased with performance and dependability of the BL1810. Our customers are amazed by the automation of the Bale Band-It product,” Brown says. “The BL1810 has allowed us to make a hay-handling ‘robot’ for the agriculture industry.”
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