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What Is a Grass Baler?
Malcolm Tatum
Malcolm Tatum
A grass baler is a certain type of baling equipment that can be used to collect and compress grass into tight bales. This type of agricultural baler may be used to collect just about any type of grass, ranging from decorative grasses used for landscaping to grasses that are ultimately intended for use in feeding livestock. Most balers of this kind can also accommodate other types of natural materials such as pine straw, making them ideal for use in a number of applications.
A grass baler may be a relatively small device that is towed behind a riding lawn mower. Balers designed for small projects will often be capable of collecting the grass as it is cut, depositing the grass into a central receptacle within the baler, compressing the cuttings, and ultimately wrapping the condensed bale into a special type of wrap that is secured with straps. This type of grass baler is often used in landscaping larger areas such as the grounds around an estate, a public park, or even the landscaping around a commercial building site.
Larger versions of the grass baler may be found on commercial farms. Along with the ability to bale long grass, the baler can also be used to bale hay or pine straw. Larger than their landscaping counterparts, the balers designed for use on commercial farms, will often include automated features that aid in the collection of plant matter, easy bundling, and an system that automatically ejects a finished bale even as the system is collecting matter for another bale. The film used to contain the bales is designed to be strong enough for the task, but also easy to discard when no longer needed. While metal strapping was once common with this type of application, many balers today make use of some form of synthetic strapping that is just as strong but significantly less expensive to use.
The cost of a grass baler will vary, depending on the size of the unit, the range of features included, and the type of strapping and film used to secure the bales. Care should be taken to go with a baler that is recommended for the type of work involved, as well as the amount of use that the grass baler will sustain on a regular basis. While the temptation to go with a smaller and less expensive baler may be strong, is it important to keep in mind that if the equipment selected is not designed to hold up well under the uses that the buyer has in mind, it will usually be necessary to replace the equipment sooner rather than later, effectively increasing the equipment cost unnecessarily.
Malcolm Tatum
After many years in the teleconferencing industry, Michael decided to embrace his passion for trivia, research, and writing by becoming a full-time freelance writer. Since then, he has contributed articles to a variety of print and online publications, including WiseGEEK, and his work has also appeared in poetry collections, devotional anthologies, and several newspapers. Malcolm’s other interests include collecting vinyl records, minor league baseball, and cycling.
Learn more...
Malcolm Tatum
After many years in the teleconferencing industry, Michael decided to embrace his passion for trivia, research, and writing by becoming a full-time freelance writer. Since then, he has contributed articles to a variety of print and online publications, including WiseGEEK, and his work has also appeared in poetry collections, devotional anthologies, and several newspapers. Malcolm’s other interests include collecting vinyl records, minor league baseball, and cycling.
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![A grass baler can also be used to bale hay or straw.]()
By: Stefano NeriA grass baler can also be used to bale hay or straw. -
![A riding lawn mower is often able to tow a grass baylor.]()
By: aigarsrA riding lawn mower is often able to tow a grass baylor.
Discussion Comments
@Animandel - Whether you collect all of your grass with the grass baler on the mower or simply let it stay where it naturally falls is often simply a matter of taste. I never use a grass catcher. As I see it, the clippings will decompose and make good fertilizer.
Sometimes when we get behind with the yard work and the grass gets away from us and grows really long and thick, we will rake up the cut grass after we mow. This way we don't have large collections of dead grass on the lawn. We take the raked grass and put it on our compost pile.
Some people say you should collect the clipping, so you want have so many bugs and pests living and foraging on your lawn. And some people simply think the lawn is neater without the dead clippings. In the end, the decision is more about taste. The grass will survive either way.
I am always confused as to whether you are better off using an attachment on your lawnmower to catch the grass clippings or should you just let the clippings fall on the lawn?
There is a farmer who has land next to my property, and he uses this large machine that cuts and bales the wheat at harvest time. I am entertained just sitting on my porch and watching the machine move across the field. One moment you have an entire field of tall wheat and after the machine goes through you are left with bales of wheat lining the field.
I am amazed at how the machine does everything. Before farmers had all the machinery they have today, farming must have been so, so much more labor intensive.
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