Ezybale – MF2100 Series Balers play big role in niche bale business

In a world first, South Australian based hay producer and processor, E.L. Schuster & Son has developed a system for turning big square bales of hay and straw from their MF2190 and MF2170 square balers into more manageable and marketable small sized bales. Called Ezybale, the hay is the same premium quality, but in smaller packages and with about the same weight as a conventional bale, which has many advantages.

The Schuster family has been growing quality hay at Freeling 50km north of Adelaide for more than 70 years.

“With the development of the small baler in the 1950s, the family system of hay making changed, and changed again with the introduction of round balers and again when the big square balers came onto the market.

“The development of the big square type balers literally revolutionised the hay making business and opened up the export markets for us,” said Gavin.

For the big square bales, Gavin said he was keen on the MF2100 Series when he found out how the machines had been upgraded.

“With the improvements now incorporated in the MF2100 Series machines, I knew it just had to be better than most other machines on the market,” he said.

“When Peter Schulz from R.H. Schulz Pty Ltd, the Massey Ferguson dealer at Saddleworth introduced me to the machine, I knew almost instantly it was the baler for me,” said Gavin. However, running small square, round and large square balers created a headache for the Schuster’s.

“Changeable weather during the baling season, often with the threat of rain, made the need to cart and shed the hay a crucial factor in maintaining its quality.

“With three different types of bales, it was virtually impossible to cart them all at the same time. It was a logistical nightmare and I knew there had to be a better way,” he said.

Gavin began researching different options for the family hay business and came up with the idea of a small bale market.

“Market research showed that customers, particularly horse owners and lifestyle landholders preferred a smaller string tied bale that could also be separated into biscuits.”

He had heard about a Canadian built machine working at Kapunda, north of Freeling, that compressed big square bales into smaller bales for exporting in containers. Gavin met with the company and together they planned the machine which would become to be known as the Ezybale.

The Ezybale machine is actually three separate machines joined together, performing three separate functions. After the big bales are loaded onto a receiving conveyor they are hydraulically fed into a receiving chamber and compressed before being pushed against two horizontal knives to create three separate bale layers. From here bale layers are transferred over a weighing table to another chamber. The big bale layers are sliced again to create nine small 25kg rectangular bales. It is from this point a rebaling process starts.

Nine Welgar tail-less knotters tie each separate bale with three strings per bale and transfer them onto a collection table for stacking on a standard 4ft pallet, ready for transportation. This procedure is repeated three times so that each pallet is loaded with 18 Ezybales each weighing about 25kg.

“This allows us to stack the pallets side by side, two across a standard truck tray and two high giving us a big saving in transport costs,” Gavin explained.

Capable of processing both 4x4 and 3x4 bales, the machine has a capacity over the Schuster’s contract needs, allowing them to take on contracts to re-bale bales from other sources. The fully computerised Ezybale system, complete with an anti-fail system, is powered by a 175hp diesel engine which can be operated by one man.

The Ezybale processing unit not only reduces the risks associated with producing high quality hay, it saves on labour and transport cost, while providing many customers with a convenient, easy to handle sized bale of high quality hay.

“Subject to the weight of the 4x4 big square bale, 36 small 25kg bales are processed at the rate of about six to ten big bales an hour. During our re-baling process the original quality of the product is maintained. There is no teasing and no leaf loss during the process,” Gavin says.

The Schuster range of Ezybale hay includes oaten, wheaten, meadow and lucerne hay, along with a range of bedding and mulching straw which includes wheat, barley and pea stubble.

Click to find out more information about Ezybale or call Gavin Schuster on 0428 811 407.