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 MF 2190 and MF 2170 square balers into more manageable and marketable small 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 according to its developer Gavin Schuster, has many advantages, not only for him, but for many end users as well.
 
The Schuster family has been growing quality hay at Freeling 50km North of Adelaide for both local and overseas markets for more than 70 years, with Gavin, a third generation family member now overseeing the operation.
 
“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 MF 2100 Series when he found out how the machines had been upgraded.

“With the improvements now incorporated in the MF 2100 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 just had to be a better way,” he said.

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

“My market research showed that customers, particularly horse owners and life-style landholders preferred a smaller string tied bale that could also still be separated into biscuits”.

 He said he had heard about a Canadian built machine working at Kapunda north of Freeling that compressed big square bales into smaller bales for exporting overseas in containers. Gavin met with the company and together they planned the machine that would become known as the Ezybale.
 
Built in Canada and shipped to Australia in five containers, the EzyBale machine is actually three separate machines joined together that performs three separate functions.
 
After the big bales are fork lift loaded onto a receiving conveyor, they are hydraulically fed into a receiving chamber where they are compressed before being pushed against two horizontal, but stationary knives to create three separate bale layers.
 
From here, these bale layers are hydraulically transferred (over a weighing table) to another chamber containing three vertical knives.

Here 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 of the nine separate bales with three strings per bale and transfer them onto a collection table for unitising into a group of nine bales which are then strapped for stacking on a standard 4 ft x 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.

The machine is capable of processing both 4m x 4m and 3m x 4m bales and 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 a computerised anti-fail system is powered by a 175hp diesel engine and 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 costs, while at the same time providing many customers with a convenient, easy to handle size bale of high quality baled hay.
 
“With our MF 2190 balers we can produce big square bales of quality hay with all its efficiency benefits, but still supply our customers, particularly the horse fraternity, lifestyle farmers and home gardeners with a suitably packaged high quality product that can be used in biscuit form,” Gavin said.

“Subject to the weight of the big square bale (4m x4m), thirty six small 25 kg bales are processed at the rate of about six to 10 big bales an hour.
 
“During our ‘re-baling’ process the original quality of the product is maintained,” he said. “There is no teasing and no leaf loss during the process,” he added.
 
Gavin said the Schuster range of Ezybale hay included oaten, wheaten, meadow and lucerne hay, along with a range of bedding and  mulching straw which includes wheat, barley and pea stubble.
 
For more information on Ezybale contact Gavin Schuster:  Telephone 0428 811 407, Fax (08) 8525 2607 or check out the Ezybale website:  www.ezybale.com