Safely Making and Handling Large Hay Bales

Getting Ready for Baling Season

No matter the shape of the bales, the baler used to make them involves multiple moving parts. The major risk involved with these moving parts is an entanglement incident, where hair, clothing, or other items get caught up in the power-take-off (PTO), drive belts, pulleys, chains, etc.

• Ensure all safety features, including the PTO shields, are in place. If a PTO shield is missing or broken, then replace it.
• Due to the risk of fires from baler belt friction and possible equipment overheating, install a 10-pound (ABC) dry chemical fire extinguisher in the tractor cab.

Important Steps to Remember Anytime You Need to Work on the Baler

• Disengage the PTO, shut down the engine, and remove the key from the ignition before getting off the tractor.
• Wait until all moving parts have stopped before completing any maintenance.
• To reduce the risk of an injection injury, relieve the hydraulic pressure before disconnecting all the hydraulic lines. Use a piece of cardboard or a mirror to examine the lines for leaks and malfunctioning parts.
• Before working beneath raised baler components, use the hydraulic cylinder lock-out devices.

Safe Baling Tips

Choose an appropriately sized, ROPS (rollover protective structures) equipped tractor when using a large square or round baler, and always wear your seat belt. Most hay fields are somewhat flat, but here are some tips to remember when baling on uneven or hilly terrain:

• Travel slowly on uneven or hilly terrain and avoid holes in the field and drop-offs.
• Round balers have a high center of gravity, so they could tip sideways if their wheel goes into a ditch or hole.
• Avoid making sharp turns with the baler because the tractor wheels could hit the tongue of the baler and cause instability.
• When ejecting a bale on hilly terrain, eject the bale so that it is perpendicular to the slope and reduce the risk of the round bale rolling down the hill.

Bale Wrapping

Most agricultural operations either wrap round bales individually or wrap them into a row to preserve the feed quality of the hay. A bale wrapper is a machine that lifts the bale from the field and applies plastic film around the bale as it is rolled and rotated on the machine's wrap table. A bale wrapper can be controlled manually, hydraulically, or with a joystick from the operator's seat. Once the machine completely wraps the bale, the excess plastic wrapping is cut and dropped from the wrapping table.

• Shields: Ensure all shields are securely in place and replace worn or broken shields.
• Clothing/Personal: Wear close-fitting clothing, remove jewelry and drawstrings on hoods or jackets, and secure hair.
• Mechanical: Turn off the machine and wait until all rotating parts have completely stopped before working.
• Decals: Place or replace warning labels or safety decals near hazards.

Large Bales in the Field

Even though large round bales can weigh approximately 1200 pounds, they can roll if baled and left on a sloped surface. If bales roll over or down a hill, they could potentially harm anything or anyone in its path. Use a tractor with a front-end loader or a skid steer to move bales from sloped surfaces to level ground to reduce the potential for a bale to roll. When baling round bales on sloped fields, take caution when ejecting the finished bale. Eject the bale so that it is perpendicular to the slope or in such a way that the bale will not roll down the hill when ejected from the baler.

Children and Large Bale Safety

Since baling is a summer activity, it is common for children to be in the fields or the barn area. Some safety recommendations for reducing the risk to children include:

• Explain to children the dangers of playing on or around the bales.
• Do not allow children on trailers when hay is loaded or unloaded.
• Do not allow children in areas where bales are being moved.
• Do not allow children to play on or around large bales in the field or the barn to reduce the risk of falls
• Do not leave ladders near large bales because that may entice children to climb onto the bales. Ladders should be stored properly after use.

Citations

Grisso, R., Fike, J. (2020) Large round bale safety. Virginia Cooperative Extension. 

Huhnke, R. (2017) Round bale hay storage. Oklahoma State University Extension. 

National Safe Tractor and Machinery Operation Student Manual. (2021) Pennsylvania State University.

Prepared by Dennis J. Murphy, Distinguished Professor, Linda M. Fetzer, Extension Program Specialist, and William C. Harshman, Senior Project Associate

Reviewed and Revised July 2025 by Linda Fetzer, Extension Program Specialist, and Dr. Florence Becot, Rural Sociologist, Nationwide Insurance Early Career Professor in Agricultural Safety and Health.