Storing plastic sleeves ‘easier and quicker’

Manufacturer RPC BPI Agriculture has ditched the usual cardboard outers for plastic sleeves made from low-density polythene, so the sleeves and film can be stored and sent for recycling together, with only a small cardboard end disc needing to be handled separately.

Lloyd Dawson, BPI Agriculture’s sales director, said: “Users report that folding and storing the flexible sleeves is much easier and quicker than dealing with bulky cardboard boxes.”

The correct film orientation and unwind direction is highlighted at the top of the sleeve to help users load the rolls correctly on to the spindle of the wrapper’s pre-stretch mechanism.

The product itself is unchanged, except that it is now available in longer rolls covering up to 30% more bales and in black.

Previously, only green and white were available because those are the favoured colours on the Continent where bales must be kept as cool as possible in periods of hot sunshine to prevent moulds developing.

That is not such an issue in the UK, where black bale wrap has been the norm since it was first introduced in the 1980s.

Kubota dealers can supply bale net to match under an agreement with Tama.

Consistent roll length is promised for Kubota Netwrap, which is woven to extend over the edge of silage bales for a neat finish that also minimises losses.

Roll end warning stripes alert operators when a fresh roll is needed.