A baling machine is a device used to compress materials into a bale for storage, transport, or handling. Several types of machines exist for this purpose, as some are designed specifically for one material, while others may be able to handle various materials. Some baling machine models are stationary, while others can be towed behind a towing vehicle such as a tractor or pickup truck. The specific design of the baler can vary significantly depending on its intended application; a hay baler, for example, will feature tines to move the hay and a hydraulic arm to compress it, while other machines may not feature such tines.
A tire baling machine is designed to compress rubber tires; the hydraulic arm that does this compressing will need to be quite strong, as the rubber can be very resilient and difficult to compact. Some tire balers are horizontally oriented, which means tires are loaded into the machine next to each other in a line; a horizontally mounted arm will then compress the tires against a fixed wall. Once the tires are compressed, baling wire will be wrapped around the tires, either manually or automatically, so the tires will not loosen once the hydraulic arm contracts.
Other baling machine models may be designed to compress loose metal materials or plastics. In this case, materials are usually loaded into a hopper or storage container, and once that container is fully loaded, one or more hydraulic arms will compress the materials into a bale. In some cases, baling wire will not be necessary because the materials will mesh together well; in other cases, wire may be necessary to ensure the bale stays together. Some plastic balers will actually melt the plastic into a brick form so it can be transported easily without risking the separation of materials.
Perhaps the most recognizable of all bales is the hay bale, which is created using a hay baling machine on a farm. Several types of hay balers exist: some form rectangular bales, while others form round bales that can be pushed across an area very easily. Square bales tend to be compacted more densely, meaning they can be quite heavy depending on their size. To transport the bales, a kick baler may be used. This baling machine is towed behind a tractor. It collects the hay from the ground, transports it into a baling chamber, then pushes that bale toward the rear of the machine where an arm will throw the bale backward into a transport wagon.
