Quick answer: To finish a windrow in one bale, either (1) use your baler's max-bale-size / delay-wrap button if it has one, (2) turn the wrap monitor off, finish the windrow, then turn it back on and press wrap manually, or (3) just let it wrap at target and make a small bale you feed first. The hard rule on all of them: never let the bale exceed the baler's chamber capacity — on most balers that's a hard limit, and pushing past it risks a jam or a blown bale.
You're baling along, the chamber is at 90%, and you can see the end of the field coming with about six feet of windrow left. If you let the baler wrap now, you eject a near-full bale and then make a sad little half-bale out of what's left. If you could just delay the wrap for a few more feet, you'd finish the whole row in one full, properly-sized bale.
Every round-baler operator runs into this, and there are three legitimate ways to handle it — one built-in feature, one manual workaround, and one "do nothing." This post lays out each, by baler brand, and the one mistake that turns a clever shortcut into a busted bale or a chamber jam.
Why this comes up every field
A round baler is built to make a bale of a set diameter, then wrap and eject. But windrows don't end on bale boundaries. Run out of row at 80% chamber and your choices are: dump an undersized bale, or carry on a few more feet and finish full. Operators have been chasing that "few more feet" for as long as net wrap has existed:
"Got a 560M a few weeks ago and trying to figure out how to delay the wrap from starting at the end of a row or field… I saw you press one of the buttons, which allows for a slightly larger bale when you have 6 feet of windrow left before the end of a row."
— kwswan, Central Kansas · AgTalk thread 1210074
That's the exact scenario. Here are the three ways operators solve it.
Method 1: Use the built-in max-bale-size / delay-wrap button
Many modern balers have a dedicated function for this. On John Deere balers it's a max-bale-size button that lets the chamber build to its maximum diameter before tripping the wrap cycle, giving you those extra few feet.
The catch surfaced in the thread: it's often a premium-tier feature, not standard on every monitor.
"That [max-size feature] is for the premium baler with ISO [monitor]."
— kwswan, on the JD quick-reference guide · AgTalk thread 1210074
"That stinks that's considered a premium feature — our Super Ms have it and it's really handy."
— Farm Boy 37 · AgTalk thread 1210074
How to find out if you have it:
- Check your baler's monitor manual for a "max bale size," "delay wrap," or "oversize bale" function.
- On John Deere, the newer ISO/IntelliView-style monitors (461M with ISO, Super M series) typically include it; basic monitors may not.
- AGCO/Massey-Hesston balers handle the same need through their tie-timing controls (see Method 2 — the AGCO note).
If you have the button, this is the cleanest method: the baler still wraps a properly-sized bale, just at its maximum diameter instead of the default.
Method 2: Turn the monitor off, finish the row, wrap manually
If your baler doesn't have a delay-wrap feature, the field-proven workaround is to temporarily disable the auto-wrap so the chamber keeps building, then trigger the wrap by hand once you're out of windrow:
"I just turn the monitor off, finish the windrow, turn it back on."
— Mitchco, North Central MO · AgTalk thread 1210074
"Same here. You have to manually wrap the bale after you turn it back on, but that's just the push of a button."
— Mitchco, SW OH · AgTalk thread 1210074
The step-by-step:
- As you approach the end with a near-full chamber, switch the wrap monitor to off / manual.
- Finish feeding the rest of the windrow into the chamber.
- Switch the monitor back on and press the wrap button to wrap and eject.
It works on most John Deere and New Holland balers and takes seconds once you've done it a couple times.
The AGCO/Massey-Hesston variation — the logic is the same but the control is the tie cycle:
"With AGCO you can either tie automatically at a certain size, and then push the button to dump, or push the button to start the tie cycle and it dumps when done — which is what I do. But you need to push to start tying before it says 73 inches or you'll have a bale without string or wrap."
— WCWI · AgTalk thread 1210074
That last line is the whole safety lesson in one sentence — see the warning below.
Method 3: Do nothing — make the small bale and feed it first
Not every end-of-row needs a trick. Plenty of experienced operators just let the baler wrap at target and deal with the leftover:
"I just let it wrap as usual, then start a new bale. Usually have one smaller bale at the end of a field, press the wrap button manually. Often just put the small one over the fence into the current pasture and give the cows some dry hay."
— Jim, Driftless SW Wisconsin · AgTalk thread 1210074
A small end-of-field bale isn't waste if you feed it first — it's the bale you drop in the pasture this week. The only real downside is a slightly odd-sized bale in the stack, which matters for sale-hay appearance but not for your own feeding.
The one rule you can't break: don't exceed chamber capacity
All three methods share a single hard limit. A baler's chamber has a maximum diameter, and the delay-wrap trick only buys you the gap between your target size and that maximum. Push past the maximum and you're asking for a jam, a blown bale, or a wrap cycle that won't fire.
The thread's most important caution, repeated by the most experienced posters:
"Just be careful that you are not making a bale larger than the machine capacity."
— WCWI, Driftless SW Wisconsin · AgTalk thread 1210074
"That works until it doesn't — know someone that pushed it too far."
— Farm Boy 37, MI · AgTalk thread 1210074
And the AGCO trap: if you wait too long to start the tie cycle (past ~73″ on that machine), the bale ejects without string or wrap at all — a total loss of that bale's binding. Know your baler's number and trigger before it.
Practical guardrails:
- Only use delay-wrap when the windrow remainder is small — a few feet, not half a pass.
- Watch the diameter readout; stop building before the max, not at it.
- A slightly oversized bale that's still net-wrapped is fine; an unwrapped or jammed bale is not.
If your bales are coming out soft or losing shape when you run them oversized, that's a density issue, not a wrap-timing one — see round bales not holding shape.
Which method should you use?
| Situation | Best method |
|---|---|
| Baler has a max-size / delay-wrap button | Method 1 — use the feature |
| No delay feature, JD/NH baler | Method 2 — monitor off, finish, wrap manually |
| AGCO / Massey-Hesston | Method 2 (AGCO) — start tie cycle before the size limit |
| Sale hay, want uniform bales | Method 1 or 2 to finish the row full |
| Own-feed hay, don't want the fuss | Method 3 — make the small bale, feed it first |
A note on wrap quality when you run oversized
When you build to maximum diameter, the chamber pressure on the finished bale is at its highest, and the net wrap has to hold that larger, denser bale together through handling and storage. This is exactly where cheap wrap shows its weakness — thin strands let go on the densest bales (more on that in net wrap mistakes to avoid).
If you regularly finish rows on oversized bales, run a wrap with consistent strand strength edge to edge. XES factory-direct net wrap is DLG-certified, with consistent edge-to-edge strand density, and feeds cleanly on John Deere, New Holland, Vermeer, Case IH, and AGCO balers — so a full-diameter end-of-row bale holds just as well as a standard one. And if it's wrapping inconsistently regardless of size, our load net wrap correctly guide covers threading and tension.
The bottom line
Finishing a windrow in one bale is a small efficiency that adds up over a field. Use your baler's max-size button if it has one; if not, the monitor-off-then-manual-wrap routine works on almost any machine. Just respect the chamber's maximum diameter — the whole trick lives in the gap between your target size and the machine's limit, and the operators who "pushed it too far" are the cautionary tale. When in doubt, make the small bale and feed it first.
Frequently asked questions
How do I delay the net wrap on a John Deere baler?
If you have a premium/ISO monitor (e.g. 461M with ISO, Super M series), use the max-bale-size button to let the chamber build to maximum diameter before wrapping. If your monitor doesn't have it, turn the wrap monitor off, finish the windrow, then turn it back on and press wrap manually.
Can I make a bale bigger than the baler's chamber capacity?
No. The delay-wrap trick only uses the gap between your target diameter and the chamber's maximum. Exceeding the maximum risks a jam, a blown bale, or a failed wrap cycle. Watch the diameter readout and stop before the limit.
How do I finish a windrow in one bale on an AGCO or Massey-Hesston baler?
Use the tie cycle: either let it tie automatically at a set size and push to dump, or push to start the tie cycle and it dumps when done. Critically, start the tie before the bale reaches the size limit (around 73″ on some models) or it ejects with no string or wrap.
Is a small end-of-field bale a waste?
Not if you feed it first. Many operators drop the small bale straight into the current pasture. The only real downside is a non-uniform bale in a stack of sale hay.
Does running oversized bales affect net wrap performance?
Yes — a maximum-diameter bale is denser and puts more tension on the wrap. Use a wrap with consistent edge-to-edge strand strength so it holds the bigger bale through storage and feed-out.
This guide is maintained by the XES Netting team — a bale net-wrap manufacturer. Every farmer quote in this post is verbatim with a thread link, so you can go read the originals.
Featured photo: Round baler 3061 by Flominator, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
