The short version: an earlier version of this article told operators to press a “max bale size” button, or to turn the wrap monitor off, finish the row and then wrap by hand. We went looking for those procedures in the official John Deere manuals reviewed here and could not find them. We were not able to read New Holland, Case IH or AGCO operator manuals, which sit behind registration or authenticated portals, so we are making no claim about what those machines do or do not offer — for those makes, the answer has to come from your own manual or your dealer. What the Deere documentation we did read describes is a bale diameter setting with a defined range, a near-full indicator you can set to give more warning, and a manual wrap key whose documented purpose is the opposite of the article's premise: it wraps an undersized bale early when you are finishing a field. The small end-of-row bale is a documented, supported outcome. Below is what we could verify, what we could not, and where the safety boundaries sit.
What we removed, and why
The previous version of this page was built almost entirely on one public forum thread. It presented three “methods” for finishing a windrow in a single bale, quoted nine forum comments as evidence, and linked no manufacturer documentation at all. On a machine-operation topic that is not good enough, so we rebuilt the page against official manuals and removed the following outright:
- A “max bale size / delay wrap button.” We could not find this function, under that name or an equivalent one, in the official John Deere manual pages we retrieved. We could not access New Holland, Case IH or AGCO manuals at all, so this is not a statement about those machines.
- The claim that it is a premium-tier feature. Not found in the Deere manuals reviewed. In those manuals bale diameter is adjusted with a dedicated key, and both the BaleTrak Pro and BaleTrak Plus key diagrams list a Bale Diameter key and a Wrap Cycle—Manual Start key.
- “Turn the monitor off, finish the row, wrap manually.” No manual we retrieved instructs disabling a monitor to keep building a bale. Removed as a procedure.
- A specific tie-cycle threshold on AGCO machines. The old page stated a bale would eject with no binding past roughly 73 inches. We could not access official AGCO documentation to verify any such figure and will not publish an unverified number that an operator might rely on. That is an absence of access on our part, not evidence that no such limit exists — ask AGCO or your dealer.
- All nine forum quotations, the product promotion and every internal link.
Target diameter versus maximum diameter
This distinction is the heart of the question, and it is documented.
In the operator manual for the John Deere 468, 468 Silage Special and 568 round balers, under “Setting Bale Diameter”: “Initial setting for bale diameter is 168 cm (66 in.). Bale diameter can be set from 81 to 183 cm (32 to 72 in.) at 1 cm (0.5 in.) increments. Press BALE DIAMETER key (A) and Plus key to raise diameter setting. Press BALE DIAMETER key (A) and MINUS key to lower diameter setting.” It adds that an optional variable core diameter setting “must be at least 10 cm (4 in.) under bale diameter setting.”
The separate manual for the 460M and 560M states the same figures under “Set Bale Diameter”: “The initial setting for bale diameter is 168 cm (66 in). The bale diameter can be set from 81—183 cm (32—72 in) at 1 cm (0.5 in) increments.” Two separate manual families, the same documented behaviour: a target you choose inside a defined range.
So on those machines there is a target you choose (66 inches from the factory) and a maximum the range allows (72 inches). The John Deere 460M specification page states the same span as a machine characteristic: “Bale Diameter.............. 813—1829 mm (32—72 in)”, with bale wrap control described as “Self-activating; automatic at desired bale size.”
That is the honest answer to “how do I get a slightly bigger bale to finish the row?” on those machines: the target diameter is a setting inside a defined range, not a button that suspends the wrap cycle. Your machine's range, increments, default and adjustment method may differ, which is exactly why the number has to come from your own manual.
These are standard keys, not a premium upgrade
The old article claimed the relevant control was a premium-tier feature. The manual's key diagrams say otherwise. The BaleTrak Pro monitor-controller key list includes both “Wrap Cycle—Manual Start” and “Bale Diameter” among its labelled keys, and the BaleTrak Plus key list includes the same two. Both controls appear on both monitor-controllers in that manual.
The Plus monitor additionally has a Program button, which is not a size control. The manual states: “The program button allows an operator to switch between different wrap settings depending on whether twine or net is selected,” offering five presets by crop — silage, straw, hay, precut silage and precut hay — each carrying its own twine spacing, end-wrap and number-of-net-wraps values. It changes how the bale is bound, not how large it is allowed to become.
What the manual actually documents
Three separate controls exist in the manual we read, and none of them is a delay-the-wrap trick.
1. The bale diameter setting
Covered above — a dedicated BALE DIAMETER key with plus and minus, adjustable in 1 cm (0.5 in.) increments across the machine's range.
2. The near-full indicator, which is the closest thing to what operators actually want
Under “Setting Near-Full Indicator Set Point (Channel 010)”: the indicator “informs operator when bale has almost reached desired size, based on the bale diameter setting. The point below the diameter setting, at which the indicator comes on, is adjustable between 1-27 cm (0.5-10.0 in.), in 1 cm (0.5 in.) increments. Initial setting is 11 cm (4.5 in.).”
The manual gives a worked example: “If bale diameter is set at 183 cm (72 in.) and the near-full distance is left at initial setting of 11 cm (4.5 in.), the near-full indicator will come on when bale diameter reaches 172 cm (67.5 in.).” And it notes: “Increasing near-full distance to highest setting of 27 cm (10.0 in.) provides maximum time between NEAR-FULL indication and the wrapping cycle.”
Read that again, because it is the practical point the old article missed. The documented way to get more room to plan the end of a row is to give yourself earlier warning, not to defeat the wrap. Note also that this is a setup channel: the manual's procedure begins “turn tractor key to ON position. Do not start tractor engine” and ends “turn monitor-controller OFF to enter setting into memory. Turn tractor key to OFF position. Remove key.” It is not something you reach for mid-row.
The 460M and 560M manual also states what the near-full warning is for, and it is not extending the bale: the indicator “flashes and beeps twice when the bale reaches a diameter 11 cm (4.5 in) smaller than the bale diameter setting. This indication gives a chance to fill the bale ends properly.”
What the manual requires once wrapping starts
This is the instruction that settles the whole question, and the old article omitted it. In “BaleTrak Pro and Plus Monitor-Controller Operation”: “Wrapping Started indicator (H) lights and beeps, and net or twine application starts automatically when the bale reaches the diameter setting. Stop travel and maintain engine and rated PTO speed during the wrap and eject cycle.”
Wrapping is not something you drive through. The documented sequence is that the machine triggers at your setting, you stop moving, and you hold rated PTO speed while it wraps and ejects. The same page notes that with B-Wrap material “the operator must disengage the PTO when indicated on the monitor to orient the bale correctly during ejection,” and that ejection is done with the hydraulic multi-function lever. An approach built on continuing to feed crop while suppressing the wrap runs against that sequence.
3. The manual WRAP key — which does the opposite of “delay”
Under “Manual Actuator, Wrap, and Bypass Switches”: “Press and release WRAP key (C) to start an automatic twine or net wrap cycle before bale reaches preset diameter. Once started, the bale wrapping cycle uses current settings stored in the monitor-controller memory (number of wraps, end wraps, and end wrap distance). This feature is useful to wrap an undersized bale when finishing a field. Monitor-controller resumes fully automatic operation on next bale.”
The manufacturer's documented end-of-field feature is to wrap a smaller bale early and move on. The old article treated that as the fallback for people who could not manage the clever trick. It is in fact the documented answer.
What “net wrap delay” really means
There is a setting called net wrap delay, and it is not what the old article implied. Under “Adjusting Net Wrap Delay (Advanced Operation Information) (Channel 006)”: “The initial setting for net wrap delay is 2 seconds. This provides time to stop forward travel and avoid getting crop between layers of wrap. If the operation requires additional delay before wrapping starts, such as operating on a hillside or baling at high ground speed, net wrap delay can be adjusted from 0 to 8 seconds.”
That is a timing buffer of a few seconds between the wrap being triggered and the wrap starting, so you can stop moving. The trigger has already happened at the diameter you set. It does not add hay to the bale and it will not finish a windrow. Like Channel 010, it is a setup channel adjusted with the engine off and the key removed.
One point on that quotation, because it is easy to misread. The manual mentions hillsides and high ground speed as circumstances in which a longer buffer may be wanted. That is the manual explaining what its timing setting is for — it is not authorisation to bale faster or to work a slope. Terrain, rated operating speed, the specific tractor and baler combination, and the safety instructions in your own machine's manual all still govern how and where you operate, and none of that changes because a delay value is available.
What we could not verify
We are stating these as unresolved rather than guessing, because an operator could be injured or damage a machine acting on a procedure we invented.
- Any “max bale size” or delay-wrap function in official manuals. Not found in the pages we retrieved.
- Non-Deere manual text. New Holland, Case IH and AGCO put full operator manuals behind account registration or authenticated portals, so we could not quote them. That does not mean equivalent settings do not exist on those machines — it means we could not read the documentation, and you should get it from the manufacturer or your dealer rather than from us.
- The AGCO tie-cycle figure. No official source located.
Why “turn the monitor off” is not in any manual we found
The phrase does appear in the manual, but only as the final step of a setup procedure — “turn monitor-controller OFF to enter setting into memory” — performed with the tractor engine not running and ending with the key removed. It is how a configuration change is committed, not a way to keep a bale growing while you are baling.
Treating a setup step as an operating technique is the kind of substitution that gets machinery advice wrong. The monitor-controller is also what raises the alarms listed in the manual, including gate open, oversize bale, low tractor voltage, and net wrap misfed or miscut. Switching it off during operation removes the warnings you would most want at the moment you are pushing the chamber.
Oversize is an alarm, not a technique
This is the clearest signal that the old framing was wrong. In the BaleTrak Pro and Plus system description, the alarms the system raises include Oversize Bale, alongside gate open, low tractor voltage and net wrap misfed or miscut. The manual's parts and adjustment sections likewise cover an oversize bale switch as a component to be adjusted and replaced.
A condition the manufacturer built a switch and an alarm for is a fault state the machine is designed to detect, not a performance mode to aim at. Building deliberately toward it, with the monitor off, was the single worst piece of advice on the old page.
The safety boundaries
These are quoted from official manuals. They are also the reason none of this should be improvised.
Operate from the seat. The BaleTrak system description states that “the operator can adjust most control settings from the tractor seat without inconvenience or delays,” and that “by pushing a single button, twine arms can be extended or extracted, or the auto wrap cycle can be initiated.” Controls are designed to be used from the operating position.
Never approach a running machine. Under “Operate Baler Safely”: “To avoid injury or death by being pulled into the machine: DO NOT attempt to feed crop or twine into baler or unplug feed area WHILE BALER IS RUNNING. The baler feeds material faster than you can release it. Disengage PTO and shut off engine. Stand clear of baler at all times when machine is operating.”
Stored energy and unexpected movement. The same section continues: if the baler plugs during a twine arm cycle, “turn off power to twine arms. This will help to make the unplugging operation easier and prevent twine arms from moving unexpectedly while your hands may be in the path of the twine arms. Stay out of the path of twine arms at all times when power to the arms is ON.”
The gate. From the same 460M and 560M manual, under “Lock the Gate”: “While working inside or around the baler with an open gate, the gate lock lever (A) must be moved to the locked position. Use this safety feature any time the gate is open. Close the gate any time the baler must be left unattended.” The manual also explains why the lever matters: “The gate lock valve locks each gate lift cylinder independently with the gate in any position. If the hydraulic lift system fails on one side of the machine, the gate is still held open by the lift cylinder on the other side.” An open gate is held up by hydraulics until it is locked.
Handling the finished bale. From “Handle Round Bales Safely”: “do not handle round bales without approved John Deere Round Bale Handling attachments. Improper use of loaders to handle round bales can result in serious injury or death to the tractor/loader operator. This could be caused by the bale rolling back down the loader into the operator's station.” It adds: do not exceed the loader's bale weight limitations, “carry the bale slowly and as low as possible to the ground”, approach bales on a slope with the tractor facing uphill, and “never use the tractor/loader to stop a rolling bale.”
That last group matters here specifically. A bale built toward the top of the machine's diameter range may be heavier than your usual bale, but diameter alone does not tell you its weight — width, diameter, density, moisture and crop all bear on it. Do not infer weight or density from diameter. If it matters for handling or sale, take a representative scale weight, and work within the stated limits of your loader, tractor and attachment either way.
The small bale is a valid answer
Worth saying plainly, because the old article treated it as a consolation prize. The manufacturer documents a key whose stated purpose is to wrap an undersized bale when finishing a field, and the monitor returns to automatic on the next bale. That is a supported, designed-for outcome.
Supported does not mean nothing to check. A shorter bale still has to be handled and stored on its merits: confirm it is stable and sits squarely, that its density and moisture are what you expect, that your handler and attachment suit it, that it stacks and stores without leaning, and that it fits whatever feeder you intend to use. Do not assume a short bale behaves like a full-size one simply because it came off the same machine.
Two handling points that apply to every bale, small ones included. Fully lower, support and stabilise a bale before anyone works near it — never work under or beside a raised or unsupported bale. And remove every piece of net wrap and twine, including fragments, before any animal has access to the forage. That means a wrapped bale is never simply dropped into a pasture for stock to work at; the binding comes off first, and the pieces are collected.
Finding the right manual for your machine
Everything above came from specific manuals for specific models, and none of it transfers automatically to your baler. Before changing any setting, establish:
- the manufacturer, exact model, and the full product identification or serial number on the machine
- the current operator manual for that model and serial range — manufacturers publish manuals by identification number for a reason, because procedures change within a model line
- which display or monitor-controller your machine actually has, and its software version
- the manual's own stated range, default and increment for bale diameter on your machine, rather than a figure from another model
- your dealer, for anything the manual does not resolve
Frequently asked questions
Is there a button that delays the net wrap so I can finish the windrow?
We could not find one in the official John Deere manuals we reviewed — no “max bale size” or delay-wrap function under that name or an equivalent. We were unable to access New Holland, Case IH or AGCO operator manuals, so we are making no claim about those makes; for those, use your own manual or ask your dealer. What is documented on the John Deere 468, 468 Silage Special and 568 balers is a bale diameter setting: “Initial setting for bale diameter is 168 cm (66 in.). Bale diameter can be set from 81 to 183 cm (32 to 72 in.) at 1 cm (0.5 in.) increments.” The 460M and 560M manual states the same range. Your machine may differ, so use the current manual for your exact model and product identification number.
What is the difference between target and maximum bale diameter?
The target is the diameter you set and at which the machine wraps — the John Deere 460M specification describes bale wrap control as “self-activating; automatic at desired bale size.” The maximum is the top of the machine's range; the same specification page lists bale diameter as “813—1829 mm (32—72 in)”. Any extra diameter available to you lives inside that documented range and is selected as a setting, not obtained by suspending the wrap cycle. Confirm your own machine's range in its manual.
Should I turn the monitor off to keep building the bale?
No, and no manual we retrieved describes doing so. The phrase appears in the manual only as the last step of a setup procedure, “turn monitor-controller OFF to enter setting into memory,” carried out with the tractor engine not running and ending with the key removed. The monitor-controller also raises the alarms listed for the system, including gate open, oversize bale, low tractor voltage, and net wrap misfed or miscut, so switching it off during operation removes those warnings.
What does the net wrap delay setting actually do?
It delays the start of wrapping by a couple of seconds after the cycle is triggered, so you can stop moving. The manual states: “The initial setting for net wrap delay is 2 seconds. This provides time to stop forward travel and avoid getting crop between layers of wrap. If the operation requires additional delay before wrapping starts, such as operating on a hillside or baling at high ground speed, net wrap delay can be adjusted from 0 to 8 seconds.” Read that carefully: the manual is describing what its timing buffer is for, and the hillside and ground-speed examples are not permission to bale faster or to work an unsafe slope. Terrain, rated operating speed, the specific tractor and baler combination, and the safety instructions in your own machine's manual still control how and where you operate. The setting does not make the bale bigger, and it is a setup channel adjusted with the engine off.
Is there a documented way to get more warning before the wrap starts?
Yes, on the machine we checked. The near-full indicator set point is “adjustable between 1-27 cm (0.5-10.0 in.)” below the diameter setting, with an initial setting of 11 cm (4.5 in.), and the manual notes that “increasing near-full distance to highest setting of 27 cm (10.0 in.) provides maximum time between NEAR-FULL indication and the wrapping cycle.” That gives you earlier notice to plan the end of the row. It is a setup channel, adjusted with the tractor engine not running and the key removed afterwards.
What does the manufacturer say to do at the end of a field?
Wrap the smaller bale. The manual describes the WRAP key as starting a wrap cycle “before bale reaches preset diameter” and states plainly: “This feature is useful to wrap an undersized bale when finishing a field. Monitor-controller resumes fully automatic operation on next bale.”
Is an oversize bale just a bigger bale?
No. Oversize bale is listed among the alarms the BaleTrak Pro and Plus system raises, alongside gate open, low tractor voltage and net wrap misfed or miscut, and the manual covers an oversize bale switch as a component to adjust and replace. It is a fault condition the machine is built to detect, not a setting to aim for.
Does a bigger bale change how I handle it?
Possibly, but do not assume weight from diameter. A larger-diameter bale may be heavier, though actual weight depends on width, diameter, density, moisture and crop together. If weight matters for handling or sale, take a representative scale weight rather than estimating. Either way work within stated limits: the manual is explicit that you should “not handle bales that exceed the bale weight limitations of the loader”, that round bales require approved bale handling attachments, that you should “carry the bale slowly and as low as possible to the ground”, that on a slope you approach “with the tractor facing uphill”, and that you must “never use the tractor/loader to stop a rolling bale.” Observe your tractor, loader and attachment ratings.
What should I do with the small end-of-row bale?
Treat it as a normal bale that still needs checking. Wrapping an undersized bale when finishing a field is a documented, supported outcome, and the monitor returns to automatic on the next bale. Before you rely on it, confirm it is stable and sits squarely, that density and moisture are what you expect, that your handler and attachment suit it, and that it stacks, stores and fits your feeder. Fully lower, support and stabilise it before anyone works near it, and never work under or beside a raised or unsupported bale. Remove every piece of net wrap and twine, including fragments, before any animal can reach the forage — do not drop a wrapped bale into a pasture for stock to work at.
What am I supposed to do once wrapping starts?
Stop moving and hold engine speed. The 460M and 560M manual states: “Wrapping Started indicator (H) lights and beeps, and net or twine application starts automatically when the bale reaches the diameter setting. Stop travel and maintain engine and rated PTO speed during the wrap and eject cycle.” With B-Wrap material the same page adds that “the operator must disengage the PTO when indicated on the monitor to orient the bale correctly during ejection.” Wrapping is a stop-and-hold step, not something to drive through, which is another reason continuing to feed crop past the trigger point is not a supported technique. Confirm the sequence in the manual for your own machine.
Is the Program button on my monitor a bale size control?
Not on the machine we checked. The manual describes the Program button on BaleTrak Plus monitors this way: “The program button allows an operator to switch between different wrap settings depending on whether twine or net is selected,” with five presets by crop — silage, straw, hay, precut silage and precut hay — each setting twine spacing, end wraps and the number of net wraps. It changes how the bale is bound, not how large it is allowed to get. Check what the equivalent control does on your own monitor and software version.
Does net wrap choice solve this?
No. This is a machine setting and operating question, and the binding does not change what diameter your baler is set to wrap at or when the cycle triggers. We manufacture net wrap and have nothing to sell that answers this question.
Sources
- John Deere operator manual OMFH309531, 468, 468 Silage Special and 568 Round Balers — “Setting Bale Diameter”: initial 168 cm (66 in.), range 81–183 cm (32–72 in.) in 1 cm (0.5 in.) increments, BALE DIAMETER key with plus and minus, variable core at least 10 cm (4 in.) under the diameter setting (manuals.deere.com, accessed August 16, 2026).
- John Deere OMFH309531 — “Setting Near-Full Indicator Set Point (Channel 010)”: adjustable 1–27 cm (0.5–10.0 in.), initial 11 cm (4.5 in.), the 183 cm / 172 cm worked example, and maximum warning time at the 27 cm setting (manuals.deere.com, accessed August 16, 2026).
- John Deere OMFH309531 — “Adjusting Net Wrap Delay (Advanced Operation Information) (Channel 006)”: 2 second initial setting, 0 to 8 seconds, purpose of stopping forward travel, and the engine-off procedure ending with the key removed (manuals.deere.com, accessed August 16, 2026).
- John Deere OMFH309531 — “Manual Actuator, Wrap, and Bypass Switches”: WRAP key starts a cycle before preset diameter and is “useful to wrap an undersized bale when finishing a field” (manuals.deere.com, accessed August 16, 2026).
- John Deere OMFH309531 — “Operate Baler Safely”: do not feed or unplug while running, disengage PTO and shut off engine, stand clear; turn off power to twine arms when unplugging and stay out of their path (manuals.deere.com, accessed August 16, 2026).
- John Deere OMFH309531 — “Handle Round Bales Safely”: approved bale handling attachments, loader weight limitations, carry low and slow, face uphill on slopes, never stop a rolling bale with the loader (manuals.deere.com, accessed August 16, 2026).
- John Deere operator manual OMFH331594, 460M Round Baler — specifications giving bale diameter 813–1829 mm (32–72 in) and BaleTrak Pro wrap control as “self-activating; automatic at desired bale size” (manuals.deere.com, accessed August 16, 2026).
- John Deere OMFH331594 — “Set Bale Diameter”: initial 168 cm (66 in), range 81–183 cm (32–72 in) in 1 cm (0.5 in) increments, corroborating the 468/568 manual (manuals.deere.com, accessed August 16, 2026).
- John Deere OMFH331594 — “BaleTrak Pro and Plus Monitor-Controller Operation”: wrapping starts automatically at the diameter setting, “stop travel and maintain engine and rated PTO speed during the wrap and eject cycle”, the near-full indicator firing 11 cm (4.5 in) below the setting to allow filling bale ends properly, and B-Wrap PTO disengagement (manuals.deere.com, accessed August 16, 2026).
- John Deere OMFH331594 — “BaleTrak Pro Monitor-Controller Keys and Switches”, listing Wrap Cycle—Manual Start and Bale Diameter among the standard keys (manuals.deere.com, accessed August 16, 2026).
- John Deere OMFH331594 — “BaleTrak Plus Monitor-Controller Keys and Switches”, listing the same two controls on the Plus monitor (manuals.deere.com, accessed August 16, 2026).
- John Deere OMFH331594 — “Wrapping Program Button (BaleTrak Plus Monitors Only)”: five crop presets for twine and net settings, not a bale-size control (manuals.deere.com, accessed August 16, 2026).
- John Deere OMFH331594 — “Adjust Net Wrap Delay (Channel 006)”: the same 2 second initial setting and 0–8 second range as the 468/568 manual (manuals.deere.com, accessed August 16, 2026).
- John Deere OMFH331594 — “BaleTrak Pro and Plus Monitor-Controller System Introduction”: settings adjustable from the tractor seat, single button initiates the auto wrap cycle, and the alarm list including gate open, oversize bale, low tractor voltage and net wrap misfed or miscut (manuals.deere.com, accessed August 16, 2026).
- John Deere OMFH331594 — “Adjust Bale Diameter Display (Channel 028)”: display calibration by measuring the bale horizontally and vertically at both ends and averaging the four measurements (manuals.deere.com, accessed August 16, 2026).
- John Deere OMFH331594 — “Lock the Gate”: the gate lock lever must be locked while working inside or around the baler with an open gate, used any time the gate is open, with each lift cylinder locked independently in any gate position (manuals.deere.com, accessed August 16, 2026).
Written by the XES Netting team. We manufacture bale net wrap; we do not build balers or hold their manuals. Where the earlier version of this article gave a procedure we could not find in official documentation, we removed it and said so rather than leaving it in place. Manual excerpts above are quoted from specific manuals for specific models and serial ranges and do not transfer to other machines; always use the current manual for your own model and product identification number.
Featured photo: Round baler 3061 by Flominator, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. The machine pictured is described by the photographer as a Welger RP 220 Profi with the rear gate open; it is not one of the John Deere models whose manuals are quoted above, and it is shown here only to illustrate a round baler's chamber and gate.
