Quick answer: Net usually tears at eject because the endgate opens too slowly and the still-turning belts yank the net as the gate moves — speeding up the endgate hydraulics fixes this on most balers. It also tears when the net is under too much tension at the cut: a net brake set too tight, a dull knife that rips instead of slicing, or an over-dense, overfilled bale. On coarse, dry crops like cornstalks, lowering bale density and slowing your eject routine cuts tearing dramatically. Work through endgate speed, net brake, knife sharpness, and density — in that order.
Net that tears as the bale ejects — or leaves a short, ripped tail instead of a clean cut — is one of the most-discussed baler headaches in the hay forums. The good news: it's rarely the net's fault and almost always a fixable setting. The two big buckets are how fast your endgate opens and how much tension the net is under when the knife cuts.
Cause 1: the endgate opens too slowly
This is the single most common cause of net tearing at eject, and it has a clean fix. If the belts are still turning when the gate starts to open, the net gets pulled and tears. Speeding up the endgate hydraulics so the gate snaps open beats the belts to it:
"I thought the 565 still used the declutcher. It stops the belts from turning when you eject a bale. The declutcher is not really needed if the tailgate opens fast enough. Don't know what tractor you are running this on but if you can increase the the flow of the hydraulic it will eliminate your problem"
— neverstoplearning, NEW YORK · AgTalk thread 1218340
One producer fought this exact problem for years on a Vermeer before a neighbor spotted the fix in about two minutes:
"I use to have that problem with a Vermeer 605 Super M baler. Fought it for a couple years and still couldn't figure out why the net would tear when I opened the end gate. I got to the point that I would shut the PTO off, then open the gate and everything would be fine. Had a friend stop one day and was super confused why I was shutting the PTO off when opening the end gate. He watched me and told me to speed up the hydraulics for opening the end gate. I sped the hydraulics up and it worked perfectly, no more torn netwrap on bales. But man did I ever feel stupid, I put up with that for years."
— Ih7110, SW WI · AgTalk thread 1218340
If your tractor has adjustable hydraulic flow to the rear remote, turn it up so the gate opens fast and crisp. On many balers that one change ends the problem.
Cause 2: the net brake is set too tight
The net brake holds tension on the roll so the net feeds tight. Set too tight, the net is stretched like a rubber band at the moment the knife cuts — and instead of a clean cut it recoils and pulls back through the duckbill, leaving a torn, short tail:
"Loosen it. We fought the same problem for 2 years. What happens it the brake comes on just a bit too soon and stretches the net. Now it's under tension and when the knife cuts it it recoils back and gets pulled back through the duck bill."
— farmere426, North Liberty and South Bend, Indiana · AgTalk thread 1207751
If you're getting clean wraps but a ripped or too-short tail, back the net brake off a touch before you touch anything else.
Cause 3: a dull or mis-set knife
A net knife that's dull tears the net instead of slicing it, which also leaves a short, ragged tail. The fix is to keep the knife sharp and check the parts that hold the net in the duckbill:
"Not sure what you mean by roll but after a bale is wrapped there should be a tail hanging out of the duckbill, believe 2-4" is the spec would think book would say. If its not make sure your net knife is sharp, if its dull it tears rather than cuts and ends up short. Other thing is to check the fingers or rubber that hold the net in the duckbill... Not likely your problem but check the net brake as well as that can affect the net cutting."
— Farms With CASE, North Central OH · AgTalk thread 1206533
A related Deere example shows how a mechanical tension error mimics a dull knife — a v-belt tightened wrong shot the net over the knife instead of under it, so it tore every time:
"I also had them replace the little v-belt that drives the net rolls. Well the mechanic didn't follow procedure to tighten v-belt. He set tension without activating the actuator. So it was way too tight. It would then shoot net up and over the knife instead of under it. I would show a fault code of not wrapping, cutting. Bale would be wrapped, but net was just tore. Deere couldn't figure it out, I finally look at neighbors baler and saw the problem, set v-belt tension, solved the problem."
— GB1066 · AgTalk thread 744627
If your net is wrapped but the tail is always torn, the knife or the geometry feeding net to the knife is the place to look. For more on cutting failures specifically, see net wrap won't cut.
Cause 4: too much density (especially on coarse, dry crops)
An over-dense, overfilled bale strains the net and tears it — and the problem gets worse on dry, coarse material like cornstalks that don't compress evenly:
"If the belts do not stop when the door is opened you do not have the declutch option... I also suspect a part of your problem is too much density pressure + an overfilled middle of the bale width."
— Radiehl · AgTalk thread 1218340
The operator who started that cornstalk thread eventually cut his tearing way down by backing density off and changing how he ejected:
"I lowered the bale densities a lot. The previous owner had the outer density at 1500 and the inner set at 1300. I lowered the outer to 800 and the inner to 700."
— Gearclash, SE SD · AgTalk thread 1218340
He paired the lower density with a smoother eject — stopping quicker, backing up slightly while wrapping, and driving ahead as the bale dropped so it couldn't stall and snag. After that he reported only one or two scuffs in the last 100 bales. If cornstalks are your main fight, see net wrap for cornstalk bales, and check your wrap count against how much net wrap per bale.
Causes and fixes at a glance
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix farmers use |
|---|---|---|
| Net tears as the endgate opens | Gate too slow; belts still turning | Speed up endgate hydraulic flow |
| Wrap is fine but tail is short/ripped | Net brake too tight | Back the net brake off a little |
| Tail torn, not cut | Dull knife or net fed over the knife | Sharpen knife; check v-belt/actuator tension |
| Tearing on dry cornstalks/bedding | Too much density, overfilled middle | Lower density; eject smoother, stop quicker |
| Fault code "not cutting" but bale wrapped | Tension/geometry feeding net wrong | Reset belt tension per procedure |
Where XES fits
When the settings are right, the net shouldn't be your weak link. Our wrap is DLG-tested (Report #7439) for consistent strength across the roll, so a clean-cutting, properly-tensioned baler gets a clean cut every time instead of a roll that snaps in a dense bale. Compare widths and lengths on the net wrap product page. If your trouble is net balling on the rollers rather than tearing, see net wrap wrapping around the rollers.
The bottom line
Torn net is almost always a settings problem, not a net problem. Start with endgate speed — turn the hydraulic flow up so the gate beats the belts. If the wrap is good but the tail is ripped or short, loosen the net brake and check that the knife is sharp and feeding net under, not over. On dry, coarse crops, drop the density and smooth out your eject. Work the list in order and you'll usually find the one setting that was costing you a torn bale every round.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my net wrap tear when I open the endgate?
The most common reason is that the endgate opens too slowly, so the belts are still turning and yank the net as the gate moves. Increasing the hydraulic flow to the rear remote so the gate snaps open fixes it on most balers — producers have reported fighting this for years before simply speeding up the gate.
Why is the net tail torn or too short after the cut?
Usually the net is under too much tension at the cut. A net brake set too tight stretches the net so it recoils and pulls back through the duckbill when the knife cuts. A dull knife also tears rather than slices, leaving a short ragged tail. Back off the net brake and make sure the knife is sharp.
How do I stop net wrap tearing on cornstalk bales?
Lower the bale density — coarse, dry stalks don't compress evenly and an over-dense, overfilled bale strains the net. One producer dropped his outer/inner density settings substantially and smoothed out his eject (stop quicker, drive ahead as the bale drops) and cut tearing to one or two scuffs per 100 bales. Check your wrap count too.
Can a dull knife really tear the net?
Yes. A dull net knife tears the net instead of cutting it cleanly, which leaves a short, ragged tail — the spec tail hanging from the duckbill is typically a couple of inches. Keep the knife sharp and check the fingers or rubber that hold the net in the duckbill, plus the net brake, which also affects the cut.
What is the declutch and do I need it?
The declutcher stops the belts from turning when you eject a bale, which prevents net tearing on slower endgates. Many operators consider it unnecessary if the tailgate opens fast enough — a modern tractor with enough hydraulic flow opens the gate quickly enough that the belts never get a chance to grab the net.
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. Always follow your baler's operator manual and lock out the machine before adjusting the net system or reaching into the chamber.
Featured photo: Net Wrapped Hay Bales by Michael Trolove, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
