Quick answer: Bigger bales mean fewer to handle, less net wrap per ton, and less outdoor spoilage — so if you feed your own hay and have the loader and tractor for it, a 5×6 is usually the most efficient bale to make. A 6-foot bale holds about 44% more than a 5-foot bale of the same width (volume scales with diameter squared), not the "third more" people often guess. Narrow 4-foot-wide bales win when you haul or sell hay (they load two-wide, two-high on a trailer), when your tractor or loader is small, or when you're short and tired of reaching over a 6-foot bale to cut the net. Match the size to your operation, not to the salesman's spec sheet.
"Bigger the better?" is one of the oldest round-baler debates, and the honest answer is: it depends entirely on what you do with the bales. Here's the geometry, the economics, and the handling reality so you can pick the size that fits your operation.
The geometry: a 5×6 holds way more than you'd guess
People consistently underestimate how much more a bigger-diameter bale holds, because bale volume scales with the square of the diameter, not in a straight line. For the same bale width, going from a 5-foot to a 6-foot diameter is (6 ÷ 5)² = 1.44 — about 44% more hay in every bale. The forum got close and then nailed the math:
"Someone said a 5×6 bale has 1/3 more hay in it than a 5×5." … "The ratio is the radius squared."
— oldbob & sand85 · AgTalk thread 887520
That squared relationship is the whole reason bigger bales are more efficient: more hay per bale means fewer bales for the same tonnage — and a flexible baler can always make a smaller bale when you want one. As one operator put it, "5×6 is the only way to go… better resale, bigger bales so fewer to handle, and you can always make them 5×5 if you want."
The case for bigger (5×6): you feed your own hay
If you're feeding your own cows, every efficiency runs toward the big bale. One West-Central-Ohio operator laid it out plainly:
"We have a 5×6 baler because we make fewer stops in the field to wrap. We pick up fewer bales and haul fewer home. We also feed fewer bales… We've fed 4×5 bales and hated how many extra bales we have to put out — we kind of feel cheated with all the additional work the small bales bring."
— jk2400, West Central Ohio · AgTalk thread 765037
The big-bale advantages stack up:
- Fewer bales to make, wrap, haul, and feed for the same tonnage — less labor at every step.
- Less net wrap per ton. A bigger bale has less surface area relative to its volume, so it takes less net to cover each ton of hay. (How much net any bale needs is in how many wraps per bale.)
- Less outdoor spoilage per ton. Same surface-area-to-volume math: a large bale loses a smaller fraction of itself to weathering on the outside. It's a real edge for hay stored outside — see outdoor hay bale storage.
The requirement: you need the iron to handle them. A wet or dense 5×6 can run 1,400–1,800+ lb (and a heavy baleage bale more), so a loader rated for it and a tractor with the ballast and muscle to carry it are non-negotiable.
The case for narrow (4-wide): you haul or sell hay
Flip the use case and the logic flips with it. If hay leaves your farm on a truck, the 4-foot-wide bale is often the smart choice — and it's all about fitting a legal load:
"5×6 bales are the cheapest way to feed. 4×5 bales are the best to sell."
— cowski, Alabama · AgTalk thread 765037
Why narrow wins for hauling and handling:
- Trailer loading. Four-foot bales load two-wide and two-high within legal width. A 5×6 can be hauled double-wide, but it pushes legal width and needs longer straps — "30-foot straps won't reach over, so they fall off… 35 feet for 5×6 doubles." Truckers generally prefer the 4-footers.
- Wagons and sheds. Narrow bales fit older 7–8-foot wagons and pack efficiently — one operator stacks 4-foot bales three-high on end under 12-foot sidewalls.
- Unwrapping when you're not tall. A genuinely underrated point: cutting net off a 6-foot bale means reaching over the top. "Taking net wrap off while still on the forks is better, because we're only 5'8" and a 6-foot bale would be much harder to unwrap." Keep a 4-foot bale a couple inches off the ground and a shorter operator can reach the net easily.
- Smaller tractors and tough conditions. Where ground is soft or hilly and tractors are smaller, big heavy bales are a liability. As one Ontario operator put it: "You'd have to work hard to give a 5-foot baler away here — too big, too heavy, hard to move, and most guys have 50–70 hp tractors. With mud and snow six months a year, you'd be better with a square baler."
Note that "narrow" doesn't always mean "light," especially with baleage — a wet 4×4 can still hit 2,000 lb, because water is heavy and a wet bale carries less actual dry matter than its weight suggests. Size for handling, but weigh for what you're actually wrapping.
So which size should you make?
| Your situation | Lean toward |
|---|---|
| Feed your own herd; have a big loader/tractor | 5×6 — fewest bales, least net & spoilage per ton |
| Sell/haul hay on trucks | 4×5 — loads two-wide, two-high; truckers prefer it |
| Small tractor/loader, hilly or muddy ground | 4-wide (or smaller diameter) for handling |
| Older 7–8′ wagons, low sheds, shorter operator | 4-wide — fits, stacks, and unwraps easier |
| Do both (feed and sell) | Some run two balers, or a flexible baler set big for cows, small for sale |
Whatever diameter and width you settle on, the one near-universal verdict from these threads is about the binding, not the size: "One thing I will never give up is net wrap in a baler." Pick the bale size that fits your operation, then wrap it tight with quality net wrap so it holds its shape, sheds water, and feeds clean.
Round bale size, in short
- Bigger holds more than you think — a 5×6 carries ~44% more than a 5×5, not a third.
- Feed your own hay → go big (5×6) if your loader and tractor can handle it: fewer bales, less net and spoilage per ton.
- Haul or sell → go narrow (4×5) to load legal and please truckers.
- Match to your iron, ground, storage, and reach — a bale you can't handle safely is never the right size.
Frequently asked questions
How much more hay is in a 5x6 bale than a 5x5?
About 44% more, not the "third more" people often estimate. Bale volume scales with the square of the diameter, so for the same width, a 6-foot bale holds (6 ÷ 5)² = 1.44 times as much as a 5-foot bale. That squared relationship is why bigger-diameter bales are meaningfully more efficient — fewer bales cover the same tonnage.
Is a 5x6 or 4x5 round baler better?
It depends on what you do with the hay. A 5×6 is the most efficient bale to make if you feed your own herd and have a loader and tractor sized for 1,400–1,800+ lb bales — you make, wrap, haul, and feed fewer of them, and use less net wrap and lose less to spoilage per ton. A 4×5 is better if you haul or sell hay, because narrow bales load two-wide and two-high on a trailer within legal width, and most truckers prefer them.
What's the best round bale size for selling hay?
Four-foot-wide bales, commonly 4×5, are generally best for selling because they load efficiently and legally on trucks — two-wide and two-high — and buyers and haulers prefer them. Five-by-six bales can be hauled double-wide, but they push legal width and need longer (about 35-foot) straps to secure the top row, which is why sellers often run the narrower bale.
How much does a round bale weigh?
It varies widely with size and moisture. A dry 5×6 grass bale often runs 1,400–1,800 lb, and denser or wetter bales weigh more. Baleage is much heavier because water is heavy — even a narrow 4×4 wet-wrapped bale can reach 2,000 lb, while carrying less actual dry matter than a dry bale of the same weight. Always size bales to what your loader and tractor can handle safely, and remember wet bales weigh far more than dry ones.
Do bigger bales use less net wrap?
Per ton of hay, yes. A larger bale has less surface area relative to its volume, so it takes less net wrap to cover each ton — and for the same reason it loses a smaller fraction of itself to weathering when stored outside. That per-ton efficiency in both net wrap and spoilage is one of the main reasons operators who feed their own hay favor bigger bales.
The XES Netting team manufactures bale net wrap for round balers and writes these guides so forage operators can find clear, source-cited answers. Every farmer quote in this post is verbatim with a link to the original AgTalk thread — go read the discussions in full.
Featured photo: Round hay bales on a field by DimiTalen, released under CC0 1.0 (Public Domain), via Wikimedia Commons.
