Accumulator Questions

You buy your accumulator. One model sets the bale cut side up (conventional - not inline baler), another puts the cut side down, another puts the string side down.

Load out your bales from the field on a wagon, get them stacked in the barn exactly like they were off-loaded from the accumulator, i.e. with respect to the cut/string side.

2 customers are coming. One has a 53 ft box, the other has a flat bed trailer.

I can see stacking 6 wide in a box trailer, cut side up/down from the end. Not sure this works with a flat bed trailer as (maybe?) you are loading it from the side vs end? With no sides on a flat bed (and no band around the bale stack), looks like stacking cut side up/down will be wobbly at best - side stacking on the strings IMHO much better?

Then the preverbal argument - hay dries better stacked cut side up (or fill in the blank). If your accumulator is dropping bales cut side down, you're screwed. If it lays them out on the string side, nice stable pile, but....

Soooooooo.......

What is the balance between buying an accumulator based on how it presents the cut side, stacking in the barn and on box vs flat bed trailers?

We tried stacking bales cut side up this year and maybe our hay was dry enough it didn't matter, but there were some bales I was 100% sure would dust up that were stacked cut side up and they have shown zero sign of dust. Absent more experience, I'm a believer in stacking cut side up.

Not so sure when it comes to taking all that hay cut side up and loading it out on flat bed trailers is going to be such a good idea?

Accumulator, cut side when stacking barn/trailer - what combo do you prefer and why?

Thanks!
Bill

Accumulator Questions