Baler Guide -- Vertical Versatility

Vertical balers, also called downstroke balers, use a single ram to compress material from top to bottom. These balers are highly portable and can produce a wide range of bale sizes. While many produce bales that are smaller than those made by horizontal balers, there are large vertical balers that can produce a shipping bale. “Many operations want the larger vertical baler to get a mill size bale of cardboard, for instance, which weighs more than 1,000 pounds,” says one manufacturer.

While vertical balers are common in grocery stores and other businesses that need to bale material such as old corrugated cardboard, cans or plastic bottles, they are also found in small recycling operations and even in scrap yards where they are used to bale extrusions, radiators and other scrap metal.

“That’s the beauty of a vertical baler – you can bale just about anything in it,” says another manufacturer.

A vertical baler can cost from about $5,000 to as much as $40,000. Those that make a shipping bale appear to be the most popular models, and some can even make a bale as large as 44 inches wide by 48 inches high by 75 inches long. Baling capacities can reach up to about 4 bales an hour, and some can produce bales of OCC weighing up to 2,000 pounds.

Some companies also manufacture customized vertical balers with as many as three hydraulic cylinders behind the ram face to produce up to 350,000 pounds of force. These types of balers are primarily designed for scrap yards which handle tough extrusions and metals.

Because vertical balers are used in places like grocery stores, manufacturers have designed them to be easy to operate. “They aren’t very complicated and are safe to operate,” says a manufacturer, “and that’s a major selling point.”

Other vertical baler designs include models with multiple bins so that two types of materials can be collected in the same baler and then baled when enough material has accumulated. In this configuration, the ram is moved over the bin to accomplish the compression.

Vertical balers have a front door that opens so that the bale can be tied off manually and removed. Some models have slots in the door so that the bale can be tied off without compromising the integrity of the bale. Other models have auto tie and hydraulic bale ejection.

Finally, a potential purchaser should consider the height of a vertical baler. These types of balers are mainly used indoors, so ceiling clearance is a consideration. There are low-profile vertical balers on the market that can be squeezed into tighter spots.