What does a baler do?
Baler responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real baler resumes:
- Direct and leaded the baling operation.
- Clean and inspect balers before they are sold to customers.
- Tend automatic machine that stacks bales on pallets for storage or shipment.
- Assist coworkers working on other balers to keep them from getting behind.
- Operate paper baler/ operate forklift and bobcat, sorting line and perform material inventory.
- Operate and troubleshoot automatic stackers.
Baler skills and personality traits
We calculated that 49% of Balers are proficient in Pallets, Baling, and Waste Paper. They’re also known for soft skills such as Alertness, Communication skills, and Visual ability.
We break down the percentage of Balers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Pallets, 49%
Used electric pallet jack to transport items to baler.
- Baling, 39%
Turned valves and pressed button that reset baling operations when automatic controls malfunctioned.
- Waste Paper, 4%
Hog waste papers through out the day Skills Used Forklift
- RAN, 2%
Promoted to Operator First Class - ran draw frames to specifications provided.
- Tow Motor, 1%
Operated baler-compactor Operated caterpillar 357c Operated caterpillar tow motor Collected plastic, cardboard, and aluminum cans
- Balers, 1%
Provide technical support on all CLAAS Combines, Foragers, Balers and Hay Tools.
Common skills that a baler uses to do their job include "pallets," "baling," and "waste paper." You can find details on the most important baler responsibilities below.
Communication skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling baler duties is communication skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "material moving machine operators signal and direct workers to load and unload material." According to a baler resume, here's how balers can utilize communication skills in their job responsibilities: "maintained necessary level of communications between shifts fabricated large and small parts management of parts for assembly line"
Visual ability. balers are also known for visual ability, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to baler responsibilities, because "material moving machine operators must be able to see clearly where they are driving or what they are moving." A baler resume example shows how visual ability is used in the workplace: "helped bring some ideas learned at gm to costco, including visual management and some of gm safety standards/procedures. "
Mechanical skills. For certain baler responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "mechanical skills." The day-to-day duties of a baler rely on this skill, as "material moving machine operators make minor adjustments to their machines and perform basic maintenance on them." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what balers do: "check machinery to ensure optimal operation,mechanical failures .unload inbound shipments safely and relocating products to appropriate areas. "
The three companies that hire the most balers are:
- International Paper4 balers jobs
- Goodwill Industries of Greater Cleveland and East Central Ohio2 balers jobs
- Freedom Graphic Systems1 balers jobs
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Compare different balers
Baler vs. Fertilizer applicator
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between balers and fertilizer applicator. For instance, baler responsibilities require skills such as "pallets," "baling," "waste paper," and "aug." Whereas a fertilizer applicator is skilled in "cdl," "gps," "mowing," and "application equipment." This is part of what separates the two careers.
The education levels that fertilizer applicators earn slightly differ from balers. In particular, fertilizer applicators are 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a baler. Additionally, they're 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Baler vs. Farm equipment operator
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that baler responsibilities requires skills like "pallets," "waste paper," "aug," and "amc." But a farm equipment operator might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "harvest," "cdl," "mowing," and "gps."
Farm equipment operators earn a lower average salary than balers. But farm equipment operators earn the highest pay in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $27,394. Additionally, balers earn the highest salaries in the media with average pay of $34,296 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Farm equipment operators tend to reach similar levels of education than balers. In fact, they're 1.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Baler vs. Combination operator
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from baler resumes include skills like "pallets," "baling," "waste paper," and "aug," whereas a combination operator is more likely to list skills in "harvest," "wheat," "lockout tagout," and "mechanical problems. "
Combination operators typically earn similar educational levels compared to balers. Specifically, they're 3.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Baler vs. Building equipment operator
Even though a few skill sets overlap between balers and building equipment operators, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a baler might have more use for skills like "pallets," "baling," "waste paper," and "aug." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of building equipment operators require skills like "loaders," "grinders," "hvac," and "plumbing. "
Building equipment operators reach similar levels of education compared to balers, in general. The difference is that they're 2.8% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of baler
Updated January 8, 2025
