Baler Belt Fasteners and Field Repair Kits for Agricultural Equipment

Why Copper Rivets Are the Standard for Baler Belts

The US agricultural sector produces approximately 24 billion pounds of hay annually, and most of it passes through round or square balers driven by long fabric-and-rubber belts. Round balers in particular use multiple wide belts (typically 4 to 6 belts per machine, 6 to 9 inches wide each) that wrap around an internal forming chamber. Each belt experiences continuous flexing around small internal rollers, exposure to crop dust and moisture, and the abrasion of hay and forage moving past at production speeds. When a belt fails, it nearly always fails at the splice.

Copper rivets are the industry-standard splice material for baler belts for three reasons. First, copper is ductile and clinches cleanly through fabric-and-rubber baler belt carcasses without cracking or fracturing. Hooks and bolt-plate fasteners do not handle the constant flexing around 4 to 6 inch internal rollers that characterizes a round baler; they fatigue-crack within hours of operation. Second, copper is corrosion-resistant and survives the moisture, crop juices, and chemical exposure typical of haying operations. Third, copper is non-sparking, which matters in dusty agricultural environments where ferrous-spark ignition risk is real, particularly around dry hay and grain.

MATO manufactures two copper rivet kit families. CR-Super kits cover wider belts (up to 72" / 1800 mm) and the heavier-duty applications: round-baler main belts, large square-baler belts, and forage harvester belts. CR-2A kits cover narrower belts (up to 24" / 600 mm) and lighter applications: smaller square balers, conveyor belts on combines and grain carts, and farm-equipment drive belts. Both kit families include the rivets, burrs, and matched fastener strips needed for complete field installation.

OEM Brand Compatibility

MATO copper rivet kits are aftermarket equivalents of the OEM splices originally installed on baler belts at the factory. The kits are not branded as "John Deere replacement" or "New Holland replacement," but they are the same copper-rivet splicing technology used by the OEMs and have been used in baler belt repair for decades.

Confirm belt width before ordering: a 72" CR-Super kit covers belts up to 1800 mm wide, but excess kit material can be saved for the next splice. The 24" CR-2A kit covers belts up to 600 mm wide and is the right size for most square balers and lighter farm-equipment belts. For belts wider than 1800 mm, multiple kits may be combined.

Copper Rivets vs Metal Rivets for Baler Belts

Some agricultural belt repair kits use steel or zinc-plated steel rivets rather than solid copper. The two are not interchangeable for baler belt service. Three factors drive the copper preference:

Ductility and clinch quality. Solid copper is more ductile than plated steel and clinches cleanly without fracturing the rivet head or cracking the burr. On a baler belt that flexes thousands of times per minute around small internal rollers, a cracked rivet head fails within hours. Copper's ductility lets the splice flex with the belt rather than fighting the belt's natural curvature.

Corrosion resistance. Hay, silage, and forage carry crop juices, moisture, and field dirt that corrode plated steel rivets within weeks. Copper resists this corrosion indefinitely, so a properly installed copper splice typically outlasts the surrounding belt rather than failing first.

Non-sparking behavior. Hay and grain dust are combustible. While baler operations are not subject to the same OSHA dust regulations as grain elevators, the underlying ignition physics is the same: ferrous-on-ferrous impact can spark, and copper-on-anything cannot. Copper rivets eliminate one ignition path in environments where the dust load is already a concern.

Some heavy-duty agricultural belts (combine drive belts, grain cart conveyors with hard-edged material) use steel-and-copper hybrid kits where the fastener strips are steel and only the rivets are copper. This balances mechanical strength on the strip with the rivet ductility and non-sparking behavior in service. Stainless-and-copper kits are available for the most corrosion-prone applications.

Field Repair Procedure for Baler Belts

Field repairs happen in the field, typically with the baler shut down on the headland during haying. The procedure below assumes a complete CR-Super or CR-2A kit, basic hand tools, and a clean work surface.

1. Cut both belt ends square. Use a belt cutter or guillotine; if neither is available, mark a square line with the kit's measuring template and cut with a sharp utility knife. Square cuts are essential. Angled cuts cause the splice to track off-line and fail prematurely.
2. Position the matched fastener strips on each belt end. The CR-Super and CR-2A kits include pre-aligned strips with hole patterns that match the rivet spacing. Center the strips on the belt and confirm alignment.
3. Punch holes through the belt where indicated. Use the kit's hole punch (or a separate belt hole punch) to drive holes through the belt at every marked location. Holes must go cleanly through both belt face and back without enlarging or tearing.
4. Drive copper rivets through both fastener strip and belt. Each rivet passes through the top strip, through the belt, and through the bottom strip. The rivet is solid copper with a domed head on top. Tap the rivet through cleanly.
5. Install copper burrs (washers) on the back side. A copper burr slides over each rivet shank on the back side of the splice and rests against the bottom strip.
6. Clinch the rivet against the backing anvil. Rest the splice on a steel backing anvil with the rivet head down. Strike the rivet shank end with a rivet setter or peening hammer. The shank flares against the burr, locking the splice in place. Strike enough to flare cleanly without over-peening (which cracks the burr).
7. Inspect every rivet before restarting. Each rivet should be flush and tight, with the burr fully clinched and no visible gap between belt and strip. Mark any loose rivets and re-clinch.

Total time for an experienced operator on a CR-Super 72" splice is 30 to 60 minutes. First-time installers should plan 90 minutes. The kit is reusable for the unused portion if the belt being repaired is shorter than the kit's maximum width.

Recommended MATO Products by Agricultural Application

Seasonal Maintenance and Pre-Harvest Belt Inspection

Baler belt failures usually announce themselves before they happen. A pre-harvest inspection that catches a worn splice before it fails can save a full day of harvest downtime. Three checks should happen at the start of every haying season:

Inspect every existing splice for loose rivets. Walk the belt and look for rivets that no longer sit flush, burrs that have separated from the rivet shank, or any visible gap between the splice strip and the belt. Loose rivets are tightening problems if caught early; they are full splice failures if missed.

Check belt edges and worn areas. Frayed edges, cuts longer than 1 inch, or worn-through areas indicate the belt itself is near end-of-life. A new splice on a worn belt will not last long; budget for belt replacement rather than just splice repair if the belt body is degraded.

Verify hinge pin condition on hinged splices. Some agricultural belts (combine feeder belts in particular) use Steelgrip or EasyClip hinged splices rather than copper rivet. The hinge pin should be free of corrosion, walking, or wear.

Many operators stock at least one CR-Super 72" kit and one CR-2A 24" kit per baler in the equipment shed before the first cutting, so a field failure during haying does not require a parts run. Texas Belting ships baler kits same-day from Houston for orders placed before the afternoon cutoff during haying season.

Aftermarket MATO vs OEM Pricing

OEM baler belt splice kits sold through John Deere, New Holland, Case IH, and Vermeer dealers are functionally equivalent to MATO CR-Super and CR-2A kits but typically priced at a premium because of dealer margin and OEM branding. MATO kits offer the same copper-rivet technology, the same OEM-equivalent durability, and the same field-installation procedure at distributor pricing.

For the typical operator who replaces 1 to 3 baler belt splices per season across a fleet, the savings on aftermarket MATO kits over OEM dealer pricing typically exceed the cost of stocking a backup kit in the equipment shed. For larger operations and custom hay producers running 5 or more balers, the per-season savings are substantially larger. Texas Belting ships MATO kits same-day from Houston with bulk pricing on multi-kit orders.

Case Study: Custom Hay Producer Standardizing on MATO CR-Super Kits

Frequently Asked Questions