Looking at a NH653 in good condition owner said about 400 bales a year, new air bags, some bars new, orginal chains, $4900. Are these reliable balers without excess mantance. Would I be better to look for a belt baler, Im baling 30 acers for myself and feeding on my farm like large bales.
Chain Round baler or belts
- Thread starter danfreds
- Start date
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Cabo
Well-known member
Are you sure that it is not a NH853? I think that the 600 series are belt balers. I highly recommend the belt baler. Lot less maintenance and better bales.
Caustic Burno
Well-known member
Belt balers are less on the maintainence end but they don't make a better bale of hay.
Herefordcross
Well-known member
Too many variables, the chain balers made good tight bales, we've got an old one that we bale trash and thick stuff with. Never had to do anything to the chains to speak of, Get what you can afford and slow down with it, I covered a lot of ground with junk balers for a long time, I didn't get a new one until early this spring. Check the chain over good it's the costliest part I do believe.
Caustic Burno
Well-known member
Herefordcross":20qmlvex said:
You are right on the tight bales never get loose, when I was referring to the upkeep it wasn't the chains as the roller bearings that the chains operate on. Mine has 88 roller bearings and every year I have to change out 20 or so.
Cabo
Well-known member
CB, I wish you would show the fellows around here how to make a good looking bale with their chain balers because they all look like crap and squat about the time they hit the ground. And I am talking about several different chain balers.Caustic Burno":6yswmlpp said:
danfreds, Before I gave $4900 for a chain baler, I would go to an auction and see how much they are selling for. JMO
Caustic Burno
Well-known member
When you use a closed drum bailer its hard not to make a good looking roll.
Cabo
Well-known member
You are right, forgot about them. Most around here that do not have belt balers have the 800 series NH.Caustic Burno":1mcx0vtd said:
I'm not the best speller either but the way some people spell this one drives me crazy.
bail 1 (bl) KEY
NOUN:
Security, usually a sum of money, exchanged for the release of an arrested person as a guarantee of that person's appearance for trial.
http://education.yahoo.com/reference/di ... entry/bail
bale 1 (bl) KEY
NOUN:
A large package of raw or finished material tightly bound with twine or wire and often wrapped: a bale of hay
http://education.yahoo.com/reference/di ... entry/bale
additional spellings of the word: baler, baled, baling, bales
bail 1 (bl) KEY
NOUN:
Security, usually a sum of money, exchanged for the release of an arrested person as a guarantee of that person's appearance for trial.
http://education.yahoo.com/reference/di ... entry/bail
bale 1 (bl) KEY
NOUN:
A large package of raw or finished material tightly bound with twine or wire and often wrapped: a bale of hay
http://education.yahoo.com/reference/di ... entry/bale
additional spellings of the word: baler, baled, baling, bales
A chain baler will lose a lot of leaves in alfalfa. A chain may work in grass but if you bale legumes stay away. The loss will depend on the moisture of the hay but we don't always bale at the optimum time.
cowsense
Well-known member
There's been lots of independent research that shows chain balers don't lose any more leaf than belts; your moisture levels will determine your loss; simply adjust your baling schedule. We've run both NH chain and belt balers; the chains are very forgiving and almost idiot proof and can make a very good bale with proper operation! The belts will make a tighter, prettier bale but have to be operated properly to keep from flipping belts! Go for the best kept machine in your price range or better yet for a few acres hire it done!!!!!
DiamondSCattleCo
Well-known member
Cowsense hit the nail on the head. Chain balers don't lose anymore leaf than belt balers, and in the case of an enclosed chamber chain baler (like the M&Ws, who also have a slower chamber speed), you'll lose less leaf than a belt baler.
$4900 does seem a little steep for an older machine like the 853 though. I've seen nice NH chain balers selling up here for as less as $2000 at auction sales.
And CB, do you have something out of alignment with your baler? I know a few guys who have baled thousands of bales with NH chain balers and only replace 1 or 2 bearings every thousand or so bales. With my M&W 5506, I only replaced 2 bearings in 4000 bales, and with my 1800 I replaced 1 bearing during its life (I was only rolling 4 - 500 bales a year though).
Rod
$4900 does seem a little steep for an older machine like the 853 though. I've seen nice NH chain balers selling up here for as less as $2000 at auction sales.
And CB, do you have something out of alignment with your baler? I know a few guys who have baled thousands of bales with NH chain balers and only replace 1 or 2 bearings every thousand or so bales. With my M&W 5506, I only replaced 2 bearings in 4000 bales, and with my 1800 I replaced 1 bearing during its life (I was only rolling 4 - 500 bales a year though).
Rod
I don't know how you can say that a chain baler will not lose more leaves. I have seen piles under the baler when one tied. It just makes sense that the more support you have for the hay the less will fall out. Maybe under ideal cicumstances but we usually don't have that, espicially if you have a lot to do. Does anyone make a chain baler any more? If not that should say something. Some mentioned studies on leaf loss, I would like to read them, are they available on the internet? I have never had a belt flip but I have heard that it would happen with old narrow belts. Not wanting to start something but I only know what I see. Farmguy
DiamondSCattleCo
Well-known member
And I've seen piles of leaves under a belt baler after it ties. Not saying a belt baler will lose more leaf than a NH non-enclosed chain baler, but having seen NH chain balers in operation, they leave no more leaf behind when tieing than any other belt baler I've ever used.
And yes, they still make chain balers. M&W enclosed chamber balers are still made every single day, and I've baled side by side with my M&W and my NH 664, and I've had more bale weight in the field with the M&W than I had with the 664. Not a whole big bunch more, no more than a couple hundred pounds an acre max, but enough to comfortably say that an enclosed chain baler loses less leaf than a belt baler.
Rod
And yes, they still make chain balers. M&W enclosed chamber balers are still made every single day, and I've baled side by side with my M&W and my NH 664, and I've had more bale weight in the field with the M&W than I had with the 664. Not a whole big bunch more, no more than a couple hundred pounds an acre max, but enough to comfortably say that an enclosed chain baler loses less leaf than a belt baler.
Rod
Herefordcross
Well-known member
Once it starts spinning the onlything that is lost is what's missed on the ground or falls off of the ends.
frenchie
Well-known member
Rather than buy a N.H 853 ..I think you would be smarter to buy an N.H 855..If you intend to bale alot try and buy an Auto-tie.
Get some one that knows chain balers to come with you to look , before you buy.
Good Luck
Get some one that knows chain balers to come with you to look , before you buy.
Good Luck
cowtrek
Well-known member
somn":16sxg8ef said:
Wasn't going to say anything but since someone else did... I sure agree with you! The myriad goofy misspellings of hay baling drive me crazy! They are hay BALES or BALING, not BAILS or BAILING.
Learned a lot about bail when I was in the police academy. Every time I read someone talking about hay bails I think, "Lord, what's he gone and done now that I have to bail him out of?"
Funny though that nobody ever seems to make that mistake with cotton bales
Oh well... Yall take it easy! OL JR cowtrek
Well-known member
What about horsepower requirements? How do they measure up? I'm under the impression that the chain balers are a lot more power hungry than an equivalent size/density belt baler? Guy I knew once bought a small NH chain baler. It had floor chains like cornhead chains running in tracks and the bottom of the bale just slid between them on the sheet of steel. If I remember right that little 4x4 or 4x5 baler required more horsepower than my 5x6 belt baler. That's something to consider too. Whatcha gonna pull it with and on what kind of ground? Hills?
As for price, that sounds a LITTLE on the high side, but it depends on the market in that area. I've seen belt balers in that age range going for prices about that or higher at auction here. Auction prices can be highly regional; planter prices here are pretty high, but in Iowa planters seem to go for what we'd consider junk-iron prices. Briefly thought about making some side money buying planters up there and trucking them down here. I've noticed that about other stuff too in different regions. Anyway, just some thoughts. Take it easy! OL JR
As for price, that sounds a LITTLE on the high side, but it depends on the market in that area. I've seen belt balers in that age range going for prices about that or higher at auction here. Auction prices can be highly regional; planter prices here are pretty high, but in Iowa planters seem to go for what we'd consider junk-iron prices. Briefly thought about making some side money buying planters up there and trucking them down here. I've noticed that about other stuff too in different regions. Anyway, just some thoughts. Take it easy! OL JR
DiamondSCattleCo
Well-known member
I won't quote on exact power requirements of an 855 (or 853), but I have seen them easily run by 806 and 906 IH tractors. My old 930 Case easily handled my 5506 5x5 softcore at max pressure and my 1800 5x6 softcore at the second to highest pressure (never tried max pressure on that old girl). So I'd say the M&W requirements are a little lower than an equivalent belt softcore and NH 855 requirements would be right in line with a belt baler.
Rod
Rod
