Equipment Gurus- Need advice about hay equipment

[brandonm_13]

I want to get some opinions about used hay equipment.

Round baler vs. square baler
-reliability, longevity, ease of use, special considerations

 

[bigbull338]

i would go with the round baler.they will last 15 yrs or more.depending on how theyve been taken care of.

 

[brandonm_13]

What are some common problems with them?

 

[bigbull338]

the most common is blowing bearings.an having belts break when they get loose or worn or streached.

 

[grannysoo]

If you're haying to use, then go round. If you haying to sell, square is where the money is at.

As to used balers, they're going to come in all different conditions. Lot of factors depending on how many bales, baler maintenance, and what was baled. Try to find out who had it and what it was used for.

I wouldn't want a baler that had done nothing but bale peanut hay...

 

[brandonm_13]

Well, my father-in-law and brother-in-law started this to sell hay so they bought a square baler. I wouldn't have bought the baler myself. I wouldn't mind putting up squares for my cattle, but it never seems to work right. THe brother-in-law knows the most about it but took a job driving a truck, so now I get to figure out what's wrong with it. My neighbor does all our rolling, but he has cows of his own and he rolls for other people, so he stays busy, and we only call him when the baler isn't working. Either way, I seem to get the short end of the stick, and was thinking of buying my own baler.

Why would you say only peanut hay??? We're far enough north that I've only seen one bale of peanut hay in the local fair. Mainly we have fescue, bermuda, orchardgrass, and mixed pastures with lots of weeds.

 

[grannysoo]

Why would you say only peanut hay???

When you bale peanut hay, you're basically running the baler in dirt. A normal hayfield is dusty, however peanut baling is dirty. It's like sandblasting your baler...

 

[brandonm_13]

Okay, I didn't read your post right. I thought you had said you wouldn't want one unless it had only been in peanut hay. I couldn't figure out why you wanted one that had been sand blasted by dirt, so I re-read your original post.

 

[novaman]

Round bales will shed water better than square bales. It seems round balers are cheaper to get into than a square. Round balers are much simpler with fewer things to go wrong.

 

[brandonm_13]

Any advice on specific models of round balers. I'm looking at Vermeer, John deere, and New Holland. I don't want it so old or used that I"m working on it all the time, but I have to stay below $8,000 (preferably $5-6,000). I also don't want to go larger than a 5x5 and would consider that down to a 4x4.

 

[ChrisB]

For that money I think you could find a nice 640/650 New Holland or 435/535 John Deer. In my opinion these models are when NH and JD made big improvements to their balers. Any newer than that and it might push you out of your price range. I am also a Vermeer fan, but I can't recommend a model as I'm not real familiar with them.

 

[brandonm_13]

My neighbor has a 535 and recommends it, but I think it might be out of my horsepower range.

 

[novaman]

My neighbor has a 535 and recommends it, but I think it might be out of my horsepower range.

What kind of HP do you have? They don't require all that much to run. I've used a 60 horse tractor on mine no problem.

 

[brandonm_13]

Right now, 62 pto. The tractor's seen better days so if I get a newer one, it might be between 50 and 80 pto, so I want to keep my options open on the baler.

 

[grannysoo]

Any advice on specific models of round balers. I'm looking at Vermeer, John deere, and New Holland. I don't want it so old or used that I"m working on it all the time, but I have to stay below $8,000 (preferably $5-6,000). I also don't want to go larger than a 5x5 and would consider that down to a 4x4.

5x5 is ok provided you are using all of the hay. If you are going to sell, don't go above 4x5 or you have problems hauling the hay (will need dot permit). Any of the brands mention above are good. Which can you get the best parts and dealer support for?

 

[Angus Cowman]

you could probably even go as new as a NH 644 which is a 4x5 baler most of the used JD will cost you a $1000 or more for the same baler in a NH and a vermeer will cost about $1000 less than the NH
The K series vermeers are good balers but I prefer the NH or JD

 

[brandonm_13]

Personally I'm a NH fan, although I have noticed that Vermeer baler's were cheaper. Any specific reason why?

 

[DiamondSCattleCo]

The older Vermeers (in your price range) were not even remotely in the same class as a 644/654/648/658 NH with regards to longevity (belt breaking SOBs) nor baling speed. A 535 JD is an ok baler (5x6), but again, not in the same class as the New Holland for baling speed. I've baled side by side (or baled with) every John Deere baler from the 510 up to whatever model they had last year, and I was able to bale at least 1/2 mph faster with my old 664 all while making nicer bales.

I know the green guys will tell you that they don't break down as much, but they're just as likely to break down as any of them, and when they do, they cost more to fix.

Stick with an NH 644/654. Watch for belt tracking issues on anything you might want to buy. If the belts were not aligned correctly, they will wear on the sledge frame (the inner frame holding a top idler roller and 3 dimpled rollers). If the belts have run to the outside alot, they will wear on the frame, eventually sawing it off. If the sledge is worn, its repairable by a good welder right inside the baler, as long as the frame isn't bent. If the frame is bent, go to the next baler in line. Also check the pickup over. Watch for bent pickup tooth mount bars, and try to check the cam follower bearings. Cheap to fix, but not easy.

Otherwise, look for signs of body stretch (too much hay stuffed into the machine) and give all the rollers a turn and jiggle to listen or feel for bad bearings.

Another machine to look at, although its probably out of your price range is a 946A Hesston. I baled with a new 2745 Massey (956A Hesston) last year, and I feel as though these balers are the ones to beat right now. Tougher pickup than the JD (which have a good pickup), equal baling speed to the New Hollands, and double bearing main rollers (which NONE of them have). Their self-contained hydraulic pump reduces HP requirements on the tractor, especially as you near bale end. The work expected from the tractor is exactly the same from bale start to bale end. And the best monitor on the market (although the older ones only had a decent monitor, not like the TV they have now).

Rod

 

[dun]

The single biggest issue with round balers is get something that someone local can actually fix/figure out bizarre problems. My next baler will be a JD mostly because they have local and very good service with knowledgable (at least one) service persoanl.

 

[brandonm_13]

Wel, the only two tractor dealerships we have in the county are New Holland, and Case/Mahindra, although we have a tri county John Deere based in another county. I'm thinking more along the lined of a 4x4 or 4x5 New Holland baler. There seem to be more of them around which means more choices and more price competition, and I have a local dealer to fix any problems I can't, although I have a repair guy a mile away that works on everything and he seems pretty good from my experiences with him.