HP for New Holland 654 4X6 Round Baler?

[Smith1000]

Does anyone know the horsepower required for the New Holland 654 round baler? Also, is this a good baler with overall good performance (no clogging, etc.), or are there known problems?
Also, I would like to know the baling ground speed for it if possible. I have searched around on-line, but have not found any specs on it. Thanks.

 

[lavacarancher]

You're gonna need at least 70 PTO HP, some will say 90 HP. Also your terrain will influence that somewhat. Your ground speed depends a lot on how good (or bad) your hay is and how much hay you've put into your wind rows. You can choke that baler, any baler, so adjust your ground speed so the you keep the pickup reel fully engaged but not enough to choke it. I know this probably isn't what you're looking for in an answer but it really depends. It won't take you long to figure out your ground speed and I assure you that once you've choked it and you have to spend the next hour and a half digging the hay out you'll catch on quick.

Good luck

 

[Angus Cowman]

Does anyone know the horsepower required for the New Holland 654 round baler? Also, is this a good baler with overall good performance (no clogging, etc.), or are there known problems?
Also, I would like to know the baling ground speed for it if possible. I have searched around on-line, but have not found any specs on it. Thanks.

I have owned 2 of these and still own 1 they are a good solid baler no problems to mention

I have not ever plugged the baler the part that will plug is the pickup and most otthe time that is from taking off too fast before it has a chance to start feeding

NH says minnimum hp requirements is like 65 hp but that is not nearly enough
The smallest I have pulled mine with is 85pto hp and in my hills that is not enough I prefer 90 or above
Alot would also depend on how fast you are wanting to bale so a smaller hp tractor going slower might work OK but I try to bale 25-30 bales pr hr

I run my hyd bale pressure at around 1600psi for a 1100lb green bale and you will get about a 950lb cured 4x5 bale on my fescue and clover hay

 

[DiamondSCattleCo]

They are a good baler, with only two real issues to watch for:

1) The sledge assembly that holds the 3 large bale forming rollers will tend to wear on one side or the other where the belts run. If the belts haven't been adjusted properly over the years, you'll see grooves run into the frame. When these grooves get deep enough, the sledge will break in half. And it doesn't take many bales. The belts on my 664 weren't adjusted properly when I bought the baler, and I didn't notice the groove. It took about 5000 bales and it finally cut right through the sledge.

2) The pickups aren't as strong as I'd like. Watch the bearings on the arms that run in the guide race. They will fail eventually.

Keep the long 80H chain on the left side of the baler well lubed and adjusted exactly as the book says to. If it breaks, it often jams at the top, and its a bear to get out. In worst case scenarios, it'll break the top sprocket if your slip clutch fails to work.

As far as baling speed, its hard to say as I don't know your ground or HP. I've never run a 654, however I've only plugged up my 664 (same size throat, same baler design) 3 times in 5000 bales, and all times I hit a big wad of wet hay at about 10 mph. In normal cases, baling 2 ton/acre alfalfa, I'm comfortable running 10/11 mph with 120 PTO HP. I'm also rolling between 1500 and 2000 lb bales (depending on whether I'm selling the hay (18-2000lbs), using it for personal (15-1600), or custom baling (17-1800).

Rod

 

[Smith1000]

Thanks for all the great information. I don't have that much horsepower. I was hoping that the hp requirements would be less, due to the size of the bales. I noticed where a New Holland 654 will be selling at an upcoming auction, so I was going to check it out. The M and W balers only require about 40 hp, but I haven't been able to locate a used one around here yet.