Round balers

[ncboy34]

Sold my New Idea round baler awhile back and am looking at some other used balers as a replacement. Came across some balers in my price range and was wondering opinions of these from anyone that has used them. They are Vermeer 605, New Holland 847 and 846, Vicon 1510, and John Deere 500. Anyone have positive or negative things to say about these. I haven't looked at any of them yet so I am not for certain on the condition of them. Thanks.

 

[dun]

I had a Vicon that I really liked. Problem was that if there was any kind of problem the only people that knew anything about it were in St Louis (the importer). Also, not all parts were readily available from them, had to wait for the boat to come in with the parts.

 

[Angus Cowman]

first off what is your price range
as for the balers your mentioning they are all older machines (some old enough to vote)and will all do about the same job just don't push them
the NH balers are chain balers and will bale anything just make sure the sides of the chamber aren't wore out and the chains aren't froze
I know nothing about the Vicon

 

[mrvictordomino]

What model is the Vermeer 605? I have a 605 Super J bought new in 1994, the last year for this model. The K model was
coming out to replace it but did not want to buy a new model since most always there are modifications made after the
first year. I roll 600-800 rolls a year and have only had to replace the big drive chain. Still have the original belts on it.

 

[Tim/South]

I am a fan of Vermeer, just a personal opinion.
Any used baler need to be gone over by someone who knows what to look for and what questions to ask. No matter how good a baler is new when we buy used we then depend on how well the previous owners took care of the machine.
The only Vicon baler I have seen had a fixed chamber. It made good bales. The owner uses it as a back up baler now.

I had a 4 x 4 New Idea once. That was a neat little baler. Simple, easy to operate and never missed a beat.

 

[ncboy34]

The vermeer baler is a 605c. What a hydraulic versus electric tie. I have only ran across hydraulic ties. Just wondering if one was better than the other.

 

[mrvictordomino]

605C is a pretty old baler. I had a used 605 Super G that had rolled many bales. I rolled for several more years
before I bought the Super J. My J baler has the electric tie and has never gave any problems. Didn't have a tractor
at the time with the extra hydraulic outlets. The J baler was head and shoulders better than the G.
I would think the C would be pretty primitive as far as operation is concerned. Seems every new model that comes
out is better than the last.

 

[hurleyjd]

Cross the 500 JD off of your list. No good.

 

[Cabo]

I don't know anything about the Vicon but the other 4 would be taken to the scrap dealer if they were mine.

 

[kjonesel]

I bought a Krone KR181 and used it last year, actually my son who had never ran any kind of baler, ran it. It worked great. We used it in coarse hay, high quality orchard grass, timothy, and clover hay that was cut in its prime and late season short hay that was extremely fine. The only "problem" was that the fine hay let the bales squat. This winter we bought a M&W 1800 which is an identical baler just to have a backup in case the first baler broke. I have 800 in the first one and 1300 in the second one. They are both field worthy and could go to the field tomorrow but I learned 40 years ago when the hay is on the ground in Southern Indiana you usually only have 1 additional day to get it up and with what fertilizer cost me last year I can't afford to lose hay.
This model bales a soft center 6 x 6 bale so if you are looking to sell hay you will lose your ass because they actually put around 1,400 lbs. in a bale and the market hear will only bear $35.00 a bale.

 

[hillrancher]

I started with a heston years ago and wore out many pocket knives cutting hay off rollers have use vermeer since. I would not buy a vermeer older than the J model. If the hay has damp spot the older one will have a problems starting a bale and making a bale that will not sag. Vermeer is easy to find parts and they are simple. Drive chain and sprockets is the fastest wear on the vermeer. If you change sprocket often the chains will last much longer.