To Buy New or Used Baler

[DiamondSCattleCo]

a Krone 610 baler

As much as some of us like to debate which baler is better, do yourself a favor and talk to people about the local service departments and what their experiences have been. Until you learn to do the work yourself, you'll be counting on a good service and parts department and in the end, thats what will likely (probably should) determine what the best baler is for you.

And take a look at what others are running in your area. Krone stuff is off-brand, and IMO, not to be trusted. You'll pay more for Case or NH red, Massey/Hesston orange or JD green, but its worth it in the end. For example, I loved my M&W baler. Best soft core on the market, bar none. Right up until it broke down. Most stuff (like bearings) were readily available through NAPA etc, but certain sprockets were not. Those sprockets were not only expensive, but also not available for 6 weeks + 2 weeks shipping. I had 300 acres laying down drying, and no baler so I went and bought a New Holland. So check on that kind of thing too. Wouldn't shock me if some Krone parts were the same kind of deal, since they sell very few balers in comparison to the big boys.

Rod

 

[alabama]

a Krone 610 baler

As much as some of us like to debate which baler is better, do yourself a favor and talk to people about the local service departments and what their experiences have been. Until you learn to do the work yourself, you'll be counting on a good service and parts department and in the end, thats what will likely (probably should) determine what the best baler is for you.

And take a look at what others are running in your area. Krone stuff is off-brand, and IMO, not to be trusted. You'll pay more for Case or NH red, Massey/Hesston orange or JD green, but its worth it in the end. For example, I loved my M&W baler. Best soft core on the market, bar none. Right up until it broke down. Most stuff (like bearings) were readily available through NAPA etc, but certain sprockets were not. Those sprockets were not only expensive, but also not available for 6 weeks + 2 weeks shipping. I had 300 acres laying down drying, and no baler so I went and bought a New Holland. So check on that kind of thing too. Wouldn't shock me if some Krone parts were the same kind of deal, since they sell very few balers in comparison to the big boys.

Rod

That was the best advice I have read yet.
I have never seen a Krone baler in my neck of the woods but the John deere place has the Krone cutters and I like them alot.
If you have had no trouble running equipment for the last two years I suspect you will do just fine working on the farm and take back my last post.
John

 

[EAT BEEF]

Krone stuff is off-brand, and IMO, not to be trusted


I don't know about the Krone balers,but when it comes to the big self propelled forage harvesters and disc mowers Krone is the real deal top of the line equipment.

 

[DiamondSCattleCo]

Off-brand may not be quite the word I'm looking for, as it implies lower quality. I know Krone makes some good equipment (can't comment on the balers), but they are a small outfit. When shortages of bearings, steel, rubber or any of a dozen other materials arise, you can bet the big boys (AgCo, NH/Case-IH, JD) are at the top of the heap when getting serviced. As it is, the big boys are currently having some rubber supply issues and orders are well backed up.

Rod

 

[ironpeddler]

Off-brand may not be quite the word I'm looking for, as it implies lower quality. I know Krone makes some good equipment (can't comment on the balers), but they are a small outfit. When shortages of bearings, steel, rubber or any of a dozen other materials arise, you can bet the big boys (AgCo, NH/Case-IH, JD) are at the top of the heap when getting serviced. As it is, the big boys are currently having some rubber supply issues and orders are well backed up.

Rod

I agree that ther may not be as many Krone dealers as the domestic MFG's but you may not have realized that Krone made the big square baler for JD until 3+ years ago. The problem with those balers was JD speced them without a pre-chamber so there were uniformity issues in some situations. The Krone models had pre-chambers and worked better that the Krone/JD production. Krone is a premium MFG but they are selling less that 250 round balers a year in the North America. JD, New Holland & Vermeer each sold over 2000 new round balers last year.

 

[DiamondSCattleCo]

I agree that ther may not be as many Krone dealers as the domestic MFG's but you may not have realized that Krone made the big square baler for JD until 3+ years ago. The problem with those balers was JD speced them without a pre-chamber so there were uniformity issues in some situations. The Krone models had pre-chambers and worked better that the Krone/JD production. Krone is a premium MFG but they are selling less that 250 round balers a year in the North America. JD, New Holland & Vermeer each sold over 2000 new round balers last year.

Yep, Krone's actually made quite a few pieces for the big boys over the years, but that 250 units is what troubles me. When companies like AgCo, NH, and Deere are having rubber and iron supply issues, you _know_ that smaller companies are going to be even further down on the list to receive raw materials. Take MacDon for example. They've built headers and haybines for Massey, JD, Case-IH, and New Holland for better than 40 years, but you can't buy a drive belt for an AS-30 mower/conditioner. Haven't been able to get them since Jan 15.

Rod