What is the minimum horsepower for a tractor in order to operate a hay baler (round or square)? My tractor is a Mahindra 35 horsepower and does the job for all that I need at this time, but was thinking of doing my own hay harvesting.
Tractor Size
- Thread starter Tripple C
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bigbull338
Well-known member
your 35hp tractor will pull a sq baler an rake.but it wont pull a round baler or cutter.youll need a 65hp tractor to pull a round baler.depending on the size of the baler.id ask the dealer what he recommends.Tripple C":hqi3i4fh said:
millstreaminn
Well-known member
I tried to pull my JD 430 round baler with my 40 HP Kubota. No beans. Would only bale a 5' round, then just run out of power. My 55 HP Kubota does a great job.
OklaBrangusBreeder
Well-known member
As was mentioned, no problem on square baling and raking with what you have now. You might go a BUNCH slower square baling with your tractor then you see others doing, but it will work.
LOTS of hay cutting options out there for tractors in the 50 HP range. The Vermeer 5410 round baler will work fine with a 50 HP tractor.
Minimum HP for Round Baling I would say is 50 PTO HP....
LOTS of hay cutting options out there for tractors in the 50 HP range. The Vermeer 5410 round baler will work fine with a 50 HP tractor.
Minimum HP for Round Baling I would say is 50 PTO HP....
Earl Thigpen
Well-known member
This has been covered several times here but the answer is it depends:
On what kind of baler you're trying to use - Big round balers require 70 to 90 HP. Vermeer Rebels (and other small balers)around 40 HP. Square balers 30 to 50 HP.
On what kind of cutter you're trying to use - sickle cutters typically don't require much HP and the rotary cutters come in different swath widths. The wider you go the more HP is required and just as important is some of those 9'+ mowers are heavy and require a tractor with a little weight. I have pulled a 5' PZ drum mower with a Ford 3000 diesel (about 40 HP) and it was all it could do to handle it.
Then what are you going to do with the bales when you are all through. If big round bales you will need a hay fork of some type and if it's mounted on the rear you will again need a tractor with a little weight, otherwise the front wheels will come of the ground when picking the bale up.
I guess what most everyone here will recommend is that you size all of your equipment out. Talk with your local equipment dealers. Don't buy a 9'+ Kuhn mower or a 605M Vermeer baler and expect it to work with your 2300 lb, 35 HP tractor. It ain't gonna happen.
Hope this helps. I think you're headed in the right direction by asking questions but you need to ask a lot more.
On what kind of baler you're trying to use - Big round balers require 70 to 90 HP. Vermeer Rebels (and other small balers)around 40 HP. Square balers 30 to 50 HP.
On what kind of cutter you're trying to use - sickle cutters typically don't require much HP and the rotary cutters come in different swath widths. The wider you go the more HP is required and just as important is some of those 9'+ mowers are heavy and require a tractor with a little weight. I have pulled a 5' PZ drum mower with a Ford 3000 diesel (about 40 HP) and it was all it could do to handle it.
Then what are you going to do with the bales when you are all through. If big round bales you will need a hay fork of some type and if it's mounted on the rear you will again need a tractor with a little weight, otherwise the front wheels will come of the ground when picking the bale up.
I guess what most everyone here will recommend is that you size all of your equipment out. Talk with your local equipment dealers. Don't buy a 9'+ Kuhn mower or a 605M Vermeer baler and expect it to work with your 2300 lb, 35 HP tractor. It ain't gonna happen.
Hope this helps. I think you're headed in the right direction by asking questions but you need to ask a lot more.
ironpeddler
Well-known member
Earl,
We have customers with 2000 Fords pulling the 165 drum mower. For smaller tractors we have the 135 drum mower that needs only 20 PTO HP.
HayMAXX T-135 drum mower
We have customers with 2000 Fords pulling the 165 drum mower. For smaller tractors we have the 135 drum mower that needs only 20 PTO HP.
HayMAXX T-135 drum mower
kjones
Well-known member
I have a 34 hp kubota that I am using for hay right now because the clutch went put in my MF255. It runs a 6ft taarup disc mower at least until the gear box took a crap. An 8ft side delivery rake and an old MF 12 baler. I just go a bit slower with it.
Earl Thigpen
Well-known member
ironpeddler":1qk5omb7 said:Earl,
We have customers with 2000 Fords pulling the 165 drum mower. For smaller tractors we have the 135 drum mower that needs only 20 PTO HP.
HayMAXX T-135 drum mower
Most of the time I didn't have any trouble turnin the mower, it was pickin it up. And when the mower was hangin off the back in transport mode the front of the tractor would come off the ground when you hit a little bump or something.
Even turning the mower it depends a lot on what you're cuttin. Bohia, for example, is tough to cut and when it was really thick I would have to drop down to 4th or sometimes 3rd gear to keep from choking it. Cuttin a 30 acre Bohia field with a 5' mower in third gear ain't my cup of tea.
I appreciate your answers but sometimes you get into the sales mode and give responses that's gonna get somebody hurt. All I'm suggesting to this person is don't cut yourself short on the equipment size. Think about what you want the equipment to do before you spend $15 - $100K on it only to find out that it takes you a week to cut a field and it starts raining on the third day of cuttin and you shoud have been baling.
ironpeddler
Well-known member
Earl Thigpen,
We have been selling drum mowers since 1980. I can guarantee you we have sold more drum mowers that anyone else in North America. Our local market is mountainous terrain. Most of these small operators use these tractors made in the 70,80 & early 90's.
Ford 2000,2600,3000,3910,3930;4000; JD 820,1020,2040; MF35,135,145,231,245; Long 360,410;IH424,444
The mower pictured on the 3930 is a CCM165 drum mower. Most of the parts on the CCM165 are interchangeable with the PZ165 drum mower. We do have a smaller 135 drum mower that many customers are using on Ford 8N,9N, MF-TO20, & TO-25 tractors. We have thousands of satisfied customers to prove these mowers work on these size tractors.
We have been selling drum mowers since 1980. I can guarantee you we have sold more drum mowers that anyone else in North America. Our local market is mountainous terrain. Most of these small operators use these tractors made in the 70,80 & early 90's.
Ford 2000,2600,3000,3910,3930;4000; JD 820,1020,2040; MF35,135,145,231,245; Long 360,410;IH424,444
The mower pictured on the 3930 is a CCM165 drum mower. Most of the parts on the CCM165 are interchangeable with the PZ165 drum mower. We do have a smaller 135 drum mower that many customers are using on Ford 8N,9N, MF-TO20, & TO-25 tractors. We have thousands of satisfied customers to prove these mowers work on these size tractors.
celestina farm
Member
I wish you would lift the skirt on that drum mower never heard of one before. Are they like a disk cutter?
Earl Thigpen
Well-known member
ironpeddler":2huszhc9 said:Earl Thigpen,
We have been selling drum mowers since 1980. I can guarantee you we have sold more drum mowers that anyone else in North America. Our local market is mountainous terrain. Most of these small operators use these tractors made in the 70,80 & early 90's.
Ford 2000,2600,3000,3910,3930;4000; JD 820,1020,2040; MF35,135,145,231,245; Long 360,410;IH424,444
The mower pictured on the 3930 is a CCM165 drum mower. Most of the parts on the CCM165 are interchangeable with the PZ165 drum mower. We do have a smaller 135 drum mower that many customers are using on Ford 8N,9N, MF-TO20, & TO-25 tractors. We have thousands of satisfied customers to prove these mowers work on these size tractors.
Well good for you. Hope you sell a bunch on here but you won't get a dime of my money, here or anywhere else.
Tripple C":33qidc7n said:
May not apply to you but on hilly land you have to think tractor weight as much as HP. I have a JD820 conditioner. Have one field that the conditioner can push the tractor when topping a hill and having to turn at the same time. The tractor weighs about 6,800 with ballast.
My BIL lives near Roanoake and has a Rebel baler. When he was looking at tractors I told him to think weight. He's thanked me several times since. He uses JD 85 HP with cab and it'll still slip a little going down hill when he has to dump a bale.
ironpeddler
Well-known member
Earl Thigpen":2avw8awo said:ironpeddler":2avw8awo said:Earl Thigpen,
We have been selling drum mowers since 1980. I can guarantee you we have sold more drum mowers that anyone else in North America. Our local market is mountainous terrain. Most of these small operators use these tractors made in the 70,80 & early 90's.
Ford 2000,2600,3000,3910,3930;4000; JD 820,1020,2040; MF35,135,145,231,245; Long 360,410;IH424,444
The mower pictured on the 3930 is a CCM165 drum mower. Most of the parts on the CCM165 are interchangeable with the PZ165 drum mower. We do have a smaller 135 drum mower that many customers are using on Ford 8N,9N, MF-TO20, & TO-25 tractors. We have thousands of satisfied customers to prove these mowers work on these size tractors.
Well good for you. Hope you sell a bunch on here but you won't get a dime of my money, here or anywhere else.
Earl Thigpen you are saying we are selling an unsafe application and we both know better. We've told many a person that had a 30 HP compact they need to purchase the 135 and not the 165. They have the HP but not the mass. I would gander that you had a sick Ford 3000 because we even have customers using a Ford 3000 to pull 4x4 balers around here. Just to let you know in the last 2 weeks we have sold 12 drum mowers in Texas alone. We shipped them direct to the customer. We are sure happy that others in Texas don't take your view. Ye shall know the truth and the truth will set you free.
ironpeddler
Well-known member
celestina farm":1uslmsop said:
kjones
Well-known member
What are the advantages and disadvantages with a drum mower versus a disc mower?
OklaBrangusBreeder
Well-known member
If you'll check the link at the bottom of any of Ironpeddlers posts, you'll find that those drum mowers run from $2,400 to $2,900 depending on the size.
See:
http://www.ccmachinery.com/drum%20mowers.htm
My dad has a two drum PZ Mower that I have used. It is basically the same as the CCM mowers.
Advantages:
* Speed of cutting is basically whatever you can stay on the tractor.
* Low horsepower requirments
* Minimum cost to purchase.
* Clean cutting.
* Low maintenance
Disadvantages:
* The only thing I can see wrong with it frankly is the cutting width is just small. If you have the HP with your tractor to use a wider disc mower, that is the way I would go. For smaller HP tractors, the drum mower can be a great alternative.
See:
http://www.ccmachinery.com/drum%20mowers.htm
My dad has a two drum PZ Mower that I have used. It is basically the same as the CCM mowers.
Advantages:
* Speed of cutting is basically whatever you can stay on the tractor.
* Low horsepower requirments
* Minimum cost to purchase.
* Clean cutting.
* Low maintenance
Disadvantages:
* The only thing I can see wrong with it frankly is the cutting width is just small. If you have the HP with your tractor to use a wider disc mower, that is the way I would go. For smaller HP tractors, the drum mower can be a great alternative.
