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I have not run duals yet but most likly will next summer. The tounge weight is 3000# and the baler weigh 18000# plus. Duals are not manditory unless you are trying to go up a wet hill. As far as price that gets complicated. The guy I bought it from wanted $11,000. I don't mind saying that I paid $8000. It came with $500 worth of twine and an accumulator. I hate the accumulator and have one for sale if anyone is interested. I have had to put about $800 in it in small things, like replacing the moisture tester. Dealers that I have seen tend to ask $10,000 to $12000. Auction prices are as low as $3000 to maybe $10,000. Depends on location. I am assuming the $3000 are junk, but have not actually seen them. I feel I got a good deal since mine had about 30,000 bales on it. By my way of thinking the number of bales indicates condition, not age. Of course the previous owner could have lied, but given the looks of the machine I don't think so. In my area a 3x3 with 30,000 bales will set you back about 25,000. Of course there is not many large square balers to choose from. I am the only big square baler of any size within a 2 hour tractor ride. As far as repairs, it can be a little scarey if you don't know what to expect. The drive chains are over priced if you buy from hesston. I just bought the smaller 160 chain from a machine parts place and it cost me $275. Hesston wanted $800. The large 200 chain should cost less than a $1000 dollars locally, but hesston wants, I think, $1500. I was told that the small chain is the one that wares out the most. I have no plans to replace the 200 chain as of now. I was told by a mechanic that it costs about $4000 to completely rebuild the gear box should it ever need it. However he also told me that to rebuild the large gearbox(that replace the smaller gearbox and chains on the 4800) like is found on a 4900/4910 is $26,000. That definately helped make up my mind. I decided that at least I could afford the repairs on a 4800. The key to making big squares easy to feed is setting the stuffer a little loose. This also really helps them keep if the hay is a little tough. Bale length can be varied. I even made a 2ft long bale once on accident. I made about 35 5ft cornstalk bales for my uncle. At that length you can put a regualar round bale ring around them. At 8ft the last bales I weighed were 1840#. Shout if you have any more questions that I can help with. The last 6 months I have learned alot.
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