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Ron-MO 01-28-2013 18:27:51 174.131.236.58 Report to Moderator	I am about in same boat with chevytaHOE5674. I located a cheap non working 850 chain baler for $200, then put another $100 in it to get it running. Baled a couple years with it, then bought one of the Hesston 530's. Baled about 50 bales with it, and drug out the old NH and sold the Hesston. While the belt baler makes a prettier bale, and is quieter, the NH does something the Hesston did not, and that is bale anything I can drive over, pretty much as fast as i can drive over it, never plug, and not spill hay out the sides of the pickup. During those 50 bales I was under it twice unplugging the thing, in 95 degree heat. I have never had to unplug the old New Holland. I do agree with the chain baler making a uglier bale with more loss, and the bales being loose means the hay does not keep as well in the weather and I store the bales outside and sell them, however, I had better luck selling the big bales than the small bales from the Hesston. No doubt I may eventually go back to a belt baler, but I hope it does not exhibit some of the same symptoms as the Hesston, or it will be gone as was the Hesston. Everyone has their own preference, and I would prefer a better quality bale, but I cannot justify several thousand dollars to bale a hundred bales a year and sell most of them. [Reply]   [No Email]
Diydave 01-29-2013 05:10:46 96.244.162.208 Report to Moderator	Re: Price to pay for big round baler in reply to Ron-MO, 01-28-2013 18:27:51   Ron, different strokes, for different folks, but after the first 50 or so bales you will learn how whatever baler you choose operates. Plus, I read the manual, on the hesston baler, there are ways to approach the windrow, that prevent jamming. Also, if the pickup is bent up from hitting groundhog holes, it is more prone to jamming. I assume any baler will have its flaws, particularly the early, cheaper ones. Not trying to pick any fights, I was pretty mad at my hesston baler, a couple of times, while fixing it in 90+heat and humidity, with hay waiting and t-storms threatening! I guess that's par for the course on any baler, I have ever used! [Reply]  [No Email]
Ron-MO 01-29-2013 13:18:47 24.177.135.98 Report to Moderator	Re: Price to pay for big round baler in reply to Diydave, 01-29-2013 05:10:46   No offense taken Dave, and no doubt I would have learned how to keep it from plugging. The baler I had was actually in very good condition, and well cared for. My biggest reason for selling was that I realized I had $4,000 in a baler I really did not like and a baler that would do just fine (albeit not as pretty a bale, and wrong color paint) but (the good part) I only had about $500 in it. That was 3 or 4 years ago now, and going to try to get another year out of the $500 baler. If I were running a smaller (35 or 40 horse) tractor, I would be running the Hesston and sold the NH per my original plan. Sooner or later I know my luck will run out on the old NH as it did break a main apron chain year before last, but I got lucky and only took out a couple links, and $35 later it was back in the field. I have no plans on putting very much in it, and if I cannot fix inexpensively, it will go for parts or scrap, and I will replace it, and consider it as earning it's keep. [Reply]  [No Email]
old 01-28-2013 19:15:07 209.86.226.34 Report to Moderator	Re: Price to pay for big round baler in reply to Ron-MO, 01-28-2013 18:27:51   If you want a tight bale slow down. I have baled some so tight that I can not get a bale spike to go in them and heavy enough that the old Ford 841 would not pick them up be instead lift a rear wheel off the ground and that is no fun [Reply]  [No Email]