round baler basics

Mike(NEOhio)

Well-known Member
Location
Newbury, Ohio
I make about 1500-2000 small squares a year but there's more hay that I usually can't get done and end up mowing it. I'm thinking about doing some of it in round bales. 4x4 or 4x5s. I have no experience with round baling. I'm doing hilly fields and have a 50hp tractor. Can anybody offer suggestions as to which baler would suit my needs?
 
Well.....just like anything,when they first came out there were a lot of ideas. Some made it,some failed. If you get something made from about the mid 90s on,brand probably is just going to be up to your personal preference.
I'll be honest,if you get in to something too new the electronics can give you fits. I've had Gehl balers since 1979. The one I have now is great when everything is clicking along OK,but one mis step in the baling process and you have to go back to square one. The earlier ones had a table belt,I'd stay away from those old balers for sure,get something with a roller in the bottom instead of a belt. If you can get away from that without going so new that it has a computer and sensors you'd hit the sweet spot.
 
We've always run a Hesston 530. It's been a great little baler, fairly simple to operate and work on. Small horsepower to run and small bales to move. 40 by 48 I think. Massey and CaseIH were Hesstons as well, not sure of the model numbers though.
 
For your size tractor take a look at a New Idea 484. They are 4x4 bales and a very simple baler that was built for a long time.The early ones were orange then changed to gray and I think they made a few red ones last.It was also sold as a CaseIH.There also was a 4x5 baler as well.If you want to spend more money a Deere 330 or 335 were very good.We have a 335 that has baled thousands of bales with no problems.Dad used to pull it with his 40hp 2040 John Deere.A neighbor pulled his New Idea with a 360 Massey.
 
I second the nomination for a Hesston 530( Case IH 8420 is same). They are simple design, easy to work on, never need much work done on them, and have no electronics. More modern versions of the same baler are the 730 and 830. Hydraulic or electric twine threader. We bale mostly fescue and orchard grass with ours and I maintain 3 others for local folks. Decent ones are down in the $3,500 and up range around central North Carolina.

If the hay is cured, they start a roll with no problem, as long as the belts are not worn too smooth. Belts are about $125 each x 5 belts to replace. We roll 300-500 per year with ours, not many compared to most posters on here.

Garry
 
50 HP is on the smaller side. I would look for a 4x4 baler. A new Holland 630/634/638 would do the job. Not a high production baler, but at 50 HP a high production baler would bring that tractor to its knees real quick. The 630/634/638 is a belt baler so you get the ease of maintenance and the tighter bales.
 
Mike, I think the best baler for you is your neighbor"s round baler! that said, you are probably trying to get up hay when everyone else is, so your neighbor is not an option. caseIH 8430 may be worth a look.
 
Vermeer 504 G , makes then 4 ft wide and up to 5 ft tall. Easy to turn with 50 hp. It will make a tight bale and its easy to work on. Only bale sideways on any hill for safety. Those New Idea balers are not one that I would want, because of soft core and parts / repair.
 
a neighbor has a NI soft center and it makes nice bales, Case-IH had the 3460 and 8480 sc balers, the key is getting the outer shell tight and firm
 
I bought a Case I.H. 8430 with electric twine wrap last year. My fields are mostly on hillsides and the baler makes a 4x4 bale. I really like the baler and would recommend one to anybody else. I had New Holland balers before I bought it and believe me there is no comparison in my mind. Keep in mind that you can fit 2 bales side by side on most trailers when baling with a 4' wide baler. Just my biased thoughts. Keith
 
That is what I like about 4x4 bales.We would put two in the bed of the truck then go to the other farm and two people could easily roll them off.We sold alot of hay to horse people who could do the same thing.
 
I have a hesston 540 and really like it. I run it on a 2510 deere diesel. I bought it used last year, put in 2 bearings and a set of belts. It makes nice tight bales and mine has the hyd tie option. I start baling in 2nd and drop to get going and then drop it into 5th. Easy to work on and makes a nice bale
 
There are quite a few Hesston 540/Case IH 8430 balers around here also. They have hydraulic tension vs. just springs on the 530 style. Also meant to add that a roll from the 530 equals about 8 14x18x36 square bales. 'Official' chamber size on the 530 is 39x54 inches. A lot of guys on this site seem to not like these balers though, for various reasons.
 
I had the Case soft core, you are right if you don't really stuff it the bale comes out flat. We found that we could not go by the light on the control box but by the sound of the tractor pulling down to get a really good bale, end up trading it for a 530 JD.
 
I second the Case/IH balers. I have run a 5530, for the last 10
years or so, only had minor problems with it, replaced the belts
once, had a roller bearing at the bottom of the door go out, once.
bent up some guards, lost a few teeth, etc. All was easy to fix,
though, and I pull mine with an AC d-10 tractor, on hills that test
sanity!
 
I've found Hesston products to be very good stuff, easy to work on too. For a 50 hp tractor a 4x5 is as big as I'd go and 4x4 is probably safer. Of course you don't have to make max bale size every time, so a 4x5 works fine.
 
Just my opinion I would look at a new holland baler... they keep up an excellent parts supply that sometimes isn't always the case with other manufactures. As far as size if your clients are horse people don't go any bigger then a 4x4 that size is fairly easy for most horse women to move or roll. Around here very few horse people will take 4x5 bales because of their size and weight. As far as a bale go with solid core bales the soft core are to spongy and are hard to load,stack haul,roll ect. Remember anything mechanical will break at some time be selective when looking at used machines and remember PARTS AVAILABILITY. Another thing to consider is net wrap alot of people prefer that over twine now days. I have horses and feed over 650 rolls a year plus work for deere and still prefer a new holland baler lol. Jim.
 
Not sure what square baler you have but our JD 336 square baler was about 50% faster than the CIH 8430 I think the number was round baler. Our JD 348 was almost twice as fast as it.

If you can leave the hay in the field that makes up for it. We have since bought a 4x5 softcore baler to clean up junk hay for our own use.
 
I have a 273. I put a couple of new parts on each year and it runs petty good. I don't do that much because I have this job that really cuts into my time. Going to retire in July so I'll be able to get more done. The hay will be a nice income supplement.
 
I had the same situation. I bought a soft core drum baler, OMC brand, but same as a Gehl 1310 or 1710. It works great for me when I run out of time, or storage or out of help for square bales. BUT mine is a very big heavy high HP OMC baler.

I think the advice you got here for baler size and brands/models is good. I did a lot of homework before I bought it and found the baler model I wanted at a consignment farm auction.

But, your idea of a round baler to handle the excess has worked for me.
 

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