My new to me New Holland Super 68 baler (pics)

rankrank1

Well-known Member
Well I now have at least 1 back-up machine for each function of my hobby hay operation.

Multiple clunker tractors, 3 ways to cut it, 2 ways to rake/improvise tedd, 1 way to truly tedd, and now 2 ways to bale it....

Not the prettiest baler, but the darn thing has not been used all that much. Plunger wood bearings are even snug and show little to no ware. Probably should make it my frontline baling machine but it will likely only be my back-up baler. Maybe I can eventually find another NH 65 to match my other baler and then I will likely send this one down the road.





 
You will like the long tongue and two piece drive line. Lots better on turns. However, your 65 may also have that. Do you sell the bales from your 65 to horse people? Do they bring nearly as much as a 14x18 bale? That 68 looks like a good one.

Garry
 
My 65 is short tongue and 2 pc PTO instead of three. Due to the 65's short tongue I must admit that it is not well suited to a big wide tract tractor at all. Course the little baler was not intended for large tractors but small tractors.

I have no problem selling the bales from my 65. Course I am not in the top dollar target market either. Since I am usually providing the majority of the lifting manpower to my customers I have few complaints. I am more than upfront that I am not making mankillers unless they willing to do all the lifting and the throwing of them up into their mow. Mentioning work usually weeds out the cheapskates immediately right there cause most are too lazy to work up a sweat.

One can still make a heavy bale though if desired with the little 65 by cranking down the tension. Regardless of what size baler I use, I am only going to make a bale of length and weight density that I am comfortable handling.
 
I bought one of those a couple of years ago at an auction, mine was
a bit rougher shape but didn't take much to get it going. I had
intended to use it as a backup but I haven't gotten the other baler
(NH67) out of the shed since I've had this one. As GarryinNC says
the long tongue is much nicer. I have found that it makes the best
bales if I keep it full of hay, and it's faster too.
Zach
 
About 3 years ago, a friend was trying to start baling some fescue. Someone had given him a baler like that except it looked much, much worse. He had never run a baler before. I happened to be nearby when he started and it was giving him problems. I tightened the knife brake and he went to baling. Asked him the other day about his baler. He said it was still doing fine.
Richard in NW SC
 
That's my theory as well. If you are going to run the old equipment, always have a spare implement and tractor when the one you are using breaks down.
 
In reality, I have lost less than 35 bales to a broke down baler in the 6 or 7 years that I have been doing my masochistic hobby hay -and that loss was my fault not really my ole balers.

Now having a back-up rake has come in handy especially that first year that I operated when both of mine were a tad rickety. Back-up tractor came in handy too when the ole M fouled her plugs last year.

That all said, the baler is the one item that I could not improvise with something else to get buy with so figured this was cheap insurance and especially since it was in such good shape. Some of that you see in the pictures is light surface rust, but lots of that stuff that appears to be rust is chaff. I am still cleaning this ole bugger up. I do not believe it had been used in 30 plus years. It was still full of straw and the bottom layer of that straw had started to decompose to dirt. Luckily it had been kept in a barn (a semi damp one though), but the bale chamber is in excellent shape.
 
To anyone interested: Just tried running my serial number to no avail, as my serial # book does not list any baler serials prior to the year 1970. Anyway the NH parts web site shows that the Super 68 was only offered in 1958, 1959, and 1960 so that will have to be close enough for me.
 
Nice looking baler!

You've read and commented on my hay stuff this summer,
maybe I can return the favor.

Other than a slower baler and some banana shaped bales,
pretty much everything I've read on these NH68 balers is very
good. A few posts mention the S68 to have roller bearings vs
wood slides, but that doesn't square with the NH parts list.
One time I went through most, if not all of the parts differences
between the 68 and the S68. As far as I can tell, they are the
same, including main drive gear box and plunger/bale
chamber assy. I mention this because the manual for the 68
says 63-65 strokes per minute, but the S68 manual says 70.
The S68 has the rope pick-up, which your baler has -nice!

Looks like your baler still has factory paint, good IMHO as you
get a clear picture of what your getting. My 68 has the longer
driveshaft like yours, but I needed to adjust the clevis so the
driveshaft was level with my PTO. Once I did that, tighter
turns were possible without u-joint clatter. Nice the baler came
with the wagon hitch.

Keep an eye on your wooden plunger slides. I'm replacing
mine as the lower one on the bale chamber side was half
gone. When I pulled the plunger, I found the other half of it
rotten and the opposite side one rotten/brittle. They both
looked like some termites found them - a potential hazard for a
wood slide, LOL!

I've thought about a back-up baler too, but want to get mine in
ship shape first.

I've received a ton of help and am gaining experience with my
68, don't hesitate to ask and I'll share what I think I know.

Good luck,
Bill
 
My wooden plunger slides appear to be like new. I am not exaggerating when I say this thing has very little ware in it which is really the only reason that I bought it. (Of course the brand new $100 bill hook, $90 malleable knotter wiper, and other misc. brand new knotter parts that were in the toolbox along with a book did not hurt either as these knotter parts will all work on my 65 too).

I agree with you Bill in that there are lots of comments in the YT archives saying the "supers" had rollers instead of wood slides for plunger bearings. That archived information appears to correct on the 67 to the S67 and possibly to S69S but it does not apply to the 68 and S68 at all.

Best I can tell the only difference between the 68 and S68 is that the S68 has an auxiliary gearbox with a spool on it that wraps a rope around that spool to raise and lower the pick-up feeder by pulling that rope from the tractor seat (with the PTO running of course) instead of having to get off the tractor and manually raise and lower the pick-up head by hand. (Frankly, I would rather have the manual system of the regular model).

Otherwise I think early serial numbered 68 may have had bushings for wheelbearings while later serialed 68's and all S68's had tapered roller bearings for the wheelbearings.

Bill Ah good catch on the plunger strokes (I did not realize this was different till you pointed it out): My S68 came with the wrong manual included for a regular 68 and it lists 63-65 strokes per minute for the 68. I downloaded a freebie *pdf scan for the S68 manual and it lists 70 strokes per minute. So maybe 10% more capacity for the super which could be a good thing I guess.
 
We had 2 or 3 new New Hollands when I was still on the farm and I think the first was like that and replaced an IH baler that was cussed more than anything on the farm. those things would really bale hay. The next one wasn't very old and my brother handed me some kind of tines I think and they went above the pickup and drug the hay into the plunger and told me to put them in. I was about 14 and baled a lot of hay but all I new about a baler was how to put in a shear pin. I tore it apart, had a chain out of it, put it back together, fired up the tractor, pulled the pto up, let out the clutch getting ready to admire my work when it sounded like the whole world came to an end. Nobody told me it had to be timed.
Next baler had a kicker and I don't remember ever having any trouble with that one
 
I had a 65 baler when I started many years ago..Good baler once I rebuilt it.. purchased for 200.. put in over 800.. Sale Barn folks couldnt belive what I got for those bales.. Horse women loved the size and weight.. I have since given the 65 away to a buddy that wanted to put up a small amount for kicks.. I now run a 273 which has been a great baler.. I dont have backups but usually go through everything at the end of each season.. Also keeping it all in a shed and out of the weather helps keep them in good shape..
 

I was lucky this year. The haybine broke just before the round baler and the 68 busted right after the round baler. Since the haybine was busted anyway, I couldn't make hay and I couldn't blame either of the balers for holding me up!

Am I lucky or what?!! :lol:
 
(quoted from post at 00:36:09 12/30/14)
I was lucky this year. The haybine broke just before the round baler and the 68 busted right after the round baler. Since the haybine was busted anyway, I couldn't make hay and I couldn't blame either of the balers for holding me up!

Am I lucky or what?!! :lol:

Well in hindsight I should elaborate, I stated earlier that I had only ever lost approximately 35 bales due to a broke down baler and while that is indeed true but that total only involves hay that was already cut on the ground, tedded/raked, and otherwise ready to bale.

This year I did not cut my first cutting when I ideally would have because my baler was not all repaired from last cutting 2013. Had my baler been ready to go I would have had one good hay window to do it early. Instead, the weather turned to rain every couple of days and I ended up doing my 1st cutting about when I would normally do 2nd cutting. Lots of other people in my area were in a similar boat. Regardless I end up losing one whole cutting in 2014 due to not doing my first until so late. This was in a way costly for me since I only do meager acreage.

I should be able to pretty much overcome any adversity in the future equipment wise:

My primary wower will remain my 1120 Hesston mower conditioner (aka haybine).
2nd back up mower will be a New Idea 30A trailer sickle mower
3rd back up will be my ole trusty square back bushog to cut. (Yeah there is yield loss using the bushog but anything is better than nothing and I started this hay hobby using my ole bushog as a cutter so I know it works).

Primary mowing tractor will be 1946 Farmall M
2nd back up mowing tractor will be 1951 Farmall h
3rd back up mowing tractor will be 1950 John Deere A

Raking I have 2 very similar JD 594 rakes that I have totally refurb'd. I use these to both rake and improvise tedd. Both work very well. Have not even broken a tine on either in 5 years or more. Grease and go.

Primary rake tractors are:
1950 John Deere A
1951 Farmall H
1946 Farmall M
1978 Kubota L285

My one true tedder is a junk pile special that I hope to use for first time in 2015. Guessing the Farmall h will be the primary tedder tractor.

Balers: 1960 New Holland 65 will remain my frontline baler.
1959'ish New Holland Super 68 will be my back up machine.

Primary baler tractor is the 1946 Farmall M
2nd backup baler tractor will be the 1951 Farmall h
3rd backup baler tractor will be the 1978 Kubota L285

Oh and the wife just bought a Ford 850 tractor that I will need to find a use for somewhere so as to get it some run time. Also have Ford Jubilee that runs but needs work which may see some rake or tedding duty. Also have an old Case DC that runs good but needs a few things. Have no idea what I will use that ole Case for.

Oh it may be time to thin the tractor herd some. Problem is the tractors that I ideally would want to sell have the most sentimental meaning to the wife. Case DC and the Ford 850 were both her Dad's so I can not sell either of those. I personally love the Farmall m and the Farmall h so those are not going anywhere. Kubota has extremely low hours and very handy for the loader - hate to sell that. The Jubilee also has a nice loader on it that could be quite handy. Maybe I put that loader on the wifes new 850 and sell the Jubilee and the Kubota. Really like the John 1950 Deere A and it does not use a drop of oil which is rare for a putt putt but it is looking like odd man out as wife sometimes struggles with the hand clutch - sure hate to sell it though as it rides so smooth raking. Ah decisions decisions decisions.
 

Just read this more carefully and saw your
tractor types. I had a JD A and use a mounted
sickle bar mower on it. Also had a NH 67 baler
but pulled it with a Oliver 550 at first.

My reccommendation is to get a tractor with
live or independent power if possible to run hay
equipment. Not familiar with the Ford 850,
maybe it has live power in which case I would
use it.

I think it would be less important to use the M
or A one the mower conditioner. It should cut
better in heavy hay than the sickle mower. I
could cut hay much better after I got a haybine.

KEH
 
(quoted from post at 01:06:31 01/01/15)
Just read this more carefully and saw your
tractor types. I had a JD A and use a mounted
sickle bar mower on it. Also had a NH 67 baler
but pulled it with a Oliver 550 at first.

My reccommendation is to get a tractor with
live or independent power if possible to run hay
equipment. Not familiar with the Ford 850,
maybe it has live power in which case I would
use it.

I think it would be less important to use the M
or A one the mower conditioner. It should cut
better in heavy hay than the sickle mower. I
could cut hay much better after I got a haybine.

KEH

None of my 7 tractors have live or independent PTO including the little Kubota which is the newest. My wife's new to her little Ford is an 850 so it is also non-live PTO (The Ford would need to be an 860 for it to have live PTO via a 2-stage clutch).

Would having live PTO be nice? Sure, but not so much that I plan to upgrade any of the tractors to gain it. Plus often times live PTO can be expensive to fix when it has issues. Tranny driven PTO is real simple and just works. Most of my tractors except the Kubota, the Deere, and the wife's new to her 850 have been purchased from the hobby haying itself along with some occasional scrapping that supports my hobby of welding. All my hay tools were basically scrap iron or less type purchases. In other words, both hobby's have paid for themselves for the most part without requiring any funds from my household real job income. Am I making money? (Absolutely not) I am not losing any money either though. All my other hobby's usually cost me money from my household income.

Have not had any problems whatsoever running the baler with either the Farmall M, the Farmall H, or the Kubota L285. I am sure the Deere model A would do fine here as well since 2nd gear on the Deere is similar to 1st gear on the Farmall m or Farmall h do so I would have an additional slower gear available on the Deere if I needed it in theory. The Kubota does so well on the baler due to the real nice selection of slower gear speeds. I have simply been too lazy to narrow the rear wheels on the Deere up so I could try it on the short-tongued little baler though. It might work on the longue tongued baler as is though.

The key to success in running a baler with non-live PTO is to rake even proper sized windrows that are very consistent in size. An idiot on the rake will make for a long day with non-live PTO when it comes to baling.

As for the Hesston 1120 mower conditioner. That is one heavy son of a gun with immense tongue weight. Does not take much hp to run it though as the Farmall h can run it although have to go slower in heavy stuff due to compensate for h's lack of hp. The Farmall M just handles it so much better. The Deere is acceptable powerwise but the uneven PTO power pulses of the putt putt have vibrated the moco's PTO carrier bearing out of its flimsy holder before. Granted that carrier is somewhat bent from previous ownership abuse and does not hold the bearing like it should if it was in proper condition, but the Farmall m or Farmall h do not vibrate it out as it is.
 

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