What size round baler?

bja105

Member
I am probably going to buy a round baler by this hay season.
I have a Ford 4610 with the larger, filled 15.5x38 tires. 52 PTO horspower. My fields are flat. They hay will be cut with a 7' MC rotary scythe.

I move 6x6 bales with my three point balespear, so moving them isn't a problem. I bet I can move more of a bale than I should be making. I am not opposed to a small baler, unless you think I should stay in the middle for some reason I haven't considered. I am not opposed to a large one, either, if you think it will work.

The hay is mixed orchard grass, timothy, white clover, red clover, and alfalfa. Its fed to our horses and cows. I don't hrind or mix feed.

I am looking at older balers in the $2000-3000 range.

Any general guidelines I should follow? Any particular models to look for or avoid?

Thanks
Jason
 
That tractor should handle just about any baler. I have a friend who has a Ford 46?? and he uses our NH850 behind it with no problems at all and it calls for min HP of 55
 
Older baler should be fine... and maybe stay away
from the soft core balers, they usually take
significant horsepower to finish the bale...

Not sure what you have close by for dealer
support, or what they are like for dealers either,
but that is something to keep in mind, older
balers will break down (so do new ones) and it's a
pain if the nearest dealer is several hours
away...
 
good question. trying to deside the same thing my self. big question is net wrap or not .with net wrap balers its around 6 grand more is it worth that much??
 
If your fields are flat that is a good thing because it will give you more choices. On hills with a tractor of that size I would say a 4x4 would be max. I have a 330 JD 4x4 and on steep hills it will push my 856.

What is common in your area and how is dealer support. Mostly just bearings, chains and if it is a belt baler, belts on a round baler.

Will you be storing the bales outside or under cover. I also would go with the hard core baler as well. They don't run terribly hard until near full and still not bad. On some fields I have run mine with a 666 and it is fine. Mine cost me in your range and it has been pretty reliable. Good luck.
 
We have a deere dealer nearby, and I don't know what all the other one does. I think Agco? Does anyone know what brands Hetrick Farm Supply in New Bethlehem sells? I see CaseIH tractors on the lot. I think there is a New Holland dealer in Butler PA, an hour away.

How do I know if a baler is hard core or soft core?

Bales are stored outside, I have been tarping them. I will end up with a hoop house or quonset hut, since I want to store round bales and some square bales dry.

I think net wrap is out. I don't think I can afford it, and I don't like the net all over. String is easier for me to remove when feeding.
 
In the price range you listed ($2-3K) the options will be limited. I would hold out for an open throat baler. A closed throat balers is just a headache in tough hay. It may only be fifty feet in the middle of the field but you plug each time you get there. Spend the money and get a open throat baler.

You do not want any JD baler before the 30 series 430/530. No JD 500/510 balers. They had issues.

In the Vermeer the "E" series baler where the first open throat models. You should be able to find a Vermeer in your price range.

Some of the Hesston balers are open throat and would be cheaper.

Parts availability and service knowledge are an important thing. So asked around and see what brands have good support in your area.

Some guys like the old NH chain balers they are simple and will bale anything you can get through the pickup. I just think they make a ragged looking bale and if the chain needs repair it is not cheap.
 
One thing to consider is how many bales to feed the number of animals you have and how often you want to set it out. Another thing, if you go to hoop to store, you'll need a loader to stack. Friend had a 4610 with loader and he had 6x6 bales. I would NOT recommend it. We have NH 630 4x4. It's easy to operate. I would rather it was 4x5. Half more hay in the extra ft. and if you have to haul on road it's way better than 5ft wide. Have seen a few Gehl rollers on CL for a decent low price. Never own one, but had custom guy do some, nice rolls. Good luck, there are plenty of machines out there to choose from.
 
If you are going to sell any it would be wise to to use a bale that is only 4Ft wide. As some states like MI consider hay as a divisible load so only one wide is legal. I would go to the 4x5 like already said more hay in the extra foot. A NI baler is simple and fairly easy to get parts for. The bearings are available through IH,Agco,both and the rest of the parts can be obtained from shoups. Balers are cheap also. I have a 4x4 I would sell if I found a 4x5 to replace it. You have plenty of tractor to run most balers on the flat ground.
 
That is not enough tractor to run a Vermeer 5x6 baler. I have a 605H and run it with a 65hp Deere 2550 and the baler makes it snort with a full bale in the baler. It needs every bit of that 65hp to put the last foot on the roll. A 504 model would probably be ok. Also, this baler is heavy and I like the fact that my tractor at 9000lbs does not get pushed around by the baler. A lighter tractor would be risky, IMO.

John
 
I ran a JD 530 making 5x6's, not 6x6's with a JD 4230, 100 PTO and
on about the last 6" of the roll you could notice the engine working.
Didn't lug it down, but it was using it's hp. I currently run a JD 375
which is just a downsized 5x6 baler.....makes 5x4's with 57 PTO hp
and it does ok.
 

As was said before, if you are going to sell bales,
a 4 x 5 is better. With forks, you can easily set
a 4 x 5 in the back of a pickup truck(not a compact
truck AFIK). Also, two 4 x 5s will sit side by
side on a gooseneck trailer. I have a 5 x 5I
Vermeer and probably your 4610 would handle it on
flat land. It should handle a 4 x 5 with no
trouble. I pull mine with a 65 hp tractor on
hills. Steep hill I need to drop back a gear.

Vermeer F,G,and H models are similar. The 504
model Vermeers are very easy to pull. I would,
however, aim for a I model with the Super I with
hydraulic tension being the best. The Super Is pack
a tighter bale.

KEH
 
If you do not plan to sell bales you have lots of choices. Buyers want pretty bales, but the livestock just wants good hay. I like big bales. Rarely sell any, but it means far fewer trips though the field and into the feeding area.

I have an OMC soft core baler for my horse hay. It works good and the balers sell for less at auction. The old NH chainers are low priced as well. A zillion cows have survived on hay out of a chainer, but the bales ain't perty.
 
We use a New Idea 484. makes 4x5 bales, soft center. Case/ IH have an identical model. Run it with a Mahindra 4500 (42 hp) And it does well, but has its hands full when loaded on a hill. Pretty simple baler, has been reliable after being around the world, and can be had in your price range.
 
bja105 you asked "how do I know if it is a hard
core or soft core?" Soft core balers have a fixed
chamber the bale is formed in. New Idea, Deutz
and Crone are all fixed chamber balers, and
require more power to make a hard/tight bale. And
if you look at the bales ,you cam see a star
shape in the end of the bale.
JD NH later CaseIH Vemmer Hesston Gehl balers all
are Variable chamber, and the bales are hard
core. These balers require less HP. They do have
more moving parts.
 
Thankyou all, this has been quite helpful.
Back to the soft core and hard core. Tell me if I have this right, please.
I can make just about any diameter bale with the hard core, just stop and tie when the size is right?
Soft core, fixed size.
What if I stop and tie a soft core before the density is right? Will it make a mess?
How do I know when the density is right with a soft core? Listening to the engine loading up?

Thanks
Jason
 
"I can make just about any diameter bale with the hard core, just
stop and tie when the size is right?"

Correct. As I said on my JD 375. It stops rolling at 4' diameter
due to the size of the chamber while a 5xx will run on up to 6'
due to the larger size chamber.

Additionally, on the last hay to be baled in the field, I have
successfully rolled bales of 2' and had no problem picking up the
string for the tie.

Mark
 

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