best nh balers

I've got an old 68 that has lots of wear. I'm looking to replace with a newer baler with the better pickup. I've got a line on a 310 but don't know a lot about it. the john deeres and hesstons are out of my price range for now. we are baling Bermuda in southern Illinois. thanks

Never been around a 310. If they're comparable to a 311 they're great. My in laws bought the one I have new and was used alot on their dairy farm. I've had it 6yrs and average around 2000 bales/yr of hay and straw. Had to do a few minor things to it, but still makes great bales and ties every time.

What is your price range? Anything the age of a 310 needs to be inspected for wear and if excessive what the cost of repair will be. Do you need a thrower? If in your price range a good JD 336 is what I would be looking at for an older machine. If a kicker is not required a 336 that is mechanically good but ugly can be had for around 2,000 dollars. The 5XX NH balers were a much better machine versus the NH 3XX balers in my mind but a lot more expensive.

We had a 310 for many years. Good baler. Only major problem we had with it was the assembly that the feed fingers rode on or in kept breaking. I call it the feeder sled, but I'm sure that's not the right name for it. Mainly just from metal fatigue. Weld it, reinforce it and it would crack someplace else. New parts ridiculously expensive. But then I bought a beat up parts machine and that assembly was in good shape. I would give that assembly close inspection.

All of those 'old' 14x18 NewHollands are good machines.Not one model is any better(or worse) than another.Just age.Biggest thing is to look at the overall condition/general wear.A 310 is a decent machine,as good as any NH.Determine how much you want to spend.However,I believe a 276 is probably one of the best.

i have a 310 got it this year and did me a very good job, i replaced the 278 i had with the 310. the guy i deal with works on alot of nh bailers as he sells them, he said he liked the 311 the best.

price range under 2000 for now will be hooked to farmhand accumulator jd's are priced out of range or wore out around here. no need for kicker but would like the flywheel vbelt drive for a air compressor.

Why mess the feeder chain models move up to the 570-575s. They are 20+ years old now so should be reasonable priced.

Here is an old thread that talks about the 310. Kind of negative. Not sure what was changed on the 310 vs 311.

http://www.yesterdaystractors.com/cgi-bin/viewit.cgi?bd=implment&th=29075

I like the New Holland balers. We did a refurb on our New Holland 68 and added a JD348 to the fleet over the winter. I believe any model New Holland baler would similarly respond.

Super sweep would be very nice. Higher strokes per minute is a plus for us - faster throughput, more flakes per bale.

A 570 or 575, from everything I read is a great machine. For us, the limit in capacity is the guy stacking on the wagon. IMHO the 315 and 316 NH balers are some of the best ever made.

On the JD side of things - IMHO for newer balers, the 336 and anything newer are going to be good balers.

Lots of posts on banana bales regarding New Holland. I think the packer fork on the New Holland 570/575 and JD balers go a long way of eliminating it - BUT - I can tell you that once we adjusted our New Holland 68 baler, along with the refurb, it would make really nice brick shaped bales of hay.

Can't go wrong with either NH or JD - lots of parts, lots of internet support.

Good luck,
Bill

I have 3 New Holland 276 Square balers, 2 are working great, one is parts only. Makes great tight square bales for me.

thanks for the replies guys and thanks for the link bill in va. I haven't went to look at the 310 yet as the weather has been so nasty cold. that link makes me not want a 310 as much. thanks again

My dad owned one for awhile. The packing assembly/sled is a problem on those machines. Part of the problem in my opinion is the rocking back and forth it does. It's not a smooth action like some of the packing mechanisms on other balers. With that said he put 1000's and 1000's of bales through that machine with the only issue being the packing assembly and when it went south it went south big in his case.

In his situation the packing assembly broke off the tracks and the entire deal got caught in the plunger. The funny/tragic thing is it never broke a shear pin while this destruction took place. We got it back together and in the field but it was down for months given to fix with new parts would have cost upwards of $5,000.

The 268, 269, 273, and 275 balers all use a packing setup similar to the 310 and many of the parts (not all though) are interchangeable with the 310.

Give the machine a good look over and make your call from there. If there are grooves worn in the tracks or the tracks are bent I would pass.

I am in So.Ill also near Salem. May be interested in your 68 for a parts baler. You going to keep it or sell it?


John

A couple of years ago my uncle and cousin were baling with a NH 68 and it did a good job and was a good baler. They had gotten more hay ground so they were pushing the old 68 hard. My cousin went out and bought a good used NH 575 baler and his dad got wound up about him buying it until they started baling with it. After a week my uncle was quit pleased with the 575 and now says it was the best thing they ever did getting the 575 to bale with.

Do yourself a favor and spend the extra money and buy a good used newer baler and be done with it. It will save money by buying one in the long run and get more done with less stress doing it. Sounds crazy but you will be much happier if you do. Bandit

i had 570 new holland and a 327 jd i actually like th 327 better even though they were no where near the same capacity. always wanted to try 348 deere but quit haying before ever had one of them.