Ford Bailer for sale

Farmallb · Feb 21, 2016

Son has spotted a ford bailer at a auction yard. He dosnt know the model number. I asked him a lot of questions about it, like
1 Is the flywheel tight, which he said it was real tight
How do the knotters look. He said they looked newer than the bailer, and they were NH meaning that they had been replaced at some point.
It has the upper fork teeth to bring the hay into the chamber. I don't know how long Ford carried this way of doing it.
Boy said that people had told him that he had to have a SLOW ground speed to operate it.
Its a wire bailer
He cycled it and it all sounded god, BUT he didn't trip it and cycle it.

Any thoughts or experiences?? Hes planning to bid up to $350

casecollectorsc · Feb 21, 2016

Around here, E SD, you can't give a wire tie baler away.....nobody wants them.

DeltaRed · Feb 21, 2016

depends on which baler. If it's newer (blue) 530,542.. It's a decent baler.Probably worth $750.Made by NewIdea.However,parts are getting hard to find. If it's the older(red or blue)(big heavy) baler with a sweep arm feeder $350 is plenty. Wire however can be a deal killer. Good for you ....CHEAP!However,I will say: " he who says 'I dont want to spend too much' usually comes home empty handed".If you are baleing just a very few acres,a wire machine is fine. You can buy a better string machine when you have more money.What I'm saying,is the older/cheaper wire machine can be a stepping stone to get you started.

Farmallb · Feb 21, 2016

Round here, NE Okla, There nothing but wire. I never saw a wire modern baler in NE Kans. That"s all I see here in NE Okla.

Farmallb · Feb 21, 2016

All I saw on U Tubes was the 530 which had both fork arms going in unison, and the 532 in which the fork arms wernt in unison. Bout all the difference I could see.

one guy was creeping along as he had a Wisc engine mounted on his, and I guess he didn't want it to get crambed fulla hay as the belts would burn in two before he could get down from the tractor and shut them off.

JD Seller · Feb 21, 2016

The trouble with Ford balers is parts. There just about impossible to get anymore. Plus the Ford balers where not much when they where new. If your wanting a collector piece than fine but if your going to use it any skip it and find a NH or JD that you can get parts for.

retired farmer · Feb 21, 2016

Have him send me the $350 and look for a John Deere. I had a Ford 542 twine. Wish I had never seen the thing. You could walk faster than it would bale.

Bill VA · Feb 21, 2016

I have a uncle that has ran either a 532 or 530 Ford baler for a lot of years - probably 30 or more. It is a blue baler and his grandson now runs it. It has been a very good baler and from what I've read on old posts, can be not only very good balers, but hay eating machines. There are some good videos of them baling on youtube.

Here's my hesitation: Parts, both new and used - have to be limited by the shear number of balers produced vs NH and JD. Second is internet support - and forget about knowledgeable dealer support. Ask a question on a NH or JD baler and there is lots of experience to tap into. Lasty - maybe a wire baler is desirable, but I'd rather have twine.

Good luck,
Bill

wellmax99 · Feb 22, 2016

if your son does not have much stress in his life, then buy the old ford baler.

but with hay on the ground he will still need a new Holland or john deere baler lined up as a backup baler.

I would suggest he take that money, add to it and buy a either new Holland or john deere, whichever brand that has the closes dealership, as most old balers are going to need parts.

good luck,

Leroy · Feb 22, 2016

That baler here, Ohio, would go for scrap. Big thing against is wire, then make as no parts or service. If not for scrap just someone that wants a novilaty to take to shows, but would never have any hay put in it. PTO shaft would not even be hooked up.

Dave H (MI) · Feb 22, 2016

Has your son ever baled hay before? You can get so much more baler for just a little added investment. Starting out and very limited budget then I would look for a JD 14T or 24T. Lots of parts, easy to fix and maintain. My starter baler going back 16 years ago was a JD 224T I bought for $950. Still have it and still use it.

Farmallb · Feb 22, 2016

My son is a tightwad, but he is trying to buy a place and his money is tight.

Bret4207 · Feb 23, 2016

I started the same way. Ever hear the old saying about throwing good money after bad? I traded an implement for a NH 68. Thought I did good. Took me 15 years to get that thing baling right and I've rebuilt the whole thing. I mean pretty much every moving part has been replaced or repaired. But I got such a "bargain".

Have you son save his money and get a decent baler he can gets parts for. Better to spend a couple grand and make hay than spend $350.00 and then spend a couple grand buying hay because you can't get yours baled.

Traditional Farmer · Feb 23, 2016

I'd pay $1500 for a JD 24T to use before I'd use a free Ford 530 or 532.

Leroy · Feb 23, 2016

So he needs to look for something that he can actually use for the next 10 years instead of can I get it in the field even before I cannot even find any parts for it.

RodinNS · Feb 23, 2016

Ford balers were much like any other baler. If you don't know how to set them up they won't work right. If you set them up, they work just fine. We've got a 532 here that baled more than a quarter million bales and aside from bill hooks, a few needles and pickup fingers is basically original.
The problem with them today is parts availability. They also shuck out their over running clutch at the flywheel hub from time to time and those are quite expensive to replace.
As far as speed goes... our 532 baled just as fast as anything else of it's day. It's interesting to note that most everyone else today aside from Deere uses a rotary feeder that was native to those balers nearly 50 years ago... so one wonders who actually had the job figured out in the first place...

Rod

Farmallb · Feb 23, 2016

Where would somebody go to get one of those replaced nowadays?

Dave H (MI) · Feb 23, 2016

Agreed, Leroy. There is a phrase..pennywise, pound foolish. Find a way to get a better baler to start with.

I guess ultimately, I cannot tell you what it is like to be out in the stinking hot field, baler won't work, no parts anywhere to be found, hay is on the ground and raked, storm on the horizon. Guess you need to experience it. I had a JD, overpriced parts were only a call away.

RodinNS · Feb 23, 2016

The ORC was still available from CNH last I looked a few years ago but cost was over 400... I just welded mine. Most things on that baler can either be worked around or bought if necessary... but sometimes the work a rounds cost you time and crop. That's why I don't use mine anymore...

Put it this way.... if you can acquire the baler in working order for next to nothing and it will tie, you have little to lose... but if it needs work or you have to pay a bundle for it... risk grows exponentially.

Rod

Zachary Hoyt · Feb 25, 2016

I bid $200 on a NH 68 at an auction a few years ago and have used it to bale 30-40 acres per year since then. It needed a tire, a new main chain and one of the pickup covers, and I had to pull the plunger and make new wood blocks for the bottom. It's old but it works fine for me. I bought it thinking it would be a parts machine for the 67 we had been using for several years but since I got it the 67 has sat in the barn unused. I like the longer tongue on the 68, much easier to turn without losing a bit of the windrow. We had a little red Ford baler that made 12x16 bales or something like that. It was a real misery to work with and one of the happiest sights I have seen was when some fellow bought it and took it away.
Zach

RustyS · Feb 26, 2016

Too many older JD and NH balers around here to get a machine with no parts or service. Save the money and partner up with a local hay man. It will give the opportunity to learn and the field will be that much better when the right machine turns up

sammydwm · Feb 27, 2016

(quoted from post at 01:32:21 02/23/16) My son is a tightwad, but he is trying to buy a place and his money is tight.

If this is a fact then why on earth is he gonna waste money on a baler?

Ford Bailer for sale

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