International 46 baler

Looking at an international 46 baler this week, is there any stress points to check when looking at this model? Their only looking for 450 and it will make 400 bales this year so i just need this small model. Any comments and opinions welcome

Make sure it is working and tying when you buy it. If they say "it needs some adjustment" I wouldn't consider it. IH had a lot of trouble with their twine tie balers until the 440/430 and the "All Twine" knotters came out. Some 47s/37s had the "All Twine" knotters retrofitted on them but I'd guess few if any 46s had it done.

If its working they tend to work and keep on working with minor adjustment. If they don't work they'll drive you crazy and few "baler men" are around today that can make them work. There wasn't that many around back when they were new that could make them work.

Its an steal if it will tie for that. Make sure it will tie.

Save yourself a LOT of frustration and buy something else. The reason it is cheap, is because they are historically prone to not tying correctly. I have a 46, but it wore me out jumping down off the tractor to tie one side of every third bale. Why would it tie two then miss, I don't know and could never figure it out, threw some new parts at it, made adjustments, but could never get it to consistently tie. Finally went and bought a New Holland. I may get some shaggy bales, and sometimes a banana bale but it always ties both sides. I have not totally given up on the 46 will keep trying to get it to tie consistently. just my experience. gobble

I learned to tie a square not on the fly on one of those balers.

I learned to tie knots on one side of a NH bailer. The wheel bearings were both shot, and she went across the field shaking like Mae West. The wad board likta kilt me once after the guard for it broke off.

I run a 46 baler and like it but it is touchy to make tie consistently compared to other balers. If you buy it get a set of manuals. If its in good shape and you are mechanically able then I would buy it. If you want something that you might not have to tinker on then skip it. Problem now is many older balers that would do what you want are worn enough they will give you problems also.

When we had ours all you could get was the 7200 foot twine, can you get that? Plastic was avaible byt did not like or want it but do not think it will work or either the 9000 foot twine as well. The plunger runs on flat iron slides that are welded on and not normally replaceable. If they get slightly wore then it lets the plunger move around so it will not catch the twine properly. The baler we had and it was sold back in 1980 when the cows left had before we bought it the plunger replaced. Bought at auction and there was a plunger laying in parts pile, could not quite figure that out for a few years. And ours had to tie every bale as it had the thrower on it and that is why we bought it to replace our New Holland 66 that we had to stack behind. Only reason for change was that year 3 of us got overcome with heat handling the bales. The New Holland had replaceable wood slides and it had gotten so it was missing half the bales, Dad finally got a different mechanick to look at it and right off said to replace those slides and it will work, Dad said I don't believe it but go ahead and do it. Without touching the knotters after changing the slides it did not miss a bale. So check the movement of that plunger and if it moves chances are it will not tie.

One thing with those balers is if they won't tie correctly try replacing the spring for the bill hook.
On those machines the book calls for a spesific length for that spring to make the bill hook work
but does not account for the spring getting weak as it ages. Had tying issues with my 37 that
about drove me nuts and replacing the bill hook springs and setting the new ones per the book
fixed it. Other than that they're great balers we do about 5000 bales a year with ours.

I agree on the bill hook spring. The other thing on those knotters is to keep the twine knife sharp and ALIGNED. An owners manual is very strongly recommended.