Square baler

kub6040

Well-known Member
I would like opinions on today's square balers who's got the best , cheapest ? I like small 40 pound bales , easier for kids or grandkids to handle.
 
When you say "today's" do you mean brand new? Have you set a budget? Do you need a thrower or ejector? As far as a mass produced used baler that has a number of parts source options I would look at a JD 336. 2000 dollars should buy you a pretty good one if you do not need a bale ejector. Over 3000 dollars with ejector and 3500-4000 dollars for something downright nice in appearance. Yes, there are cheaper alternatives and non-JD alternatives but then things such as parts availability may be an issue along with a lack of service knowledge.
 
How often is the best the cheapest?
Asking which baler is best is like asking which motor oil is.
There are 3 choices; Deere, NH and the Hesston designed in lines.
 
You can buy a NH273 in good working order for under $2000. Will make bales as long or short as you want.
Easy to work on, parts available. Good choice for a low volume operation.
 
Oooops. Did not see "new". If starting new I would go in-line. Easier to use , steer, turn and store.
All balers should make little short bales if adjusted properly.
 
I have the highest regard for the Hesston'caseIH/MasseyFerguson inline. it will make you a perfect 40 lb bale every time with no issues.I dont think 'Hesston' has changed a thing on them since the beginning.The neighbor girl bought an old NH#68 a couple years ago. She makes a thousand or so 35-40 pound bales each year.24 to 30 " long. picks em all by hand,too
 
Where are you at? Word is that in my area small farm tools such as small square balers have not been moving in the last couple of years. Reasons would be low milk prices and poor crop year. It might pay just to start calling around your area to see if a dealer is aching to get a unit off of the books. Somebody may surprise you on price. Unless you are partial to a brand I would see what everyone has to offer.
 
kub, go with a Hesston built in-line baler. Easy to maintain and reliable. Hesston, Agco, or Massey Ferguson. Compare prices. You can probably make a good deal after season.
 
10k bales, Deere ,case IH and new holland , no Heston dealers in 130 miles . I sell several thousand and feed some also , this year I don't have enough to feed , and selling hay really helps offset the cost of playing with old tractors !!! I need one that works day in and day out. Like dad expected out of me, an indentured servant ! LOL!!
 
I sold JD balers for years and they are good. The current models are 328. 338, and 348. For the number of bales your doing a JD 328 would be plenty big enough for your baling needs.


Now I have owned and ran more NH small square bales than JD ones. We just always had a NH small square baler and that what I grew up with. They are a good baler too. The current model I would recommend from NH would be the BC5060. This is there second smallest baler. It has more strokes per minute and is just a little better in the pickup than the BC 5050. I just looked up some of them online:

New Holland BC5060 Small square baler, 2016, spring tension, triple purpose bale chute, wagon hitch and chute kit, 65" super sweep 5 bar pickup with 110 teeth, rotary feeding system, hardened steel bill hook, rollers & knotter, 93SPM plunger, clevis hitch.

Sale price $16,250 That is a real good price on a new small square baler. A JD 328 would be $3-4K higher in price. ( I figured one up) So NH has one heck of a program going right now. I think there is a real BIG discount if you buy this month.

Here is a Dealer I have dealt with the is hard to beat on price.

Swiderski Power Inc
Appleton, Wisconsin
Phone: (920) 644-3617
Fax: (920) 757-9369
 
CASEIH and NEW HOLLAND are the same baler just so you know. I dont think you could go wrong with caseIH,NH,or deere. price them out , look at a few and see what you like.
 
(quoted from post at 20:53:14 09/11/16) I need one that works day in and day out.

I know a guy that bought a brand new New Holland of the lot with a bale accumulator. One of the kids that works for him told me there are days he's out of the tractor more than he's in it. Not sure what the troubles are.

I've got an old 24T Deere that's tied 1000+ consecutive bales this year without a miss. I think square balers are more about set-up, adjustment, and wear management than anything,
 
Thanks JD , I don't think your dealer can help me in Louisiana but he has a great price , must be one in stock he don't want to sit on .
 
IMHO for 10k bales per year, you would like the New Holland BC5070 (same as the CaseIH model SB541). 93 strokes per minute really wide pickup. It has a much improved feeling system over the older tine bar flow action New Holland balers like the 316 or the present New Holland BC5050 use. The BC5070 has a packer fork like the JD balers too. IMHO - if there is a down side to this baler (or the BC5060) is they are high capacity balers and like to be fed heavy. Light windrows and they struggle to make a nice bale - all of which I've read, don't own one. Came within a hair of buying one last year. I was locked and loaded to pounce on a deal for the BC5070, BC5060 or JD348. In hind sight, the NH required more hp than I have to run it. Next on my list would be the JD 348. A really - really good baler, also 93 strokes per minute. Just a proven design over the years. IMHO more tolerant of light, irregular windrows than the New Holland balers. Low hp input. I run mine with a 50 PTO hp tractor pulling a wagon. Don't get me wrong, the 348, has the capacity to bring my tractor to its knees, but we are stacking onto a wagon off the baler, so our speed limit is the stacker vs hp. The JD makes a really nice looking brick shaped bale. IMHO the auger does a nice job of mixing the hay - good when applying hay preservative and for color in the bale. If you encounter light weight windrows, the JD is very tolerant of them via the auger and reduced rpms. I will slow my 348 based on conditions to mimmic a JD336 (80 strokes per minute) or a 24t (65ish strokes per minute). Not sure the BC5070/60's feeding system would work as well at slowed speeds, but again don't own one. The 24t and 336 are identical to the 348 with auger and packer fork design.

The above balers are going to cost a few thousand more than a JD328 or a New Holland BC5050/60 baler. We were interested in 93 strokes per minute, not so much for capacity, but more flakes per bale, which our horse hay customers very much appreciate. A few other things - the pickup on all new JD balers are the same width and wider than the BC5060/50. The JD 328 and 338 are 80 stroke machines. The 338 has a 6 bar pickup and a larger twine box like the 348. The New Holland BC5060 is a 93 stroke machine. The BC5050 is an older design (flow action feeder tine system) and is similar to the old 316.

IMHO any of the above balers would get it done for you. We're it me, I'd invoke the "cry once" rule and buy either the BC5070 or JD348.

For us, when a deal came along, it was for a new to us JD348 and we bought it. Other than some knotter tripping issues, which we sorted out with YT help (IMHO most dealers are worthless when trouble shooting a baler these days - so internet help must be a consideration, not a problem with JD and NH balers). The pic is of a bale from the 348. The video is our 348 in a short windrow, but one that somehow how raked heavy, maybe 3 windrows together of first cutting Timothy. I look like a drunk driver - pulling into it, but was making a sharp turn to come into this windrow. Good for the boys it was short. Baler was spitting out a bale about every 8 strokes - we shoot for 18. In a learning curve, I stopped a couple times to let the feeder clear, but have since been rebuked for it by my YT Brethren as wholly unnecessary and now plow through everything.... ;-)

Good luck,
Bill
a237167.jpg

JD 348 at work
 
I think that succesful baling is mostly about good maintenance, and getting in the right "groove", the relationship between the baler and the tractor.I have a NH 479, which I got used. I replaced all worn guards, and keep the section knifes sharp. I actually pull the section at the end of each day,clean up the guards and sharpen the knives. When we first got it, we broke a lot of bales. I took over baling, and did a couple of things: Higher RPM, @1800, and I replaced all the worn knotter parts. I blow the knotters off with air, then grease them, and wipe off any exposed grease so it does not get full of hay dust. We put up 2500 bales this year, broke only 3.
 
(quoted from post at 08:30:12 09/12/16) I think that succesful baling is mostly about good maintenance, and getting in the right "groove", the relationship between the baler and the tractor.I have a NH 479, which I got used. I replaced all worn guards, and keep the section knifes sharp. I actually pull the section at the end of each day,clean up the guards and sharpen the knives. When we first got it, we broke a lot of bales. I took over baling, and did a couple of things: Higher RPM, @1800, and I replaced all the worn knotter parts. I blow the knotters off with air, then grease them, and wipe off any exposed grease so it does not get full of hay dust. We put up 2500 bales this year, broke only 3.


Baler and haybine are 2 different things. ???
 
(quoted from post at 14:50:21 09/11/16) I would like opinions on today's square balers who's got the best , cheapest ? I like small 40 pound bales , easier for kids or grandkids to handle.

If I had the money to buy brand new it would be an inline Hesston. In the "new, used" late models you have to look for the best deal on the baler in the best shape be it Hesston, NH or Deere.

I'm using a 57 year old NH 68 that has essentially no knotter issues. It spits out bricks of the weight you're talking about with monotonous regularity. There are a few things left to update or replace from wear, but unless your present baler is a basket case you can probably repair it for far, far less money than buying new or new/used. Might want to consider having a reputable dealer or repair shop go through it.
 
How do you make 40 pound hay bales without them being either no more than 18 inches long or so loose they fall apart? Our alfalfa bales were often 80 plus pounds and the grass bales weren't a lot lighter. I should know I carried plenty of them into the dairy barn or to the young stock! These were baled with an IH 425. The IH would bale when the dew started to come on and save leaves whereas the NH balers would run in the dry part of the day which pounded the leaves off and have to quit when we went out to bale. I never was a fan of the NH banana makers.
 
I checked that dealer on Tractorhouse this morning. He has some inventory that needs to be cleaned up. I see that they have what appears to be 2012 New old stock 790 forage harvesters for sale. There used to be an area JD dealer here that would agree to buy old new stock off of other dealers for a discount and then sell themselves. This NH dealer in WI may be a similar type dealer. I see other holdover BC 5060 balers listed as well.
 
Easy - set the length and density for a tight 40-ish lb bale. We make 32 inch bales, +/- 2 inches (basically a flake size). We no longer advertise weight. Set the length as I mentioned, adjust the tension tight and bale. The weight takes care of itself. I guarantee a tight 32 inch bale. Depending on the humidity, they come in between 35 and 45 lbs. No one complains.

I use to bale with a guy that was all about 60 plus lb bales. He was always in the tractor seat!
 
I've got a 327 Deere and cant say a bad word about it. A huge upgrade from the 14T I ran for years. In first and second crop alfalfa it will put two guys on the rack peters in the dirt if you want to LOL. In our area its just Deeres and New Hollands because that's what the local dealers carry. IMO get whatever dealer is closer and has a good parts department. A baler is something that you cant wait a couple days for parts for. I looked for a good used 327/336 for a long time. Most I looked at were worn out or had been sitting outside. I am lucky to have customer that is very knowledgable about small square balers. He showed me things to look for that I never would have noticed. The good ones don't come up for sale often so be patient. I finally found a one owner low bale count 327 that had never been outside the shed unless it was baling and was blown off and greased after every use. IMO run away from anything that has been sitting outside or still has a bale in the chamber from last year. Anyone that knows anything about baler maintainence would never do either of those things.
 

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