Welcome! Please use the navigational links to explore our website.
PartsASAP LogoCompany Logo (800) 853-2651

Shop Now

   Allis Chalmers Case Farmall IH Ford 8N,9N,2N Ford
   Ferguson John Deere Massey Ferguson Minn. Moline Oliver

Attention Forum Users: On the 28th of December 2023 at 9:00am Central Time, we will be taking the forums down for maintenance while we prepare the new forums for your use. Please click here for more information.

Discussion Forum

IH Balers, That Bad?

Welcome Guest, Log in or Register
Author 
JR

01-04-2001 10:40:32




Report to Moderator

I have heard that IH couldn't make a decent baler and that they tied loose knots and made bad bales. I am considering a 45 or 46. I would rather have a JD or NH but IH's go cheap at auctions say $400-$500 in good shape. The Case-IH dealer is 6 miles away and are nice and reasonable. I am only doing 10-15 acres, for the cows. Would it be worth it to go with IH, or just a hassle. I don't have a whole lot to spend. I have been out of farming for quite a while.

[Log in to Reply]   [No Email]
Bill

07-14-2004 11:49:56




Report to Moderator
 Re: IH Balers, That Bad? in reply to JR , 01-04-2001 10:40:32  
When looking at IH bailers, check the tag on the tongue. Several models have the model # followed by the letter T. This designates the knotter was built by another manufacturer (I think Singer sewing machine) for IH. Anytime this has been a part of the designation, we have had better luck with knotters.

Right now we are using a 435T with good success. Before that we had a 430 (no T) and had lots of problems with consistant knots.

Good luck.

PS: The NH-268 is a good machine and is not as expensive as the NH-273. The 273 is probably as good as any of the older bailers.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
merle-wis

01-24-2001 17:55:35




Report to Moderator
 Re: IH Balers, That Bad? in reply to JR , 01-04-2001 10:40:32  
run as far as you can from that 45 or 46 ih balers.won't tie have a nasty habit of snapping of pto shaft on tractor.been there done that cut it up for scrap.my son in law had a newer one with thrower would not tie no matter what after 500.00 spent at ih dealer he junked it.looked just like new,wonder why?



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Mike Schwab

01-06-2001 05:52:25




Report to Moderator
 Re: IH Balers, That Bad? in reply to JR , 01-04-2001 10:40:32  
i inhereted a 46 ih from my grand dad it worked ok but trying to gey parts for it was not easy i have since gotten a 273 nh it was worth the money



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
FM..... IMHO

01-05-2001 14:24:46




Report to Moderator
 Re: IH Balers, That Bad? in reply to JR , 01-04-2001 10:40:32  
I think that Ih isn't the best you can buy, but my uncle has run one for many years. the only thing I can say is keep the RPMs down, and don't drive to fast. they can't handle that much hay. he always wanted to run in 4th gear on the tractor(out of 8). When we ran it, we ran it in 2nd out of 8. When we ran it, it missed maybe 10/thousand.. when he ran it, it missed every other one. same twine, same tractor, same wagons, same field.. makes ya wonder why it changed :-) Just don't put a hardened bolt in instead of a shear pin... Them PTO parts ain't cheap... for either an 856 or for the baler!

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
rem

01-05-2001 08:46:36




Report to Moderator
 Re: IH Balers, That Bad? in reply to JR , 01-04-2001 10:40:32  
I would not buy an IH baler. My father owned a 45 and it was hard on the pto drive shaft of a new 3000 ford and it was not very reliable. New Holland is one of the best for the money. I've owned a 68 and a 273. The 273 was the best baler I've ever seen or used. Hardly ever missed tying a bale. Occasionally,when the the balls changed the knot I tied would not work good and a bale would be missed. It would go a whole season, 7000 bales and maybe miss 12. Guess it depends on how much down-time you can tolerate. I would not have an IH on the farm.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Charlie

01-05-2001 08:12:16




Report to Moderator
 Re: IH Balers, That Bad? in reply to JR , 01-04-2001 10:40:32  
Its probably worth adding that the quality of the twine makes a difference in tying reliability. One should buy the best quality and keep it dry and clean. Many of the older balers weren't made to use plastic twine.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Barney

01-05-2001 04:07:13




Report to Moderator
 Re: IH Balers, That Bad? in reply to JR , 01-04-2001 10:40:32  
I've owned several iH balers. Everyone I bought a iH baler from had about the same stories as you read in these comments. On every baler I bought for almost nothing, I never spent more than $100.00 max on any baler. Two of those balers only had to be timed. Most people run them too fast,(RPMs),you must remember these balers were made in a time when tractors worked off torque,not high RPMs. Thats why most people don't know how to bale with one. In south Georgia, the iH baler is the only one that can bale peanut hay and survive. Peanut hay is baled behind the pickers,so the hay is laying in the dirt,and the iH balers have wheels on the plunger to keep from destroying the bale chamber with the dirt. It's like a file every stroke with any other baler. I love to buy iH balers from people that think like the people in these replys. I've always made a BIG profit off these balers when I sold them, because I always let the people come out to the field and bale with them. We have a newer one now,a model 428. I keep it serviced, and it'll miss every once in a while. Mostly when it's being used by the neighbors that just don't have the patience for haybalers. THATS MY EXPERIENCE. Barney from Ga.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
sammy the REd

01-04-2001 20:01:57




Report to Moderator
 Re: IH Balers, That Bad? in reply to JR , 01-04-2001 10:40:32  
New-Holland made a very good baler.

If you want to talk about junk, then talk about Case balers.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Charlie

01-04-2001 16:35:51




Report to Moderator
 Re: IH Balers, That Bad? in reply to JR , 01-04-2001 10:40:32  
I have a model 46 that I bale about 2000 bales per year with and it has worked extremely well for me. I had trouble with it missing bales one year and found 3 of the 4 springs that work the hay retainers were gone. I replaced them and it worked great again. My baler was made before IH put throwers on them. I know they changed the 46 baler a bit for adding throwers but I don't know if they changed the knotter. Maybe I've just been lucky. I have heard and read the knotter on a model 45 doesn't work very well and I think the knotter on a 46 is a bit different.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
paul

01-04-2001 15:53:44




Report to Moderator
 Re: IH Balers, That Bad? in reply to JR , 01-04-2001 10:40:32  
The name of the game is tying knots - that where all the action is on a baler. It gets real old retying by hand, or dumping out the bad bale(s) & rebaling.

I've never run an IH, but maybe there is a reason they go cheap. I'd hate to scrimp on this part.

--->Paul



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Alan Farley

01-04-2001 18:33:48




Report to Moderator
 Re: Re: IH Balers, That Bad? in reply to paul, 01-04-2001 15:53:44  
Yeah Paul, retying bales does get old and is time consuming when there's still another wagon to get in the barn and there's a storm coming. When I baled with a JD 24-T this summer it made great bales. My neighbor who owns it used the cheapest sisal twine he could find,got moisture in it and after two months when we moved the bales in another barn we broke at least half the bales. Thank goodness it was only two wagons where the cheap twine was used. The Good stuff,Red plastic type of stuff is not more than a dollar or two more a bale.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
paul

01-04-2001 21:52:25




Report to Moderator
 Re: Re: Re: IH Balers, That Bad? in reply to Alan Farley, 01-04-2001 18:33:48  
I just don't like plastic, it doesn't go away..... Had the neighbor bale some round bales of cornstalks for me this year, so I'm picking that up as I use the bales. Sisal at least goes away in a year or two. I guess I use the 9000 sisal, seems to work with my 270 NH.

--->Paul



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
tim[in]

01-04-2001 22:15:18




Report to Moderator
 Re: Re: Re: Re: IH Balers, That Bad? in reply to paul, 01-04-2001 21:52:25  
plus sheep farmers dont want to buy plastic tied hay because if affects the value of the wool if it is found in the wool.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Big Jim

01-04-2001 13:34:00




Report to Moderator
 Re: IH Balers, That Bad? in reply to JR , 01-04-2001 10:40:32  
We had a neighbor with an IH 46. We borrowed it one summer. We fiddled with it alot but never could get it to tie all the time. It would always miss a few bales here and there. We were happy to return it. After that we bought a John Deere 24T. We paid $400 for it. That was 10 years ago and its still going strong, hardly ever misses a bale. Some of our neighbors have New Holland balers and claim they are also very good balers.
Just my two cents worth!

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
scooterhead

01-04-2001 16:00:50




Report to Moderator
 Re: Re: IH Balers, That Bad? in reply to Big Jim, 01-04-2001 13:34:00  
The reason IH put the twine boxes on the sides of the shoot was for somone to sit on eather side and tie the bales as they came through , get a NH or JD



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
B.C.

01-04-2001 12:22:34




Report to Moderator
 Re: IH Balers, That Bad? in reply to JR , 01-04-2001 10:40:32  
I met a couple guys along the way who had 47's. They liked them but the balers were like new and very well taken care of. They would store them in sheds and keep them looking like new.

The third guy had either a 46 or 47, can't remember which, and the dealer wanted to rape him $500 for a new set of needles.

So Deere and NH have looked better to me since then. I've had both, and they both work.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Jim H.

01-04-2001 11:09:10




Report to Moderator
 Re: IH Balers, That Bad? in reply to JR , 01-04-2001 10:40:32  
A couple of folks I talked to said that they were happier when they parted with their IH balers. You should be able to get a decent New Holland or John Deere baler for that. I bought a Massey #10 baler from a Massey mechanic and have had very! little trouble with it. Hundreds of bales with very few misses.
Try to go look at some with someone who's baled alot and knows how to ask the right questions. My two cents, pay more up front and get a better machine. My 150 dollar NH baler died right away, the 400 dollar is going strong.
Jim

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Lazyhorse

01-04-2001 10:55:53




Report to Moderator
 Re: IH Balers, That Bad? in reply to JR , 01-04-2001 10:40:32  
I had an IH 45 I bought at auction 2 years ago for $200. Used it one year, it had been shedded and would tie a few then miss. Worked on the knotters, still had problems every few bales. The worse thing about that baler which I named thumper was each strok it would hurt my back from the force of its action. If you put the tractor in neutral, it would literally push you along. I wound up selling mine, and for $50 so I took a loss, but it was a tired old machine.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
[Options]  [Printer Friendly]  [Posting Help]  [Return to Forum]   [Log in to Reply]

Hop to:


TRACTOR PARTS TRACTOR MANUALS
We sell tractor parts!  We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]

Home  |  Forums


Copyright © 1997-2023 Yesterday's Tractor Co.

All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy

TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.

Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters

Website Accessibility Policy