Hesston stakhand 30A parts

stickandtin

New User
Looking at a stakhand 30A down the road from me. Are there any sources for parts? Some floor chain is missing and big main drive belt looks pretty tired. Thanks!
 
Most parts you will be able to outsource from aftermarket companies, the belt online at like vbeltsupply, and the floor chain is just some pintle chain if memory serves me right! Shoup or other companies have that and if need some slats I am sure there are iron shops can help!
 
The Hesston 30A and 60A, I think they sold the line of stackers to a private individual. They tried building a couple of them and finely gave up because they could not sell them. I ran a 60A for over 2 years. They would not compress the hay enough to keep the water and snow out. We would run at night only when the hay had some moisture in it and it would compress tighter. Most of what we put up went to the feed yards around here and was ground right away for cattle feed. A good stack would be 9 or 10 feet tall. I saw many stacks that got left out for about a year and they were only about 4 or 5 feet tall and the hay was rotten. This was in the early 70's and hay was cheap. As the price went up, the stackers became a bad investment and the round balers along with the huge square balers took over. That is at least here in central Kansas. You might get on Craigslist and put it in and see what pops up. There was a guy around here that had 2 of them for sale for $1,500 each. I have not seen the ad for them in over a year.
 
I don?t own any hay equipment yet. Looking for the most economical way to put up hay on our place to feed our cows in winter. I?ve done some looking into round balers. I get the idea the cheaper used ones will cost a big investment in parts to get them operational. New round balers are expensive. I inquired about the 5x5 baler Kubota now sells.....$62,000. You have to be independently wealthy, a big operator or do custom work to justify spending that on just one of the pieces of equipment you will need to put up hay. I?m none of those LOL. The stakhand caught my eye as an economical way to put up hay. The machine seems to be pretty simple and inexpensive to operate compared to a square or round baler. The hay will be just for my use. I?m right in the middle of one of the largest cotton growing areas in the U.S. Used cotton module tarps are plentiful and would make a great protective cover for a stack against the elements. I see what you are saying and can certainly agree the stakhands have some big drawbacks if you were trying to sell hay, move it long distances or store it for long periods. However for a small guy like me looking to put up hay on his own place to feed in winter I think they were a good economical way to do it.
 
The topic of the 'cheapest" way to put up hay surfaces here every couple of weeks. For a couple different reasons, the idea of using an almost 50 year old Stakhand is pretty much never suggested. I dont live in west Texas, far from it. Reading your post carefully (small operator, which is a relative term, low investment), if you were in my area I would suggest an older new holland chain baler. No, these do not make a perfect weather tight roll, but they will waste much less hay than a stack. Plus you say you have access to large tarps or some such which would be an additional help. $1,500 is a little on the low end, but you can easily get an operational one for $2,500-$3,000. You may easily have that much in your Stakhand once you get it up and going. Dont you also need the special bale mover for those hay stacks as well?
 
I have stacked a lot of grass hay with a 30A. If I were just feeding my own hay and not hauling it any distance I would probably still have one. That being said, you need to protect the stacks from wind and there?s a learning curve as to how to build a stack that sheds water and snow.
Myself, I would be looking for an older round baler. Would look at a 530 JD, 565 Heston, any of the chain balers that New Holland made. If you start shopping now you can find any of the ones I named for under 2000 easy. Guess I should throw in a Vermeer Super J also.
 
Thanks for sharing your experience with a 30A. Several people have mentioned there is a trick to building a stack. Can you give me some details on how to build a good stack? I have considered the new holland chain balers because of the decreased fire risk.
 

I agree with Lazy WP that it takes a "learning curve" to learn how to build/compress a stack that will hold together properly. My neighbor has an JD 200 stacker & stack mover that's been sitting for yrs. IIRC I sold them new to my neighbors dad back about 40-45 yrs ago for $6K.
 
Every baler can set a fire. An infrared or non touch thermometer is a great deterrent for fire.
Fill the front first. Leave enough room to get the hay to the back and fill towards the front. Pack it and repeat. I always packed the stack 5 times.
Most of the modern balers can put up more hay, but with the Stackhand, I had the hay yarded when I was done with a field.
 
Lazy WP, I?ve never run a stakhand. You say fill the front first then fill from back to front. How is that directional filling accomplished? Is the blower chute adjustable so the direction of fill can be changed?
 
I see old working condition round balers sell for $1000 or less every year. They are not pretty, or fast and the bales are not picture perfect, but they bale hay and the cows won't say much. I think the old NH chain balers are a real value for a working farm.
 

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