Round Bailer Suggestions

A round baler on the other hand requires significant PTO hp to roll the roll and after you get the roll finished, you have a 4000#..ish "trailer" behind you. Better be able to stop it and pull it up a hill if you have any. I have a 70 to 80 hp JD 4010 and roll with a Hesston 5800 rounder (3 spring setup) which puts out a (tested) 2000# 5x6 roll.

As the roll gets to approx 5/8 full, you can hear the engine loading. By the time the roll is full, the tractor is working pretty good.

Also, the tongue weight on a roller is very heavy. Can your square bale tractor tongue take it?

I bought this Hesston for $2500 and thought it was a deal (didn't know any better). Worked ok for one season. Next season I put pickup bearings and fingers on it and the following season $1000 worth of new belts. It is totally manual.

This year I found a JD 530 (in superb shape) which is the local standard. It was $5000 and had auto everything including the side wheels to help pick up the sloppy windrow. These tractors usually go for much more than that and by the time you see an ad in the paper it's sold.

I just happened to be rubbernecking one day and saw it. Inquired and made the deal..... B4 anyone else came along.

Will be selling my Hesston this spring.

Mark

When you do start baling, get a good fire extingusher, preferable a water based one. I burned up a Vermeer 605 last summer and it was not a fun experience. Check the archives if you are interested.

John

Would you share with us the events leading up to the fire?

May be a lesson there.

Thanks,

Mark

Anyhow, we are working with a budget, so we can wish for all the best options, but need to comprimise some! :)

Good things are:

Open throat design. Older units force the material through 2 closely spaced rollers, & that makes feeding less than perfect material a headache. If you plan on only perfect hay, whatever works, but any cornstalks or a bit damp or.... Get an open throat.

No bottom belt is a simpler, better design. Many older units have a big fat belt along the bottom to carry the bale. My 605F just has a big drum to support the bale. Much less upkeep.

Wider belts are better. Narrow belts (4-6 inch) like to wanter around, wide belts (9-10 inch) try to stay put. My 605F has a wide belt on each side, & narrow belts in the middle. That works ok. I can sure see how skinny belts on the edge would be more headache....

Hudraulic pressure on the belts is better than just spring pressure. It is hard to get a really dense bale with just srping pressure. It is more fuss & upkeep, but will pay for itself with desnser bales, using less twine & a firm bale that sheds rain & is easy to handle.

For any round baler, you need good pickup teeth & whatever starts the bale - mine uses starter flaps. Starting a bale is the hard part, once formed they tend to work like a snowball & build themselves, but getting that core started becomes an art form. Some of the older designs are worse at this.

There are also the NH chain & bar balers. I hear these are great for grass hay & cornstalks. In alfalfa you will lose more leaves, not so great. But all in all, if you don't do much alfalfa, if you find one that isn't wore out can be a great baler.

Also there are soft-core round balers, these have drums around the outside, no belts. the hay is dumped in the middle & tumbled in the drums, eventually the bale gets tight & formed when enough hay is added, but the center never packs as tight. The bales like to sag as they age, and you just don't get as much in a bale. But they have their fans.

That's the little I know about round balers.

--->Paul

My baler budget is quite low right now so its a NH chain baler in my shed. I was using a old IH baler with the 2 front rollers with floor belt and narrow long belts. I had some feeding problems at the wrong times. One thing I have learned in my short haying carreer is the window to get the hay up is a very short one. Its always getting ready to rain after you cut and feeding problems at this time are no fun!!!