Big square balers- any suggestions?

Hello, I have been looking at big square balers to do some custom baling around here and for my own hay. Talking to a few guys around here, they say don't go to a 3x3 baler-go to a 3x4. Any suggestions from you guys who might have experience with these? There are a ton a 3x3 balers around here for sale. Also, any suggestions on makes? I've kind of been leaning towards New Holland, only because they seem to have good reputation and service is good around here. I guess what are your guys' thoughts? Any good/bad experiences? How about the Deere big square balers? Any experiences with those?
Also primarily using this baler for alfalfa, wheat straw, and maybe a few corn stalk bales. Thanks

Years ago we had our neighbor make some big squares for us. Think it was a Deere 100? They wanted it raked triple and still baled in road gear. Nobody around here runs a Deere big square baler anymore.

The bale size really depends on several things including location.
1)It is harder to get hay dry enough for a 3x4 or 4x4 bale than a 3x3 bale. If you have higher humidity then think twice about the 3x4 or 4x4 bales.

2)Also how your planning to feed the hay is an issue on bale size. If your going to be hand feeding flakes then the larger 3x4 and 4x4 bales are much harder to hand feed compared to the 3x3 bales.

3)Now the plus of the larger bales. You have fewer bales to move. Good 3x3x8 bales will weight in at 800-900 Lbs. where the 3x4x8 bales will be at 1200-1300 and the 4x4x8 bales will be more in the 1500-1600 Lbs. (These weight are in dry alfalfa) Also hauling the 4 foot wide bales is easier on trucks they just load easier. Most 3x3 balers are not really 3 foot wide bales. They are more of a 33" x 33" bale. You can stack three wide and three high on an 102" trailer.

As for balers??? I would steer away from the JD 100 3x3 balers. This baler is a Krone designed/built baler and it has some issue. Most of them where taken care of with factory updates but it is still a complicated baler compared to a NH or Hesston. Also most bales are more 7-7 1/2 foot over 8 foot long. They are easier to handle. An eight foot bale can easily "break/sag" if handles with spears towards the middle.

So if your dry enough and are not going to be hand feeding I would look at the 4 foot wide balers. If your hand feeding and have higher humidity then go with a 3x3 baler.

!!!! Caution!!!! Even the 3x3 balers are HEAVY. Any big square baler is going to take horsepower/weight to run. IF you have steeper ground to bale on then even the smaller 3x3 balers will need a good size tractor to keep you form getting pushed around on hills. I had a customer with a JD 100 baler. He pulled it with a JD 4640 with duals. He had to watch on down hill sloops as the baler would push the 2wd tractor around. If the ground was wet to where the tries where damp then it was dangerous. I would really recommend a MFWD tractor on a large square baler.

I've heard before that Deere only made a big square baler for a few years. I've heard too that the baler was actually made by ?Krone? I'm not sure about that, hopefully somebody has some input on that. Thanks

Thanks for the input. That's honestly exactly what I was looking for-the pros and cons. I'm in western Iowa where humidity can be a issue sometimes. 3x4's sound like they would be perfect but I'm a little worried about putting the hay up dry. I have a puma 185 mfwd so that's good to know that that tractor should be able to handle one.

My one customer in Pageland, SC that is a commercial farm uses two of the 4x4x8 New Holland bailers to bale wheat straw.

So far both the big NH balers, and the small square balers they use on the output of the bale buster I built them have been the only ones they have found that they say last like they need them to do.

I haven't seen them wear out a big baler yet, but I know they have been through at least 5 small ones with the bale buster feeding them hard and heavy......but when your putting up in the neighborhood of 200,000 bales, per baler, before you have issues, I guess they are doing pretty good.

It's what you can handle, and what your customer can handle. If your customers are horse owners or smaller operations with a lot of compact tractors or smaller skid loaders I'd go with 3x3 as they'll only weigh in that 800lb range. If you're looking to sell to big cattle operations and dairies, go 3x4 or 4x4. Fewer bales to handle and they'll have the equipment to move them anyways. Most of the hay around here is in big squares anymore, and Heston balers outnumber the others 10 to 1. I wouldn't even look at the old John Deeres. I've heard the ones they just released are good, but personally I'd let somebody else prove them. I guess the New Hollands are good, but you really can't go wrong with a Heston, older Case or new Massey. They're all technically Heston balers anyways. Assuming it is in good condition.

David

The Deere 100 baler is a krone I think do not get one if you want to make good heavy bales the Hesston is the best I think they can be named Hesston case ih or Massey Ferguson or challenger but there still a Hesston . And if you goina be on any type off hill make sure you have plenty of tractor

Go with a 4x4 baler. Less bales to gather you can make them shorter for the customers with smaller equipment.

They use a large square baler to bale straw. The bales are the width of a semi trailer, I'm guessing about 8 ft. The guy loads the trailer with a front loader two bales at a time. The width of the bales are half the length of the bales. Two are put long ways and then 2 are put length ways across the trailer. So that ever the width of a semi trailer is his bales are half the width and the length is same as width of trailer. That works best for him to tie in the load.

Run fast from a Deere. More Hesstons in this area than New Hollands.

Hesson has a HD "high compression" 3X4 baler. 3x4 allows more stacking flexibility. The higher pressure allows dry hay in a 3x4 to equal the weight of a standard 4X4.