Best round baler

Duckhunter966 · Oct 25, 2016

We are looking for hay equipment and was wondering what's usually the best to get that won't break the bank. We have a John Deere and new holland dealership nearby that both also deal other brands of equipment. We will be looking at used and would like to find a 9' or 10' mower conditioner and a net wrap baler. Know some guys that swear by NH and other by JD and wondering what you guys thought

SHALER · Oct 25, 2016

Duckhunter, if you want an accurate answer to your baler question you will need to say what your budget is, how many bales you estimate you will roll each year, if you are doing dry hay or baleage or both, and possibly the size bale you want if you know.

Duckhunter966 · Oct 25, 2016

Prolly around 12-13k, we would prolly put up several hundred bales between our land and friends of ours. I doubt i would wrap hay but it could be a possiblity. Looking at 4x5 or 4x6

Tx Jim · Oct 25, 2016

Having baled over 150,000 rd bales with a JD rd baler I'll vote for a JD. You should be able to buy a good used 467(4X6) within your budget. Even older 435 will bale the number of bales you're referring to.

Pair-a-dice farm · Oct 25, 2016

Either the NH or JD make good balers. I'm more familiar with the JD and have a 435 that I picked up for $5000 that had less than 3000 bales run through it. The newer balers have some features that are really nice but the 435 design is basically the same as the newer balers I've got a couple of neighbors that run NH and seem to get along with them fairly well. I would check dealer support for hay equipment as the deciding factor. Our local NH dealer is pathetic but the JD dealer is pretty good.

J.Wondergem · Oct 25, 2016

Another thought would be that Vermeer Baler that you don't have to stop to eject the bale. I don't know of anyone who has one, but it sounds good.

Dick2 · Oct 25, 2016

Nephew has his second Vermeer, after using his first one for 23 years. The old one was in pretty good shape yet, but he wanted to upgrade when he could back when beef prices were high.

LarryH · Oct 25, 2016

we have rolled 1000s of rolls and after you leave Vermeer just use a pitchfork ---just compare the bearing price between the green and vermeer

RodinNS · Oct 25, 2016

I wouldn't be particularly inclined to buy either one... but given your apparent choices I would go with the Deere. Claas would be my choice...

Rod

cowranch · Oct 25, 2016

>75% Deere in this area. I'd say IH/NH is next, and even less rarely Vermeer. In my 3 closest neighbors, two had New Holland, one Vermeer, all traded for Deere and stayed there the last few trades (all said "issues"). It's been many years since I've seen anything other than a 5x6 baler around. Dealer had one for sale a few years before it sold, probably 10 years ago when I saw it, few buy them here, so, I don't know about any of their reliability in that size.

I have an old Deere, no issues, fix everything myself, my new one is going to be a Deere.

Vermeer would be my second choice. They have a cheaper "Rebel" line that makes smaller bales, know nothing about them.

brutus49DC · Oct 25, 2016

I certainly like my 688 New Holland. 535 jd's were more money for less of a baler, a 664 would be a good one also, if they made a brand new 688 and I could afford one I would own one, New Holland doesn't have (or need) a starter roller like jd and Vermeer has which can be a pita wrapping ect. The New Holland pickup will get stuff others leave.

Tx Jim · Oct 26, 2016

(quoted from post at 19:17:48 10/25/16)New Holland doesn't have (or need) a starter roller like jd and Vermeer has which can be a pita wrapping ect. The New Holland pickup will get stuff others leave.

Sorry Brutus BUT NH 688 does have a roller called "starter roll"(key 53) plus 5(five) more rollers associated with the starter roll that eventually will more than likely need repairs.

Hogleg · Oct 26, 2016

My 1980's model Vermeer 605H rolled 300 5x6 bales this year without a hickup. It just keeps running and running, with anything that breaks easy to fix. I spent $2500 for it 6 years ago. Only needed a few bearings and a belt or two. If you are doing small time baling, I see no need to spend that sort of money on a baler. These older Vermeers (F, G and H) are bulletproof and will continue to make good hay for years. A 35 series Deere will also but it will cost about double what an equivalent good used Vermeer baler will cost.

My 2 cents...

John

jbcattle1 · Oct 26, 2016

I have a 925 10ft and have a 936 12 ft jd dise conditioner I can run about 8 to 9 mile hr with them I pull them with 6330 and 6400 jd both work good and I would like sell the 925 both of them have 1000 pto it all in the setting of the knifes for the best cut

Destroked 450 · Oct 26, 2016

(quoted from post at 04:08:21 10/26/16)

(quoted from post at 19:17:48 10/25/16)New Holland doesn't have (or need) a starter roller like jd and Vermeer has which can be a pita wrapping ect. The New Holland pickup will get stuff others leave.

Click to expand...

Sorry Brutus BUT NH 688 does have a roller called "starter roll"(key 53) plus 5(five) more rollers associated with the starter roll that eventually will more than likely need repairs.

All balers have a starter roll but I'm sure he's referring to the square roller inside the bale chamber that some early JD's and Hesston's had. If hay was to moist or dry those balers would give you fits, I had two Hesston's with that roller, traded the last one for a NH 640 silage special, at twenty years old it still had all original bearings and belts when I replaced it with a NH BR7070.

JD, NH, Vermeer are all good balers, if there's good local dealer support you'll enjoy using what ever brand you choose. If there's little to no local dealer support it doesn't matter what brand it is, when your driving several miles or waiting for days on parts or service you've got the wrong brand.

Personally I like the smaller 4x5 or 4x6 bales, I can feed with a smaller tractor and their safer to transport double stacked 8 ft wide, around here DOT is starting to frown on 10 ft wide loads of hay on the highways.

Destroked 450 · Oct 26, 2016

As for mower conditioners JD, NH, Krone, Kuhn dealers here and all good mowers.
Personally I have a Kuhn trailed disc mower with no conditioner but I'd like to also have a New Idea 5209 discbine if I had a larger tractor to pull it with.
I have a 72hp cab tractor to bale with, all other hay work is done with 45-60hp tractors.

Tx Jim · Oct 26, 2016

(quoted from post at 11:33:17 10/26/16)

(quoted from post at 04:08:21
All balers have a starter roll but I'm sure he's referring to the square roller inside the bale chamber that some early JD's and Hesston's had.

Click to expand...

NO JD rd balers have a square starter roll.

Destroked 450 · Oct 26, 2016

It may not have been square, I'm not sure but some of the early JD balers had a small roll inside the chamber that was bad about hay rapping around it, couple of neighbors had them.

Pair-a-dice farm · Oct 26, 2016

Funny how folks get hung up on brands. The comment about JD parts being higher is simply not true. I wore out 2 Vermeer balers before I found this JD. I get my bearings and sprockets from the same place I got the Vermeer. The JD is the easiest to bale with that I've ever had but the Vermeers were the old closed throat design. There is no comparison to the balers made in the last 15-20 years and those made in the 70-80's. My old balers were durable but they were temperamental. Just about any brand of the newer balers will bale almost anything.

Tx Jim · Oct 26, 2016

(quoted from post at 13:54:38 10/26/16)
It may not have been square, I'm not sure but some of the early JD balers had a small roll inside the chamber that was bad about hay rapping around it, couple of neighbors had them.

Hay wrapping around starter roll could very possibly caused by "baler operator error"!!!!!!!!!!

Destroked 450 · Oct 26, 2016

(quoted from post at 13:52:29 10/26/16)

(quoted from post at 13:54:38 10/26/16)
It may not have been square, I'm not sure but some of the early JD balers had a small roll inside the chamber that was bad about hay rapping around it, couple of neighbors had them.

Click to expand...

Hay wrapping around starter roll could very possibly caused by "baler operator error"!!!!!!!!!!

I guess every Hesston 5540-5580 series or early JD baler operator doesn't know how to bale hay that has a little to much moisture or is to dry.
I baled a lot of with the Hesston's with out any problems but in the evening's when the dew came up you where done, neighbors with the early JD's said they had the same issues.

I'm not saying one brand is better than another or to only buy a particular brand
If the OP's budget is $10-14k for a baler they can get a fairly late model for that, if it's $10-14k for both their looking at some equipment with a bit of age on it and most brands had a older model that has issues at times.
I will advise that it's best to stay away from any of the old close throat balers.

Tx Jim · Oct 27, 2016

(quoted from post at 21:38:48 10/26/16)

(quoted from post at 13:52:29 10/26/16)

I guess every Hesston 5540-5580 series or early JD baler operator doesn't know how to bale hay that has a little to much moisture or is to dry.

I will advise that it's best to stay away from any of the old close throat balers.

Click to expand...

I agree closed throat balers including the JD models 410 & 510 are no fun to bale with. I don't call JD 410/510's balers but refer to them as "bundlers". Which older model JD rd baler are you referring to? Starter roller on a JD 468 silage baler is the same part number for several earlier JD 4 ft wide rd balers. I've witnessed my neighbor baling hay with a JD 467 when it was "misting rain". I'm fairly confident the hay moisture content was significantly higher that day than hay with dew moisture.

Best round baler

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