Well it was fun

grandpa Love

Well-known Member
Here it is September and because of so much rain in June, July and August, we just cut our first hay field. Perfect weather, nice hay. Got home from church and pulled the baler to the field. Hay wagon was already there. Wife made a couple laps around with the rake. And I hooked the baler and wagon up. Mick and his girlfriend were stacking bales ( with terrible, rotten attitudes) made 2 and and half laps around the field, 55 bales, and the little do-hicky that holds tension on the cable going to the needles broke a weld and dropped. Busted both needles..... Every one we know that does hay is baling like crazy, rain coming back in Tuesday evening. No one want the hay. Already raked and ready. Oh well. Gonna see about getting needles brazed. Have a friend who offered to buy all my hay equipment on Saturday....... should have sold out. It was great fun, but hard work. With our boys spending time with their girlfriends help is impossible to find. Would rather collect,fix,and play with tractors then bust our tails for a little hay money. If I owned enough land to bale on my property it would be different. Really gets old making so many trips to the hay field. 15 miles one way. The miles add up fast, really cuts into profit. ( I'm almost positive some of y'all mentioned this last year) I wonder if he will buy a baler that needs a little work??
cvphoto101012.jpg


cvphoto101013.jpg

This is the part that the weld failed on. Couldn't tell there was an issue in pre- flight inspection.
cvphoto101014.png

Pulling the wagon worked pretty good. Definitely need a longer chute.
 
GP I have a nh 273 here with NEW never bailed a b ale needles will remove and sell for half price (what ever that is) or will sell the complete bayler for $ 500.00 Some one stole the drive shaft rear part and we never put it back have another bayler .
 
Had the same thing break on our 316 last year. Safety catches came up, stopped the plunger, and sheared the bolt on the flywheel.

I don't think brazing is going to hold up. Full penetration weld or new needles...
 
JM.....how far from Henry TN are you? Maybe coming up Saturday for a burnt Farmall A. Will have the details this afternoon.
 
Grandpa,

You probably know all about replacing the needles but the last time I had to replace one (a long time ago) I was glad that I had an Owner's Manual for the baler. The adjustments on the needles, and then of course, checking the timing before using the baler were clear in the manual but I needed it for the specific steps.

Good luck with the repair.

Tom in TN
 
Yeah, been reading up on it. Also called Arlen in OR last night. He is a baler guru. Hopefully he can help walk us through it
 
Stop block on the plunger should always enter the chamber in front of the needles entering the chamber. And the stop block will shear the pin rather than allow the plunger to break the needles. My advice is, get rid of the square baler, and get a round baler. Then you can continue to make and sell some hay, and not have to depend on your kids for help
 
(quoted from post at 10:09:49 09/13/21) jm, about 175 is cost of new.
ot NH, but on JD, I myself welded the needles and successfully used the baler for years & thousands of bales afterward. Weld, not braze.
 
Back in the 80's, I bought a used New Holland baler. The needles had both been brazed. I expected them to fail every time I used the baler. They never failed on me, and I sold the baler to a friend who still uses it. As far as I know, those brazed needles are still in it. The baler had a lot of hours on it. The twine holes in the needles looked like a keyhole for an old skeleton key, and it would bust the twine at the knot every time it changed to a new ball.

Today I would have a set of new needles on it and the brazed ones on a shelf in case of emergency. Back then all I could afford was luck, sometimes good, but often bad.
 
I see the reality of hot summer days out in the sun breathing in the dust and grass all while fighting rain and broken equipment is setting in.
Unlike some other farming adventures where you spend one day planting seeds and another riding in a combine putting up hay especially small bales is a labor intensive crop. LOL.
You now have two choices.
Get a round baler or get out of the hay business.
 
One the bright side, luckily you don't have an Oliver 520 baler. I needed some for it and I searched for quite awhile.
My dad purchased a new New Holland 269 baler back in '69. (I think that was the date) We put many, many thousands of bales through that thing and I can't ever remember breaking a needle.
 
Check the knotters they maybe be broken also. Had the needles get broken on an JD 14T due to the safety not working and it took out the knotters also
 
We had a Ford 530 baler and broke the needles. The guy who brazed them back had a reputation of being very good at it. We used the baler with brazed needles for years afterwards with no problems.
 
Lots of old bigger tractors looking for a new home and a bit of TLC , that can be bought cheap, and put back to work. Just like little tractors, but Id advise to avoid power shift type older tractors. And just go for regular old dry clutch models. You like Fords, and there was few better tractors built than the Ford 5000
 
Rule number 1 always make sure the block is in good working order. Dont ask how I know. I think everyone has probably learned this lesson. Some the hard way. Better make sure the hoop isnt bent too before you get to much invested in needles. Again dont ask how I know. I would check with messicks. Also would look for spare equipment especially running old stuff. Like you said though baling on your own place is hard enough with out going out on the road for small cruddy fields of hay that seldom make a dime. In the end o had a old 1046 wagon and I was able to get all my hay done myself. Best of luck whatever you decide to do. Running old equipment making hay is more of a passion than a money maker in my experience.
 
I welded the needles on my IH 47 baler as they were broken when I bought it. They held up fine . Also years back I welded the needles 2x for a neighbor then ended up fixing the baler issue for him after the plunger hit them the second time and they worked fine after that. I would have them welded, not sure if brazing would hold up. Sorry to hear about the troubles . Nothing worse than breakdowns and problems when you are trying to beat the weather baling hay.If you fix the baler properly it should be fine afterward. Can you borrow a baler or maybe get a neighbor to bale for you? Maybe not worth the effort if no one wants the hay.
 
Making a part to make the chute longer is easy but right now that is the least of your problems. A couple pieces of angle iron and some flat plate and you have a chute extention
 
I think lots of folks braze,or have them brazed because they think they are cast iron.Cast steel,(not cast iron) welds smooth as butter.I think the proper word is forged steel,not cast steel.
 
Rrlund.....a fellow YTer texted me Saturday evening and said Hope you don't break anything, working on Sunday! I won't call his name! Lol
 
Just my 2 cents. Weld them. I was hesitant about it too. I broke both needles and asked about having them welded to a retired Deere welder who's a buddy of mine. He said get new. Problem was it was a massey #12 baler and finding used was next to impossible. Met an older gentleman that worked at the old farmall plant for years. His advise was to weld them up and he gave me the courage to do it myself. I beveled them with an angle grinder, heated them in the firebox in my wood stove, welded them with a harbor freight flux core welder and cooled them slowly over night in a rubbermaid tub full of sand. I've put close to a thousand bales through it and it has never once had issues.
 
To bad your not closer I probably have all the parts you need on a parts baler I have
 
I've brazed many for people. Not one failed yet. Put one up in the knotters where it needs to be. Run the broken stub and the yoke up to it. Put a spot of weld on it. That way you can tell if the yoke is bent which many times it is. Then take it out and braze it. Make the other one match that profile.
Go at it with a can do attitude. Also there is more adjustment to needles than most people think. If you get them close when welding you can adjust them to the right spot.
 
Young friend of mine started dating a gal, youd see her out helping him stack bales on the wagon
Next year they got engaged and youd see her driving the tractor while he stacked.
Following year, they got married. Havent seen her in the field since.
 
(quoted from post at 13:26:43 09/13/21) Here it is September and because of so much rain in June, July and August, we just cut our first hay field. Perfect weather, nice hay. Got home from church and pulled the baler to the field. Hay wagon was already there. Wife made a couple laps around with the rake. And I hooked the baler and wagon up. Mick and his girlfriend were stacking bales ( with terrible, rotten attitudes) made 2 and and half laps around the field, 55 bales, and the little do-hicky that holds tension on the cable going to the needles broke a weld and dropped. Busted both needles..... Every one we know that does hay is baling like crazy, rain coming back in Tuesday evening. No one want the hay. Already raked and ready. Oh well. Gonna see about getting needles brazed. Have a friend who offered to buy all my hay equipment on Saturday....... should have sold out. It was great fun, but hard work. With our boys spending time with their girlfriends help is impossible to find. Would rather collect,fix,and play with tractors then bust our tails for a little hay money. If I owned enough land to bale on my property it would be different. Really gets old making so many trips to the hay field. 15 miles one way. The miles add up fast, really cuts into profit. ( I'm almost positive some of y'all mentioned this last year) I wonder if he will buy a baler that needs a little work??
<img src=https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/cvphotos/cvphoto101012.jpg>

<img src=https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/cvphotos/cvphoto101013.jpg>
This is the part that the weld failed on. Couldn't tell there was an issue in pre- flight inspection.
<img src=https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/cvphotos/cvphoto101014.png>
Pulling the wagon worked pretty good. Definitely need a longer chute.

Sorry to hear about the lost hay. I welded my needles when they broke, using primitive equipment, including a "discount store" welder.

Mine is a NH66. I think the needles are cast. With pre and post-heat they can be welded. They are now in their third season with the weld & holding up.

https://forums.yesterdaystractors.com/viewtopic.php?t=1408795&highlight=

Good luck,
Dave
 
When I was a teenager we baled hay with a Massey Harris baler. The timing on the baler was always getting off and bending the needles. One year the dealer had no new needles. We heated and straitened the old ones. We ordered a new set for a back up. Ten years later when we sold the baler the new needle were still hanging on the shop wall.
 
A little advice for mick ma boy . If she cant stand a little work get out and get out now . If she couldnt handle that she probably cant do dishes or laundry or vacuum either as
 
Some advice, buy a spare baler. Old used ones in working condition are not expensive. I bought a 24T at auction for $280 and it was dirty but great condition. Years ago we traveled the equipment 25 miles to bale hay at Dads. Way too far these days.
cvphoto101090.jpg
 
I dated a girl for a while who could and would, out work any man. Glad I got rid of her. I did far better with a city gal who didn't know at the time which end of a cow the feed went in to and the waste came out of. Just because they have more sense than to want to toss bales doesn't make them lazy. Some women just use their ambition for better purposes.
 
(quoted from post at 20:06:30 09/13/21) Young friend of mine started dating a gal, youd see her out helping him stack bales on the wagon
Next year they got engaged and youd see her driving the tractor while he stacked.
Following year, they got married. Havent seen her in the field since.
ep, once they get that ring on the finger, it is a whole new ball game! BTDT :cry:
 

I have been producing hay as a hobby for 33 years. I started small when the kids were not yet big enough to throw bales. To start with the hay was for their 4H project, so they didn't mind helping. As my daughter grew older there were boyfriends to help. As the operation slowly grew I got bigger and faster and newer equipment, including a cab tractor. At that time my wife took over the baling driving, and customers were doing most of the bale handling. A few years later I got my wife the best anniversary present ever: (according to her) a baler with thrower and a bale wagon. She was relieved from driving and I have been a one man operation for twenty years now. I have continued to make small squares because I have long time customers who pick up in the field and there is a lot more money in small squares than rounds. I have never travelled more than five miles. I would load my wagons and then in the evening drop them off for unloading by customers. I have built up and maintained fertility in order to enhance the hay value and build my reputation as a producer. Hay money was a big part of college tuition for both kids. You can do it but big factors are building up nearby hay ground, customer base, and put your wife on the tractor until you can get more automated.
 
That could well be. I found that the needles welded just fine with my old Lincoln welder, I do remember buying a high nickel rod to do the ones on my baler , not sure if it was neccesary but it did work well.
 
I agree , a good job of adjusting the needles is as important as a good job of welding and grinding them.
 
You don't have any daughters or grand daughters do you? I do. If some boy broke up with one of them just because they weren't real anxious to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon doing slave labor on his dad's hobby farm, I'd be telling them to be on their knees every day thanking God that he did them such a huge favor by breaking up with them. I'm sure the girl's parents and grand parents would have been thrilled to have her at home with them instead of with some immature little man child.

That's not a poke at Kevin or his son, they aren't the ones who started it.
 
One of my best friends has a wife that can and will outwork most men. She worked at a skilled trade job for over 20 years and still got up to milk in a.m. till they sold their cows and my friend got an off farm job too. (both are retired now .)I have helped him build a couple pole barns and they helped me put up the trusses on mine so I have worked along side them and seen it. One thing I always enjoyed about them is we can get working together after a few years have past and in no time we are getting it done like we work together every day. (probably because I'm not usually the boss!)
 
Old saying around here, work on Sunday fix on Monday. I confess I have baled my share of hay on Sunday too along with other work , but try to take it easier on Sunday nowadays.
 
(quoted from post at 16:04:39 09/14/21) You don't have any daughters or grand daughters do you? I do. If some boy broke up with one of them just because they weren't real anxious to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon doing slave labor on his dad's hobby farm, I'd be telling them to be on their knees every day thanking God that he did them such a huge favor by breaking up with them. I'm sure the girl's parents and grand parents would have been thrilled to have her at home with them instead of with some immature little man child.

That's not a poke at Kevin or his son, they aren't the ones who started it.


Now that right there is wisdom!
 

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