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Tractor Talk Discussion Forum

How much HP for a round baler

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Paul from MN

01-22-2007 05:34:25




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I'm in the process of buying some land where I can put my old equipment to use. I have come to the conclusion that I am to old & tired and without enough help to make small bales and am pretty sure that none of my current tractors will be able to handle a round baler. So I need to buy another one.... Any suggestions?




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Amo in Nebraska

01-22-2007 20:41:21




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 Re: How much HP for a round baler in reply to Paul from MN, 01-22-2007 05:34:25  
Ive run Vermeer 605J and 605L with an 806. Like previous people have said...bigger is better. One thing that no one has mentions is like hills how soft can your ground get? In N.C. Ne. we have a lot of sub-irrigated wet meadows. Sometimes you cant get in to some of em hayem untill Sept if wet year. Which we havent had, and you might squish water up on your tires. When you get in a spot like that your hp goes to spinning the bale, not to the ground.

Also brand/design makes a difference. Ive always had a Vermeer...works her pretty hard. Tried RBX 562 (Cash IH) and it pulled a lot easier hp wise. It was making 6' tall bale where I had mine set up to run to 5.5'. I think though the RBX bales weighed just a little heavier still though.

My experience.

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RodInNS

01-22-2007 19:50:26




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 Re: How much HP for a round baler in reply to Paul from MN, 01-22-2007 05:34:25  
Depends on the size of the baler. A 4x4' baler will want a bare, absolute minimum of 50 hp, and 60 would be the real functional minimum. 70 makes them work pretty good (you'll get the capacity from the baler). If you add a rotocut option to the baler, you'll probably want another 30 hp on top of that..... A larger baler like a 5x6' bale would want probably 70+ at a bare minimum. 100 would be better... I've done a lot of baleing with a 4x4' baler on both a 62 and 70 hp Ford, and it can make both work in the right conditions. It's a matter of how hard you push.

Rod

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KYfarm

01-22-2007 15:57:19




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 Re: How much HP for a round baler in reply to Paul from MN, 01-22-2007 05:34:25  
I have also noticed that round balers(my NH 664 at least) likes to be run at full PTO speed, so if you buy an older tractor that needs to run at 2200 rpm or so to make the full 540 or 1000 rpm pto speed make sure that the old diesel still sounds like it will be able to run at that high rpm for long periods of time and possibly when it is pretty hot out.

HP wise though, unless you're rolling small bales and have flat land, I would say from my experience 85HP is a minimum

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IBorange in TX

01-22-2007 08:43:11




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 Re: How much HP for a round baler in reply to Paul from MN, 01-22-2007 05:34:25  
I agree with a lot of these guys. I use a 570 Belarus pulling a JD 435 baler. Good working combination. Just have to know how to drive the weird tractor. One thing that on one mentioned is the fact that on the round baler, you are moving much faster over the field than you do square baling, altho your rpms are the same. Remeber you are changing modes of baling and a new line of equipment is required. If you are already baling square bales, look into buying an accumulator and bale hook for the loader tractor. It might be cheaper to stick to the square bales. I use a IH 47 square baler for my squares and sell more to the horse people than I do round. They just don't want round bales. Who you sell your hay to is another factor to figure into the equation.
Good luck.....

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old

01-22-2007 07:49:13




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 Re: How much HP for a round baler in reply to Paul from MN, 01-22-2007 05:34:25  
Yep BTDT and about 5 years ago I switched over to round bales. I picked up a NH 850 round baler and was told my Oliver 77 would handle it but its to small for the 850. Book calls for 50-75 HP to run the 850, so I picked up an Oliver Super 88 and it does just fine with the baler. They do make some that you can pull with a tractor in the 40 or so HP range but they are also only about a 4 foot bale.

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ktheo1

01-22-2007 06:38:20




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 Re: How much HP for a round baler in reply to Paul from MN, 01-22-2007 05:34:25  
I have a New Holland 638 belt baler 4x4 bales .Operators manual says it needs 45 HP for operation. I like the fact that it has electric twine wrap as my tractor has only single hydraulic.



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R. John Johnson

01-22-2007 06:36:18




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 Re: How much HP for a round baler in reply to Paul from MN, 01-22-2007 05:34:25  
Paul

Switching from small squares to rounds requires a complete shift in how you handle the hay. If you don't already have one, a loader on that bigger tractor is a must. You can get by with a 3 point fork at first. You will also need a method of hauling them home if the field is any distance. Usually a trailer of some sort. Finally you may want feeders of some sort. Lots of stuff to look for at auctions this spring.

John

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Steven@AZ

01-22-2007 06:22:27




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 Re: How much HP for a round baler in reply to Paul from MN, 01-22-2007 05:34:25  
Depends on what model baler and how fast you want to get done. We have run our CaseIH 3650 soft-core baler with an 806, 1256, 1086, and now it goes on the 2590 Case. All tractors ran it just fine, the 806 would blow smoke from about 3/4 of a bale until it was done. Even the 2590 will bellar a little bit when the bale gets full. I would hate to try anything less than 90 horse on it, personally...

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Mike in Houston

01-22-2007 06:00:38




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 Re: How much HP for a round baler in reply to Paul from MN, 01-22-2007 05:34:25  
How big of a baler? Something else to look at is how are you going to be cutting the hay. Disc mowers require some hp also.
Check the baler's specs that your looking at. The manufacturer will have a recommended hp for the baler. If you can't find the specs on the baler, get back on here with a specific make and model and I'd bet someone on here can tell you. The guys who visit this site are some of the most knowledgeable people you'll ever meet.
good luck,
mee

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Hard Knocks

01-22-2007 05:59:16




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 Re: How much HP for a round baler in reply to Paul from MN, 01-22-2007 05:34:25  
I pull a New Holland 851 round baler (makes app.
a 5'6" X 5'6" 1200-1500 lb bale) over some steep
and hilly land with no problem with a 1650 Oliver
diesel.Also use a 8000 Ford sometimes which is over kill.



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Allan In NE

01-22-2007 05:58:17




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 Re: How much HP for a round baler in reply to Paul from MN, 01-22-2007 05:34:25  
Oh heck Paul,

I decided that when I was 10 years old! :>)

Like Pete says, 65 horse will run 'em, but 100 makes 'em talk pretty darned sweet. Everything just works better and smoother with the bigger tractor.

Allan



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Tex Aggie

01-22-2007 05:54:56




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 Re: How much HP for a round baler in reply to Paul from MN, 01-22-2007 05:34:25  
I baled with an M5 Moline before with a JD 435 baler. the only problem was the hydraulics were too weak to operate the door effectively.



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IH2444

01-22-2007 05:44:44




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 Re: How much HP for a round baler in reply to Paul from MN, 01-22-2007 05:34:25  
Well it sort of depends on how big of a round baler you get but about 75 hp should work for most.
If your area has slopes and such it is not just a matter of HP but of weight as well to control the heavy baler behind you.



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sd pete

01-22-2007 05:42:33




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 Re: How much HP for a round baler in reply to Paul from MN, 01-22-2007 05:34:25  
Nothing smaller than a 560. Bigger is better.



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