Welcome! Please use the navigational links to explore our website.
PartsASAP LogoCompany Logo Auction Link (800) 853-2651

Shop Now

   Allis Chalmers Case Farmall IH Ford 8N,9N,2N Ford
   Ferguson John Deere Massey Ferguson Minn. Moline Oliver

Tractor Talk Discussion Forum

AC Roto-Baler

Welcome Guest, Log in or Register
Author 
in-too-deep

11-25-2007 15:09:01




Report to Moderator

Was the Roto-baler ahead of it's time? Was it successful up until other round balers came out? I think they're a really neat little implement. Thoughts?




[Log in to Reply]   [No Email]
Leroy

11-27-2007 06:19:10




Report to Moderator
 Re: AC Roto-Baler in reply to in-too-deep, 11-25-2007 15:09:01  
One reason was you could not load the bales on a wagon at the same time as baling an d the farmers around here did not like the idea of having to leave them lay in the field and having to later make a trip to pick them up. The old sidewinder John Deere balers produced from 1946 to 1956 had that problem when they came from the factory and a company close by started to make a wagon hitch and bale loading shute to pull and load the wagons at the time of baling and sold so many of them (never pattened them) that John Deere noticed and started coping them and offering them from the factory on their balers. Now days you see so many of the big round bales left out and after 2 years they are just a pile of manure

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
rrlund

11-27-2007 06:40:00




Report to Moderator
 Re: AC Roto-Baler in reply to Leroy, 11-27-2007 06:19:10  
Read one time about one of the first no-tillers in Kentucky. He'd no-til 8 rows of corn in strips across a hay field. Then he'd bale the hay with a roto baler and roll the bales between the corn rows. In the fall he'd turn the cows in. They'd eat the last cutting of hay and the ears off the corn. As time went on they ate the stalks and the bales. Said he never had to bring them up to the barn for the winter of lift a finger to feed them.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
rrlund

11-26-2007 08:51:05




Report to Moderator
 Re: AC Roto-Baler in reply to in-too-deep, 11-25-2007 15:09:01  
The guy who was the blockman for AC in eastern Mi and northern Ohio said that their big mistake was not making the bale bigger. Left it up to Vermeer to cash in on that one. AC bought that patent from a guy by the name of Emmo Luben. (not sure I got the spelling right)



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Tradititonal Farmer

11-26-2007 05:05:16




Report to Moderator
 Re: AC Roto-Baler in reply to in-too-deep, 11-25-2007 15:09:01  
Great little balers still use one sometimes.Nothing puts up nicer hay



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
John in Nebraska

11-25-2007 19:36:24




Report to Moderator
 Re: AC Roto-Baler in reply to in-too-deep, 11-25-2007 15:09:01  
We had a roto-baler for almost 30 years, problem was it was slow, with all the stopping. Two neighbors had them, and used old power poles to stack the bales between, as they couldn't figure out how to space the first row. We never did have a stack fall down or roll out. Heard the stories about pushing out a barn wall, but don't think it happened too much, anyway if a barn was that weak? The hay inside those bales was as nice as the day baled,,, even 3 years later. weighed about 65-80lbs.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
DRL

11-25-2007 17:20:55




Report to Moderator
 Re: AC Roto-Baler in reply to in-too-deep, 11-25-2007 15:09:01  
Heard several stories of farmers stacking the bales in their barns only to come back to find the sides of the barn pushed out by the weight of the bales. Probably a way to stack them to prevent this, but several barns were lost or damaged during the learning curve.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
DiyDave

11-25-2007 17:06:13




Report to Moderator
 Re: AC Roto-Baler in reply to in-too-deep, 11-25-2007 15:09:01  
I loved the freedom baling with one of these gave me. If you prepared everything right, and raked the hay the way you are supposed to(double windrow with the 2 just touching), DRY hay into baler, bales best in the late afternoon/evening. You could bale, and leave it till later. I used to take a 4 wheeler with a snowplow, and push 10-12 bales together (redneck accumulator) then p/u with whatever truck was available, usually a 1 ton dumptruck. As to one of the prior posters saying that they took up too much space-pure poppycock! You could get a larger tonnage of hay into the same space with the round bales, cause they settle a little after you stack'em. By the time the next cutting comes along, you've got a little more space to use. Also not mentioned is the fact that the round baler doesn't have a blade that chops the hay into flakes, like square balers do. Whole hay with no cut stems means cows don't get stuck in the nose as often, are more likely to eat more. The only thing wrong with the system was that the bales were too small as compared to today's round bales, or I'd still be using the one I had a few years ago.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
hillbillyOH

11-25-2007 17:16:29




Report to Moderator
 Re: AC Roto-Baler in reply to DiyDave, 11-25-2007 17:06:13  
What was the average weight of a roto-bale bale?



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
JMS/.MN

11-25-2007 17:15:04




Report to Moderator
 Re: AC Roto-Baler in reply to DiyDave, 11-25-2007 17:06:13  
Ditto on making the correct windrow. Dad used to keep baling when the neighbors headed for home in a light shower. He always said the hay is better wrapped up in a round bale than not- at least until it started pouring!



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Retento

11-25-2007 15:23:10




Report to Moderator
 Re: AC Roto-Baler in reply to in-too-deep, 11-25-2007 15:09:01  
Ahead of their time and the little bales were about the size of a 55 gallon oil drum. The little round bales took up too much room in the barn. That's one reason they didn't sell.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
pair-a-dice farm

11-25-2007 15:23:01




Report to Moderator
 Re: AC Roto-Baler in reply to in-too-deep, 11-25-2007 15:09:01  
My dad bought one in the late 50's and we used it until the late 70's when we bought our 1st large round baler. They were a pretty good machine but were a little harder to handle than square bales. It was slower to bale with because you had to stop to tie every bale. This was an experience if you didn't have a tractor with a live pto. The bales were almost indestructable and if they got rain on them before you had a chance to haul them it was OK

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
[Options]  [Printer Friendly]  [Posting Help]  [Return to Forum]   [Log in to Reply]

Hop to:


TRACTOR PARTS TRACTOR MANUALS
We sell tractor parts!  We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]

Home  |  Forums


Copyright © 1997-2023 Yesterday's Tractor Co.

All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy

TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.

Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters

Website Accessibility Policy