Does JD 328/338/348 Baler Model Matter?

[chetlenox]

All,

I have a quick question for those familiar with late-model JD balers.

I have a small size tractor (JD 4520, ~4k lbs and 53 HP) that I am currently using to cut, rake, and bale my little 13 acre Coastal Bermuda pasture. I borrow a neighbors ~10-year-old Case in-line baler to do the baling, and am looking to buy one for myself this winter.

My local dealers are JD and New Holland, so I imagine I'll stick with one of those two brands. I'll be buying late-model (1-3 years old) or new, twine-tie.

My question is this: Is there a significant difference in the tractor size requirements between the different JD models?

John Deere's literature lists the 338 and 348 as "higher capacity" models that (I assume) means I can shove more hay at a faster rate into the thing (assuming I have the tractor HP, which I really don't). I'm not really in need of higher capacity, so I figure I should just be shopping for a 328 model. Unfortunately, I've found that there really aren't that many for sale, there are many more 348s in my area for some reason. If I end up finding a 348 that is clean at a good price, I just want to make sure my tractor wouldn't have a significantly harder time with it then a 328.

The official JD specs don't show a really large difference between the models. If I just compare the 348 to the 328, all the specs are identical, including length and width and pick-up width except for:

328/348
Weight(lbs) 2685/3110
Teeth 104/156
Strokes/min 80/93

Any insight folks could give me that have used these models of balers before would be great.

Thanks!

Chet.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

All three list minimum HP to operate. But operating at or near capacity, the 348 would hammer the life out of your tractor. For the cost involved, it would be a waste of money to use a 348 and slug along at low speed/low capacity. The 348 needs substancially more than "minimum hp" to operate at anything like full capacity. The 328 will give your tractor ALL it wants in a heavy windrow. Moving along slow and at less than capacity, you'll get a better bale with the 328 than you would with a 348 moving a WAY less than capacity.

My advice? With that tractor vs todays higher volume balers, go as small as you can get. (ie Deere 328 if it's a green baler)

 

[slowzuki]

The 348 is a high volume production baler, mostly used by custom operators. A 2 or 3 year old baler may have more bales through it than a 30 year old farm used baler.

Don't be scared of an older good condition baler. There are no leaps in technology there. My 30+ year old JD 336 is almost identical to a new 328 and runs every bit as well. Condition is everything though.

You'll find a new baler is very expensive, I can't imagine it pencils out for only 15 acres but to each there own. I paid 2100$ for mine and bale about 30 acres a cutting or less now that I round some with a neighbours baler.

 

[chetlenox]

Farmwithjunk,

Thanks for the feedback. It sounds like there is a significant enough difference between the higher-capacity models (of any color) and the smaller models to justify me searching harder for the right piece of equipment. I did a search and there is certainly plenty of historical discussion about small square baling with smaller tractors like mine, although it looks like they tend to degenerate into "You should have 75+ HP" vs "I've been baling with my riding lawn mower for years!" type things. I'm not too concerned about that part (my tractor seems to run my neighbor's in-line Case without any trouble), but choosing the smaller capacity JD or NH sounds like a good idea.

Slowzuki,

I hear you on the cost of newer equipment. I'm not trying to make any money at this, it's a hobby and food source for my wife's horses. I know some folks on this forum don't really like the hobby farmers too much, but dollars don't matter as much to me. Bottom line, I'll be looking for something used in good condition (which seems like it can be a challenge sometimes), but I don't mind paying a little extra for piece of mind. If I have to, I'll buy new. I agree with you though. My mid-70s NH rolabar rake that my father and I completely rebuilt is a much more reliable piece of equipment than my 1-year-old Frontier sickle-bar mower.

Thanks for the comments guys, I appreciate it.

Chet.

 

[zzvyb6]

Chet:

The dealer (Clarke Equipment) in Comanche has a couple of 337s for sale in the $7500 and 8500 price range.

 

[ddivinia]

Farmwithjunk,

Thanks for the feedback. It sounds like there is a significant enough difference between the higher-capacity models (of any color) and the smaller models to justify me searching harder for the right piece of equipment. I did a search and there is certainly plenty of historical discussion about small square baling with smaller tractors like mine, although it looks like they tend to degenerate into "You should have 75+ HP" vs "I've been baling with my riding lawn mower for years!" type things. I'm not too concerned about that part (my tractor seems to run my neighbor's in-line Case without any trouble), but choosing the smaller capacity JD or NH sounds like a good idea.

Slowzuki,

I hear you on the cost of newer equipment. I'm not trying to make any money at this, it's a hobby and food source for my wife's horses. I know some folks on this forum don't really like the hobby farmers too much, but dollars don't matter as much to me. Bottom line, I'll be looking for something used in good condition (which seems like it can be a challenge sometimes), but I don't mind paying a little extra for piece of mind. If I have to, I'll buy new. I agree with you though. My mid-70s NH rolabar rake that my father and I completely rebuilt is a much more reliable piece of equipment than my 1-year-old Frontier sickle-bar mower.

Thanks for the comments guys, I appreciate it.

Chet.

Which JD dealer are you working with?

The one in Ennis has been good at keeping an eye out for equipment for me.

D.

 

[slowzuki]

Sounds like you've got a good idea of what you want. Again, don't be scared of a few years on a baler if it is in great shape. I'd steer clear of the large capacity balers, they tend to have been worked hard. If you could find one used like you plan to you would be set.

 

[chetlenox]

Darin,

I haven't started calling yet, just browsing their on-line inventory. I bought the tractor from the guys in Cleburne, but when it came time to buy my sickle-bar, they quoted me a price $1500 more than the guys in Hillsboro! So I went down to Hillsboro to buy. To their credit, the Cleburne dealership called back a few days later and let me know that they had made a mistake and the quote should have been $1200 less than the original quote. I had already ordered from Hillsboro though, so they lost the sale. I felt bad, because they have always treated me well... but $1500 is quite a bit of difference on a $3200 cutter!

I drove by the dealership in a town off Hwy 187 northwest of Ft. Worth a few months ago (Rhone? Rhome?) and saw a number of what looked like lightly used balers parked out front. I really need to give them a ring and see what they've got.

Searching is going to be my winter project (besides cleaning up and going through all the equipment). So I haven't really gotten started in ernest, I guess...

Chet.

 

[chetlenox]

Thanks slowzuki. I will focus on condition and not on year, that's good advice. I've heard folks mention the paint wear on the auger and in the bale chute as a good indicator of the number of bales through the equipment, do you agree with that? Is there another better indicator?

I suppose somebody could always put 30,000 bales through the thing and repaint the auger!

Chet.

 

[ddivinia]

Darin,

I haven't started calling yet, just browsing their on-line inventory. I bought the tractor from the guys in Cleburne, but when it came time to buy my sickle-bar, they quoted me a price $1500 more than the guys in Hillsboro! So I went down to Hillsboro to buy. To their credit, the Cleburne dealership called back a few days later and let me know that they had made a mistake and the quote should have been $1200 less than the original quote. I had already ordered from Hillsboro though, so they lost the sale. I felt bad, because they have always treated me well... but $1500 is quite a bit of difference on a $3200 cutter!

I drove by the dealership in a town off Hwy 187 northwest of Ft. Worth a few months ago (Rhone? Rhome?) and saw a number of what looked like lightly used balers parked out front. I really need to give them a ring and see what they've got.

Searching is going to be my winter project (besides cleaning up and going through all the equipment). So I haven't really gotten started in ernest, I guess...

Chet.

Cleburne and Ennis are owned by the same guys.

Rhome did have a bunch of balers. Look on machinefinder - they have them listed on there.

I work with Ricky down in Ennis - he is top notch.

D.

 

[ddivinia]

Thanks slowzuki. I will focus on condition and not on year, that's good advice. I've heard folks mention the paint wear on the auger and in the bale chute as a good indicator of the number of bales through the equipment, do you agree with that? Is there another better indicator?

I suppose somebody could always put 30,000 bales through the thing and repaint the auger!

Chet.

Reno at the Ennis JD dealer has forgotten more about square balers than many experts claim to know. You might want him to look it over.

D.

 

[chetlenox]

Reno at the Ennis JD dealer has forgotten more about square balers than many experts claim to know. You might want him to look it over.

D.

That's a great tip, thanks Daren. I'll go chat with him. That is one thing I've figured in the couple of years I've been doing this... a knowledgable guy is worth his weight in gold. That's why this forum is so handy.

Of course, I can't drag ya'll to every JD and NH dealership in North Texas...

Chet.

 

[slowzuki]

Its its tough to teach someone how to check for wear, a snazzy paint job has fooled many a person. If you aren't experienced, do you know anyone who is? Wear and slop can discover fairly easy. Look for welds including on the needles. Older balers you could look at the hitch, they wear over time from the plunger shaking. The ones with a ball won't show much wear though. The tracks the plunger rides on can tell a bit. Check the pto shaft, the support bearings and bushings get loose with use.

Also, just so ya know, 30,000 bales isn't that many bales really. A 50 head dairy farm I worked on put up 10,000 bales a year with one baler, thats only 8-10 days use.

 

[chetlenox]

Slowzuki, thanks for the tips. I probably should start putting together a list of things to look for. As for somebody knowledgable, I've got a neighbor who has helped a bunch, so I'll probably utilize him when I can. He ran a JD square baler before his current one ~10 years ago, so he should be a good resource.

Wow, 30,000 isn't much. Ha, I guess that's the difference between professionals and a guy like me just looking to feed his wife's and neighbors horses. For my current field, 30,000 bales is 15-20 years of use! I expect that I'll be helping some of my other neighbors out once I get fully equipped (I already help with their cutting and raking, and have been asked on the baling many times), so maybe it will be closer to 10-15 years. That's probably a good thing though, since with my light use, any baler that I eventually get should last a good while for me. Of course, my current retirement plan is to move out of town and upgrade the acreage... so you never know.

Thanks again for the help guys,

Chet

 

[chetlenox]

Darin,

I checked out machinefinder, and it looks like the Rhome guys only have one used baler currently, and it's a 348 (big). I'll probably give them a ring and make sure though. Although it does look like they do a good job of updating their inventory online.

Chet.

 

[ddivinia]

Slowzuki, thanks for the tips. I probably should start putting together a list of things to look for. As for somebody knowledgable, I've got a neighbor who has helped a bunch, so I'll probably utilize him when I can. He ran a JD square baler before his current one ~10 years ago, so he should be a good resource.

Wow, 30,000 isn't much. Ha, I guess that's the difference between professionals and a guy like me just looking to feed his wife's and neighbors horses. For my current field, 30,000 bales is 15-20 years of use! I expect that I'll be helping some of my other neighbors out once I get fully equipped (I already help with their cutting and raking, and have been asked on the baling many times), so maybe it will be closer to 10-15 years. That's probably a good thing though, since with my light use, any baler that I eventually get should last a good while for me. Of course, my current retirement plan is to move out of town and upgrade the acreage... so you never know.

Thanks again for the help guys,

Chet

30,000 squares is not a big deal, but 30,000 round bales is something. With round balers it is not unusual to find them with 10,000+ bales within 2-3 years.

D.

 

[ddivinia]

Darin,

I checked out machinefinder, and it looks like the Rhome guys only have one used baler currently, and it's a 348 (big). I'll probably give them a ring and make sure though. Although it does look like they do a good job of updating their inventory online.

Chet.

Those Rhome guys usually have some used balers - so give them a ring.

I would talk to all the dealers around and tell them what you are looking for so when one comes up they can call you. Many times equipment never hits the lot. It is traded in and hauled right to the new owner.

Ricky got me all used hay baling equipment at a very fair price. It helped them cut a good deal for me and the other guy because he was buying new equipment. Their cost of inventory is low, etc. It works out great for all involved. He could have sold my 467 5 times before I got to pick it up, but it is sold.

They are looking for a square baler for me, but I am rethinking the square baler. I used this hay to feed my longhorns and until a couple things happen:

1. Production picks up.
2. Less cows to feed
3. Quality of my grass attracts the high dollar horse people

I might as well stick with my round bales.

Another thing to consider - getting a square baler home. It won't fit on most trailer (read almost all). I saw a new 348 come in from JD - If I remember right they ship it on their side.

D.

 

[chetlenox]

Yeah, squares only for me. I've only got 13 acres, and all but one of my regular customers are horse people. I'd lose everybody if I did rounds. My back would feel much better though.

I've thought about the baler hauling issue. I'm hoping to mitigate that by buying local and just driving the back roads at 30 mph to get it home. My luck I'll find the perfect baler at a great price in Arkansas or Lousiana and I'll spend a weekend driving backroads at 30mph.

Come to think of it, that doesn't sound like too bad of a deal...

Chet.

 

[ddivinia]

Yeah, squares only for me. I've only got 13 acres, and all but one of my regular customers are horse people. I'd lose everybody if I did rounds. My back would feel much better though.

I've thought about the baler hauling issue. I'm hoping to mitigate that by buying local and just driving the back roads at 30 mph to get it home. My luck I'll find the perfect baler at a great price in Arkansas or Lousiana and I'll spend a weekend driving backroads at 30mph.

Come to think of it, that doesn't sound like too bad of a deal...

Chet.

Cool deal - if you have people asking about rounds - I can hook them up.

D.

 

[chetlenox]

I'll do that Darin.

Chet.