Looking for a round baler

[crowbar032]

Here is my situation. Neighbor lady who is a widow has 13 acres she enrolled in a government hay program. She told me that if I did the work, she would pay for the supplies and I could have the hay. She's had some issues with stuff disappearing and she thinks that if someone (being me and my Dad) are seen going in and out and just generally being seen around that it will stop so the price is worth it to her. I even tried to explain how expensive fertilizer was, but she didn't care. Extention office even tried to explain how expensive it would be, still didn't care.

I have a MF 124 square baler, but it's impossible to find help anymore so I'm looking for a round baler. I'm new to the round baling scene, so I'm kinda lost. I have a John Deere 5065 which is 53 hp at the pto, so nothing that makes a bigger bale than a 4x5 or 5x5 (I assume?). The fields are not steep and fairly smooth. I'm not looking to break the bank and I don't need the latest and greatest equipment. I just want something that will work easily and reliably. What are some things to look for? What features should be must have? Belt or chain? I'd like to spend $5000 or less.

Locally I've located from private individuals:

IH 8440 round baler
HESSTON 5500
New Holand 851 automatic tie
Vermeer 605F

 

[cowski]

if you are going to sell the hay?i would get a 4x5 like a john deere 385 or newer.the balers that make 4x6 bales take more horsepower.i prefer jd and vermeer balers so that is what i recommend.

 

[whodat526]

i would try and find a 640 or 644 nh they or one of the best balers ever made with auto wrap and most user friendly with the least electronics

 

[crowbar032]

if you are going to sell the hay?i would get a 4x5 like a john deere 385 or newer.the balers that make 4x6 bales take more horsepower.i prefer jd and vermeer balers so that is what i recommend.

About half of the hay will be sold. The rest will be fed to my donkeys and goats.

 

[blainesdad]

I can tell you right now that the Vermeer 605 is way too big for your equipment and at least around here those big bales don't sell very good either. I would look into a vermeer 504 maybe or a John Deere of some sort. I like the way the vermeer and Deere balers seem to roll tighter bales than the NH. Just my 2 cents though.

 

[crowbar032]

Just my 2 cents though.

That's why I'm asking questions. I'm looking for any opinions I can get.

 

[whodat526]

I can tell you right now that the Vermeer 605 is way too big for your equipment and at least around here those big bales don't sell very good either. I would look into a vermeer 504 maybe or a John Deere of some sort. I like the way the vermeer and Deere balers seem to roll tighter bales than the NH. Just my 2 cents though.

if you bale a full bale with a nh it will be really tight if you know what your doing all but the 6 or 9 in. core because they are a soft core baler which makes it easier to eat

 

[jdbnh]

I can tell you right now that the Vermeer 605 is way too big for your equipment and at least around here those big bales don't sell very good either. I would look into a vermeer 504 maybe or a John Deere of some sort. I like the way the vermeer and Deere balers seem to roll tighter bales than the NH. Just my 2 cents though.

no baler makes a tighter bale than a NH. i have Deere customers that have always owned a green baler that trade for a NH becuase the bales are much tighter, heavier, uniform, and more consitant, and after a year or less, go look at a Deere bale, it will be flat and squating. NH will not be. this is coming from customers, not my 2 cents but customers.......

 

[Grateful11]

A JD 448 it will make a 35" to 51" bale only has the electric tie, an option, and beeper alarm as far as electronics so it's fairly simple. My wife has one. It's baled over 1000 bales so far and is working out fine. Only needs 45hp to pull it, she pulls it with an over 100hp tractor so not sure how well it does with around 50.

 

[rdbigfarmboy]

Are you trying to make money or get your money back without selling the equipment?
If yes then 13 ac might make 4 or 5 rolls/ac of the 5 by 4 size first cut and 2 rolls on later cuts. so the rolls of decent hay might be worth 20 each.
My hay cash cost is just a bit over $18 per roll when it drops out the roller.
What are you looking to spend and do you need it back before you sell the baler?

Decide then shop ebay craigs list local dealers fast line and tractor house with your willing to spend limits.

 

[Grateful11]

no baler makes a tighter bale than a NH. i have Deere customers that have always owned a green baler that trade for a NH becuase the bales are much tighter, heavier, uniform, and more consitant, and after a year or less, go look at a Deere bale, it will be flat and squating. NH will not be. this is coming from customers, not my 2 cents but customers.......

I've never actually tried to probe a NH bale with Haytester or thermometer but I know the bales my wife and son make are so tight you can't get a Farmex Tester in but about 2/3rds of the way. You can't even get a 20" meat thermometer all the way into her bales. Her baler is 3 years old, now I'm not sure if you're comparing newer balers to 20-25 year old JD Balers but hers don't flatten out or squat. The proof is in the pudding, see photo, the bottom bales where they're sitting on plastic pallets may have a tad of flat spot but if I had all that weight on me I'd probably flatten out a tad too.

I've seen some of the older round balers that the bales looked like the core is folded over numerous times, heck you could stick your arm inside of them. You can't stick finger in my wife's bales without tearing your dang fingernail half off.

We have a guy not too far from here that has cattle in 3 counties, he's big time for NC, he #2 in farm subsidies in his home county. He told me he had tried about all of them and has gone to Vermeer balers exclusively, I think he has 4 now.

 

[Mistyridgefarm]

I'd look for a Vermeer 504F or newer. Simple, easy to fix most of it, and makes a nice bale. The JD 435 seems to be in the same league if you need green behind green.

I'm no expert at hay but the one thing I have learned is the baler doesn't make the bale. Some balers may help in poorer conditions than others but a good bale is more about the prep and the operator than anything else.

Cut the hay at the right time, do everything possible to get it to dry fast (cut morning, Ted evening, maybe again next day, rake and bale third day). the squares are much less about the windrow than rounds. I started with a bar rake and learned real quick about getting the rows the width of the pickup, and fluffy. Not easy to do with the bar rake and even if you do, it will be roped badly and can give you fits while baling.

Went to a wheel rake this year and made a huge leap. Perfect width wind rows and no roping. Even it has a few lessons to be learned though. I'm still working them! But when it comes time to bale, center the tractor over the row and go. The bale forms great and stays pretty even without constant sis to side adjustment.

I am using a neighbors 504F and the first two seasons were plugging nightmares. On a good day, getting 5 bales an hour was good. On a bad day, 1 was not uncommon. Since the neighbor was doing most of the baling part, I figured it was normal for that baler. This year I got the manual from him and went through the machine top to bottom, adjusted per manual and replaced anything that looked worn.

What a difference! Last Friday I baled 39 rolls in 2.5 hours. I have 90 rolls through it behind the 5300 so far without the first plug. the bales are tight, even hard to spear. So whatever you get, set it up right, and after a little schooling at the hands of hay, you can make good bales with just about anything. Good luck to you!

 

[foreman Etexas]

I talked to alot a farmers around my neck of the woods and the really like there Vermeer REBEL 5400. I was down to either the NH Roll-Belt 450 and the Vermeer REBEL 5410(dealer had both).I desided to go with REBEL due to the good things I heard about them and the NH was new and couldnt find anyone running one to talk with them on it. I havent used mine so cant say much,but my neighbor has a 605XL and has nothing nice to say about it(actually hauling it to auction),he also has a Hesston and really likes it said hasnt had a bit of trouble out of it.

 

[IronHog]

I'm no expert at hay but the one thing I have learned is the baler doesn't make the bale. Some balers may help in poorer conditions than others but a good bale is more about the prep and the operator than anything else.

Good point.

The rake driver has more to do with good bales than most realize.... if your windrows are irregular the baler will make irregular bales.


Like most machine operation is is only unskilled labor to someone that hasn't done it........

 

[blueriver]

I'd stay with the square baler ... more money per bale when you sell them ... buy an accumulator and grapple system for the square bales.

Hay Buddy Systems

 

[crowbar032]

I'd stay with the square baler ... more money per bale when you sell them ... buy an accumulator and grapple system for the square bales.

Hay Buddy Systems

I thought about that. However, the accumulator and grapples I've found are much more expensive than a fairly new round baler.

 

[blueriver]

I thought about that. However, the accumulator and grapples I've found are much more expensive than a fairly new round baler.

Hay Buddy is $5190 for the set

 

[D7E]

Good point.

The rake driver has more to do with good bales than most realize.... if your windrows are irregular the baler will make irregular bales

But a good baler driver can compensate for it !

 

[IronHog]

But a good baler driver can compensate for it !

Depends on how the volume of hay in the windrows is across the windrows...

Sometimes the crop on a hay field is so irregular the bale quality will suffer no matter how good the operators and their machines are........

 

[rambler]

Small square baler & a bale basket. (Not thrower, but where the bales slide up a ramp into the triangular basket.)

Bales worth more, one person baling, can buy good used baskets for $1000 to 2000. (Seen a couple go for $400-600, but don't want to get your hopes too high....)

---->Paul