Bought an IH 37 square baler today. Cheap

[JD Seller]

I was at an auction today. I bought a IH 37 square baler. It is in pretty good shape. I only gave $350 for it. My youngest brother has some older IH stuff and was wanting a small square baler. So I will see if he wants it.

I had not seen a IH 37 baler until today. I have been around IH 46 and 47 balers. They did OK but the knotters are harder to get working right than a NH or JD baler. Have any of you used/owned a IH 37 baler???



 

[Super Steve]

yup. if you were closer id give it to you. i fought with it all season trying to get it to tie a damn bale consistantly.
 

[retired farmer]

That looks like the old 280 Hesston swather I used to have, sitting next to it in the line. How I hated operating that thing.
 

[Fritz Maurer]

I have a 27 and I love it. There is no need to fear I.H. knotters. You're a mechanic... just look at it! The only differences are the twine is cut somewhere else in the cycle, and the bale movement pulls the knot from the billhook... that's it! A wealth of knowledge can be had if you have someone turn the flywheel through a tie cycle while you watch it. You'll see that it's actually a simpler system, with fewer moving parts. It unbolts and swings up for service, just like any other knotter. There was nothing magical about it, but I believe many people feel that way about it. The old 45 had a quirk that gave I.H. knotters a stigma until the end of production. It would miss a tie at full PTO revolution. The tension system was inadequate to the task of keeping the twine taught at the very instant the needles started their down stroke. On the way up, the twine is laid firmly into the notch in the twine disc. If this tension is not maintained, the twine will follow the needle (briefly) when it starts back down. This momentary slack sometimes lifts the twine from the notch before the disc turns and catches it. Many people dislike 45s because of this, when all they have to do in most cases is reduce PTO speed and increase ground speed. The other reason is the 45's tongue doesn't swing.
 

[JD Seller]

Fritz: I have worked on IH knotters before. They just are not as easy to get set right. They are more temperamental than the NH or JD knotter. They are harder to adjust too. Some of the things are not adjustable on them that you can do on a NH or JD knotter.
 

[tbish]

wiyh an ih u have to make sure the twine knives are sharp i didnt have trouble with the knotters always had 2 adjust the knives after sharping with shims move it closer to twine
 

[TomH in PA]

The twine knife has to be shimmed to exactly the right distance and be kept very sharp. Also the twine has to be under the right amount of tension.

I had an IH 27 for a while but got tired of fooling with it, bought a 24T and didn't have any problems.
 

[mn skinner]

37 and a 47 are the same thing except the tounge is shorter on the 37 andit doesnt have a cover over the knotters. both are good balers. sharp twine knives and 60 strokes per minute on the plunger and it will hammer out nice bales. you got it for scrap price so it was a win -win purchase.
 

[dboll]

Dad bought a new one in 1967, worked good for two years and then the battle began, had a good baler man that could get it to tie good for 1500 bales or so and then it would start missing again, finally traded it on a new 425 IH and cured the problem. Neighbor had a 47 that worked better. I personally don't want anything more to do with a 37, Dad considered buying a 24T instead of the 37 which would have been a better decision.
 

[M Nut]

I have one and I really like it. I bale anywhere from 200-2,000 bales a year with it. I'm guessing I have baled about 6,000 bales with it since I got it and it has never missed a bale yet. That is a nice, clean unit. The fellow you bought it for should be very happy with it.
 

[MARK ROBKE]

I have had mine for 16(?) yrs. Replaced a few brgs, pto u jt. Usualy now a few hundred bales a yr. Used to do about 1500 a yr. Works ok,but sometimes bales are not same length; sometimes never misses a knot , other times misses a few in a 100. Ok for a small opertion. I have put out nearly 200 in an hr in heavy hay, but now mostly use it for 2nd,3rd cutting alfalfa.
From your picsit appears to have origional tires on it. Could you tell me the sizes? Mine has car tire on it, and does not sit perfectly level.THANKS,MARK.
 

[JD Seller]

I did not look on the baler but I did get the original Operators book. It lists the Left tire as a 6.40 x 15 6-ply implement tire, 40 psi.
The right tire as a 5.00 x 15 4-ply implement tire, 28 psi.

If you need anything else let me know.
 

[Ol' Gimpy]

JD,used one for years.All of the old IH balers were very particular of twine quality,though."Thin spots" in some twines would set the knotters in a fit,throw off the twine tension until the "Thin spot" worked its way through.Make sure the plunger stop dog is free,and it has the right shear bolts,also the upper and lower hay dog springs are intact.I would use another 37 again if need arose.