baler

[Dale c mi]

does my 8 have the power to run a hay baler or should I think about a bigger tractor. only plan on baling about 6 acres. thanks,Dale

 

[souNdguy]

they rake good, if you pull a small square.. get one with a wisconsom on it.

(alternately....no get larger... etc.. )

 

[Ultradog MN]

Ns are good for plowing and discing or mowing and raking but would be pretty lame on a baler.
About like trying to trailer your 8N behind a Volkswagon.
You want at least a 40-50 hp tractor to bale with and you want live or independent PTO.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Not having a live pto would be a big drawback. When we made hay there were always tuff spots where we had to stop due to a bug pile of hay, a rock or anything else stopping progression. Even with a orc, having to kick the tractor out of gear every so often could get to be a pain. Doable with a 8-n but certainly not ideal.

 

[Tom New Jersey]

an international baler with an IH motor on it might be easier to start, but the baler might drive you nuts.

 

[R Geiger]

(quoted from post at 10:42:15 06/02/14) an international baler with an IH motor on it might be easier to start, but the baler might drive you nuts.

My uncle had an international baler with an engine on it and it worked great! Two wire bales. You had to keep the knot tieing bit in good shape but other wise had few problems. He did use a larger tractor to pull it because the forward/ aft movement of the baler would give you whip lash on a tractor the size of an N. Plus the D17 AC had a hand clutch which worked great when baling to slow up for clumps. I loved baling so much that the start of the second season working for him that after the first week I joined the Army!!

 

[Ed S.]

I keep meaning to start a pool to when the first "Can I bale with an 8N" post goes up each year, and forgot about it again! Unless I missed an earlier one, I suppose this one is it.

Short answer, "Yes." (click for video) I have other videos up showing cutting and raking with the 8N as well.

Long answer, "Yes, but…"

First, while everyone seems to recommend them right off the bat, I've never personally seen a baler with its own engine (here in the Middle West, anyway), so no idea whether you would even be able to find one around you (they do exist).

As you'll see in the video, the N will run a baler and pull a small rack just fine (I bale about 11 acres of alfalfa) with the following caveats:

1) Rake your windrows fairly light. They can be heavier than what we were baling in the video, but if you go too heavy, you'll quickly learn how to do the Texas Two Step with the clutch, as you have "dead PTO" and have to pop it out of gear and let the clutch back in until the baler clears its throat and you can start moving again.

2) Bale on flat, or nearly flat ground. The baler itself weighs nearly as much as the N, and with a full rack behind that, you have a recipe for "unintended acceleration" down a hill. The N was never known for its good brakes.

3) Take it easy (which pretty much sums up 1 & 2). Don't push it, and if you feel like you're unsafe, give it a rest and think through what you're doing before proceeding or stopping altogether.

If you've never baled before, I'd strongly suggest finding someone to custom bale for you and let you ride along until you get a feel for what's going on.

All that said, you didn't tell us what equipment you currently have. Already got an 8N? Baler? Or maybe you have nothing, and are planning to buy everything you need?

If you're planning to buy a tractor, similar or not much more $$ will buy you a later model Ford (or other color if that's not an issue) with "live PTO," more HP and weight… I had no hesitation running the baler with my 75HP AC 190 after I bought it for loader work. That lets me keep the rake on the N, and I now cut with a Hesston 6400. Before I got the Hesston and AC, the 8N did everything, which meant an awful lot of implement changes.

es