first square baler

[chrisinsoky]

lookin to buy my 1st square baler, lookin at a new holland 68, (but have my eye on a few others)like a masssey 12, what to look for when i go to look at my baler? any way to test the baler?

 

[chrisinsoky]

what do these balers usually go for? the massey 12 is close to 2 thousand dollars and i am kinda haveing a hard time swallowin that for an older baler,

 

[ChrisinMO]

Here in southern MO, I got my MF12 baler for $500. I got another one for $600 on a different occasion. MF12 can be good but can be a real pain in the backside if the knotters don't cooperate. I'd go with a good NH if I were you. Only reason I still use the MF12 is that I have some sitting around as parts donors. If you've never worked on a square baler, the price for a good condition, recently used machine is worth it. I would NOT pay $2000 for a MF12.

Christopher

 

[chrisinsoky]

yea i am not even gonna call the owner of the massey baler till he gets the price down. its a good lookin baler, i imagine what ever baler i get a manual will be a must,

 

[old]

Me I would not even think about looking at a Massey baler or a ford or a IH. Only 2 balers made that are worth the time to look at them and the is the NH and the JD. NH is first place JD comes in 2nd place

 

[Cub n M in OR]

I paid $750 for a MF 124 a couple years ago, sold it a year later when I moved for $1200. Good little baler, I had very few problems with mine. Knotters seemed alot simpler than the standard knotters you see on most balers. Wish I had known enough to pay attention when I owned it. Only missed about 1 out of 400 bales. Didn't like to bale real dry hay though. To much spring back I think.

I'd have another one...

Ben

 

[chrisinsoky]

hey old, its funnyh you say that i was checkin out craigslist and came across a 14t john deere, that would be pretty close to the house, what would a 14T in good shape be worth round abouts

 

[old]

I have never payed more then $350 for one but the last time I got one was probably 20 or so years ago. The 14T is/was a good baler but ever since I got an NH I'll not go back to a JD baler. The NH balers are easy to time and work on but the JD baler takes a full day to time if you have a chain brake. Yep BTDT on both a JD 14T and a NH271 the JD took days to get back up and running and the NH an hour or so and most of that time was the drive to town for a chain

 

[chrisinsoky]

the nh is a little further to get but the price is lower, can i pull them home with my truck or do i have to put it on a trailer?

 

[chrisinsoky]

the nh is a little further to get but the price is lower, can i pull them home with my truck or do i have to put it on a trailer?

 

[chrisinsoky]

the nh is a little further to get but the price is lower, can i pull them home with my truck or do i have to put it on a trailer?

 

[spacechem]

All the balers mentioned are old enough that condition is paramount. New, they probably all worked just fine. Which one has the nearest dealer?

We had a NH68. Did okay. We found that, if you didn't brush away the fines that would accumulate around the knotters, it would start to miss a few. We pulled racks behind, so just cleaned it out each time we switched wagons.

 

[chrisinsoky]

john deere deler is closest by far, thats for the in put guys

 

[spacechem]

You asked about testing. There really isn't a good way to 'test' a baler until you've got hay down, and every baler "Worked the last time we used it".

I would suggest a couple of things. If you can, turn the flywheel over by hand a couple of strokes and then trip the knotters. See if the needles come up in good alignment. While they're up, look at the twine guides in them to judge wear. Look also at the various guides that take the twine from the boxes to the needles and look for wear. Same for twine disks and bill hooks. All these parts are replaceable, but at a cost which you should factor into your decision. Check the plungerhead knife and guides for wear.

Are all the teeth in the pickup? Is the chute or the tongue all bent up? If buying from a farmer, does the rest of his equipment look in good condition? This will give an indication of general use and care.

Don't be too afraid of rust- it may just mean it hasn't had a lot of use. Rusty knotters will probably miss tying until they get shined up, but just ride on it and tie by hand for a while and it should straighten out pretty quick.

 

[chrisinsoky]

thanks the ad said it was used last summer, but like you said they all worked good when parked, i have a few bale layin around i was wonder why i couldnt bust them fluff the hay to a small windrow and see if it would bale them, not a great test but would give me a good idea what i am lookin at right?

 

[Tx Jim]

(quoted from post at 00:27:19 03/19/10) The NH balers are easy to time and work on but the JD baler takes a full day to time if you have a chain brake. Yep BTDT on both a JD 14T and a NH271 the JD took days to get back up and running and the NH an hour or so and most of that time was the drive to town for a chain

Timing a sq baler doesn't take a rocket scientist just common sense.

IIRC JD 14T has 2 places to check time. The plungerhead to feeders fingers & needles to plungerhead.

How can that take ALL DAY?

 

[Ed S.]

I'm just a "hobby" farmer (10 acres in alfalfa), but have been really happy with my NH 68. Paid about $500, and put it right to work. Had an axle break on it last year, and got a replacement from a boneyard cheap. Retimed it at the same time, and it's working even better now than before (at the last cutting last year, it only missed a bale when it switched to a new twine ball). We usually do around 2000 bales a year, so I'm not really workin' it hard.

Baling Hay Video

Oh, you can pull it home behind your truck (the tongue will shift over), but you'll be taking up every bit of your lane, and you probably won't want to do 70 with it back there (I think I did 30-40 or so)... might want to check the wheel bearings first before pulling it a longer distance.

es

 

[keh]

Reccommend the 68 over the MF 12. If you do get the 68, check the axles. I had a 67 and found it had bushings instead of bearings and heated up when pulling it behind a truck. Have to go slow at tractor speeds. Some of those balers had bearings.

KEH

 

[GordoSD]

I'm with Old, however he is round baling now. You should try to find a NH 273/275. Get the manual, set it up right and watch the bales drop every 12-14 seconds. That's on first cut alfalfa with 20 feet in the windrows, and a 966 huffing down the row.

Gordo

 

[old]

Every one I have ever gotten I pu;lled home behind a truck. Just make sure the wheel bearings are greased up extra good and take it slow

 

[randallk]

"Enjoyed the video. That old baler sure made some nice bales! I always wondered how folks baled with an 8n Ford and pulled a wagon behind. Now I know. Flat ground. That set-up would be a man killer on my hills.

 

[Ed S.]

(quoted from post at 09:41:53 03/19/10) "Enjoyed the video. That old baler sure made some nice bales! I always wondered how folks baled with an 8n Ford and pulled a wagon behind. Now I know. Flat ground. That set-up would be a man killer on my hills.

Yep, "A man (and tractor) gots to know his limitations."

es

 

[Stuart]

I can time a JD baler in an hour or less. JD balers are the best. NH is a long way of saying junk. I bale 20,000 bales per year with mine and love it. What model jd balers arnt that great? Are you talking about the 14t or 24t? JD always made a better bale. We got ours in 1979 brand new and have not had that many problems with it.

 

[old]

Don't want to fight with you but I have been there done that on both and the NH if top of the liner then JD I have owned both and will never go back to a JD. But you probably have not done much on a 14T or 24T and they are good unless you brake a chain then timing is a night mare and yep I have the manual and have BTDT I started out with a 14T when you where still in dippers and still have it but it has long since gone to the parts pile

 

[Stuart]

I have a 336 that was bought brand new, after they came out NH was way behind in tech.

 

[Stuart]

My Dad is 70 and he remembers when the big fight between Jd and nh was going on. Usually the farmer kept the JD

 

[Stuart]

My Dad is 70 and he remembers when the big fight between Jd and nh was going on. Usually the farmer kept the JD

 

[kyhayman]

14T's that are well kept are good, old balers. My next door neighbor has two, one to use and one for parts. IIRC he said he paid 1000 for the good one and 250 for the parts baler. Thats about the limit I'd go on one, but scrap prices are up too.

I've got a 336, dad traded a 14T in on it the first year JD made them. Last year I broke a knotter. Thats the only way I can describe it but its closing in on 40 years old and is on the far side of 200,000 bales. When it went down I borrowed a 275 NH. Everyone has their own bias but I sure missed my 336 the whole time I was using the NH. It was slower, didnt do nearly as good a job in fine hay, and didnt make as pretty a bale. Its third or fourth in line for a trip through the shop before hay season. Right after the skid loader which is hopefully coming out tomorrow, the round baler, and the baler tractor for front spindle thrust bearings but before new wheels on the wheel rake.

 

[buickanddeere]

Some bailers are better than others. However any brand or model of bailer that is worn/broken or out of adjustment isn't going to work.
What brand is your closest dealer?
I'm partial to a 300 series JD bailer.

 

[Farmallhal]

As I mentioned in a similar thread of a few days ago you need to obtain a brand that is well supported in your area by a stocking dealer. We have probably one of the very best New Holland dealers for supporting his products in my part of Missouri. He is a 24/7 dealer when the farmers are in the hay season and keeps an unbelieveable stock of NH new parts and several donor balers in his yard to support his customers. We have a NH 273 square baler and access to a NH 311 as well. We've never been down for more then a couple of hours when something needs fixed in the field which rarely happens. There are some JD 336 square balers around also for those folks who just got to have green paint but just a small fraction compared to the New Holland balers. There is a lot of IHC Farmall tractors in this area from years ago but the couple of IH balers I know still around have been replaced with New Hollands due to the lack of a decent CaseIH dealer anywhere close who has anything other then a part not available catalog. So I would suggest check your dealer support before buying anything unless you purchase a new one. My 2 cents worth, Hal.

 

[Erik Ks farmer]

The Massey 12 is a far superior baler to the 68. However, consider price, the amount of hay and the overall condition of the machines.

 

[Bill in Colo]

I would suggest something newer like a 320 New Holland, Lots of small balers in our area for less than 3500 and newer than 1980.We've all gone to large balers square and round. Guys still doing small bales are using 2005 and newer balers,don't seem to be much of a brand preference.

 

[RodinNS]

The NH 68 would be my choice of that pair though I don't see much spectacular about either baler. I'd just sooner deal with a NH dealer on parts than an Agco/Massey dealer...
Either way, clean the baler out and run it through a cycle by hand. Rock the plunger side to side if you can and get a bar under it and lift/rock it around. This is to check for play/wear in the bearings and slides. Look at knife condition and make sure they're not torn to pieces with chunks missing.
Look at the knotters for wear on the twine stripper arms and see how they fit to the billhook. Watch this as they cycle.... You can also hold tension on the twine by pulling some back in the chamber and holding it while the baler goes through a tie cycle. It should still form and tie a know just cycling the baler by hand.
There's a lot of little problems with old balers that are largely cleaned up with some maintenance and adjustment if a person wants to take the time to do it rather than condemn the baler as being no good...

Rod

 

[JayinNY]

No you dont have to be partial, JDs are the best. Tightest most uniform bale. Only JD has the 2 indentations on the bale to keep the twine in place. I guess you mean 300 series small square balers? I have a 346 w/thrower. I wouldent touch a NH baler.