used a JD 214 for years behind my 8N. Now, some will tell you "none", because 8N is too small, too light, has not live PTO. Bigger & live PTO is better, but if you learn how to operate, including the lighter windrows, etc. many thousands of bales have been done with small baler & 8N.
Del Huebner
Member
Some good info on Balers in the Manuals section on the other "N" Ford site.
Ultradog MN
Well-known Member
- Location
- Twin Cities
Yes it can be done and has been done.
Would I do it? No.
Even on a 14T or 214 I'd want at least 40 HP and live power.
Would I do it? No.
Even on a 14T or 214 I'd want at least 40 HP and live power.
Colin King
Well-known Member
Love the photo!
Colin, MN
Colin, MN
They will not handle a square baler that is pto driven. We spent many hours trying to bale hay with one of those ##%%#@# dam things and a fairly new 14t baler. That was in the early 1960's on fairly flat ground. Baler would never tie until we unhooked it and put it behind dads D17.
old
Well-known Member
- Location
- Camdenton Missouri
There are a number reason baling with an 8N does not work well. Yes it can be done and has been but it works the life out of the tractor and can be unsafe.
#1 the baler is almost as heavy as the tractor so hills can be deadly.
#2 The horse power of the 8N is not really high enough to run a baler well.
#3 lack of live PTO make it hard to bale with. '
#4 due to the light weight of the 8N when baling you will feel like your in a rocking chair that your grand kids are behind and pushing you super hard and fast.
I own a 841 Ford which is much bigger and will not use it to bale with due to lack of live PTO and also not being heavy enough to stop the rocking chair effect.
#1 the baler is almost as heavy as the tractor so hills can be deadly.
#2 The horse power of the 8N is not really high enough to run a baler well.
#3 lack of live PTO make it hard to bale with. '
#4 due to the light weight of the 8N when baling you will feel like your in a rocking chair that your grand kids are behind and pushing you super hard and fast.
I own a 841 Ford which is much bigger and will not use it to bale with due to lack of live PTO and also not being heavy enough to stop the rocking chair effect.
old
Well-known Member
- Location
- Camdenton Missouri
By the way I do bale both big round bales and small square bales and have been doing so since 1980. Learned for a good ride and a safe ride bigger to a point is better. Most of the time I use my Oliver 7 or my A/C D-17 to pull my NH271 square baler. But I do have a few hills in the field so not having the baler push you around is a big plus
Colin King
Well-known Member
There's rest for winter weary eyes on the way. Going to set out a few "test" maple taps on Monday.
Colin
Colin
tractorguy2
Well-known Member
I had neighbor years back. He had three acres of
oats he baled for his horse. He had an 8n and a new
Holland PTO square baler that was made in the 50's
or early 60's. I asked him once how well it worked.
He said "well it takes time!".
oats he baled for his horse. He had an 8n and a new
Holland PTO square baler that was made in the 50's
or early 60's. I asked him once how well it worked.
He said "well it takes time!".
t is just amazing! Guy ask what baler to use behind 8N. Few good responses. Many clearly cant read or have sheet for brains. He didnt ask, If I have a bigger, more modern tractor, should I use it. He didnt ask, if I have $50,000 to spend on a bailer tractor, should I. He didnt ask what tractor should I use of my many if I am disabled and sucking on the tax payer's you know what but still able enough to run the eqmt to bale hay. READ THE FRIGGIN QUESTION!!!
Tom New Jersey
Member
I have tried it just for kicks, only flat land and a small baler with a motor. A PTO 14T was still too much.
TheOldHokie
Well-known Member
- Location
- Myersville, MD 21773
Over the course of 30 odd years my Grandfather, his brother, and my uncle put up 10's of thousands of bales of hay with an 8N, Jubilee, and NH Super 66 PTO driven baler. It wasn't flat land and it killed his brother but it didn't stop him from getting the hay in the barns....
TOH
Ultradog MN
Well-known Member
- Location
- Twin Cities
So, taking your own advice, do you have any suggestions for 8nsyes?
Ed S.
Well-known Member
- Location
- Middle Tennessee
Until I bought a larger loader tractor that I now use on the baler, I baled 11 acres of alfalfa with my 8N and a NH Hayliner 68 (PTO), and it works just fine. My ground is flat with a mild grade at one end, so the tractors working a bit coming back uphill with the rack almost full. I rake my windrows on the light side (two rows into one) and we only put about 100 bales on the rack at a time.
Breaking sod will work your tractor harder than baling hay, but you also need to be more aware of the limitations of using an N to bale (most have been covered above). Since you don't have live hydraulics, if you start to choke the baler, you have to quickly bounce the clutch to shift into neutral so the baler can clear. Not rocket surgery, and guess what? You can plug the baler with live hydraulics, too!
Here's a short video of us baling with the N: yootoob link
es
Breaking sod will work your tractor harder than baling hay, but you also need to be more aware of the limitations of using an N to bale (most have been covered above). Since you don't have live hydraulics, if you start to choke the baler, you have to quickly bounce the clutch to shift into neutral so the baler can clear. Not rocket surgery, and guess what? You can plug the baler with live hydraulics, too!
Here's a short video of us baling with the N: yootoob link
es
Ultradog MN
Well-known Member
- Location
- Twin Cities
[i:654c4848f0]"Since you don't have live hydraulics"[/i:654c4848f0]
You mean since you don't have live hydraulics OR live pto.
You mean since you don't have live hydraulics OR live pto.
Indiana Ken
Well-known Member
As a kid dad had an 8N and after buying another farm and another kid coming of age he added a Massy Harris 50, the big tractor.
My older brother did custom baling and we used the big tractor, I drove and he loaded. We did approximately 30K bales per year,(at 10 cents per bale loaded on a wagon). When it become time to harvest wheat and oats, dad took the big tractor for the pull type combine. That meant the 8N went on the baler and production continued - we didn't know any better.
The 8N was used with three different balers, all smaller model square type - sorry I do not remember the model numbers. The first baler dad bought was a Ford, later was a John Deere and last was a New Holland. We did not do custom work with the New Holland however we did use it on the 8N for our own hay/straw.
To your question: the John Deere had the flywheel mounted on the side with a very heavy crank arm to drive the plunger. It tended to decrease forward speed then increase forward speed as that unbalanced arm rotated. The Ford and the New Holland balers had front mounted flywheels and run smoother. I would suggest more important than the baler is the size of the windrow. The little Ford does not have live PTO and you need to keep the windrows smaller, since you don't want to have to stop to let the baler clean out. Stopping to clean out requires some good clutch work to keep from throwing bales off the wagon. We would always tell our customs - keep the windrows smaller - the big tractor is on the combine.
Have a good time - the 8N can run a baler no problem.
My older brother did custom baling and we used the big tractor, I drove and he loaded. We did approximately 30K bales per year,(at 10 cents per bale loaded on a wagon). When it become time to harvest wheat and oats, dad took the big tractor for the pull type combine. That meant the 8N went on the baler and production continued - we didn't know any better.
The 8N was used with three different balers, all smaller model square type - sorry I do not remember the model numbers. The first baler dad bought was a Ford, later was a John Deere and last was a New Holland. We did not do custom work with the New Holland however we did use it on the 8N for our own hay/straw.
To your question: the John Deere had the flywheel mounted on the side with a very heavy crank arm to drive the plunger. It tended to decrease forward speed then increase forward speed as that unbalanced arm rotated. The Ford and the New Holland balers had front mounted flywheels and run smoother. I would suggest more important than the baler is the size of the windrow. The little Ford does not have live PTO and you need to keep the windrows smaller, since you don't want to have to stop to let the baler clean out. Stopping to clean out requires some good clutch work to keep from throwing bales off the wagon. We would always tell our customs - keep the windrows smaller - the big tractor is on the combine.
Have a good time - the 8N can run a baler no problem.
Ed S.
Well-known Member
- Location
- Middle Tennessee
Yep, them too! (apparently I had a dead short between the keyboard and the floor)
es
Scott(Ks.)
Member
I know that no one does it anymore, but I baled thousands of bales with the little Allis Chalmers round baler. It matched up well to my 51 8N. I was kind of small time, 160 acres and kept 30 cows. I also worked shifts in town so I could bale and go to work and not worry about rain.
The small round balers were quite popular here in NE Kansas at one time.
The small round balers were quite popular here in NE Kansas at one time.
Similar threads
We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.
Copyright © 1997-2025 Yesterday's Tractor Co.
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.
Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters
Website Accessibility Policy