Hay equipment for starting small acreage

[Goldenacres]

Looking at haying about 20 acres. Was set on getting an NH 273 or similar, but a family friend offered this JD rake and baler to us for $400 each or $700 together.

They have been sitting in the barn unused for 10+ yrs. He said last time he used it, it baled pretty well but misses a knot every 20 bales and you have to pull the bale out to get it going again. He doesn't think the rake had any issues. He said he used to bale 1000 bales a year with them.

He was pretty sure the baler is a 24T, I was talking to him on the phone while his wife showed them to us. I couldn't find the model number on it, but I am not sure I looked very well at the back which is where it appears to be on these. I could not read the serial/model number on the rake, found them but they are illegible now.

Should I get these? Otherwise I also looked at a 273 NH that appears to be in working order, and baled with last year with minimal rust. Dealer is asking $2500.

We have a NH 50 HP.

 

[Goldenacres]

For some reason I can't post images says I am a spam bot when I try and post them...

 

[Tony in SD]

My random thoughts: I know nothing of JD balers or rakes (except a dump rake). I used our NH a lot before buying a CaseIH in-line baler. The NH performed well. All balers will miss knots from time to time but
every 20 bales seems excessive to me. Depending on your yield and bale size, you could fix between10 to 30 bales in 20 acres with the JD. Who knows about the NH? Knoters can be the most frustrating thing to
fix on a baler. Im not sure what your purpose is but Im assuming that 20 acres is a hobby. So if you had to mess around fixing balers & knots, its not the end of the world. But if 20 acres is a starter plot and you
plan to get bigger, I would get the more dependable of the 2. You should also consider parts availability in your area. $400 seems to be a bargain price for a JD 24T. If you dont like it you are only out $400.

 

[DavidP,South Wales]

Hi, Id largely agree with Tony. One in twenty is far too high a failure rate.........and that is only what you have been told. We didnt have a 273 model in the UK but we actually had a 274 which Im guessing may be very similar. With sisal cord it was very reliable for the small amount of work it did. Not the fastest of balers but you could at least keep going with a good degree of certainty that you would finish the field. The time will come when you are struggling to bale a field when the weather is threatening and you have to stop every 20 bales or so to drag a bale out. In fairness to the JD could you get it out and give it a run before committing yourself financially?
DavidP, South Wales

 

[Hay hay hay]

The 20 acres will produce 1000 bales + or -. Those old balers have baled millions of bales...but slowly. The NH273 could have knotter
problems too, or suddenly develop them. Most of us that do hay are used to a steady stream of minor repairs and adjustments to our
equipment. $700 seems like a fast and easy way to try it to see if you really want to be in the hay business. Around here you could always
get your money back at those prices. Any half usable bar rake will bring $700.

 

[Bruce from Can.]

Buy them both at that price. Even if you had to put
4-500 bucks into the baler having a dealer
mechanic sort out the balers knotters, you still have
a good working rake and baler then for maybe
$1,200. Sounds pretty reasonable to me. You say
20 acres, and you probably wont cut it all in one
cutting. So 5 acres to bale in four different baling
sessions, who cares if it isnt as fast as a modern
baler? It wont cost like one either.

 

[Tx Jim]

$400 is very cheap for a small sq baler or side delivery rake. JD 24T tying problems should be not too difficult to repair. i see no reason hay requires removal from bale chamber everytime a knot is not tied. Removing hay from chamber when knot is not tyed is unnecessary labor[/code]

 

[jaoneill]

I agree; no need whatsoever to pull hay out. As has been said before, I would jump on the $700 deal; either machine alone would sell for more than that around here and still be a bargain.

 

[showcrop]

one every twenty means that it works but needs most likely a little adjustment. I had a JD 336 and the potential problems are VERY predictable. All the same take a couple bales and get it powered up and make sure that it will still tie before buying it.

 

[Briar Hill Brittanys]

IMHO, that's a pretty good deal on the JD rake/baler. Not sure what model rake you're looking at. I bought a 24T that would bale 15-20 then miss a tie. Changed out the drive chains, timed it, adjusted here and there. It's a reliable baler now. The best advice I could give, buy a manual for whatever baler you get.

 

[Geo-TH,In]

If you are new to YT you may be considered a spam
bot until you have made X number of posts.

 

[560Dennis]

Buy it , get something to mow with , to start and wagon s two that way you put up two to three hundred bales a night after work .elevator to put in mow.
Your in business!

 

[NFD17]

Chances are if it sat for ten years or better it need a good clean up,
lubrication, tighten chains etc. the new Holland baler at the dealership
could be in any kind of shape as I seriously doubt any dealer put any
time or manpower into checking out a 40 plus year old baler. I would
buy the JD package and check it all out stem to stern. If it has good
knotters and needles you could get your money back in parts.

 

[paul]

Im a new holland guy, but that is a good deal on the JD equipment.

I could not tolerate a baler that puked every 20th bale, but probsbly doesnt need to much to make it work right. If you cant make it better, it still is worth $400 as is so
you wont lose.

Any old rake will do, mostly, $300 is also a good deal there.

Id buy those, and Id consider trading up on balers sooner than later. Might not have to, but Id keep it in mind.

Paul

 

[paul]

Ive hear 5, maybe 10 posts, and then the pic option works for you.

 

[tomstractorsandtoys]

The 24t is a good little baler. I would take it over the NH as I never liked the NH feeder fingers. We have a 24t with a 30 hydraulic bale thrower which I like better than the NH belt throwers. Get a manual and then go over the knotters. The tying problem can be fixed. There is a dealer called Finger Lakes equipment in NY that specializes in John Deere balers and they have lots of parts and can help with getting your knotters going. I also prefer 7200 baler twine as the quality of the 9000 is often not as good. My 24t only misses a bale when it changes balls of twine. We also have 2 John Deere 640 hay rakes which were factory 4 bar and we added the fifth tooth bar to. Both were put through the shop and had every bearing replaced. Tom

 

[shaun wallace]

I would look for a baler thats 30- 40 years old. NH 273 and JD 14t are 50 - 60 years old. I had a JD224WS that was glad to get rid of, built in early 60s, rebuilt it twice, last time just to get rid of.

 

[Donald Lehman]

The first thing you need to do is closely examine the bale chamber and all of the bracing around the vicinity if the knotters. If the chamber is rusted and metal is flaking way or there is any obvious weakness, run away, don't walk. If the bale chamber and all of the steel is solid around the knotter area, I doubt if there is anything wrong that can't fixed. We have had a 273 NH and a 336 JD among other balers. Nothing wrong with the JD. Our neighbor had a 14T and then a 24T. Can't remember him saying anything bad about them. Another close neighbor had a 24T. Can't ever remember him saying anything bad about his either.

 

[Donald Lehman]

Oh yeah. We had a JD rake for several years, too. We had no complaints with it.

 

[Jim.ME]

You can go down the index to the TEST Forum and make several posts there trying to post your pictures to get your post count up. Or you can go to the SITE COMMENTS Forum and ask for permission to post pictures sooner. Also watch the size of your pictures, 7MB is the maximum in one post be it one picture or the total of several. Some phones take large MB pictures depending on the setting.

 

[Goldenacres]

Thanks for all the comments, seems to reinforce my gut feeling that I should buy the JD and if I can't get the bailer working right I'm out minimal or ahead reselling it.

 

[Goldenacres]

Another forum I posted in a member thinks the rake is a 640 and has a bit of a bent frame. ]

 

[Goldenacres]

And yes this is hobby hay. Not expecting to sell much of it if any. We have had people hay our small fields for us but they are very unreliable and buying square bales has also been unreliable for us, we would like to be self sustainable with hay right now that is just 200-300 year but maybe up to 500 in the future.

Maybe you don't have to pull out the missed knot bale, but I think he said he would stop pull the bale and fix the knot to not waste that missed bale

 

[Goldenacres]

 

[Goldenacres]

Great! Pictures working now, it was the post count blocking them...

 

[Goldenacres]

 

[Dave H (MI)]

I started doing hay 20 years ago with a JD 224T baler, NH 56 rake, a JD #5 sickle and a Farmall SMTA. The implements cost $1500. The tractor was a strong runner and was $4000. The first season paid for it all. I still use all of it except the mower. That was the weak link and I spent a lot of time fixing it. An IH 990 conditioner took care of that. I have also a MF swather with hay rolls on it. I make and sell a lot of hay each year with that old stuff. I can fix all of it if it breaks. Not the age of the equipment so much as the willingness to keep it greased and the ability to maintain it.

 

[JMOR]

(quoted from post at 10:20:30 05/09/21) And yes this is hobby hay. Not expecting to sell much of it if any. We have had people hay our small fields for us but they are very unreliable and buying square bales has also been unreliable for us, we would like to be self sustainable with hay right now that is just 200-300 year but maybe up to 500 in the future.

Maybe you don't have to pull out the missed knot bale, but I think he said he would stop pull the bale and fix the knot to not waste that missed bale

have put thousands of bales through a JD214T & when one fails to tie, it goes on thru & I re-bale it on another pass. As for the knotter in your picture, a good cleaning may be all the fixing it needs. Price? You will be able to almost get your money back as scrap iron if it doesn't work out.

 

[Traditional Farmer]

The rake wouldn't be my first choice but it'll rake hay and it looks like the baler is worth what you are paying for both of them.I'd buy them at that price.

 

[tomstractorsandtoys]

The rake is a 640. It is a four bar and will work. Where are you located? It looks like it has a bad side frame. I have two parts rakes here and even the stuff to add the fifth bar. I am in SW WI. Go over that 24t and you should have good equipment for your small acerage. Good luck. Tom

 

[Goldenacres]

I am in central Indiana

Pretty sure I am going to get the JD rake and baler.

Next decision for a mower.

Was basically set on a new Tar River BDR 6' Drum mower for $4000 with hydraulic lift.

Saw this haybine when I was looking at used equipment. $1500, supposed used last year.
.Wasn't planning on tedding. So not sure if haybine would be better seems to dry faster with it. I was really drawn to the drum mower for it's simplicity and reliability.

 

[Wheat47]

Go for the Deere's. Great price.
Here in S. Central Montana, You can't find a baler under $1500
that isn't junk, or worse!! Same with Rakes, simple, but expensive.
Find an old time baler man and he'll make that 24 tie great.
And yes, get the book!!!
I wished I was a lot closer...I'd love to work on it!!

 

[showcrop]

(quoted from post at 15:27:16 05/09/21) I am in central Indiana

Pretty sure I am going to get the JD rake and baler.

Next decision for a mower.

Was basically set on a new Tar River BDR 6' Drum mower for $4000 with hydraulic lift.

Saw this haybine when I was looking at used equipment. $1500, supposed used last year.
.Wasn't planning on tedding. So not sure if haybine would be better seems to dry faster with it. I was really drawn to the drum mower for it's simplicity and reliability.

I have a 640 rake as well. It appears that the frame piece got backed into then welded. That shouldn't affect its working. In indiana I'll bet that you will need a tedder. Especially with the drum mower. They put the hay down flat with no air in the swath, so drying is very poor unless it is tedded or conditioned.

 

[Hockeygoon]

I bought a 12T baler years ago that would skip every 20th bale - but it would keep tying after missing the one. I made the mistake of letting the local John Deere dealer
work on it. It never tied another bale again.

 

[Goldenacres]

Getting close to starting first cutting!

Have the rake and baler. JD 24T and 668 listed above. 6' Tar River drum mower coming this week with hydraulic lift.

Working on the baler. Before doing anything running it by hand one knotter would tie almost every time and the other would fail ever time with the knot stuck in the billhook.

Bent the wiper arm quite a bit to get it to contact better, improved to intermittently tying right. Switched out the old sisal twine with just 9000/140 poly from TSC. Both knotters seem to be tying well now, have ran it by hand 8/8 knots so far.

Have greased all the zerks.
Put oil in the gear box, I could not figure out were the level plug was and could only find one of the two drain plugs. I ended up just opening the cover on the gear box, sucking all the old oil out with a fluid transfer pump, rinsing with diesel and sucking that up. Then filled with 75w140. The manual says 2.75 quart capacity, but the gear box is totally full with just over a quart? Doesn't make much sense, I put more oil into the fill plug to almost 2 quarts, hopefully I am not overfilled or underfilled(does it hurt to overfill?).

Replaced the broken pickup teeth. Ordered them from Sloan, best price on them I could find.

Filled the rear gear box with grease.

Next need to run it on the tractor and feed some old straw into it to test it further before the first cutting.

Considering readjusting all the timings according to the manual, but I am a little reluctant to change things when it seems to be timed fine right now?

Anything else I should be checking, replacing, etc?


As said above, I will probably need a Tedder, but I think I will try it without for now and keep an eye out for a good deal on a Tedder.

 

[Goldenacres]

Started checking timing according to manual and I am stumped on something that should be obvious.
I need to take the chain off and back on to set the feeder forks position.
I can't get the feeder chain or the main drive chain off. I've removed the tensioners and there is not enough slack to remove the chain. How do you get the chains off? The pickup chain came off easily after removing the tensioner.

 

[jaoneill]

Although there is never any time like the present to learn new things, I might suggest that if the timing is correct that you leave well enough alone. That said, to take a chain off, simply remove the master, or "repair" link.

Jim

 

[Tx Jim]

(quoted from post at 22:21:38 06/06/21)
I can't get the feeder chain or the main drive chain off. I've removed the tensioners and there is not enough slack to remove the chain. How do you get the chains off? The pickup chain came off easily after removing the tensioner.

Most roller chains have a coupler link that one removes a spring clip to enable disassembly of link. When reinstalling coupler closed end of spring clip should be headed same direction that chain travels when machine is operating.

 

[showcrop]

TUCKER FINGERS!!! primarily the drive linkage. Thy are the weak point of the old JDs. I had a 336 for a few years. The main problem was that the chamber top under the knotters was rusted thin so that in heavy hay it would bulge a little and prevent one of the tucker fingers from working. I fixed it by cutting out some thin metal and welding 3/4 angle stock along beside the opening that the needles come up through.

 

[Goldenacres]

Great, found the master link and have the feeder forks re-timed. Book calls for 14.25-16.25. Closest I can get is 16.75 from adjusting the feeder chain, think that will be ok (they were way off at 24")

Next need to time the needles as those are off quite a bit too, the chains are so dirty it's really hard to find those master links.

I will look at the tucker fingers after that.