Ih 46 baler advice/input.

[James arrigo]

Hi everyone need some input/advice on a ih model 46 baler that I'm going to look at. First of all I will only be doing around 200 bales a year with it. I have no experience with working on balers or what I should look for when I go look at it. It work well last time it was used 2yrs ago is what the seller said. I can buy it for 400 bucks which it think is fair. Just don't want to buy something that just lets me down when I need it. If it misses a few bales here and there no worries. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Jim.

 

[gene bender]

Your biggest problem with a small baler is not to have the windrows too big they were made for as single mowed swath of 7ft and drive slow so the baler can do it work you will have much better bales and less baler problems. Now everyone seems to be in a big hurry have huge tractor with all the modern stuff just go back to when the baler was made and use it like it was intended on.

 

[Fritz Maurer]

There are lots of more mainstream balers out there for $400. If you have knotter trouble, who's going to work on it? There's too many guys running around M-F-ing I.H. knotters when in fact they are simpler and have fewer moving parts. But they have acquired a stigma which I think is undeserved. Telling you it "ran when parked" is a noncommittal bunch of B.S. that means you're S.O.L. if it baled it's last bale right before you bought it.

 

[Charlie M]

Lots of guys will tell you they hate IH balers and some of us will tell you they will work if you have them adjusted correctly. I have one and it works pretty well. It will easily bale what you are talking about baling. Problem is they are tricky to get right and if you get it you had better get a manual and study it for a while. Biggest problem I have with mine is twine isn't what it used to be. IH knotters use the next bale of hay traveling through the baler to pull the knot off the knotter and if the twine has a thin spot it will break and leave the knot. I've been using 9000 twine but have been thinking 7200 might work better. The manual does't recommend plastic. A model 46 has been around a long time and could have a lot of wear. They aren't worth buying new parts, if they're is still some around due to cost.

 

[Al L. in Wisc.]

Search on utube for IH 46 balers and watch the various videos. Shows you things to check before buying.

 

[a_lead]

It could be that it will serve you well or it could be flat plumb worn out.

We had one when I grew up on the farm in the 1960's and 70's. It was the only baler I can remember us having and I'm not sure if it was bought new but my guess is yes. That would make it 55 years old if not older. If it averaged 1000 bales a year that means it has baled 55,000 bales + - during it's life so far. I know that some years we probably baled 7,500 bales of hay & straw. We added a no. 10 bale kicker to it that added to the stress and wear on it.

Look it over good. Check for welds on the tongue area, look to see how egged out the hole in the tongue is and the wagon hitch is. If you buy it see if you can find a neighbor that has some loose hay laying in a barn that you can run thru it to see how well it ties so you will know before hand if it needs some work.

Good Luck. Edward

 

[dhermesc]

Have them show you its working. If nothing else I would bring three bales with you to run through it. Sounds like a PIA but $400 could only be the beginning of what you spend on that baler. If it makes a couple bales in a row right out of storage for what you want it for it will probably be fine. If it can't make and tie bale I would pass and never think about it again.

 

[derwen1959]

ivor from uk here and 40 years ago I used to work at IH dealer and the 46 baler was good but there are things you need to check
the ram and stationary knife need to be checked for edge also the string knifes
also when the 2 edges meet there should not be excessive clearance otherwise the ram needs to be tightened
the auger drive belt needs to be checked for condition
also very important is to check the cam and rollers inside the pickup reel as there used to fail making replacement a fairly big job
also the needles need checking for excessive wear in the string holes
if there is a problem where the knotter misses every 3 or 4 bales it could be the string retainer broken
there are more things but after 40 years I may have forgotten something
I have just remembered
universal joints in shaft and tires as they are probably very old and my value on an old machine would be scrap value
are shear bolts still available?
that's about it

 

[derwen1959]

check condition of slipclutches

 

[redforlife]

Whether or not the baler has been kept inside is probly a bigger deal than how it worked when last used. Being kept outside can cause all kinds of problems when you go to use them again. Look at the needles and knotters and make sure nothing has been bent, broke, or welded.

 

[derwen1959]

check gearbox oil

 

[pete 23]

One of the biggest problems with the knotters on the original 46 balers was that the disk timing was not adjustable to any degree. When it starts to wear a little , the disk timing gets late. This affects twine placement and holding of the twine by the keeper blade BUT the main thing is it affects the twine knife timing. A late knife that doesn't cut the twine completely will cause knot pull out off the bill hook. Washers adjust the knife but it is still not like having the disk where it needs to be.

IH went to a tapered drive on the disk gear and you could then adjust the timing any where you want it and that was a big help. They also added a twine end retainer spring that really makes a difference. When they tie good a man cannot keep up with the bales coming out of the back of them things in good hay.

No banana's either . Speaking of banana, I just moved a couple straw bales in the barn a couple days ago. Sure enough, banana from a New Holland. Not bad but one side was much more heavily packed than the other.

 

[mijohn]

I had a forty six, Ok baler. Now have two 47s, really not much different Knoters. I've found that you have to keep twine knife sharp! That is biggest problem with McCormick knotters. Deering has a moving knife. More parts and more movement. Mr McCormick didn't like that, so told Mr. Deering that he could keep his when they dropped the Deering binders. Deering sold Lic. to anyone that needed and liked his knotter. By the 50s and 60s just about everyone else was using Deering knotters. I run my balers a little slower and that seem to tie find. Nice quiet running machine.

 

[WellWorn]

I have a 46 baler that I paid more than 400 for, but when local dealers were asking 5 to 8 times that for a New Holland of nearly equal vintage but worse condition, even though the 46 needed significant work, I considered it a "good deal" for the few hundred bales I intended to make annually. Besides, it looks "proper" behind an old red tractor.

I've found that most parts are still available for the 46. I had to replace u-joints on the packer/knotter drive shaft; I made a new drive rod for the U-bar (for the needles) because the original had broken and been welded, and the inside knotter casting is worn because it looks like one zerk was consistently missed over the decades, but it still ties most bales. I'm ordering a replacement knotter casting this year, and will bush the old one to new specs (as a spare).

I've also used a JD 24T, and NH x69 balers, and learned that other than a few lemons most manufacturers have had at one time or another it's not so much the color of the equipment, but the care it's had over the years and knowing (or figuring out) what adjustments you need to make for the hay you are putting up.

As noted above, take some hay and have it make some bales. If it works as advertised, I wouldn't hesitate to drop 400 for it.

Good luck.

 

[Dave O'Brien]

Along with the above items mentioned to look for is the bushing in the flywheel for the shear bolt. They were made to be replaceable but in some cases the threads in the flywheel became stripped allowing the bushing to wallow around. Keeping the twine knives sharpened and adjusted is also something that will creep up on you. I'd go for it if it were me. Anything would be better than an IH 45 though. I'll put up hay loose before trying to deal with one of those again.