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Inexspensive Round Baler

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H

Hittleconstruction

Member
I am looking to buy an Inexpensive(2K or less) round baler for my 1st, 2nd maybe 3rd cutting of alfalfa. And once in awhile my grass pasture. I am on very low budget to get things going on baling round. I am sure it will be a twine tie unit.
So my questions are?

Are some better than other for type of harvest?

Should i make sure it has a monitor?

Is there a brand/style that is easier to maintain than others?

What to look at for worn part - Belts - bearings
 
Weeellll Hittle, lets see what sort of replies you get here. You did something that many dont, which is you set a budget ($2,000). On the other hand, what most beginning round baler guys do that you did NOT do is specify desired bale size, terrain, tractor model you plan to use, volume of bales annually, your geographic location, and maybe another thing or two ive forgotten about like a preference for a belt baler or a chain baler and the proximity of a dealer (got some bad news for you....at your budget, you will become a frequent flyer at your local dealer). Anyway, in absence of those critical details, I would spitball the New Holland 85X series chain balers or perhaps the older Vermeer balers (C or F series). In my area, there are not really any John Deere balers in your price range except the 400-410 and 500-510 balers which are just one level above scrap. You may find an older little New Idea baler if you are lucky.
 
If you could raise your budget by another $1000 you could get a New Idea 483 (4x4) or 485 (4x5). They were a pretty simple and reliable little baler. They were also sold as CaseIH. Other than that your next pick will be a NH 851 or 849. Do not buy an early Deere,IH 241,IH 2400 and even the New Holland 850's were not great. Tom
 
just about anything in that price range is gonna be worn out and next to worthless.
At least around my area (central WI). Been watching prices at online auctions and dealer websites and 2000 is not a very realistic number.
Should at least double it and still expect to get something that will require plenty of work and/or patience to operate.
If you are lucky you might find an older NH chain baler but the 85x series will typically be 500 to 1000 more than what you want to spend and the 84x stuff is getting pretty long in the tooth.....
 
have a new idea 486 round baler. They are soft center baler. I pull mine with 1655 oliver in some pretty hilly ground. Would not want anything smaller on it, Tractor has fluid in rear wheels and weight is needed when on hills and baler is full. In my area you can pick these up for around your budget. Gives tractor pretty good workout
 
Thanks everyone for your input. Sounds like I forgot some information. First is i am new to this, I am learning as I go and with help from people like you. I am mechanical so working a little doesn't bother me to much. Just trying not to end up with a boat anchor. I am using a 1970 970 Case diesel, I am on mild inclines and terraces. I guess i was thinking a 5x5. But flexible. Never been around a round baler so there is that. I try to buy from people that have upgraded so its been used in the last year or so. Maybe an auction. But as someone said they are going to high.

So it sounds like NH and Vermeer might be what to look at?
 
I got my roller Gehl in that price range but it would grind alfalfa pretty badly. Belt Gehl's are getting down there now but parts are a problem with gehl ag being a dead entity. Soft core belt baler in ok shape might be in that range now.
 
I had the same price range when I was looking a few years ago. Finally found a Vermeer 504F that was in decent shape. Got it for $800 and only had to put a few bearings and teeth on it over the last few years. I traded it in this year on a 504 Super I just because I wanted something that was a little newer and better. Most on the 504F, G, and Hs seem to bee in the $1500 - $2000 in my area right now. For starting out, thats what I would look at if you have a good Vermeer dealer.
 
Thanks for your input. Sounds like I forgot some information. First is i am new to this, I am learning as I go and with help from people like you. I am mechanical so working a little doesn't bother me to much. Just trying not to end up with a boat anchor. I am using a 1970 970 Case diesel, I am on mild inclines and terraces. I guess i was thinking a 5x5. But flexible. Never been around a round baler so there is that. I try to buy from people that have upgraded so its been used in the last year or so. Maybe an auction. But as someone said they are going to high.

So it sounds like NH and Vermeer might be what to look at?
 
If you'd want a NH chain type baler they are usually cheap,I have 8 of the NH 851 balers 4 runners 4 part machines,most I have paid was $800 for one just out of the shop in excellent condition, most have been in the $300-$500 range,one was $50.Also bought a NH 847 for $900 in like new condition,used it a couple years neighbor kept after it offering pretty good $$$$ so he got it.Saw a good looking NH 847 sell last month for $1100 I bid $1000 didn't need it.
 
Take a look on auctiontime.com as there are lots of balers listed there. Find one that fits your needs/budget and go take a look at it and talk to the owner. Have been round baling for nearly 50 years and only ever used Gehl, Vermeer, Hesston, and John
Deere. Gehl was the first ever and it did a decent job. Never used it enough to answer questions about durability, etc. Only ever used a Vermeer one time and thought it was a big disappointment, but maybe because it hadn't been maintained. Baled quite a bit with a Hesston which was son's purchased new as a second baler and it did a decent job and had automatic tie which was a plus. Most experience was with JD balers from 530 models up to and including 568. All did a good job and were pretty maintenance free, although any baler requires new teeth, new belts, chains and sprockets and new bearings now and then. Balers have been vastly improved over the years, as has most machinery. Good luck with your endeavor.
 
Chain balers grind up the leaves on alfalfa. Around here a working one goes $4000 anyhow.

I bought my 605f Vermeer for $1600 years ago. I rarely see a round baler go less than $4000 around here, even stuff that doesnt look like it would work without a lot of repairs. Hay making is a road ditch and wet spots deal here, everyone wants a blazer for little jobs, so the prices are high.

Good luck!
 
Take a look at an OMC 590 or 595 or 596. (sale as Gehl 1310 or 1710). Soft core bale. Simple, many in your neck of the woods. Does take a lot of HP. I run a 595 with 70 PTO HP.
No monitor, twine tie. I make all grass hay. Not sure about alfalfa with this baler.
 
I have a Gehl that I bought 10 years ago in that price range. Never been outside, still with shiney paint. I was in the same situation as you when I got it. with a little practice it makes a pretty darn good bale. Gehl gets a bad name on here because they have abandoned their ag equipment. But in 10 years I've never needed a part that TSC didnt have. Chains, u joints, belts, bearings, sprockets are the main things you'd need, all of which are available.
 
Soft core / fixed chamber balers dont compress the centre as they build a bale, the hay tumbles inside and gets packed as more and more goes in. Im more familiar with the roller and krone type chain/slat fixed chamber balers but Im sure Ive seen belt models too. They are less desirable to most folks as the bales look sloppy and are maybe 20% lighter. We never have moisture/dust problems though and the critters eat them fine.
 
It doesn't grind up any other leaves so why would it grind up alfalfa leaves.Biggest two problems with chain balers,people don't run them right and don't rake near big enough windrows.Personally I'm happy with that would much rather buy a good baler for $500 than have to spend $5000 or more.
 
Yes, I dont need fancy. dont care what i looks like or what color it is. Just a good solid machine that can roll alfalfa and grass, with good tight bales.
 
If you are going to sell hay, you need a pretty bale, solid core. Chain balers make rough looking bales. If you are going to feed it a soft core baler will be much cheaper to buy and the animals will love it. Check out the M&W, and OMC.
 
(quoted from post at 09:00:03 05/04/21) If you are going to sell hay, you need a pretty bale, solid core.
Click to expand...

This is true in my area. Pretty bales full of poor hay will sell better than good hay in a poor looking bale. Also if you're going to sell, 4' wide are what everyone around here wants so you can haul them on the road at 8' wide
 
True here as well. 4ft pretty bale.. also avoid old closed throat balers. A jammed baler is a nasty mess. Old smooth or worn belts can
make starting a bale difficult in slick grass hay. All these issues make the price of a suitable used baler go higher.
 
The chain balers are well liked for baling corn stalks around here by the old slow folk, handle stalks better than other old balers.

With so much of the bale exposed as it spins around, it is natural more alfalfa leaves will get knocked off and fall out of the bale onto the ground and lost. Same really for grass hay, but we dont notice as much with grass bales. They bale the alfalfa fine, but you do lose a small bit of protein with them. Enough to bother? Grade A high volume dairy farmers it matters a lot, beef feeder probably doesnt matter too much. In either case the small operator is nearly gone here, need a $35,000 new Green or Yellow round baler to keep up the volume and quality wanted these days.

I enjoy the slower pace folk on this forum often have, but just pointing out the differences of the balers.

You will lose a few alfalfa leaves with a chain baler. Since this used to be a 40-120 head dairy region, chain balers were abandoned as soon as the belt balers came out. Dairy farmers want all the leaves they can capture. If you are doing higher quality alfalfa, it might matter.

Im using a Vermeer 605F baler to bale the poorer quality stuff here (lots of rain in my area) and I small square the better stuff for more value. So Im good with using an older round baler that doesnt do the best quality.

Just as you are looking for Im guessing.

Just mentioning the differences so you can understand which and what has its stronger and weaker points.

Paul
 
I bought a Massey Ferguson 1560 ( same as a Vermeer F) last year for just under your budget price. Great round baler and has been trouble free. I had never run a round baler before either and that thing made it easy. Nice tight bales. You should be able to find something that will suit your needs in that budget just fine
 
(quoted from post at 11:23:08 05/03/21) I am looking to buy an Inexpensive(2K or less) round baler for my 1st, 2nd maybe 3rd cutting of alfalfa. And once in awhile my grass pasture. I am on very low budget to get things going on baling round. I am sure it will be a twine tie unit.
So my questions are?

Are some better than other for type of harvest?

Should i make sure it has a monitor?

Is there a brand/style that is easier to maintain than others?

What to look at for worn part - Belts - bearings
Click to expand...

Some balers; chain type and skinny belt models can be miserable to use if trying to bale straw that comes out of a rotary combine but if all you plan on baling is grass and alfalfa most can make a decent bale.

As far as a monitor goes some are as basic as an arm on the baler you view out the back window, some have a simple light or buzzer that activates in the cab when the bale is ready to tie.
More modern ones will do everything from telling you which side of the bale needs more material, let you know the size, some will give you moisture readings as you go, full auto will even tie the bale for you then let you know with a beep that it is time to eject it. For a small operation a simple visual indicator on the baler is sufficient.

Any baler will need repairs and maintenance, it stands to reason the more bells, whistles and features it has the more that can go wrong.

As far as what to look at goes;
-condition of belts and lacing
-condition of fingers on the pick up
-condition of chains and sprockets
-look for cracks in the side panels of the bale chamber
-PTO shaft and associated u-joints and or cv joints
-gearbox leaks
-slop in twine tie arm bushings
-condition of hydraulic hoses
-run it if you can and listen to the bearings, a simple infrared thermometer can be used to quickly check if any bearings are getting warm.

I think you will be able to find something within your budget, if you were closer I have a Vermeer 605H I would sell for that and I even have a parts machine to go with it.
 
I had a Hesston and 2 JD rollers over the years. The Hesston was problematic. the JDs have served me well....keep the chains lubed, park it out of the weather...sun and rain, take the tension off the belts when not in use....just crack the gate lift cylinder before you shut the tractor off and remove the hyd. lines......parts are overnight from your JD dealer.....pretty much regardless of age or model number.

The only reason I had 2 JD balers is because when I retired I downsized my equipment and went from a 5x6 down to a 5x4 essentially cutting the bale weight in half for the new tractor with half the HP.

I like the 8, 3 ply, diamond pattern belts with the Alligator grips. Almost indestructable.
 
Both mine I bought for the same $5k with about 20 years of age and who knows how many thousands of bales, purchases some 20 years apart. I consider that cheap when you price out a new one.
 
I just got a New Idea 486 for $2000. I'm pulling it with a JD 2640. Used it for the first time last week to bale first cut orchard grass and alfalfa. All in all worked well. My monitor is just a tie switch and a bale full light. The light stays on even when empty so that needs work. Only made 13 bales and last was much better than first. So far I would say I'm happy with my purchase. I kind of expected the twine to actually tie off somehow But all mine does is wrap around and leave a loose tale. Maybe someone could tell me if that is normal.
 
(quoted from post at 10:03:49 06/01/21) I just got a New Idea 486 for $2000. I'm pulling it with a JD 2640. Used it for the first time last week to bale first cut orchard grass and alfalfa. All in all worked well. My monitor is just a tie switch and a bale full light. The light stays on even when empty so that needs work. Only made 13 bales and last was much better than first. So far I would say I'm happy with my purchase. I kind of expected the twine to actually tie off somehow But all mine does is wrap around and leave a loose tale. Maybe someone could tell me if that is normal.
Click to expand...

Yes that is correct and normal, no round baler that I know of has a mechanism that actually ties a knot like a square baler does.
 
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