My first round bale

[onefarmer]

Tried a rounder for the first time. Here is my first bale.

Didn't get enough string on it. The bale in the background was the second bale. It came out much better.

I was using this old beast. IH 241 pulled by my Farmall M

It was hard getting the bale started but once it started to roll it would eat pretty good. Found I had three bearings out and a bunch of broke pickup teeth. Now that I know it might work I can start the repairs.

 

[souNdguy]

Nice work. I hope to lear to make hay some day.

How well does that M pull the bailer? About how many rolls you getting / acre.

Soundguy

 

[Kelly Campbell]

You might want to try feeding some hay in a little bit at a time to begin with, then when the bale is started lay it to it, you'll make a better bale and have a easier time with it... Looks good though, even the best balers and opperators have problems.

Kelly

 

[Pair-a-dice farm]

Kelly"s right start out a little slow. Does it have the wide belt in the bottom? I had a Vermeer 706A and you could open up the gate just a little and run just a little hay in and then shut the gate. It would get it turning and fed good from then on.

 

[Lou]

When your stuck in the office working, instead of being out playing those bales look pretty good. What an old baler like that worth, I might hurt myself by buying one.

 

[onefarmer]

Thanks guys, unfortunately I was using the M so no live pto and I found first to be a bit fast to start the bale. Had lots of power. I did have to work the tailgate, run it in and out a few times to get the belts to engage. Those new bearings will help with that some, they are on the rolls. I have several other tractors to choose from but the M was availible at the time and I wanted to play. I rolled up 4 bales out of 6 9foot swaths around a 10acre field. I am curious to find out the equivalant square bales per round. I'll run both balers side by side when I get going. This was the first hay for me this year

 

[onefarmer]

I got this thing for $400. I think I paid too much, but then here in Mich, $500 chainers like Allan talks about are unheard of. Anything like that would go for $1500 or more from what I've seen.

 

[Lou]

Yes , I was thinking about $300. but hay isnt bringing much where im at in northern ny, so why put much into it on a small basis.

 

[onefarmer]

(quoted from post at 10:37:18 06/14/07) Yes , I was thinking about $300. but hay isnt bringing much where im at in northern ny, so why put much into it on a small basis.

I saw one sell for around $700 at auction this spring. I can't remember the exact price. I thought they were nuts. I'd go out of state first for that much and get a better machine.

 

[Jimmy King]

I always had better luck with or with out live PTO and with closed or open throat, to run the tractor about 1/2 throttle until the bale started rolling.

 

[Jimmy King]

Did you have a bale starter in the bale chamber. I had 605A with a bar that hung in the bale chamber with fingers on it, and it would hold the hay until it had enough then it would flip out of the way and the bale would start turning.

 

[centralilbaler]

That bale looks ok. I"ve had several come out that looked much worse. Course , that was several years ago lol

 

[Anonymous-0]

You done great for a first timer. The biggest trick to these old IH balers is criss cross that windrow right of the bat. Feed the outside edges and the middle will take care of its self. You might find in real dry hay that it won't feed through the steel roller in the throat. There is a kit you can get from IH that wraps the roller with a sand paper type material that helps a lot. The newer 2400 has a rubber roller in it to cure that trouble. They are fair machines and will last for years. It will not roll as tight as some newer rollers, but still a fairly good machine. There is also a extra spring kit that will make a tighter bale. Take good care of that big belt in the bottom, they cost about 600 bucks.

 

[Anonymous-0]

looks like a glorious bale! nice work.

 

[Pair-a-dice farm]

Yes it did have the bale starter but if you was baling short hay like bermuda grass it didn't seem to help much. In fescue or orchard grass it baled good unless it got to dry or was to wet. It baled a huge bale I weighed a bale of over ripe fescue that weighed 2500#, bermuda would be some heavier. I've got a massey ferguson now that is the same as a 605H I like it much better.

 

[Allan in NE]

Excellent!

Always like to see a "born again" hay maker. :>)

Put those hay hooks in the barn on a nail. Check 'em in 20 or 30 years just to make sure they are still there. If they are, slam the door. :>)

Allan

 

[Anonymous-0]

I forgot to mention it, but if you don't know these balers do not roll right away. The hay is wadded up to form the core before the upper belts start turning.

 

[Jimmy King]

I have not baled since about 1998, but have a 605F that I bought as a demo in 1981. I should sell it, but haven't