Round baler comparison

[Texasmark]

I have a JD baler and have been thinking about getting another. I have looked at about 3 older and newer Vermeer balers in 4x5 and 5x6 sizes and have developed some opinions. I am interested in comments any of you folks might have about the purchase of either and the advantages and disadvantages of them as it pertains to your opinion and operation if used. When I get a few replies I'll throw in my 2 cents worth.
Thanks.

 

[m16ty]

What models are you looking at? JD and Vermeer makes some good balers, but older ones of either brand have some issues.

 

[Tx Jim]

IMHO JD rd balers 467/567 through 469/569 models are some of the very best rd balers JD has built. Mega-wide pickup was a very large improvement over regular pickup that required converging wheels to operate well. My two 467 MWPU both baled 30,000 bales respectively. I personally don't like the hyd tension systems on JD rd balers that are limited to 5 ft diameter & smaller bales. I know very little about Vermeer rd balers but one only sees a small percentage of Vermeer rd balers in the field baling in my area compared to JD rd balers. I'd choose a baler capable of making 6 ft diameter bales & make 5ft diameter bales if that was the bale size I wanted. My neighbor has a '23 Vermeer 604R that has given a lot of net wrapping problems.

 

[DanielW]

Though I'm not too familiar with the newest models of each, my opinion has always been that Deere makes the best round balers, but they're very closely followed by Vermeer, and for some operators Vermeer may be preferable. Deere makes an uber-sold, no-nonsense, robust baler that can really gobble the hay. Vermeers are sometimes a little lighter built in certain areas (but usually still heavy where it counts). Not sure if this applies to the latest models, but Vermeer has always been great at getting more done with less HP whereas Deeres really gobble the HP. Vermeer's engineering department isn't afraid to try new things and pioneer new design aspects, and for that reason I have a soft spot for Vermeer.

In comparison to these two, I don't have much patience for New Holland rounds. Ok balers, but nothing to write home about. I've heard good things about Massey/Challenger, and one coworker raves about his Claas that he got last year to replace his Deere, but I don't have any direct experience with Massey or Claas balers myself.

 

[SETX]

I have a JD baler and have been thinking about getting another. I have looked at about 3 older and newer Vermeer balers in 4x5 and 5x6 sizes and have developed some opinions. I am interested in comments any of you folks might have about the purchase of either and the advantages and disadvantages of them as it pertains to your opinion and operation if used. When I get a few replies I'll throw in my 2 cents worth.
Thanks.

I run two JD 469 MegaWide Plus balers. Both bought new in 2019, and each has around 12,000 bales through them. I haven't had the first problem out of either. Prior to those I had JD 530 balers. I have a neighbor with a Vermeer and He has had good luck with it as well. The model number escapes me.
On occasion we help each other bale. The 469's will run circles around the Vermeer.

I've looked at a Claas and it scares me the number of moving parts in that baler. Makes a nice roll though.

Red

 

[Tx Jim]

Daniel
I disagree that JD rd balers gobble HP. When air conditioning compressor clutch failed on my JD 4255 I've operated my JD467 with my Kubota M7040(64 pto hp) making 4X5.5rd bales @ 6 MPH baling raked windrows that contained three 9'3'' swaths raked together making over 2 bales per acre. My neighbor that owns a JD 468 & Vermeer 604R told me that the JD would bale hay faster than the Vermeer.

 

[Texasmark]

I started with a Hesston 5560 as I recall....5x6 baler with 4" smooth patterned belts......really hard to start a roll with it and couldn't wait to get rid of it.

I've had 2 JDs.....that gobble up hay, a 530 (5x6) and current 375 (5x4) because I downsized my operation from a larger farming operation I had after I retired from my day job. The JD balers I have had are reliable and simplistic in parts count and doo-dads. My 375 only has 3 cylinders, 2 for the gate and one for the tie arm. JD paint stays on and have had little to no rust develop. Even though I bought used, older balers, few failures have occurred. Belts are 3 ply Diamond pattern and do a good job of grabbing hay. Pretty much any baler you see operating around here is a JD.

The Vermeers that I have looked at are rusted and have all these cylinders and hoses and gadgets that can go wrong. One I looked at the undercarriage area looked to be in such bad shape from rust I wondered how it stayed together. I guess it was a Northern machine and saw a lot of road salt.....but you don't bale hay with ice on the road so I never figured that one out.

I looked at a 12 year old 4510 with about 4,000 bales rolled yesterday, and it was already rusting in places (my 1991 375 has no visible rust). Checking the belts they were 3 ply but didn't have the aggressive Diamond pattern like my JDs. Having run non Diamond vs Diamond pattern belts, I'll take the Diamond hands down. I don't know how many hyd. cylinders were on it but hyd. hoses were all over the place. One I was looking at years ago, a 5x6 baler forget the number, the owner said that he has had nothing but problems with it. While on his property I couldn't help but notice he had a nice new shiny JD sitting in a shed.

So, I think I will just stay with what works for me. Thanks for the replies.

 

[dcarp]

I started with a Hesston 5560 as I recall....5x6 baler with 4" smooth patterned belts......really hard to start a roll with it and couldn't wait to get rid of it.

I've had 2 JDs.....that gobble up hay, a 530 (5x6) and current 375 (5x4) because I downsized my operation from a larger farming operation I had after I retired from my day job. The JD balers I have had are reliable and simplistic in parts count and doo-dads. My 375 only has 3 cylinders, 2 for the gate and one for the tie arm. JD paint stays on and have had little to no rust develop. Even though I bought used, older balers, few failures have occurred. Belts are 3 ply Diamond pattern and do a good job of grabbing hay. Pretty much any baler you see operating around here is a JD.

The Vermeers that I have looked at are rusted and have all these cylinders and hoses and gadgets that can go wrong. One I looked at the undercarriage area looked to be in such bad shape from rust I wondered how it stayed together. I guess it was a Northern machine and saw a lot of road salt.....but you don't bale hay with ice on the road so I never figured that one out.

I looked at a 12 year old 4510 with about 4,000 bales rolled yesterday, and it was already rusting in places (my 1991 375 has no visible rust). Checking the belts they were 3 ply but didn't have the aggressive Diamond pattern like my JDs. Having run non Diamond vs Diamond pattern belts, I'll take the Diamond hands down. I don't know how many hyd. cylinders were on it but hyd. hoses were all over the place. One I was looking at years ago, a 5x6 baler forget the number, the owner said that he has had nothing but problems with it. While on his property I couldn't help but notice he had a nice new shiny JD sitting in a shed.

So, I think I will just stay with what works for me. Thanks for the replies.

Can’t really speak to brand as I’ve only owned Case & NH balers. But a couple of other suggestions. If you make hay only for yourself a 5’ bale is my suggestion. If you are selling a lot of bales, 4’ is better because they fit better on a trailer. For storage, in Texas, net wrap would be my choice. I’ve unwrapped bales that were over 2 years old, stored outside and only the outside 2 inches were weathered. After the wrap was off, the outside of the bale looked like it had been to the cleaners and pressed. Net wrapped bales shead water really well. And again they transport really well.
Whatever you do, good luck to you and best wishes for a efficient, reliable and long life baler.

 

[m16ty]

We run a older Gehl. It's a great baler but some parts are getting hard to find for it. There is a big Vermeer dealer hear and it's probably the most prevalent brand around here, never heard anybody complain about them.

I had a John Deere 430 that the neighbor's son gave me when his Dad passed away. I tried to use it but I soon found out why it was free, hard to start a bale and wouldn't make a tight bale. I couldn't sell it because it was given to me, so I just parked it in the fencerow to die.