Tractor size for square baling?

[jhwis]

I grew up on an 160 acre dairy farm in central Wisconsin. We baled probably 3000 small squares a year. We used an Allis WD on a new holland baler with flat rack behind. We were on pretty flat ground and the Allis worked great with the hand clutch

Second that on the WD.

 

[Levi81]

Depends a lot on capacity of baler and size of windrow. I started with a Farmall B with a #27 baler with a 1 cyl Wisconsin engine, slow going. I baled a 1000 ton a year with a 45 hp 454 IHC with a #430 PTO IHC baler, moved right along. I used a 70 hp JD 2640 on a 346 PTO JD baler, about as fast as ground would allow. I used a 110 hp 4240 on that same baler in 12' red clover windrows and it was first gear power shift at times....James

1000 ton a year? Isn’t that around 40,000 bales. Must have long dry summers

 

[jwal10]

1000 ton a year? Isn’t that around 40,000 bales. Must have long dry summers

I baled grass hay, meadow hay, (grass and clover) red clover, alfalfa and lotus hay. Wheat and oat straw. Baled a lot of grass seed, red clover and lotus after harvesting for seed. We fed it and cleaned the bunks of the leftover for bedding. Not much rain here (if any) from first of July to Oct 15....James

 

[showcrop]

So you are going to be the one to tell him a MF 65 rated at nearly 50 HP is overkill? He still wants something that is reasonably capable with a loader. An auxiliary pump will provide reasonable lifting but the power steering and front axle are subpar for a loader. I'd look at something else such as a Ford 5000 of which differential lock was an option and are reasonably priced.

The OP can probably tell if he has hills or not.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

You are on the right track but finding a good older 74, 84, or newer tractor will take some time. Especially if you want it with MFWD. Jay Martin had a 685 MFWD go through his last sale but it looked tired.

Yeah, I saw that one. I'll bet mechanically it was okay. No TA, no reverser, just a straight 8 speed as far as I could tell, so not much to go wrong.

As long as you weren't overly concerned about looks, it would make a good baler tractor, perhaps with a little work.

That 7110 on the other hand, was a disaster waiting to happen. Pulled the dipstick and there was oil all the way up to the top. She was full of diesel fuel.

 

[NY 986]

The OP can probably tell if he has hills or not.

But may lack the experience to know what a good choice in terms of tractor would be for hills. You have to admit that 8N's and Farmall H's leave quite a bit to be desired in terms of a loader tractor.

 

[Bruce from Can.]

You want both a baling tractor, and a loader tractor. So Independent PTO is a must for the baler. And I think a minimum of 10-12 GPM hydraulic pump would be minimum for a decent loader to function effectively. Any of the IH or CaseIH 584/585 tractors will fit this job very well. As I had them back in the 80’s when they were new tractors, and did the same jobs you are looking to do now. Remember that these tractors are now 40+ years old, and are not very pricey. Have modern functionality and good brakes and power steering.

 

[Joe Ferguson]

Yeah, I saw that one. I'll bet mechanically it was okay. No TA, no reverser, just a straight 8 speed as far as I could tell, so not much to go wrong.

As long as you weren't overly concerned about looks, it would make a good baler tractor, perhaps with a little work.

That 7110 on the other hand, was a disaster waiting to happen. Pulled the dipstick and there was oil all the way up to the top. She was full of diesel fuel.

When I was young money was tight we baled with a Massey Harris 30 and model 10 MF baler. No live PTO we developped a technique consisting to make windrows ends to nothing to be able to empty the baler before stopping the tractor. Later we had a MF-35 with live PTO it was a major improvement. We were able to draw the wagon behind the baler "ON FLAT TERRAIN". An MF-65 or MF-165 will be more than enough even on hilly terrain.

Joe

 

[Northvale PA]

We use a 4020 and 4010 for baling. The wagons can get over 150 bales full and the fields have steep areas. I like plenty of tractor.