Vermeer 605F

[IAJosh84]

So going to look at a Vermeer 605F tomorrow. Haven"t spent a bunch of time around round balers and looking for something low budget to bail hay for ourselves for a few years till we can get something better (running out of storage and time to do enough small squares). What can you guys tell me about this baler? From what I"ve read and heard people talk about they seem like they were the baler to have back in the day, leaps and bounds better than a early Deere. I"m guessing that this baler doesn"t take as much hp to run as the newer big balers do. What are some specific things I need to look at on this baler? I looked at it today but will go look at it again tomorrow morning before the auction. It looked like the twine arm had some repair work done on it at one time. Not sure how to judge the condition of the belts. The pickup looked good, decent teeth and nothing was bent up. I see these things listed on craigslist anywhere from $1500 to $4000, but what are they actually worth?

 

[ralph wilton]

my little brother bought a vermeer after he handed the old man a check the guy told him to keep the for sale sign they make a nice bale but are very tempramental i work with a guy who loved his others hate them try it out first

 

[Anonymous-0]

I bought a pretty decent Super F 3 or 4 years ago for $900. look at more than the pickup teeth,make sure the roller and track assembly for the pickup isn't all worn out, big dollars. Early ones had 4 pickup bars, later had 5, supers had 6, more bars feed more evenly. An F can be somewhat fussy in tough hay in the evening, ect. Overall they are a dependable older baler, newer ones will make heavier ,better bales and will be more user friendly but will cost alot more. I run mine with a 1070 Case but would think 70 hp would be adequate.

 

[paul]

Works well with the 85 hp tractor, seems to do fine with the 60 hp tractor, the 38 hp tractor didn't come close to running it.

Fairly simple design, the pickup as mentioned, the rubber flaps on the one roller need to be stiff & new, otherwise just general wear.

--->Paul

 

[Erik Ks farmer]

Baled alot of hay with an F model baler, good solid machine. They like a good uniform windrow especially when starting a bale, but so does my newer XL series. Look over the roller bearings, you can see if they have been hot. Check the sprockets if they are becoming sharp and pointed they're about shot. The belt laces and pins are a good spot to check, as are the belt guides, found at the bottom of the tail gate and just bellow the upper roller when facing the front of the machine. Check the belts themselves for cuts or tears, should have some tension on them when the gate is closed but no perfectly tight.

 

[thurlow]

Used one for a lot of years way-back-when, but only baled a couple of thousand bales per year. As Paul said, mechanically, they're quite simple. If you know anything about machinery, you should be able to assess its condition. Neighbor used a 5000 Ford to pull a "C" model (same size as "F") for a lot of years. Never pulled mine with less than a 95 pto hp tractor, but you can get by with less. Around 'here', they're worth 1000-1500 bucks.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I made a lot of bales with an F baler, they are a good simple baler. You could probably find a J baler in your price range though, and they start bales easier, will take a lot bigger windrow, make a heavier bale and tie faster if they have the double twine arms.