Smaller round balers

[Rob30]

I was talking to a guy yesterday. He mentioned his friend has been using a vicon 4x5 round baler for the last 12 yrs. He uses a 45hp tractor to power it. We have been looking for a more economical way of baling. A round baler would be perfect. He also mentioned a Roland 4x4 baler.
Anybody else use low hp tractors on round balers? What models do you use?

[Jolly]

You can make 300 pound round bales behind some pretty small tractors...

Kinda like this:

http://www.agriquip.com/images/38cd16cf_.jpg

And probably more than you wanted to know:

http://www.smallfarminnovations.com/...undbalers.html

[Windy in Kansas]

I suppose one could also seek out a working Roto-baler made by Allis Chalmers in the 1940s and 1950s. They were the first round balers that I am aware of.

[ace admirer]

for years i pulled a new holland 849 (5'x5' bale) with a JD 1020 (38 hp) tractor. i had to plan my windrows so that i was headed level or downhill when the bailer was near full. but i did it. the old ac bailer is a loose bale. you would gain nothing over a conventional square bailer.

i have purchased the 4 x 5 and 4 x 4 bales. they fit nicely on a trailor but doesn't have the weight i need for a herd of cows.

[Ross]

I've owned a Vicon RP1210, 45 hp would be slow baling. Soft core baler take less hp generally speaking. Never heard of a Rolland baler, maybe he meant Rollant? That's a Claas baler, good machine expensive parts. Same for Krone, (but really do take less hp) and used a Krone is very cheap. You have to source parts out of Quebec mostly but there is a dealer in Winchester, (DanR ) which can get them too. I now have a cream puff of a NH 849, it was a back up blaer on a huge dairy farm. Luv it, but I use 70 hp on it, mostly to keep the weight under control. Big machine big bale.
Some MF balers are really Vermeer, there are a few balers like that. Don't buy anything too old, parts are an issue, Gehl made a roller drum baler, takes too much HP, or my neighbor's did anyhow. The Gehl TDC's were OK, but look at alot of them, there's a bearing at the top on the rear door that seems to get replaced on all of them. Deere balers are good with good parts support, so too NH. NI made lots of balers, never heard much good about any of them, except the 484, which has an IH clone. Hesston balers always were the econo line, they didn't cost much worked forever and there are likely dozens out there in E Ont. cheap. Not sure how much HP they needed, they always seemed hooked up to 90+ hp by the local dairy guys but thats a small tractor for them. Again lots of Hesstons were cloned as IH

[tooltime]

Originally Posted by Windy in Kansas

I suppose one could also seek out a working Roto-baler made by Allis Chalmers in the 1940s and 1950s. They were the first round balers that I am aware of.

Weren't those bales fun to stack and to mow. I remember them not so fondly from my youth.

[DaleK]

Originally Posted by tooltime

Weren't those bales fun to stack and to mow. I remember them not so fondly from my youth.

We bought a mow full of them about 3 years ago (straw) that had been baled in the late 70s. About 3000 bales. The twine stopped cutting at the end of the field so there were about 400 bales that were all strung together, they just stacked them ever so carefully on a big wagon and fed them in a string up the elevator and dumped them in the centre of the mow. Glad we got them cheap.

Rob my neighbour uses one of the NI balers, he usually uses 80 hp but his 50 hp will do it pretty nicely too. They don't hold up that well though. My father in law has his NH for sale south of North Bay, he used to use it on a 55 hp Belarus before he upgraded.

[scorpian5]

vermeer makes a great baler

[Rob30]

Where abouts is your fathers baler? I am not far from North Bay. Do you know anthing else about it? I won't be looking very hard until the end of the season. I have to sell some stock or equipment before I go shopping.

[Windy in Kansas]

Originally Posted by tooltime

Weren't those bales fun to stack and to mow. I remember them not so fondly from my youth.

Dad only had some baled out that way one time for only part of the feed. We then continued with a binder and shocked feed. I still think it is some of the best feed there is, but it is extremely labor intensive. Perhaps that is why my dad lived to be 97 years old.

[rambler]

SOme of the smaller Vermeer balers let you swap the gearcase over, runs the baler slower but takes less hp.

'Hay Dr' over at the implement section of www.ytmag.com knows a lot about them - sells them - and hp requirements.

--->Paul

[DaleK]

Rob he's in Golden Valley, west of Trout Creek. Had another heart attack and he's packing it in. I can't remember the model number but it's a NH silage special, about 7 years old. He rebuilt it last winter (new belts, a few bearings, new tires, new teeth) and hasn't used it since. Might be a little more than you're wanting to spend but it's as good a used baler as you'll find.

[Ross]

Sounds like a 644 4x5 roll belt baler (the silage special covers a few models but the 644 was the most common) The 4x4 was a 634 but wasn't designated as a silage special. There are a few 654 4x6 balers out there. I think NH recomended 65 hp for them though. Really great balers, probably the best out there, as they were the second in the series (following the 640) and forerunner to the current BR series (after the 648) Probably has bale command, although I think the mechanical autowrap was still available then.

[Scrounger]

A Rotobaler would be a good choice. If properly set up and used, it will give you a bale so heavy and tight that you can't get a hay hook in it, or lift it . The only knock I have against one is that you stop about every 10 feet to eject the bale.

[Sammy]

Originally Posted by tooltime

Weren't those bales fun to stack and to mow. I remember them not so fondly from my youth.

I hear that !