Due to increasing problems with the reliability of our custom baler (to clarify, he is a guy who has baled hay for us for over 20 years), it looks like we are finally going to have to get into rolling hay ourselves. We have always square baled hay, but like many other folks, we are finding it increasingly difficult to round up a crew to haul it. I love the convenience of feeding square bales, but just a few days ago, with lots of hay down and a lot of rain coming, our normal guy's baler suffered a catastrophic breakdown. We couldn't find anybody else with the time to square bale it, so we got a fella to come over and roll it (5x5 rolls).
This is the first time that I've handled round bales with my tractor (Kioti DK 45). I picked up a 3 pt. hitch bale spear on the way home, and my tractor can handle the rolls okay, but it will be a lot tougher in the winter when the ground is muddy.
There's a gentleman not far from the house that has a New Idea 484 baler for sale. He says it makes 4x4 or 4x5 bales, and he is getting rid of it because he has moved up to a larger tractor and baler. I spoke with our (relatively) local Agco dealer, and they said it is a pretty good little baler and gave me the names of several guys that own and use them. Most of them are in my situation, that is they are only feeding a few cows, not large herds. The said that a couple of the guys run them with 35 and 40 horsepower tractors, and as long as you don't mind going slow, it's not a big deal. I would plan on running it with either my Dad's DK 55 or a Ford 5000.
My question is if any of you guys have been around any of this equipment? The Agco dealer said that as far as they know, all parts are still available and they are pretty simple, reliable balers. The current owner guesses that the bales he makes are about 600 to 800 pounds, depending on the hay. I will be storing the hay inside, so spoilage should not be a concern. I just want to be able to handle the hay easier in the winter, even if I have to make a few more trips.
I would also love to hear any other recommendations for older rollers that make a small bale. My budget is $5,000 or less, so I'm obviously on the lower end of the spectrum. I appreciate the advice.
Thanks. Good luck and take care.
This is the first time that I've handled round bales with my tractor (Kioti DK 45). I picked up a 3 pt. hitch bale spear on the way home, and my tractor can handle the rolls okay, but it will be a lot tougher in the winter when the ground is muddy.
There's a gentleman not far from the house that has a New Idea 484 baler for sale. He says it makes 4x4 or 4x5 bales, and he is getting rid of it because he has moved up to a larger tractor and baler. I spoke with our (relatively) local Agco dealer, and they said it is a pretty good little baler and gave me the names of several guys that own and use them. Most of them are in my situation, that is they are only feeding a few cows, not large herds. The said that a couple of the guys run them with 35 and 40 horsepower tractors, and as long as you don't mind going slow, it's not a big deal. I would plan on running it with either my Dad's DK 55 or a Ford 5000.
My question is if any of you guys have been around any of this equipment? The Agco dealer said that as far as they know, all parts are still available and they are pretty simple, reliable balers. The current owner guesses that the bales he makes are about 600 to 800 pounds, depending on the hay. I will be storing the hay inside, so spoilage should not be a concern. I just want to be able to handle the hay easier in the winter, even if I have to make a few more trips.
I would also love to hear any other recommendations for older rollers that make a small bale. My budget is $5,000 or less, so I'm obviously on the lower end of the spectrum. I appreciate the advice.
Thanks. Good luck and take care.
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