Opinions on NH round bailers (644)

   / Opinions on NH round bailers (644) #1  

estabinski

New member
Joined
Dec 24, 2008
Messages
3
Location
Boston - Cooperstown
Tractor
8730
I am looking for some opinions on NH 634 and 644 round balers. I grew up on a farm in upstate new york, but we only had a square baler (326) and mostly chopped all our feed so I know very little regarding the operation and maintenance requirements, so please feel free to provide any pointers no matter how basic.

In terms of land, I have about 200 ac that I plan to round bale ...

Some equipment that I recently bought (very used and broken) include a ford 8730 (got a steal of a deal, rebuilt engine, new turbo, new alternator, new tires), but the farmer hit a tree with it and cracked the front end ... I replaced that and the tractor performs to a T. I just got a 1431 discbine for real cheap as it has one bad pod, but I hope I can replace it before spring and check to see if it needs further work ($ 3500) ...

So back to round balers, my budget is ~ 8000 and I would prefer NH as there are several dealers in the area ...

some of my questions are:
How automatic are the 634 and 644 silage specials ?
How maintenance intensive are they (how often do you have to change the belts and what is there track record)?
Can they handle bailing corn stalks ?
How can I test them at the dealer or farmer to make sure they are working correctly without actually making a round bale ?
Are there any model JD or CASE IH that may perform better in the same price range ?

Any input is appreciated !!!

happy holidays
 
   / Opinions on NH round bailers (644) #2  
634's are not automatic by any stretch of the imagination, nor should they be confused with a true 'silage special'. They are an OK baler for dry hay and low volume. They will make a 4x4 bale of about 600lbs. I am not a fan of the 630,634,638 family of econo-balers.

The 644 in general is a great baler, especially the silage special version, which left the factory with endless belts. A 644 silage special in good or very good condition with Bale Command Plus may be outside of your budget. I know of two sold in this area within the last two years with 8,000 to 12,000 bales that brought exactly $10,500 each private sale. Each baler still had the original endless belts. A worn out 644 will be just that, a worn out round baler. A 644 Auto Wrap Silage Special can be a good twine only silage baler. The auto wrap system is a proven mechanical tying system that has been around since NH chain balers. Post back if you have more questions.
 
   / Opinions on NH round bailers (644)
  • Thread Starter
#3  
Thanks for the reply !! I am going to look at two round balers (644) this weekend, one listed for 10,250 and another for 12,500. If your willing to look I will post pictures.

With the "endless belts" how expensive are they to replace ? and difficulty level ?
 
   / Opinions on NH round bailers (644) #4  
Do you need a silage baler? They are heavier built then a dry hay round baler which is a plus on the land in your area with the side hills.

Another option on some silage balers is the roto-cut to make the hay shorter for easier feeding.

I might be bringing things up that you won't need for your market for the hay.
 
   / Opinions on NH round bailers (644) #5  
Thanks for the reply !! I am going to look at two round balers (644) this weekend, one listed for 10,250 and another for 12,500. If your willing to look I will post pictures.

With the "endless belts" how expensive are they to replace ? and difficulty level ?

"Flat rate" For replacing an endless belt with an endless belt is betweeen 8 and 9 hours. In reality it will take 10 or more hours. Endless belts can be replaced with regular laced belts in about a half hour or so if the substantial benefits of endless belts isn't wanted, or as a temporary repair.

I will be happy to look at any photos posted or answer any questions you may have.
 
   / Opinions on NH round bailers (644)
  • Thread Starter
#6  
Thanks for the replies !! I think I am leaning to a silage baler as I don't want to be limited in the future as to what I can harvest. There is a large grain (corn) farmer down the road from me that combines about 300 ac, and I want to approach him to see if he would be willing to let me round bale the stalks to feed to my beef cows. If anyone knows of any private sellers of NH644 in upstate NY or Northern PA please let me know.

happy holidays !!!
ELS
 
 
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