New Holland Balers

[Gerry Spraitzar]

For the past couple years I have used a New Holland 68 baler (1960's vintage) which has served me well. I am ready to step up in a baler which is more capable than the old reliable 68. In looking at the advertisements for balers (I am partial to New Holland), it is a bit confusing what the model numbers relate to. Does anyone know of a web site where I can get a better understanding of the different New Holland Balers made over the years, what the features were, and capabilities. Thanks for any help with a site, or forum which may have folks knowledgeable so I can make a better informed choice.

 

[vallyfarm]

Do you have any problems with your current bailer? My neibours and I all use old NH bailers...273 and up. There is very little improvements in new bailers, and you can buy mannny bailers biult today that can't beat yours! Unless you want to go to round bales I'd keep what you have. About the only thing you could hope to improve is bailing speed. Mike

 

[Gerry Spraitzar]

I don't have any abnormal problems with my current baler. I have the usual wear and tear items. Need to replace the wood bearings on the plunger, replace a U-joint, and sharpen/adjust the knife. This year the more I used it the better bales I was making. I intend on keeping the baler as a backup.

I think you hit the nail on the head. That I would like a baler which would increase the production, perhaps newer for (perhaps) better parts support, and a baler which can use the synthetic twine also. Also, have some other capabilities which I do not have at the moment.

First is the hay pickup system. The number of rows of hay pickup tins is 1/2 (NH 68) than those on say a NH 273. This became important in the third cutting this year. I did leave quite a bit of hay out in the field on the third cutting since the hay was not quite as tall as I experienced in the first cutting.

Another aspect is I have seen the "hydraulic" squeeze on some balers, and seems like a nice option to have? Does anyone have experience using such a system as to its pros and cons?

I have also heard of a hydraulic "kicker". I am not sure what that is used for. Anyone willing to explain what it is used for?

Thanks Mike for the reply.

Cheers,
Gerry

 

[Soundguy]

NH has been in ag equipment for a looong time. if you find your old NH unit very reliable, and like NH in general... why not give your dealer a call and get some specs and numbers.. and reward them with a sale, as they have rewarded you with years of service.

soundguy

 

[RichNJKubota]

I've used both a NH310 and 320 balers. The 320 has the hydraulic bale tensioner. It works well but not much different then the mechanical hand crank adjustments. The 320 can pick up and make more bales per hour than the 310. My neighbor has a 68 and it's real real slow compared to the newer models.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

For the past couple years I have used a New Holland 68 baler (1960's vintage) which has served me well. I am ready to step up in a baler which is more capable than the old reliable 68. In looking at the advertisements for balers (I am partial to New Holland), it is a bit confusing what the model numbers relate to. Does anyone know of a web site where I can get a better understanding of the different New Holland Balers made over the years, what the features were, and capabilities. Thanks for any help with a site, or forum which may have folks knowledgeable so I can make a better informed choice.

Most of the years I farmed, I used a New Holland 273 baler. It did OK. Not great, but OK. I learned to stay on top of adjustments and how to deal with conditions. The last 7 years, I bought and used a Deere 336. I'd NEVER switch back. For approximately the same money as a New Holland of the same era, Deere balers left them in the dust. Better reliability, better performance, better looking bales.

New Holland's NEW balers are top-shelf. So are Deere's. But we're talking major $$$$ compared to used.

In the end, used balers are like used cars, used tractors, or used ANYTHING. What you get for your buck depends on how well the previous owner took care of his investment. All things being equal, I'd buy another Deere square baler even with my long history with New Holland.

 

[Gerry Spraitzar]

Thanks folks for the replies to my question. I did go to a dealer concerning the need for a greater production baler. He showed me two; one a wire baler which I tend to shy away from and second a NH 315 that was in great need of repair.
I tend to agree with the lister the John Deere balers have a good/great reputation. When I first started looking for a baler several years ago, I looked and looked and no one was selling a used John Deere baler. I can understand why now........most folks like them.
This has been a good education experience understanding how balers are numbered. Still don't have a full handle on it. In New Holland they do have a baler line ( I think it was a NH 346) which is orientated for those professional "custom balers" who many many, many bales. I had a good price on one of those, however, the bale size was just a bit too big for the customers I sell hay to. I think it was 16 x 18 which was a bit too large in comparison to 14 x 16.
Thanks for all the help.

 

[art]

You might want to go up one model grouping newer on that NH baler and get the better kicker. We've sold them for some time and the latest are the best. The capacity with the belt kicker is so much greater then a pan kicker it's unbelieveable. The balers do well and from what we've seen about the time you get to the 570 you have exceeded the JD's capacity of the pan kicker. The JD bailer if laying them on the ground will be with the NH but otherwise the pan limits the capacity of the JD baler as I said to about the 570 NH.

 

[burnetma]

Art,

Good advice on the difference between the pan kicker and belt thrower. I completely agree with you.

Gerry,

How many bales do you make a year? That should point you in the direction between high or low volume baler.

Some other observations:

Be aware that NH made good balers and better balers. I have always heard great things about the 273 and the new 570 and 575 balers. I have heard some negatives about some of the 300 series balers. Maybe somebody on this site could give you some more advice along that line.

I have experience with NH and MF balers and they are pretty simple. Last year I bought a JD 327 w/#30 pan thrower (lowest volume machine). It was a low usage machine (verified by the notepad I found in the twine compartment that showed he made about 500-750 bales/cutting for many years). The machine is older and needed some adjusting and a new twine cutter. I bought the operator's manual and shop manual off ebay for $35 and read up on how the machine functioned. Honestly, I was a bit nervous about the differences. I went ahead and made the adjustments per the book and it ran flawlessly even why I made mistakes in the field. Biggest difference between this machine and the others = SQUARE BALES. No hooks, no bows, not overly loose, not overly tight and consistent length. I made my second cutting off with this machine and I am still smiling all these months later.

If you are partial to NH and have good dealer support, by all means get a NH. If you are on the fence and come across a good used JD and have acess to dealer support, don't be afraid to try it out. Either way, by the best machine you can get in your price range and feel good about the decision. In the end, there is nothing more frustrating than a baler that won't bale, so buy smart. Also ask for a trial before you buy (it doesn't hurt to ask). Best of luck and let us know how you make out.

 

[showcattle]

Baled lots of straw with a NH 311 and a JD 336. I never noticed much discernable difference between the two. I don't know what the differences were between a NH 310 and a 311, but was told the 311 was a "commercial baler."