inline baler vs 'conventional' baler....

[MattLynch]

I'm not sure you can go wrong with NH, JD or MF balers bought new these days. IMHO - properly setup, all will pound out tight square bales.

A few things that caught my eye - 75/80 acres and only 2200 bales seems low to me. If that is the count, then a lower end baler for less $$$'s might be in order. With a good fertilizer/soil improvement, that 2200 bales could significantly grow and with it the need for a higher capacity baler.

IMHO - again all the new balers will, when properly adjusted and operated, pound out bricks. However the learning curve/fuss factor can be different. In addition, design longevity, parts availability and internet support via forums such as this one - long after the dealer looses interest is an important consideration too.

As an example, JD balers from the 14T to today's 3x8 series are VERY similar in design. I bought a JD348 this past winter to go with my old New Holland 68. I have no doubt 30 years from today, parts/support/tribal knowledge will be available - just like it is with the old 68.

Good luck,
Bill

I was thinking the same thing. I was getting 2000 bales off of not much more than 30 acres.

 

[powerscol]

I would not be so quick to question. A lot of variables go into the bale equation. Ground, grass, water - all add up. When I first started I was lucky to get 25 bales off my 3 acres per cutting. Now I am closer to 300, but I now know how to irrigate and fertilize. I also over seeded with a better grass mix.

If the OP has not done it already I would recommend calling the local state or federal Agg service like NCRS or SCS and have them do a review on his possible needs. Its usually a free service with the possibly of fees for soil tests.

 

[mattv1]

I was thinking the same thing. I was getting 2000 bales off of not much more than 30 acres.

Things are on the upswing, so to speak. My first year I had one 10-acre field that hadn't been fertilized or maintained in 10+ years, other than shredding.
Since then I've acquired a few more acres here and there each year, with each field being the same. Some fields are a lost cause or too much of a pain to deal with so I have let them go and moved to new prospects.

Last year I cut and baled an 18 acre patch and got only 240 bales off of it. Very thin grass, no fertilizer in years....but cleaning the field up last year meant the owner would sign a $1 lease with me for as many years as I wanted it, so i did. I always do extensive soil tests and remediations --- I anticipate many, many more bales this year from that field in particular, but also from the other fields that are still in process of improving.....hence my first post saying i might have way more product to bale up this year.

 

[powerscol]

One other comment on the inline.

There appears to be something about the in-line and the baling geometry with the flywheel running 90 degrees to the tractor taking out some of the plunger dynamics. On some of the standard offset balers the flywheel and plunger work in the same plane so the forces seem greater. Many of the new standard offset models now have the flywheel set 90 to the tractor.

For me when running at full PTO she just rocks back and forth slightly with no side force. I had more jerking in other directions trying out other balers (older JD 24T and similar) that sit offset to the line of pull. Just my opinion, but other may know more. My tractor weighs about 3800 lbs when baling.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

It's the plunger that rocks a baler, not the fly wheel. The lighter the tractor, the more pronounced it is...

SR

 

[5030]

It's the plunger that rocks a baler, not the fly wheel. The lighter the tractor, the more pronounced it is...

SR

Absolutely. I run a NH 575 high capacity (3 rotor) and even my 105 Kubby rocks and rolls in a turn. My 575 will run upwards of 3000 squares in a normal running day 8 hours. I've pushed 3500 in wheat straw on occasion.

The big problem with hay tools is if you buy used, most likely they are basically shot and need rebuilt which is why I buy new, but then it's a business with me, not a hobby.

 

[joeu235]

we have one of the 3 series JD balers, I can't remember which one. It misses one bale a year, the first bale made, and then works the rest of the year with no issues. The New Holland dealer here is terrible so can't imagine ever switching brands.

 

[5030]

Every make of small square baler shares the same components in the knotter sections anyway. Might be painted a different color but the principle of operation is the same.

 

[mattv1]

An update here, months later...

After fighting the right side knotter for several days on my NH273 (new billhook, new wiper, new pinion gears, adjusted twine fingers, new twine holders etc...) I finally got it to tie properly but I wasted the better part of 2 days working on it. I decided it was time to look for something new.

As fate would have it, a 2015 massey 1839 baler with 2500 bales through it was posted for sale the day before, for a very good price. I went to look at it and brought it home. Very impressed with how fast it bales, and impressed with the bales themselves.

Not exactly sure if I will try to get my farmhand accumulator running with it or not. It's setup to run from a baler-mounted flywheel pump now which i obviously won't be able to use on the new baler. I might try just connecting the accumulator up to a remote on the tractor and seeing if i have enough flow to run it.

 

[Trillium Farm]

Matt, you'll love that 1839 i know. Bricks at speed that's what it'll spew