Looking for a good older square baler

[foreman Etexas]

Surely greatful for all the info.so far.I have worked for a custom baler before well about 10yrs ago but most of his stuff was newer,had to weld the roller back on the round baler NH top roller by myself pain in ***** but I enjoy doing alittle work on them but when it coming to the field not wonting to work more than bale. I did talk to him again and he said they put new knotters on it right before they parked it,said they desided just to not mess with squares anymore and just round everything.Why question is why wouldnt you just throw a tarp over it anyways!!


I know were a JD is in the barn but dont know if its 4 sale,guess it wont hurt to stop and ask.

 

[5030]

Well the fields are within the 300ac.that is not fenced and they are fields just here and there.I would have alot of$ tied up in fencing off the total 300ac.witch I would have to in order to get every field.Yes,it would be nice but I would also have to doze the fencelines off before fence is installed. I can get a older sickle cutter that my father-in-law will give me and I can pick a rake up. We have both JD and NH around here but I have found someone who has a old hayliner 315 but he wonts $3500 and it has been setting outside for cple years,but has only cple thousands bales.

Your last line should tell you something.... Sat outside. It's junk.

I had an old, I mean ancient NH 66 Hayliner that I kept around because it bailed well. but it was kept inside and maintained. The paint looked like a bad hair day but the mechanicals were top shelf and you could run it behind a small CUT so long as it had a 540 pto and 20 horsepower. I sold it to an older couple with a NH 25 horsepower Boomer that wanted to bail a few acres for their pet nag, ooops, I mean horse. 500 bucks and I delivered it, showed them the in's and out's of the machine and even gave them the original owners and shop manuals, probably worth more than the bailer was.

What I'm saying here is I'd buy an older NH over a JD because the infeed section is simpler and the knotters are the same on both. The JD will have more mechanics and consequently things to fail, whereas the NH will be mechanically simpler. People bragg about JD's infeed auger but if it's so good, then why isn't it used anymore?

Old bailers are bang-clank. By that, I mean, with an old square bailer, all the bushings are sloppy from use (and probably abuse and lax maintenance) and consequently all the parts, needles, wiper arms, bill hooks and jaws, actuator cams and all the intrinsic parts need to be an interference fit, in other words, touch in operation, or it won't tie. That's a fact of life and old bailers.

Never buy a bailer that's sat outside for a long time. That's not to say that a short duration outside, uncovered, is bad, because it's not. Long duration, in the elements, uncovered, causes mechanism's to sieze, chains to rust and grease to solidify, all rendering the bailer just another hunk of scrap, destined for the salvage yard.

 

[5030]

Likewise, like the JD guy says. I go to sleep counting slices on a NH bailer instead of sheep.

One thing holds pretty constant across all brands and that is knotter configuration. Actuation might vary a bit but knotter mechanics are pretty much the same.

 

[foreman Etexas]

Likewise, like the JD guy says. I go to sleep counting slices on a NH bailer instead of sheep.

One thing holds pretty constant across all brands and that is knotter configuration. Actuation might vary a bit but knotter mechanics are pretty much the same.

The JD I looked at today had alot of rust on the inside,looks like you would have to rebuild the chute part. Looked good from a far but far from good,couldnt read the model number.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

After 40+ years of square bales, I've finally made the switch to big rounds this year, but REFUSE to part with my Deere 336. I've owned a couple New Holland balers. (273 and 315) No complaints, but once I tried a 336, the New Holland was relegated to back up baler....then sold. I found New Holland parts to be more expensive and a little slower to reach my door when parts weren't "stock items". No one can match Deere for parts.

My 336 has had about 35,000 bales on the counter since I bought it (4 years old when I got it) . I'd still depend on it if the round bales weren't so much easier for me, and my market now favors rounds.

 

[foreman Etexas]

After 40+ years of square bales, I've finally made the switch to big rounds this year, but REFUSE to part with my Deere 336. I've owned a couple New Holland balers. (273 and 315) No complaints, but once I tried a 336, the New Holland was relegated to back up baler....then sold. I found New Holland parts to be more expensive and a little slower to reach my door when parts weren't "stock items". No one can match Deere for parts.

My 336 has had about 35,000 bales on the counter since I bought it (4 years old when I got it) . I'd still depend on it if the round bales weren't so much easier for me, and my market now favors rounds.

I have to put up atleast 300 squares(horses &calfs) and my father-in law needs around 2 to 300 what ever I get him(he has show lambs).I have been makin squares on the 3rd cutting maybe half the 30ac.,but I would rather be able to turn cows on all so I go long before I start putting out hay and gives the other pastures relief time. Anyways ill be looking I will try and get pictures of my finds.Thanks yall!

 

[5030]

Any older bailer will have rust, it's where the rust is, that's important. A rusty bale case with pits is a sure sign it was kept in the elements as well as rusty chains and sprockets.

Sheet metal gets scratched and paint fades, especially NH red, it fades to rusty red...lol but then JD green fades to lime.

When I look at a bailer on a dealers lot or a private owner, the first thing I look at is the bale case or in the side doors on a round bailer. I look for chaff and where it is and how old it is.... old moldy chaff is acidic and eats metal nicely, however, a really clean bailer with no chaff means it was pressure washed, a no-no. Pressure washing a bailer, especially a square bailer and then putting it up is an invitation for rusty bearing surfaces and frozen joints. Again if washed, I look for grease oozing from moving points. No grease means the bailer wasn't maintained properly.

Bailers love grease and oil, keeps them running smooth and doing what tyey are supposed to do, bale.

Old or new, a bailer is an important investment and you don't want a malfunctioning bailer when it's time to bale.

Around these parts, rounds are the norm for cattle people but horse people want small squares, they can't handle rounds for one thing and most have overhead lofts in their barns for hay storage.

 

[foreman Etexas]

Any older bailer will have rust, it's where the rust is, that's important. A rusty bale case with pits is a sure sign it was kept in the elements as well as rusty chains and sprockets.

Sheet metal gets scratched and paint fades, especially NH red, it fades to rusty red...lol but then JD green fades to lime.

When I look at a bailer on a dealers lot or a private owner, the first thing I look at is the bale case or in the side doors on a round bailer. I look for chaff and where it is and how old it is.... old moldy chaff is acidic and eats metal nicely, however, a really clean bailer with no chaff means it was pressure washed, a no-no. Pressure washing a bailer, especially a square bailer and then putting it up is an invitation for rusty bearing surfaces and frozen joints. Again if washed, I look for grease oozing from moving points. No grease means the bailer wasn't maintained properly.

Bailers love grease and oil, keeps them running smooth and doing what tyey are supposed to do, bale.

Old or new, a bailer is an important investment and you don't want a malfunctioning bailer when it's time to bale.

Around these parts, rounds are the norm for cattle people but horse people want small squares, they can't handle rounds for one thing and most have overhead lofts in their barns for hay storage.

Well this is how this year hay production is going for me,my 30ac.usually makes atleast 60 bales and has made up to 120(with good rains) well I put up 31 bales last month and now dont see even making a second cutting.If it doesnt change going to have to turn the cows in it. I have already been feeding last yrs square bales(what I have left maybe 30) mite last a cple weeks. I went cple weeks ago and picked up 135 bales all he had ($4.50 a bale) to put up and now thinking im going to have to feed them until I can find atleast 60 more round bales to make it threw winter.(Round bales are going for $80 to 125 a bale for coastal).I been trying to hang in there sold some calfs but I mite have to sell some mama cows(something I dont wont to do)but I guess its how it goes down on the farm. Anyways back to balers Im going to take pics of the hayliner maybe friday and post,thanks for the help!!

 

[Turbys_1700]

We've always run New Hollands and have always, and I mean always, kept them under a shed...
It is hard for me to fathom that someone would let a baler sit out in the weather...
Our old 277 is still in good working order and bales around 1500 bales a year...
Always been in a shed and always maintained...

 

[cowski]

i would rather have a newer deere.but i would not turn down a good mf 124 or a older nh.