Creamer
Elite Member
For 400 bales a year and set up right the tractor will handle the baler. I am not sure I wold do 10,000 bales a year or anything like that with that set-up.
Haying with compact tractor
- Thread starter gdk22984
- Start date
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Here's a friend of mine baling with his Kubota L2250 (engine 26 hp, 21 hp at the pto) using a NH small square baler. Around here you can get all this equipment for under a few thousand dollars (mower, rake, baler). Put a snowmobile trilaer behind the baler and let Mom do the sweating.
No big deal. Jarnot Farms - YouTube
No big deal. Jarnot Farms - YouTube
farmer2009
Elite Member
We baled many bales with a IH 424 with a 7'-NH 451 sickle bar, a NH 256 rake, and a JD 24T baker. That setup run over 1,000 squares a year for about 10 years before we switched to rounds and started to grow. Never had a problem with the baler stressing that tractor and it's about the same size as your tractor. If we hit a wad of hay it would kick in the governor. Tractor was a gas burner. Have also run the baler on a L3400 Kubota. It ran it better than the old IH.
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powerscol
Veteran Member
You're in luck - Been doing this for several years now with a Bobcat CT 235 26.5 PTO HP. Yes it can be done well if you go slow and be careful. Read through this thread http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/haying/300231-haying-compact-tractor.html?highlight=hay Post 49 is the results of my effort.
Balers - look at the used inlines. I have a Hesston 4550 they also were made under other brands Case/IH, New Idea, Adco, and currently MF the equivalent to what I have is the 1835. They will impact you tractor much less than a side pick up model as your considering. If you control your windrow size it easy baling, and if things bog down, just slow down.
Cutting - I have both a drum mower and a sickle mower. Both work great. With the drum mower you will need a tedder. My rake is an old Ford 503 side 3pt delivery model (roller bar type). If you buy used, be sure to get it demoed. I learned the hard way on this.
Spend you money on a good used baler as repair can be a big pain. Folks normally run a baler until it is worn out then by new. I got lucky as the guy moved up to a new model and the dealer cut a deal for me - they had done all the service on my unit too. So far 2000 bales and not a hiccup yet.
Balers - look at the used inlines. I have a Hesston 4550 they also were made under other brands Case/IH, New Idea, Adco, and currently MF the equivalent to what I have is the 1835. They will impact you tractor much less than a side pick up model as your considering. If you control your windrow size it easy baling, and if things bog down, just slow down.
Cutting - I have both a drum mower and a sickle mower. Both work great. With the drum mower you will need a tedder. My rake is an old Ford 503 side 3pt delivery model (roller bar type). If you buy used, be sure to get it demoed. I learned the hard way on this.
Spend you money on a good used baler as repair can be a big pain. Folks normally run a baler until it is worn out then by new. I got lucky as the guy moved up to a new model and the dealer cut a deal for me - they had done all the service on my unit too. So far 2000 bales and not a hiccup yet.
Farmer2750
Member
Think about all the baling done with old John deere A's B's 60's and 70's. You can do it. Take your time. I bale with a 125 hp tractor or a 75 hp tractor. I have a John Deere 346 baler and a New Holland 850 round baler. Definitely watch equipment run before you buy! If it's a baler then watch it bale. Walk away if it misses 5+ bales every 50 bales. Sign of worn parts, out of time, ect... Too many headaches unless you love working on equipment and you can get it super cheap. And by super cheap I mean under $200. As for a rake, a decent bar rake will do for you. Paint on them doesn't mean anything if it has good tires, all the teeth, and a strong gear case. A mower is gonna be a hard one, as much as I would say to stay away from a sickle bar, I think it is gonna be the only option for your size of tractor. Get a newer one and make sure it has been upkept. Sharp sickles and guards, good unweathered belts, and watch it run. Make sure they didn't do something stupid like weld a pipe in for the pitman arm instead of the wood one. All in all I see $2500 in equipment for you to start. $500 sickle mower, $1000 in a bar rake, and $1000 in a decent baler. I'm assuming you have some sort of utility trailer to pick up and and transport the bales to the barn. I would not pull a rack behind the baler with that small of a tractor. Not until you get a 40hp+ tractor. After you start baling you will want a bigger tractor even though you can do it with your little tractor. Take your time, slow and steady win the race. And most importantly have fun!
crabjoe
Gold Member
I don't know anyone that has ever used one but have you looked into the Chinese hay balers? They look cheap enough to buy new.
Chinese square hay baler
Chinese square hay baler
Sawyer Rob
Super Member
Surely you guys don't think these new small compacts are built as tough as the old FARM tractors of similar hp!
There's NO comparison at all! Those old farm tractors had pretty heavy build pto parts in them and were made to do farm work day in and day out.
SR
Creamer
Elite Member
I have to agree. I have read many discussions like this but think of the old farm tractors with their extra weight and larger blocks and frame and gears and know that they are much tougher for taking a pounding like a baler.
It is really going to depend a lot on the baler. I ran a JD 336 with an Oliver 770 for years and years. The Oliver is a ~8K tractor with fluid in the tires and 50hp and that baler would really rock the Oliver and when you got into thicker hay it would really kick in the governor. The 336 would beat the crap out of a smaller tractor even if it had the horsepower. Now if you can get one of the really old balers they are much smaller and you might be OK since you are working with a 4000 series tractor.
