Bailing hay with a compact

[green4710]

Hi, I searched the forums and know there were posts about bailing small square hay bales with a compact, but cant find them for some reason. I was curious if anyone uses a compact, i.e. 50hp to run a small square bailer, and if so, how do they like it, etc. Im buying a small hay farm and dont want to upgrade tractors if I dont need to. Thanks in advance for your answers.

 

[Indydirtfarmer]

50 HP will be adaquate for MOST square balers, under MOST conditions. Where you might have trouble is with the WEIGHT of your tractor. Do you plan on dropping the bales on the ground behind the baler, or direct loading onto a wagon? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

A wagon with a full load can get a might heavy. I've seen 7500lb tractors struggle with a 20' wagon loaded with hay. On wet grass, or a hill, you have the makings of an accident. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

With some thought, you should do quite well with 50HP. For years, I baled with an old Massey Ferguson 50. (32HP, 4200lbs) I do 90% of my baling now with a 60 HP/7200lb tractor. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[kensfarm]

I run an old NH 276 square bailer w/ thrower w/ the TC35D.. but I don't pull a wagon.. it rocks the tractor some.. buy has no problem running the bailer. This winter I bought an MF 65 that I'm looking to try out w/ the bailer this spring.

 

[slowzuki]

If you don't pull a wagon why the thrower? Most NH's can't bypass the thrower right?

Daryl (L5030) does a lot of hay with his L5030 HSTC both round and square. He pulls racks but it is very flat there.

 

[kensfarm]

No bypass.. and probably not worth the effort to take it off. I crank the thrower setting to the lowest speed.. and just let'em fly. The good ones stay tied. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

The MF 65 might be able to handle a wagon w/ the bailer.. but for now.. I kinda like going around and picking them up by hand. To me.. picking beans seems harder on my back.

 

[green4710]

Well this is good news then. I dont plan on pulling a wagon, just dropping the bales in the field. I know this thing wont handle a new holland bale wagon, so thats another problem. How much do you feel the effects of the plunger on the tractor? Im looking at a centerline bailer, does anyone run one of those?

 

[slowzuki]

A compact really isn't a good choice for a centreline baler. Look at your ground clearance, you'll be dragging windrows all over tarnation.

Some people build sheet metal hay skidplates for low tractors for round baling. Daryl bales rounds and seems ok with it but I know ever our big international drags hay all over.

 

[kensfarm]

"How much do you feel the effects of the plunger on the tractor? "

It rocks the tractor some.. but not to the point where it feels unstable.. I have wheel weights & loaded tires. I think part of the reason is the "BIG" hole in the drawbar that gives the baler hitch too much play. I was going to make up an adapter to see if that helps.

 

[RonR]

Years ago, we baled with a D17 Allis (Guessing about 25-30HP). When we stopped the tractor with the baler still running, it would rock back and forth maybe 4 inches. There's a lot of torque going on there.........

 

[farmerjim]

that jd should be able to handle that baler. although if its a hydro, i have heard that they get loaded down when doing heavy work. we bale w/ an old jd2010 its a 4 cylinder gas and have a jd 24t baler an older heavy baler, and we just use pickup trucks/landscape trailer to transport the bales to the barn. we have also used our jd50 for baling. on both our machines when the tractor is stopped and baler is still going you definetly feel it working and the tractor is rocking back and forth a bit. most of our hay lots are fairly flat but we used to do a few w/ hills and the 2010 seemed to handle it fine. we have been looking to upgrade from the 2010 and most dealers say to stay w/ a utility tractor instead of the compact as they are more suited for ag work.

 

[slowzuki]

I basically find it to be a weight issue, at 2 to one the baler rocks the tractor a good amount, at 3 to one the baler doesn't seem to even be back there.

 

[hobbyfarm]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( No bypass.. and probably not worth the effort to take it off. I crank the thrower setting to the lowest speed.. and just let'em fly. The good ones stay tied.
)</font>
Wouldn't it be funny if someone tried to catch /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif those flying bales in a FEL? /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Robert_in_NY]

The D-17 is a 46pto hp machine and weighed over 4600 pounds.

 

[MikePA]

With compact tractors the issue is not how much horsepower the tractor has, it's the weight of the tractor. Depending upon the type of ground (hilly or flat) you have, you can get into a 'tail wagging the dog' situation. And, as others have said, whether you are also trying to pull a wagon.

 

[Indydirtfarmer]

A quick thought on the centerline baler.... I demo-ed one last summer. (Hesston) I liked the basic concept of a centerline baler. 2 problems immediately came to the forefront. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

I bale mostly with one of my pair of JD 2440s. (60 HP, 16.9X30"s, basically, a BIG utility tractor.) Most of the newer generation of centerline balers are "high volume" balers. You need big winrows, and you need to keep your speed up. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

The big winrows are a problem with utility tractors. I ended up pulling it with my 4440 (20.8X38"s About 8" more clearance underneath...And still not enough) /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

And due to the fact that the baler is BIGGER, and high volume, it took a fair amount of power, as compared to my Deere 336 baler. 60 HP was just barely enough. The 2440 struggled with it in heavy hay crop. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

The 4440 didn't even know it was back there! /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif (It's 130 "stock" HP is now about 160!!!! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif)

I also own a Vermeer 5400 Rebel round baler. I use it with the 2440's mostely. I run into the winrow "problem" with that set-up too at times. With a big crop, and a double wing rake, I end up dragging a lot of hay around under the tractor. That might rear it's ugly head when baling with a compact tractor. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[RickB]

Ever try fastening a short length of wide belting in front of the drawbar support to keep hay from snagging it? Works very well for many of my customers. Just fasten it in front and let it hang.

 

[OrangeGuy]

Allis Chalmers D17 was/is 55 HP and weighs 4500 to 5500 lbs depending how it was weighted (fluid in rear tires,etc). That said it would handle a small square baler quite well on fairly level land. Add a bale thrower and some hills and it rapidly became undersized.

OrangeGuy

 

[kensfarm]

"Wouldn't it be funny if someone tried to catch those flying bales in a FEL?"

I know some young farmers who hay.. they put a guy in the back of the towed hay wagon to stack the bales as they shoot into the wagon so it will hold more bales.

 

[sab5948]

> With compact tractors the issue is not how much horsepower the tractor has, it's the weight of the tractor.

Isn't there a minimum HP requirement? I've been debating trying to use my JD4410 for baling, but I was under the impression that there were several issues: 1 weight, 2. too little HP, and 3. compact tractor components aren't as heavy duty as those used in full size ag tractors. What does everyone here think?

-Scott

 

[Robert_in_NY]

If I was going to try with a compact I would have one of the largest compacts they have. Even then I would not like it. If you really want to try it, try to find someone in your area with a small baler and ask him if he would allow you to try baling hay for him to see how your machine would handle it. I know there are a lot of farmers around here that use small JD and NH balers still but they also have a lot of old equipment also and I am sure they would enjoy having someone else there to help them for a few hours or a day.

What I know is that if I wanted to bale hay and needed to buy equipment I would look for something along the lines of at least a NH TL100A. Even the TN and JD 5020's are on the small side for some of these newer balers. They can do the job though but I would not want to try it with anything less then them.