Buying a new baler: JD or Vermeer? Your input please.

[Tx Jim]

Agriman
My ground isn't smooth enough to run much over 6 mph but my nephew which lives 30 miles south of me stated he regularly bales at 10 mph putting out 50 4x5.5 bales per hr with his 468.

 

[jdtractor]

Well I don't know how old the bakers you are talking about... but where I'm from the N H bales don't compare to Deere as far as density. I've seen and baled beside NH and there is no comparison.. as far as how fast I average 6 mph baling 4x5 bales. My ground also is rough in spots. I also bake hillside meadows which is slower approximately 3-4 mph.

 

[powerscol]

Have you considered Hesston / MF They seem to be used around here. I was looking at one of their 1700 series at the local Agg show last month. Lots of options of how to configure it.

 

[Texasmark]

Green is 95% of what you see around here. Must be a reason as most of the colors are represented with nearby dealers. Green has been my color for over 20 years, but the pulling tractor is Red, and Not Case IH.

 

[merlynr]

I bought a Vermeer rebel this spring because my tractor is 41pto hp and the baler only req 40hp. I've had some trouble operating it but i'm still learning. It's the basic model and the twine wrapping marks didn't line up and so I ran twine off the end at the cut side. I've made my own marks now even though the adjustments are in spec. The baler works fine otherwise and the only extra I have is bale kicker

 

[Bigfoot62]

Bigfoot62
How many bales has your 457 baled? I think $8K trade in for your 457 is realistic. My 1st JD 467 had 30,000 bales on monitor when I traded it for present 467 to get netwrap & this one has 23,000+ bales on it. I have no intention of trading for another baler. The bales I see locally that are baled by a NH rd baler have the "big star shape" on their sides which translates to very soft core which I think would indicate a lighter weight. I read about having to replace sledge rollers & brgs in NH rd balers which doesn't look cheap or fun. IMHO the extra weight of a comparable Vermeer baler over a JD would represent pulling a anchor through the field with more ground compaction especially in damp soil conditions.

Jim,
The 457 has 8,000 bales on it. (at least that's what the monitor shows)
Your comment on the weight confuses me. Fully equipped, both balers weigh around 5300-5400#, according to the specs on the respective websites.

I'm done throwing money at this baler. In the past two seasons, I've replaced the drive shaft. ($1200 direct from Weasler, JD wanted twice that much) I've replaced all 6 belts. ($400 for the first one from JD, $1100 for the other 5 from BT Belting) I've built up the spirals on the front roller. (just a handful of welding rods - thanks to Tx Jim for the how-to) I've added two additional tines to the compressor. ($130 from JD) Now, the JD baler mechanics are telling me that I need to add a Silage Kit, (about $2k) and rebuild the pickup. (who knows how much that would cost) And, there's no guarantee that it would stop the hay from running up the belts and wrapping around the rollers.

The feeding problem is driving me nuts! Something that I've found to be interesting, and terribly frustrating at the same time, is that I have to creep along at about 2mph or less to get the roll started. Once I have about 2-2.5' in the core, I can kick it on up and bale at 5 or 6mph. No problem. I rolled 200 bales like that week before last. I don't intend to do it again.

I decided to cut my losses and carry it to the big tractor auction in Idabel, OK.

 

[Bigfoot62]

To those who have suggested a NH or Hesston, there is no dealer support for those near me. Period. And, for that reason alone, I won't consider one.

 

[Bigfoot62]

Found out a lot since the original post.

The current model Vermeer is a 504R. (the 504N is no longer in production)
The 504R and the JD 459 both have a 60" pickup. They both use hydraulic tension to form the bale. And both have a "compressor" roller in front of the pickup reel to mash down the windrow and help prevent hay from running up the belts. Last week, I ordered a new 504R. Two big reasons: 1. The Vermeer is almost $6k less than the JD. ($25k for yellow, $31k for green) 2. The Vermeer is supposed to be in by the end of this week. My JD dealer said that if I ordered a new 459, (have to order to get it without net wrap) I probably wouldn't get it until sometime next year.
Thanks for all the replies.

I'll post the results of the new baler after I've used it.

 

[Tx Jim]

Bigfoot62
I wish you the best of luck with your new Vermeer baler. The differences in weight between JD & Vermeer I was referring to was on the 4X6 models. Vermeer 604N 7960#s VS JD 469 5725#s. I have very little experience with the JD 4X5 rd balers. As I've previously stated my 467 very rarely runs Coastal up the frt belts & it's baled over 24,000 bales.

 

[Bigfoot62]

Bigfoot62
I wish you the best of luck with your new Vermeer baler. The differences in weight between JD & Vermeer I was referring to was on the 4X6 models. Vermeer 604N 7960#s VS JD 469 5725#s. I have very little experience with the JD 4X5 rd balers. As I've previously stated my 467 very rarely runs Coastal up the frt belts & it's baled over 24,000 bales.

Jim,
Thanks for all your help. My 457 was "tired" and I was tired of messing with it.
And, nothing is forever. If the Vermeer doesn't suit me, I can always go back to green.