Is there anything you would salvage from a barn fire baler?

[CliffordK]

I know somebody that has had a barn fire. Lots of hay around his balers, but no hay in the balers. Two small square balers were lost. I don't know if the equipment ultimately will be insured, a bit of a problem with structure insurance vs equipment insurance.

Sorry, no photos at the moment.

If I could get the permission to salvage some parts, is there anything worth salvaging? I have the same brand, but much older equipment.

I'm thinking about asking for the complete knotter assembly, at least if I can get it for nearly free.

I suppose knives might be good if one ever wanted scrap metal for forging.

 

[oldnslo]

It depends on how hot the fire was around the baler. If very hot the knotters are most likely warped and of no value.

 

[CliffordK]

I am told that the bale chamber was warped. But that is a long chute.

Brown metal?

I'm sure that small alignment issues in the knotters could be frustrating, especially if one didn't have an exact model to copy. However, some of the parts are made of fairly heavy steel, and at least in the older knotters there is a mix of precision, and some fault tolerance.

Nonetheless, if I could get it all to work, it could be a big upgrade. I think some of my current tying issues have to do with knotters that were designed for sisal twine.

 

[MossRoad]

This kind of applies to anything....

If you can get things for free that have salvageable parts, you can always scrap the unusable remains for weight. Trying to determine what's good or not is kinda hard to do without disassembly and a good look.

Now if you want to pay the person for good parts, you have to disassemble anyway to find out what's good or not, or you risk purchasing scrap yourself.

Always a dilemma. Good luck.

 

[Hay Dude]

I have been told by many older/experienced mechanics that burnt equipment was to be avoided unless its given to you for free and you were able to take a chance on it with little risk.
I wouldn’t pay a penny for it unless it still had paint on it and was unburned.