JD Square Balers and other options

[ddivinia]

JD 328 - 16,938
JD 338 - 18657
JD 348 - 20,545

I am pretty much convinced I am going to buy a used square baler, but looking at the prices - why is the 348 so much more money?

I am thinking twine. People around here seem to like wire, but the horse people seem to prefer twine - easier to work with.

I am not going to be making my living wit it, but I won't want a pile of junk either.

Advice?

D.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

JD 328 - 16,938
JD 338 - 18657
JD 348 - 20,545

I am pretty much convinced I am going to buy a used square baler, but looking at the prices - why is the 348 so much more money?

I am thinking twine. People around here seem to like wire, but the horse people seem to prefer twine - easier to work with.

I am not going to be making my living wit it, but I won't want a pile of junk either.

Advice?

D.

348 is a high capacity baler. Hook it to enough HP, rake your windrows big and wide, stand on the throttle and stuff all the hay you want to in that model. It'll spit bales out so fast you'd have a hard time counting them. It's one heck-of-a baler. A neighbor had one for sale last summer (bought a round baler) He INSISTED I try it. (Thought he was gonna get $15,000 outta me for a USED baler ) Without much trouble at all, I could move along fast enough to bog down a 60 hp tractor in dry alfalfa. And the 348 wasn't even close to capacity. It's a BIG small square baler.

Keep looking. There's a gang of nice 336/337's still around that aren't worn out and 1/3 to 1/2 of "new prices". Good balers. I'll personally vouch for the 336. GREAT baler!

 

[pengs68]

Are those prices with a bale chute. I know JD gets around $7000+ for their kickers.

 

[Dunham Farm]

I have a JD 336 and love it. With JD parts are easy to get.
Brian

 

[flusher]

JD 328 - 16,938
JD 338 - 18657
JD 348 - 20,545

I am pretty much convinced I am going to buy a used square baler, but looking at the prices - why is the 348 so much more money?

I am thinking twine. People around here seem to like wire, but the horse people seem to prefer twine - easier to work with.

I am not going to be making my living wit it, but I won't want a pile of junk either.

Advice?

D.

Wow!! Are those TX prices?

A nice looking 1991 wire-tie JD348 sold for $7100 on eBay about a month ago.
See

eBay.com Item Bid History

The guy who sold me his MF-124 baler a few months ago for $2K planned to use a JD338 on his 35 acres. He paid about $5K for his 338.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Wow!! Are those TX prices?

A nice looking 1991 wire-tie JD348 sold for $7100 on eBay about a month ago.
See

eBay.com Item Bid History

The guy who sold me his MF-124 baler a few months ago for $2K planned to use a JD338 on his 35 acres. He paid about $5K for his 338.

Those be NEW prices! The 328/338/348 series has been in production for near 20 years now, best I recall. Some of 'em around with a passel o' bales ran through 'em. They sell a little cheaper'n new.

 

[ddivinia]

Wow!! Are those TX prices?

A nice looking 1991 wire-tie JD348 sold for $7100 on eBay about a month ago.
See

eBay.com Item Bid History

The guy who sold me his MF-124 baler a few months ago for $2K planned to use a JD338 on his 35 acres. He paid about $5K for his 338.

That is list MSRP on those units.

D.

 

[flusher]

Those be NEW prices! The 328/338/348 series has been in production for near 20 years now, best I recall. Some of 'em around with a passel o' bales ran through 'em. They sell a little cheaper'n new.

Aha! I thought the OP was talking about used balers.

 

[ddivinia]

Aha! I thought the OP was talking about used balers.

All is fair in square balers. I just use new as a baseline.

D.

 

[vsteel]

JD 328 - 16,938
JD 338 - 18657
JD 348 - 20,545

I am pretty much convinced I am going to buy a used square baler, but looking at the prices - why is the 348 so much more money?

I am thinking twine. People around here seem to like wire, but the horse people seem to prefer twine - easier to work with.

D.

As FWJ said, the 348 is for the big hay producers, though I have never really worn out a square baler. My father bought a 336 in 1975. (I think its a 336, its the small baler John Deere made at the time.) Its had 5K+ bails put through it every year since then and its still going strong. Best I have got out of it was 3562 bales between misses. (got a little dew going on and made the bales a little to heavy and I missed one.)

I would suggest that you go twine. Wire is really only if you are going to be shipping the bales all over the country. Feeding wise twine is much better, wire is for making really heavy bales that you can ship on a semi long distances because they stack like bricks.