NH 640 baler or JD 335

truckerr1 · Feb 4, 2014

I would like some opinions as to which baler is better,a NH 640,4X5 with auto wrap twine tie (mechanical)hyd tensioner,wide p/u,gathering wheels for $5250 or a JD335 4X4 in good cond with newer belts for $5500. I do abt 100 bales ayr.

RickB · Feb 4, 2014

The wider pickup, AutoWrap simplicity and 4x5 capability give the 640 the edge if overall condition is similar. If the 640 has good belts, the newer belts of the 335 aren't significant.

Tx Jim · Feb 5, 2014

The lack of a monitor box and NO auto wrap on the JD would be a deal killer for me. Having to manually control the twine arms gets to be a pain. I still remember the "crick in my neck" feeling when I baled with a JD 410 that had no monitor and looking back often was required. Plus I don't like the limitation of 4' diameter bales. As a rule of thumb the last 6"s of diameter contain 20% of the weight of the bale.

RickB · Feb 5, 2014

Tx Jim said:
The lack of a monitor box and NO auto wrap on the JD would be a deal killer for me. Having to manually control the twine arms gets to be a pain. I still remember the "crick in my neck" feeling when I baled with a JD 410 that had no monitor and looking back often was required. Plus I don't like the limitation of 4' diameter bales. As a rule of thumb the last 6"s of diameter contain 20% of the weight of the bale.

Jim, You confirm my suspicion that the 335 sold against the NH 630/634/638 balers. Manual electric tie, light duty 4x4 econobox machines. I despise those balers.

deerseeker001 · Feb 5, 2014

Welcome from Wisconsin

Tx Jim · Feb 6, 2014

RickB said:
Jim, You confirm my suspicion that the 335 sold against the NH 630/634/638 balers. Manual electric tie, light duty 4x4 econobox machines. I despise those balers.

Rick
I guess those type balers are all right for someone that bales just a few bales a year but not for me. I like being able to bale 30+ bales per hr(depending on the thickness of the hay) and that ain't happening very easy with a manual tying machine. There's a Big difference in baling a couple hundred bales a year and several 1000 a yr. Then one throws in the speed of netwrap and that will spoil the baler operator.

truckerr1 · Feb 6, 2014

Thanks for your input guys,I"ve decided to go & have a look at the NH640 next week. It is at a dealer abt an hours drive from me. Do these balers have any particular issues i should look for besides the obvious,belts,bearings,etc?

RickB · Feb 6, 2014

Tx Jim said:
Rick
I guess those type balers are all right for someone that bales just a few bales a year but not for me. I like being able to bale 30+ bales per hr(depending on the thickness of the hay) and that ain't happening very easy with a manual tying machine. There's a Big difference in baling a couple hundred bales a year and several 1000 a yr. Then one throws in the speed of netwrap and that will spoil the baler operator.

Exactly.

RickB · Feb 6, 2014

Check the bearings & spur gears on and between the dimple rollers mounted on the pivoting frame called the 'sledge frame'. If hooked to a tractor, ask the seller to slacken the belts so you can check the bearings on the various rollers carrying the belts. With the baler running, trip the tying mechanism manually using the lever at the right front corner of the machine. The twine arms should drop to the center, then advance slowly back home and disengage.