Square Baler and Tractor size limitations Thoughts????

[nwut05]

I have a New Holland T1510 tractor with fel and fluid in rear tires. Been mulling around about trying it on a Baler this summer. Not Much, I know it will turn it and all but just want to get some interesting feedback others thoughts anybody do this with similar size equipment. Hay gets expensive and i got about 4 acres of my own i could mow and put up. Not many custom balers around here and most people round bale anyway. I prefer the square bales for handling feeding etc. I can get a NH269 reasonable right now and borrow the rake and i got a sickle mower already. Just kinda makes me wander? How did the old timers do it with an 8n?? my tractor is just about as heavy and has about the same hp? just looking for input...

 

[Farmer495]

For 4 acres only I would do it. I would not be towing a wagon or trying any severe grades.

 

[pmsmechanic]

I baled 200 bales for the neighbour with my John Deere 4410 and a New Holland baler. It was fun especially with the cruise control. I could easily match the ground speed to the size of the swath of hay.

You 'll easily be able to do the job.

 

[dieselcrawler]

I have thought about the same issue as the OP. My jd3005 is rated for 27hp/24pto... I could hook dad's mf12 baler to it, and want to try it. My issue is all I have is hills, and I don't know if my tractor to heavy enough to control that much weight behind it. Flat ground, no problem, but the plunger inertia, constantly surging back and forth...

And I've heard of pto/driveline problems with small tractor/baler combos, again, the driveline 'surge' does a number on the small tractor.

Report back if you try it, I'd like to hear how it works out for you.

 

[Briar Hill Brittanys]

Here's my 2 cents worth, hope it helps. I've read that many balers of the 8N day used a pony motor for power. Plenty of power to pull, the down side was the brakes. I don't know what your tractor weighs, lighter will mean you'll feel every stroke of the plunger. Rock N Roll . If you can't pull a wagon, figure on picking the bales up off the ground. When you get your baler, spend some quality time with it. Make sure it's in time, greased, loose bolts tightened, etc. READ THE MANUAL.

I started putting up hay last year with similar size equipment on about 5 acres. Tractor is a JD 1020, mow with a JD #9W sickle bar, rake with a NH 256, and baler is a JD 24T. It's all old school, but gets the job done. Yours will probably do just fine. Nothing like putting up what you need, with your own equipment, by your own hand.

 

[zzvyb6]

I used to run my JD 14T baler with a 22 hp Yanmar (without live or 2 stage pto even). Never a problem. Weight helps the rocking, but sharp baler plunger and fixed knives really solve the rocking tendency. Ground speed is the main regulator. If you want to bale the whole 4 acres in 15 minutes, your'e gonna need a little more tractor (as I'm sure the trolls will point out).

I've posted videos of my settup (mowing with a NH 479 and baling with my 35 hp jd). Neither machine touches the governor.

Here ya go:
214813 2411 - YouTube

Hay Baling 214 - YouTube

I talked a friend of mine into haying his 'lawn'. Here is the result.

Jarnot Farms - YouTube

 

[KYErik]

I baled with an old 25 hp case tractor for years. Just take it slow and listen to how hard the tractor is working.

 

[nwut05]

Thanks for the thoughts so far. I do no not plan on pulling a wagon just picking them up. As far as the slowness of it ...yes that is not a problem. I am just looking for the practicality of it and yes the enjoyment of making my own hay on my own time within my own budget. barring the weather and all..that plays a big part on the timing.. and thank you for the comment about trolls saying i don't have enough horsepower.....I kinda get the hint you have been here also before..

 

[TheMadOne]

Some of us, and I've been guilty of this as well, are eager to jump on the "more power" bandwagon. Pretty much any task done by a 100-300HP tractor today was done by a less than 30HP tractor for a very long time. Implements are still available that will do the job. It's not economical or efficient, but as long as you don't plan on making money there's no harm in small production like what you describe.

 

[bcp]

I never saw a PTO baler until I left the Southwest. Everything seemed to be Wisconsin V4 powered. They were pulled by Jeeps (weak frame), IH Scouts (strong frame), small and large tractors (JD A and Farmall M were most common), surplus aircraft tow tractors, and pickups. All on flat, irrigated land.

Bruce

 

[nwut05]

Thank you again for the awesome videos, and comments, yes the horsepower thing is a difficult mental block to overcome.....for some anyway....sometimes it takes more using your head than just hooking up an putting it in gear and off you go never mind what you tear up or break in the meantime..I grew up with us using a 2000 ford and a massey 120 baler it always done the job just fine believe me i know i have picked up many, and i mean many ...bales it spit out just like it wasn't even trying:laughing:. keep giving me insight any help on what to look for on the NH269 as far as normal wear and tear or junk would help too. i am really considering it i may just need to know some opinions on what to look for before i decide to buy it or not. i do not mind fixing normal wear and i know its an old baler. just any advice would help.

 

[flusher]

My baler was a Massey Ferguson 124 (two-twine, small squares, variable length bale from 30-50 inches). The manufacturer's minimum PTO hp is 35 and I pulled it with my 2008 Mahindra 5525 (55 hp engine, 45 hp pto).

Balers this size have been operated with much smaller tractors. Here's a YouTube video showing a small squares baler pulled by a Farmall Super A that has less that 20 hp (pto). The baler portion is about 6 min into the video.

FARMALL Super A - YouTube

Good luck

 

[Texasmark]

I hooked a JD 14T (older, regular pto driven square baler, twine wrap) to a Ford 2000 with tranny PTO, no slip clutch on the PTO. Tractor is about 30 engine hp and weighs around 3k#. Everything went ok except as you would expect with a tranny pto and no slip clutch the flywheel on the baler kept the tractor moving forward if you had the baler running when you tried to disengaged the pto, shift int N, and or stop the forward movement of the tractor.

 

[powerscol]

nwut05
Welcome to my world. I have been baling hay with my Bobcat CT235 for 5 years now. Its very close to you unit. Is yours hydro-static? The trick is to find matching equipment. You can not run just any baler. Look for ones rated for 35 HP or less. I run a Hesston 4550 inline with ease, but I need to go slow and control my windrow size. I have 26.5 PTO HP . I think your tractor is slightly less. I am also hydro-static, so when things get heavy I can just back off and the the beast recover. If you go this route, get a good used baler. Inlines put much less dynamic loading on the tractor. I know as I have tried both. My one concern is you tractor weight. Your light. I am at 3600 lbs when baling and even I fell I should have more. LOOK up my posts on what I went through. Also for getting the hay out of the field consider a small hay grapple. I have the 2005 model from these folks Specialty Grabbers. One key thing is also look for someone to help maintain your equipment. Knotters can be a real pain. I'm glad to help
Keith

 

[nwut05]

powerscol , we are so close on weight that it i'snt even funny, approximate weights of mine are, base tractor 2350# + fel800-1000#, + loaded rear tires300# we are really close, mine is gear driven 2 stage clutch and i really like the hesston idea but the Price....its way more than i can justify for my operation at this time..

 

[powerscol]

powerscol , we are so close on weight that it i'snt even funny, approximate weights of mine are, base tractor 2350# + fel800-1000#, + loaded rear tires300# we are really close, mine is gear driven 2 stage clutch and i really like the hesston idea but the Price....its way more than i can justify for my operation at this time..

Not really - mine was under 10K. By the time you take and older one and get it running you will be close, and remember the inline will put much less stress on your tractor. The inlines were sold under lots of different names - new idea, Massy, Hesston, and others.Parts are still available too which cannot be said for other older models. Somewhere in one of my posts is a list of models. In any hay equipment, the baler is most important, so spending a bit more on a good used unit can pay for itself. I got mine from a dealer as a trade in on a new Massy 1840. I have not turned a nut on mine in 4 years. Just service well and treat it well.

Be ready for some hard work, but the reward is worth it. One tool I recommend is a hand held hay moisture meter too for checking bales, Good luck