Super A meets a baler

[funny farmer]

I run with an ih47 and it rocks pretty good when I'm sitting still, but when I'm baling I don't hardly feel it. I use a ford 4000 to pull it with and it does pretty good with a full hay wagon on back also, but it's around 50 horse, and weighs around 5000 pnds. Except one time, my help didn't show up so I had my neighbor run the tractor and I stood on the wagon. Needless to say, he never baled hay before and was really nervous. We were going down a pretty steep hill, and I don't know why but he wanted to stop. The second he pushed in the clutch in and got a little forward momentum, there was no way he was going to stop the tractor using the brakes. We slid fairly safely down the hill, and when we got to the bottom I nearly ripped his head of, but I bit my tongue knowing that he didn't know anything about baling. We baled our way around the field and when we got to his truck he shut everything down and got in his truck and never came back. I thought it should be fun for him, but I learn that the things that are fun for me, are not fun for everyone. Another buddy of mine pulls a 24t behind a ford 900 with a hay wagon with no problems, but he doesn't have hills on any fields that he does.

 

[shvl73]

I thought it should be fun for him, but I learn that the things that are fun for me, are not fun for everyone.

Isn't that the truth! I had a friend of mine try to talk me out of it, telling me what an awful job it is. I enjoyed it, and I'm not suprised that I did. I look forward to most tractor jobs.

 

[flusher]

I hooked my Mahindra 2810HST (22+pto HP)to my MF124 baler and made some nice bales. It seemed to handle it well. You definitely know its back there as you can feel the plunger strokes but, its not bad. I'm a real newbie to haying and real small scale but, it worked well enough for me. If I can work out a deal with my neighbor to hay his field, I may end up getting an older 40hp+- farm tractor. I've recently seen a couple of NH65 balers for sale and was real tempted but, if my MF124 is working, why mess with it.

Thinking more about this, my place is fairly flat. The tractor seems to pull the baler around just fine. Does anyone think that there is actually the possibility of harming the tractor, pto, etc... by using the baler? It would be cheaper to get a NH 65 than add a whole other tractor to maintain.

Good to hear.

I'll be following your lead later this year by hooking my recently acquired MF124 baler to the Mahindra 5525 and having a whack at 6 or 7 acres of pasture grass. My place is flat as a pancake with a gentle swale in the SW corner. No problem pulling the MF124 around that type of terrain.

Like you I have several neighbors interested in baling the pasture grass on their 10-acre parcels. I may be doing more haying this year than I expected. For me it's a real blast working with this old haying equipment--wish I had 30 acres.

I can hear the rain (actually a good drizzle) on the front porch now so the field is getting a badly needed watering (12 inches of rain the past year, normal is about 19 inches). Wanted to calibrate the restored Minneapolis Moline P3-6 grain drill today for fertilizer and oats, but it looks like that's a washout. And it's a little too damp for welding (the shop is unheated). Looks like a good day to get ahead on the shopping list in town.

 

[AKfish]

For what you are doing on light wind rows and flat ground you have a good match. We use a 606 Farmall with loaded tires and have had it push the tractor down a hill if the wagon is too full. Horse power is usually not a problem unless the hay is real heavy but traction can be a problem. The picture is on some of the flat ground we bale. It sure makes good hay.

Sure is a sharp tractor...

Dan

That wagon wouldn't push the tractor so bad if you'd get those 2 big beefs off it....

Neighbor uses a IH 504 diesel to bale with and seems to do OK.

AKfish

 

[AKfish]

30hp will run the smaller balers fine, but when most of the smaller balers were built a 30hp tractor had a little more weight behind it. A baler can rock a tractor pretty good with each stroke. I could run my old NH68 with a Oliver 77 or JD50 has about 26 pto hp. I use a JD 4430 with 125 ponies for my NH 315 and boy can it eat hay.
NH 68 project a few years back.

Great job on the baler restore!! Looks like factory fresh. (And the JD50 is a pretty sight, too!)

While we're talkin'... you've got a good eye for old iron --- the 77 looks like all it needs is a little sand blastin' and some fresh color.

Thanks for the pics.

AKfish