Towing a square baler

[Robert_in_NY]

For hauls over 25 miles I would put the equipment on a trailer. Then you are safely towing at highway speeds and not incurring wear on your ag equipment. If you dont have a trailer just check around to see who rents in your area. Car hauler flat deck trailer rentals usually run under $100 for a one day rental.

Most balers and a lot of farm implements are too wide for trailers and ackward for loading. You would have to disassemble part of the baler to be able to meet the width restrictions unless you get an oversized permit.

 

[Dill]

I towed my 435 IH back from Barton VT on 2 lane highways, 50mph the whole way, and 4 hours. My father's 328 we put on the trailer, it took 3 fork lifts fly it on, we put the plunger side on the deck and blocked the axle under the pickup side. It hung about 2 ft over the side, but we made it home without issue.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

YeeeeHaaaa!! That disc weigh darn near what your truck weighs? Any curves or downhills - or better yet... downhill curves?

AKfish

No problem....Pulled it behind a Kenworth road tractor.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

The old IH discs could only be towed about 35 miles per hour tops or they would start whipping!!!

To put a set of back scratchers on and it drops to about 20 for top speed. Some of the new models like the 490 they have better balance and although heavy they can be pulled at 45 to 50 with out issue with pick-up but will hold faster with a larger vehicle.

We ran a chain from the hitch pole (near the front, close to where the pin goes) to the frame as far to the outside as possible, then used a ratchet binder to tighten the chain. That's the ONLY way you can tow a Deere disc without whipping, and it seemed to help on the IH disc. It was still pretty stable @ 35mph....My nerves weren't quite as stable.

Since we dragged the 470 home, I've found a much nicer 496. It's got a Hinniker bar mounted on the back. It'll make the 4440 blow black smoke!

 

[art]

We ran a chain from the hitch pole (near the front, close to where the pin goes) to the frame as far to the outside as possible, then used a ratchet binder to tighten the chain. That's the ONLY way you can tow a Deere disc without whipping, and it seemed to help on the IH disc. It was still pretty stable @ 35mph....My nerves weren't quite as stable.

Since we dragged the 470 home, I've found a much nicer 496. It's got a Hinniker bar mounted on the back. It'll make the 4440 blow black smoke!

I sold a 496 18' to a farm to go behind a 4440 and had to take it back in trade for a 475. Was strange as we had quite a few behind 1066's and 1086's. They did have a 1066 but only one person enjoyed driving it to pull the disc so they swapped discs! Go figure, the 1066 was there spreader tractor because it would start in the winter! I guess they could have bought better tractors, but green blood runs thick, I guess the word thick describes them the best!

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I sold a 496 18' to a farm to go behind a 4440 and had to take it back in trade for a 475. Was strange as we had quite a few behind 1066's and 1086's. They did have a 1066 but only one person enjoyed driving it to pull the disc so they swapped discs! Go figure, the 1066 was there spreader tractor because it would start in the winter! I guess they could have bought better tractors, but green blood runs thick, I guess the word thick describes them the best!

Funny you should bring that up... I HAD a 1066, sold it after I bought the 4440. I found the case to be just the opposite. The 4440 would work circles around the 1066. The IH wouldn't handle the 470 on our hills..Brought it to a standstill a couple times.....The 4440 will walk right on up those same hills with the 496. Those old IH's were just like re-arranging the chairs on the deck of the Titanic....No matter where you put 'em, the ship still sank.

 

[JasG]

Funny you should bring that up... I HAD a 1066, sold it after I bought the 4440. I found the case to be just the opposite. The 4440 would work circles around the 1066. The IH wouldn't handle the 470 on our hills..Brought it to a standstill a couple times.....The 4440 will walk right on up those same hills with the 496. Those old IH's were just like re-arranging the chairs on the deck of the Titanic....No matter where you put 'em, the ship still sank.

I have driven several of each of these, 4430's, 4440's, 1066, and 1 1086 helping 1 farmer or another over the years. The 4430's I would say was the weakest of the bunch and did start poor in the winter. Seems that was what all 30 series were known for. The 4440's as you say would run rings around a 1066 or 86 and have power to spare. Didn't seem to matter if it was a quad or a powershift model. Other than the 30 series Deere, I have never had another make, be it IH, Cat, Cummins start in the winter as well as the Deeres.

Not to say any of them wouldn't start, just the Deere's could go to a lower temp before being plugged in.

 

[JasG]

Most balers and a lot of farm implements are too wide for trailers and ackward for loading. You would have to disassemble part of the baler to be able to meet the width restrictions unless you get an oversized permit.

I have seen some NH and Deere balers being delivered to dealers. In both case I think they were on edge, pickup edge up. I agree I wouldn't trailer a baler, more work than it's worth IMO.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I have seen some NH and Deere balers being delivered to dealers. In both case I think they were on edge, pickup edge up. I agree I wouldn't trailer a baler, more work than it's worth IMO.

Yes, that is how they are shipped from the factory, then assembled at the dealer by adding the tounge, tires and such. They box it up as compact as possible and stand it on edge so it doesn't take up as much width. It sticks up in the air quite a ways but thats easier to deal with then width as you have more height available for transporting then width.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I have driven several of each of these, 4430's, 4440's, 1066, and 1 1086 helping 1 farmer or another over the years. The 4430's I would say was the weakest of the bunch and did start poor in the winter. Seems that was what all 30 series were known for. The 4440's as you say would run rings around a 1066 or 86 and have power to spare. Didn't seem to matter if it was a quad or a powershift model. Other than the 30 series Deere, I have never had another make, be it IH, Cat, Cummins start in the winter as well as the Deeres.

The 4430's had a turbo-ed 404 cu in engine. The 404 was stretched to it's practical limits and as a result used a lot of fuel and sacrificed reliability to squeeze 125 hp out of it. I know of a few that were turned up to 135/140hp and didn't hold up at all. The smaller 30 series weren't bad starters...the 4230 and 4030....The 4430 and 4630 were different stories, albiet a MUCH more "user friendly" tractor just because of that cab!

The 4440 had the 466 cu in w/turbo. It was tuned quite mildly to get 130hp. I've seen many a 4440 tuned up to 155/160hp and as reliable as death and taxes. The same engine (w/ an intercooler) put out 200+hp (pto) on 4960's before the 4000 series was done. Deere sent IH back to the drawing board with the 4020, and the 4440 was the coup de grace.

I always wanted a 1066 IH. Even the Binder faithful will tell you the 1066 was a better tractor than the 1086 when all is said and done. I found a mint '74 open station model about a year and a half back. I was quite disappointed with it. It dynoed 145hp, but just didn't have what it takes under a load. It had the noisiest tranny I've ever been around, plus it shifted like it had cement in the gear box. And...as is USUALLY the case, the T/A was starting to go south....

Then I found the 4440. '81 model, Low hours, Power Shift, new radial duals, new cab kit, full weights, quick coupler, and 155hp on the dyno. (I've since dialed it back to 140hp) It is a joy to run and a horse of a tractor. I've put it on a 15' bat wing for a couple days, but mostly it's used to pull an 8-row planter or a 15' no till soy bean drill. Gonna try it out on a 650 bu grain cart in a few weeks. I did try it out in front of the 20' IH 496 disk. She let the black smoke roll, and handled it like a charm!

I tend to like ALL brands. No real favorite. But I do like certain models within all the brands. The 4440 is hands down one of the best models EVER from ANY brand. Where I live, Massey Ferguson owned the market for smaller tractors and IH held the advantage on 80hp and up tractors until the mid 70's. By the time the 40 series Deere made the show, it was all over for the red guys....Our IH dealer shut the doors in the early 70's. They saw the writing on the wall.....Big tractor and combine market here now is probably 75% or better "green".