Used balers-parts availability

[flusher]

I plan to buy a pre-owned baler in the near future.
Been looking at "vintage" models (JD 14T, JD 24T, JD 336, MF 3, MF 12, MF 224, IH 46, NH 273).

I've looked over several balers and passed. A couple were pretty beat up and one had the on-board Wisconsin engine, which I want to avoid if possible.

I'm wondering about parts availability for these old balers. Which ones have decent OEM or second source spares? Which ones have spare parts availablity problems?

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I plan to buy a pre-owned baler in the near future.
Been looking at "vintage" models (JD 14T, JD 24T, JD 336, MF 3, MF 12, MF 224, IH 46, NH 273).

I've looked over several balers and passed. A couple were pretty beat up and one had the on-board Wisconsin engine, which I want to avoid if possible.

I'm wondering about parts availability for these old balers. Which ones have decent OEM or second source spares? Which ones have spare parts availablity problems?

Rule #1 of owning old equipment. NO ONE will offer the across the board parts support like Mother Deere.

MF/AGCO has decent availability.

NH Average to slightly above average on MOST models EXCEPT 273. They're now "obsolete".

Personally, I despize IH balers.

IMHO, the best baler I've ever had the pleasure of hooking a tractor to is a 336 Deere. Mine's flat worn out. I bought a VERY nice #12 MF baler last fall, but know beyond a shadow of a doubt I'll finally be looking for another 336

 

[RickB]

I plan to buy a pre-owned baler in the near future.
Been looking at "vintage" models (JD 14T, JD 24T, JD 336, MF 3, MF 12, MF 224, IH 46, NH 273).

I've looked over several balers and passed. A couple were pretty beat up and one had the on-board Wisconsin engine, which I want to avoid if possible.

I'm wondering about parts availability for these old balers. Which ones have decent OEM or second source spares? Which ones have spare parts availablity problems?

Only two brands of small square balers have any appreciable parts support for older units. New Holland and Deere. Also note that they are the only two manufacturers of balers you are looking at that are in the market with a similar machine today.

The claim that NH has determined the 273 to be obsolete is absurd. Not at all in line with FWJ's usually informative posts. All manufacturers, including Deere have obsoleted low volume parts of that vintage from their systems. On the contrary, almost all NH knotter parts and needles used from the middle 50's are still use on current models, either in their original form or improved bolt on versions that perform better than the originals..

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Only two brands of small square balers have any appreciable parts support for older units. New Holland and Deere. Also note that they are the only two manufacturers of balers you are looking at that are in the market with a similar machine today.

The claim that NH has determined the 273 to be obsolete is absurd. Not at all in line with FWJ's usually informative posts. All manufacturers, including Deere have obsoleted low volume parts of that vintage from their systems. On the contrary, almost all NH knotter parts and needles used from the middle 50's are still use on current models, either in their original form or improved bolt on versions that perform better than the originals..

Absurd? Is that a new term for New Holland listing the 273 as "NO LONGER SUPPORTED"? SOME parts are still available IF they're common to other models.

 

[flusher]

Personally, I despize IH balers.

Interesting.

I just returned from visiting my neighbor across the road. He mowed 8 acres of volunteer hay Monday, raked it yesterday (Wednesday) and brought out his newly acquired IH 57W baler to finish the job. Unfortunately, he tried to run that baler off his Ford 8N. Result: twisted the tractor pto shaft.

Question: how much hp is needed for that baler? It has a very impressively large flywheel. I wonder if my MF-135 diesel could handle that beastie.

 

[RickB]

"NO LONGER SUPPORTED"?

Where are you seeing that? I'll have to remember that I can't work on any 273's this season when I am chasing square balers for weeks at a time.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Where are you seeing that? I'll have to remember that I can't work on any 273's this season when I am chasing square balers for weeks at a time.

Last summer, I was attempting to fix my old 273 (sold to a bro-in-law several years prior) The NH site still list's part #'s, but when we went to the NH dealer and actually tried ORDERING those parts, they gave us the big "NO LONGER SUPPORTED" message on quite a few of the parts on our list. As parts exclusive to the 273 run out, they're no longer available. Old stock and parts common to later models are still available NOW, but that seems to be changing.

I've got a 1st generation NH451 sickle bar mower. Running into the same situation there too. Later serial numbered models are still supported, but early models aren't.

Fortunately, NH sold a ba-jillion 273's and used parts are fairly easy to find. Possible that NH may step up and start reproducing parts for the 273's if there's enough demand.

 

[zzvyb6]

The 8N doesn't have an independent PTO. Starting the baler and the tractor moving takes some thinking. Otherwise, the baler kickback will twist the shaft. You can run a baler off an independent Wisconsin 16hp engine. Have him convert the driveline to run off a separate motor.

 

[Texashayman]

As Farmwithjunk said: In which i totally agree! Rule "#1 of owning old equipment. NO ONE will offer the across the board parts support like Mother Deere.

MF/AGCO has decent availability.

NH Average to slightly above average on MOST models EXCEPT 273. They're now "obsolete".

That being said, there are still enough parts and salvage bailers out there to get a lot of the parts for the older stuff..the downside is running around and hunting them down and or possibly buying them online and waiting on shipping.. typically when you need the part the bailer is parked in the middle of a hayfield surrounded by wind rows..

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

We work on 273's all the time, infact we search for them because we have them rebuilt into mini-balers. There are some things that are no longer available, heck the thing is 30 years old. However its a mechanicly simple baler and there's not much you can't hack back together.