Vicon round baler ?

MikeF · Nov 11, 2003

I have found a good deal on a Vicon AP 1210 round bailer, but I have not had any expierence with any round bailers at all. I have heard of some of them needing a monitor that goes on the tractor. Do they work if there is not a monitor what does this monitor do ? the man who has the bailer is just selling it and has not a clue, & it dosent appear to have a monitor. Any ideas on if it should?

Thanks For the help !! Mike

art · Nov 11, 2003

Re: Vicon round bailer ?

Mike most of the new ones do but some of the older ones or economy ones just had hydraulic controls to open the rear gate or rope for tie activation.

cowboydoc · Nov 11, 2003

Re: Vicon round bailer ?

Some balers will have monitors and some won't, even the new ones. The higher end balers will usually have a monitor but very few, if any, of the lower end balers will have a monitor. If it doesn't have a monitor there will be a gauge with marks and a red area or there will be a number system. You have to keep watching this to know when to make your bale. Once you get to the bale limit you will either have a switch or a string tied to a trip that will start the tying process. You will watch the tying bar as it makes its way across and back. When it gets back in place you will then open your back door and release the bale from the chamber. It usually takes 2-3 times to make bales without a monitor. If you only have a few acres and bales to make no big deal. But if you're making hundreds of bales a day it's one heck of alot faster and easier to do it with a monitor.

jwcinpk · Nov 12, 2003

Re: Vicon round bailer ?

Never heard of that brand. How hard would it be to find parts for? If you have tons of money like some, buy you a fancy new JD with all the buttons and bale like crazy. If however you are like most of us and don't have a lot of money to throw around check out a new Vermeer Rebel, or low end New Holland. Lots of good financing deals out there right now. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

cowboydoc · Nov 12, 2003

Re: Vicon round bailer ?

If you're going to buy a low end Vermeer baler, the rebel, you can get a similiar low end JD baler for about the same money.

If you want a top of the line 5x6 baler it's going to cost you big bucks whether it's Vermeer or JD. I just bought a 557 round baler and the price from CCI for the same spec'd baler was actually $400 higher than what I paid for the 557 so enough with the high priced JD stuff. You get what you pay for no matter what the color is.

rambler · Nov 12, 2003

I'm thinink the Vicon is a soft-core baler?

The most favored is a rubber belt baler. Newer ones with wider belts, good tension, open throat.

Next are NH bar & chain balers. Work about as good, but wear a little faster & will knock leaves off alfalfa. Do better in cornstalks & the rough stuff tho.

Then are the soft-core balers, or fixed-chamber. They usually have big metal drums around the bale, & throw hay into the middle, keep tumbling it around. Only as the bale gets full do they start to pack the hay tight. Some say they allow you to bale damper hay, as the softer center will dry out. Others note that the bales just don't pack as tight, and settle & mold more if stored outside.

The very old round balers were closed-throat. The hay had to pass through 2 rollers real close together. Caused a lot of plugging & could not handle damp hay at all.

A monitor usually works off 12v, and it has a spring roller on the 2 outer belts. if one belt gets looser, the monitor will show a light to move over in that direction. Keeps you from having to twist around & guess yourself which side to fill. End up making better bales, tighter. The newer monitors may also have size, twine, & tightness adjustments on it, and basically run & control the whole baler.

Round baler needs at least 1 hyd set to open & close the baler. Some models use a rope you pull to move the twine, some use a 2nd hyd set, and some (newer) use 12v electric to move the twine.

Pretty much all there is. Newer balers feed better, make tighter bales, have better monitors that help you keep baling looking forward. Older ones waste fine short hay, don't start a bale as easily, have no monitors. Kinda sorta how it sorts out.

--->Paul

Phred · Nov 13, 2003

A monitor is an option on the vermeer rebel.
If you do not get the monitor you get a llittle switch that allows you to manually tie off the bale as part of the stock baler price.

The monitor, if memory serves, will automtically tie the bale for you.

Using the manual tie takes a very little amount of practice to learn how to do. You just need to get enough wraps and the end wraps in the right place and thats it. In my opnion not worth the extra money for the monitor.

On the vermeer its just a linear actuator that runs the tie arms back and forth. A linear actuator like one of these
http://www.dcactuator.com/index.asp

The manual tie setup is just a switch that aplies 12v or -12v to the linear actuator and therefore retracts or extends the tie arms.
If the baler in question is missing this switch it would be very easy to make your own, so I would not let that stop you if you want the baler.

Fred

HayDR · Nov 14, 2003

Re: Vicon round bailer ?

Doc,
You can not Purchase a JD 457 for close to $11,500 (Rebel 5400) the 5x4' JD457 without hay saver wheels in over $14,000 and the JD has shear bolt protection standard where the Vermeer has a clutch. JD list the 457 as needing 55 HP to make a 1100 Lbs bale while Vermeer can make a 1200 LBS bale with 40 HP.

cowboydoc · Nov 14, 2003

Re: Vicon round bailer ?

Is the $11,500 list price or your discounted price? I always love how people quote the JD prices at list and the equipment they buy or sell at what they actually sell for and not list. List price doesn't mean anything. What can you actually buy it for. I can go to 10 dealers here and get a different price and say Vermeer is more expensive than deere because one dealer deeply discounted a jd and another sold his vermeer at retail. When you quoted me that one baler you were $400 higher than a jd with everything on it but I'm not going around all over the forum saying jd is cheaper than vermeer. That was one instance where it was cheaper.

As far the hp deal that to me is still pretty stupid. You can't tell me that a 40hp tractor is going to pull that baler up a hill at operating speed. It just isn't going to happen. Heck I could run my 567 with my 40hp compact but that doesn't mean it's safe or I can do it on a hot day baling 400 bales without overheating.

CMunger · Nov 14, 2003

Vicon was purchased by Inland Manufacturing of Canada. Inland is owned by Buhler Manufacturing, very strong, and currently building and servicing round balers. Also have A nice round bale carrier.
Chuck M.

Woodbeef · Nov 14, 2003

Actually Vicon is owned by Kverneland. Inland balers are licensed copies of the Vicons.

MikeF · Nov 14, 2003

Well, thanks to everyone for your info! as usual TBN is a great way to get info. I went and looked at the baler again and it is a RP 1210 with a manual tie, 2 hyd. lines & 1 rope. Nothin fancy but just what I am looking for. Now I just have to see if they take my offer. It needs 3 belts replaced but my dealer says he can get the pts. I will let you guys know how it turns out.

Tx again Mike

Woodbeef · Nov 15, 2003

hey Mike,

Never heard anything bad about the balers. They were a good econo type. The Massey 800 series balers were Greenland(who then owned Vicon). Check with a Massey dealer for parts cross over.

HayDR · Nov 19, 2003

Re: Vicon round bailer ?

Doc,
You have some very good things to say and as an operator I think you are a good one, but as for the knowing about the HP needed for a Rebel 5400 you just are lacking. The facts are ther are hundreds of the Rebel 5400 balers running in the hills of East Tennessee baling with 35-50 HP tractors. You may price a JD 4x4 baler, without haysaver wheels, close to price of a Vermeer 5x4 baler but the JD is a 1000 Lbs less a baler and will only bale a 750 LBS bale. The Vermeer 5400 Rebel baler priced at $11,500 has a CV-PTO with clutch, Hay saver wheels, bale counter, rubber mounted teeth, hydraulic belt tension, & electric twine tie.

cowboydoc · Nov 19, 2003

Re: Vicon round bailer ?

Thanks for the compliment CCI. I agree I don't know alot about the rebel. But I do know about JD. Can you explain how the rebel can be 1000 lbs. heavier, bale a heavier bale, and do it for 10-15 hp less? Can you honestly tell me you can take a 40 hp tractor and bale at 5mph up hills and not heat up the tractor and make a true 5x4 bale? I also really don't understand how it can be safe to haul that much weight with a little tractor.

HayDR · Nov 23, 2003

Re: Vicon round bailer ?

Doc,
Hesston & New Idea just released a 3'x4' baler that can be pulled with 25 HP. This is a vertical chamber baler. Likely it will work with the larger compacts like a Kubota 3130 and so on. This is a niche market and they will produced only for orders and it will be unlikely you will see dealers speculate and stock them. Target sales price is $7,000-8,000.

jakejammer88 · Apr 20, 2014

hi i have a rf 122 and am looking for a monitor if some one knows of one for sale please let me no thanks jake

rdbigfarmboy · Apr 22, 2014

Some of the older models used a signal lever that would raise up from the chamber when the roll was full. Otherwise you would feel the strain on the tractor. On a soft core baler the last or outer 6 inches is very tight and requires a lot of power to roll well. It is probably a welger design baler and will make a great roll of hay.
you can make your own monitor using a brake pedal switch and a buzzer or indicator light in the tractor just like a vehicle brake light switch.
I would buy it if it were local

rnh1 · Jun 15, 2014

HayDR said:
Doc, Hesston & New Idea just released a 3'x4' baler that can be pulled with 25 HP. This is a vertical chamber baler. Likely it will work with the larger compacts like a Kubota 3130 and so on. This is a niche market and they will produced only for orders and it will be unlikely you will see dealers speculate and stock them. Target sales price is $7,000-8,000.

Sounds like Case IH New idea Hesston model that's been around a while they recommended 35 hp but you could order it with optional kit to be used with. 25 hp. The price you quote is much cheaper Very dependable if you took your time with it. Too many rpms tended to pull out belt ends