what size hay baler

[mkrapf]

hello,
I am kicking around the idea of buying a used hay baler. I have a 6 acre's that I bale and a couple of neighbors would
also want some small plots baled. I have a jd 4300 which if
memory serves me correctly is around 30 hp. Is any one out
there using any of this size to bale hay?

thanks for your time.

 

[higgy]

30 hp would be a very minimum power to run a bailer. If you can get the flywheel to speed it might do the job, but at a very slow pace. If you are thinking of small square bailes the recipocating motion of the knife will cause the most problem as it will shake your tractor back and forth as the knife and plunger work.

With a small hp you might try and find a bialer that was made before the high plunger rate machines that came out in the '70s, this should help with this problem. Look for a bale size of 14X16 or so.

Have fun.

Dane

 

[tough451]

I used to run a old New Holland square baler with a 870 JD it would pull it and it did rock the heck out of it. You could find one that has its own motor like some of the Amish and pull with hores's.

 

[MikePA]

There have been a number of threads about what size tractor is needed for baling hay. While horsepower is one thing to consider, the weight of the tractor is just as important. The general consensus is that the upper end of the CUT line of tractors, regardless of brand, is the minimum. IMO, the 4300, at 2,800 pounds, is too light a tractor for baling hay.

Will it work, i.e., can you hook a baler up to the 4300 and bale? Probably, but the baler (you did not indicate if the used baler is for square or round bales) will most likely jerk the tractor around like crazy, which is not good for the tractor, nor, depending upon the terrain, safe. Sometimes there's a difference between what can be done and what should be done. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[JerryG]

I don't know if you are looking for a square baler or a round baler, but Hesston now has a small round baler that is rated at 30 horsepower. It is a Hesston model 530 and makes a 39" x 48" bale. List is $11,300, but my dealer has one for $8,200.

 

[Darren]

I run a NH 310 with a Kubota 3710 HST (30 pto hp) to bale 10-15 acres. Works fine. It does shake the tractor most noticeably at slower speeds. At higher ground speeds, it's not noticeable. The orginal baler manual states that a 14 hp Wisconsin engine was available to run it.

 

[Phred]

To small in my opinon for a round baler. Maybe if the hay is thin and it's perfectly flat. But if you have any hilly ground forget it.

To put it in persepctive my 70 hp tractor is marginal for anything larger than a 4x5 round baler.

Fred

 

[slowzuki]

For round balers the weight of the baler is important for CUTs. Some 4x5' balers with a full bale are around 4000 lbs. Some are much lighter too but be careful.

Ken

 

[HayDR]

All you need is a 40 HP utility tractor.

 

[tough451]

If you have flat ground all you need is 40hp if it is hilly like mine you need the size and weight of a 70hp. So what ever you do take you tractor size weight and terrian into consideration. /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif