# Any pointers for inspecting a Hesston 540 that is for sale ?



## Westcliffe01 (Feb 16, 2015)

I am going to look at a 1995 model Heston 540 round baler tomorrow. I have no experience with round balers and have worked for 1 season haying with a IH square baler that scares me to death. Just a violent thrashing machine... Looking to go to a round baler since the operation just does not have labor available for all the handling of the small square bales.

Bit of background info: 120 acre property of which half is producing hay, much of which is sloped significantly. There are 2 primary fields that are relatively flat which is where the bulk of the hay comes from. Probably 45 acres. The hay is primarily for own consumption feeding horses and sheep on the property. Historically the hay has been kept in a wooden hay barn which is not suited to the use of stacking machines since the floor is not sufficiently strong to hold my 8000lb loader backhoe. So a new storage location will be needed I assume a clearspan type building. The lower level of the barn has lambing pens. Did about 2000 rectangular bales last year and it was murder unloading the kicker wagons, then running the bales up the hay elevator, then geting up onto the stack and stacking them with a team of 1 or 2.....

I understand that the 540 is a belt type baler with the belts putting pressure on the hay pretty much from the time it enters the machine. Wear parts are belts, rollers, external chain drive, hydraulic tensioners and the same stuff on the infeed as most other balers. I'm guessing belt replacement would be a fairly substantial cost ? Wear could be in the form of unequal lengths, smooth working surface (hard to start a bale ?) or bad tracking. It has an electric twine system which Im assuming should be quite reliable and parts should be available.

On the old square baler we had a piece of wood get into the intake which broke a few shear bolts, got it out of time, bent a needle which then smashed one of the knotting tools. A real PIA to get replacement parts for that...

Anything I am missing or need to pay careful attention to ?

Thank you for feedback.


----------



## cornshucker (Aug 22, 2011)

You seem to have a grasp of how things should look as far as chains and bearings so I would definitely get them to hook it to a tractor and check if the gate is opening and shutting properly, any unusual noises such as bad bearings and bad gearbox also get them to operate the electric tying system. If they were not willing to hook it to a tractor I would walk away. Check the belts for dry rotting and check them where the belts are laced together. These are pretty simple reliable balers without a lot of frills, and are pretty simple to work on.


----------



## dubltrubl (Jul 19, 2010)

+1 what cornshucker says. We have a 540 and they're pretty simple, no frills balers. Ours is hydraulic tie. It's pretty reliable but a few things I would look for. One is the friction roller on top. That roller has a rubber coating on it that's vulcanized to the roller. If it's missing the rubber,, or some of it, a replacement will cost you almost as much as the whole baler. Ours shed some of it's rubber and I was able to repair it. Knock on wood, it's still holding after 4 years, but lot's of people won't tackle some of the things I will, or don't have the tools to do it. Keep a few spare bearings handy if you get it. You'll change one a year probably. They're not too hard to change, or expensive if you buy them from somewhere other than the dealer. $20 or so apiece with the locking collar, but they invariably fail on a weekend when you have hay to bale. Speaking of changing bearings, a torch comes in real handy and makes the job much quicker by being able to warm the bearing up good before trying to pull it. Check the gearbox real good. That's another pricey item. Belts are anywhere from $175- $300 apiece depending on where you get 'em but as long as your hay is baled dry they hold up well. These balers will not tolerate damp hay! At least mine won't. If I try to bale over 20% moisture the baler will slip the clutch and won't eject the bale. Anything over 17-18% it won't eject either. One other thing to check if they'll run it for you is the cam bearings for the pick-up. They're cheap put a REAL PITA to repair. If the pick-up ain't smooth when running, expect to change 'em soon. FYI, if you need parts, many of the 530 parts interchange and this is the same baler as a Case 8430 or a Massey 1744. Should be able to get parts through any AGCO dealer. I'm actually kind fond of the little baler.

Best of luck!

Steve


----------



## Westcliffe01 (Feb 16, 2015)

I went ahead and bought it. There was another about 50 miles west but it was not nearly comparable in condition. The first one I looked at the belts are basically new, has gathering wheels, has both ramps at the back and has the monitor / wire tie control. Has been stored inside a barn and not used for several years. Owner has stuck with small baler since he prefers the handling of the small bales with his cattle operation. Chain and sprockets were replaced and he baled about 20 bales with it when he originally bought it.

He will also store it free until spring, so thats a bonus. Dropped off the check and signed the deed of sale today and got the manuals to read in the mean time. It turns out the owner is related to someone I work with, once we got talking.


----------



## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

Sounds like a nice baler. I believe it will do all you want it to do in your operation.


----------



## dubltrubl (Jul 19, 2010)

Very cool Westcliffe01. Like I said I'm kinda fond of the little balers. Not sure what you're pulling it with, but it's rated at 45hp min. I've found 50+ to work better naturally. One thing I will pass along regarding operating it, ours makes much better bales if you crowd it while feeding it. Depending on the windrow, I run ours with as fast of a forward speed as it can take in hay. I also try to rake the row the same width as the pick-up and if the row is even and consistent you won't have to weave at all and it will make nice square shouldered bales. This is with bermuda grass so your crop may act different.

Best of luck with it!

Steve


----------

