# New Farmer , accepting any advice



## Farmboi98 (May 12, 2014)

I bought my own baler its a new holland super 68. i got it for the right price. I have about 12 acres to bale for my family horses and my neighbors. any advice that you guys can give me i would greatly appreciate. also i need help retieing my baler if anyone can help with that


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## RockmartGA (Jun 29, 2011)

What other equipment do you own (i.e., tractor, cutter, rake, etc)? Also, what type of hay are you planning to put up? Also, what kind of experience have you had previously with regards to haying?

You've come to the right place. Friendliest, most helpful bunch of guys (and gals) on the web.


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

Unless the knotters have been changed on the super 68 it won't tie plastic twine. This was the same square baler I started with. Used to put up 1000 straw bales for the hogs for the winter. Its not a high capacity baler. Sometimes I wish I had a gear lower than first on my tractor to run it. It would be easier to show you how to retie the baler by picture than explaining it late at night when Iam sooo tired. Someone else might chim in and explain it better than me.


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## German Farmer (Apr 14, 2014)

If you look in the box where the balls of twine are, there may be a diagram. We don't have a New Holland little baler but I imagine they are all about the same at the knotter.

You should have some eyelets that lead out of the twine box to under the chute. Ours have a ceramic insert but mother nature sometimes breaks them. Thread the string through those eyeletts. There should be two, one for each side of the bale. Under the chute, there are two long, curved metal bars that have an eyelett on the end, just like a huge sewing needle. Run the strings through each of those eyes and tie the string off next to the bar on the back of the chute.

When you start baling, if the baler is timed correctly, Those needles will shoot up into the chamber and force the string into the notter. The first bale will not tie, but the string should be there for the next bale, and with any luck your knotters will tie.

If I was you, go buy some cheap straw, five bales or so. Grease the crap out of everything on the baler, you can only grease one knotter at a time. The baler will have to make a bale and then you can grease the other knotter. There is no such thing as I greased the knotters to often. If the baler had been sitting for a while, I would grease them three or four times while you are baling. Slowly hand feed, don't put your hands in the throat, just pitch it in. Be ready to catch the first bale again at the back of the chute to feed it in again and hopefully it will tie the second bale and beyond.


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## Farmboi98 (May 12, 2014)

RockmartGA said:


> What other equipment do you own (i.e., tractor, cutter, rake, etc)? Also, what type of hay are you planning to put up? Also, what kind of experience have you had previously with regards to haying?
> 
> You've come to the right place. Friendliest, most helpful bunch of guys (and gals) on the web.


i have a john deere 5075 thats 75 horsepower, i have a 9 foot haybine and a rake. i have fields that another farmer leased to me. ive been researching alot and talking alot to farmers on making good hay. what do you guys suggest for good hay?


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

Are you putting up grass hay? There are several types of grasses that are made into hay. If the field is grass, do you know what kind?

Right now you are probably limited to the types of grasses you have in the fields. At some point you may decide to over seed or drill other types of grass into your present stands.

If you are making alfalfa hay then that is a different ball game. Grasses and legumes are raised with a different approach, different learning curve.

Do you have any weeds or undesirable grass in your fields?

You may consider spraying to rid those. It is accepted to take a soil sample and find the health of the soil producing what you will be making hay from.

It sounds complicated, maybe intimidating at first. You just have to step in and begin.


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## RockyHill (Apr 24, 2013)

Welcome to Haytalk!

"Good hay" varies by the end user. You probably already been told: no mold, put up at right maturity, good color & smell, no weeds & foreign objects, fertilized, firm bales. Each of these has their own 'how tos'.

The type of hay you're growing will dictate a most of the specifics. Continue to ask questions.

With leased fields you'll need to know what time frame will work for seeding, lime, etc. or if you'll just be taking off whatever is growing.

If you have livestock that you'll be feeding the hay, what are your requirements?

If you're selling the hay, if you have a market for it, your buyers will tell you qualities they require.

For instance, in our area, the goat/sheep ladies are much harder to please than the horsey market ladies.

If you sell hay, no matter what, describe it accurately.

Shelia


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## RockmartGA (Jun 29, 2011)

Farmboi98 said:


> i have a john deere 5075 thats 75 horsepower, i have a 9 foot haybine and a rake. i have fields that another farmer leased to me. ive been researching alot and talking alot to farmers on making good hay. what do you guys suggest for good hay?


Sounds like you have adequate equipment.

Before you hook the baler to the PTO, turn it by hand, trip the knotters, check the timing, etc. Do it several times. If you don't have a manual, there's probably some old topics on here about how to time those balers. Print it out and keep it in a notebook handy.

@German gave you some good advice on the baler. Grease everything 2-3 times and run some test bales through it to see how it's tying, any strange noises, etc.

First cutting, I'd probably only cut about two acres or so. Just enough to let you see how everything is working without risking an entire field.

Above all, don't get discouraged with it. I've been baling hay about twenty years and I have learned a lot in the past couple of years on this site.


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

The 68 should have a diagram to show how to time it. I think it on the lid of the twine box. If it can still be read. With the chain to run the feeder fingers it can be a bear to time if its out. You can order manuls online for it. I got mine from www.jensales.com. Worth looking into and getting one if you can.


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## atgreene (May 19, 2013)

If you go onto YouTube, do a search for "new Holland small square baler". There's a rather dated but excellent video by new Holland. It's a great overview and well worth the 12 minutes.


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## atgreene (May 19, 2013)

Found itSmall Square Baler Knotter:


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## hillside hay (Feb 4, 2013)

Sheila pretty much nailed it with representing your hay to the customer. Always over deliver. If I may offer a suggestion in pricing. If you get good hay put up; ie. desirable species, good color, maturity, no mold, no dust, honest weight, and tight brick-like appearance set your price at the upper end of your area. Don'tworry if it doesn't move right away. After all the cheap inferior hay has been bought and gone in the area the last hay someone will buy is yours before the animals go back out on pasture. If its good hay that customer will be back earlier the next year and many times they'll bring their friends.


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## stack em up (Mar 7, 2013)

When I first started baling hay for sale, I bought a 68 hayliner cuz dad didn't want the main baler to be broken down when the farms hay was ready. Still have that little baler and still use it in a pinch. I'll try and find the twine routing picture when I get a chance tonight when I get back close to home.


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