# School me on the balewagon / stackliner



## paoutdoorsman (Apr 23, 2016)

Looking at a New Holland 1034 Stackliner with a buddy tomorrow. He is interested in trying it this year, mainly with straw, but possibly with some hay as well. Anything specific to look for on this model. I know it has a lot of age, and seemingly a lot of moving parts with chains, bearings, and hydraulics, but I've never seen one in person and would appreciate any tips you fella's can provide.


----------



## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

paoutdoorsman said:


> Looking at a New Holland 1034 Stackliner with a buddy tomorrow. He is interested in trying it this year, mainly with straw, but possibly with some hay as well. Anything specific to look for on this model. I know it has a lot of age, and seemingly a lot of moving parts with chains, bearings, and hydraulics, but I've never seen one in person and would appreciate any tips you fella's can provide.


Probably be best to take someone with you fellas that has plenty of wagon experience.....a lot of moving parts, etc. I don't think you will be able to get enough tips before tomorrow and know what your actually looking at.

Regards, Mike


----------



## Lostin55 (Sep 21, 2013)

Check out the pinned post, that will help a lot. 
Make sure you hook it up to a tractor. Turn everything on. Raise and lower the chute, raise and lower the first, second table and the load rack. Extend and retract the push off feet. Check the auto tie, if it has one. Check the frame under the first table. You will have to get down under the thing to look at it. Check the hubs behind the wheels. Look where the spring hangers meet the frame, for welds.Check the hydraulic pump and lines for leaks. Check the chains and sprockets. 
Trip the first table, if you have a helper, by depressing the safety over by the cross chain and bar on the other side at the same time, don't get bit when it raises. Trip the second table with the bar, again, don't get bit. 
You will lose your mind if you try to figure it out all at once. Take it one section at a time. Look at it like any other piece of equipment. Look for welds, bent iron, damaged hyd lines and hoses. They are stupid simple, but very complicated, if that makes any sense.


----------



## hillside hay (Feb 4, 2013)

Is that the one at Zimmerman? Or Stitzel? I saw one private treaty in the Lancaster Farming. Was planning on heading that way. Let me know if it doesn't suit your fancy.


----------



## cornshucker (Aug 22, 2011)

I think Lostin55 bout covered it all. If you get it just make sure you get an operators manual for it and read it. If you are somewhat mechanically inclined and have patience you can make it work. What I have found the baler has as much to do with the operation of it as the wagon got to have solid bales and consistent length. Stupid simple and very complicated Lostin55 really nailed it.


----------



## paoutdoorsman (Apr 23, 2016)

@Lostin55 - Thanks! I really appreciate those suggestions.

@hillside - this one is a private party. I also saw an ad in the Lancaster Farming this morning where a seller in Columbia county has 2 1034's and a 1010 for sale.

@cornshucker - I was trying to locate a manual today to do a little preliminary homework. I am mechanically inclined which is why I am looking too. My friend, not so much. I'm also very patient, and my friend not as much.  I've been reading all I can find, and I am a little skeptical of him tackling this machine. He wants me to try it out this summer too, so if he follows through, I'll be looking for a 1/4 turn chute for a Hesston 4590.

Is 4 mph about the max speed when picking up bales?


----------



## carcajou (Jan 28, 2011)

Sometimes if the bales are too close together i pick every other one. That way i can maintain a comfortable speed in the field.


----------



## Lostin55 (Sep 21, 2013)

After you can consistently hit the chute, you can run quite a bit faster than 4 mph, if the bale spacing allows. 
I remember running in sixth at 1600 -1800 rpm in a old jd. It all depends on the bale spacing though. 
If you get it bought we can help you get it adjusted properly also. The adjustments aren't all that intuitive.


----------



## Lostin55 (Sep 21, 2013)

One more thing. It isn't uncommon for the second table to not sit down flush on both sides in front. It seems that they all get a little twisted. I think mine was about an inch and a half higher on one side until loaded. It has to do with the weight of the chute on that side.
A couple years ago, I taught someone to run a SP NH 1069 over the phone. She now runs it just as well as I do. It has a lot to do with mechanical aptitude.
I say all of that to say this.... I think you will find enough help on here to get it figured out, as long as you find a good one to start with.


----------



## Snow Farmer (Aug 30, 2011)

All of the above is good advice, look for obvious mechanical problems. The term "simple but complicated" describes these machines to a tee. You and your buddy will figure it out if you buy it.

If you can, have a good look at an owners manual before you look at the machine, you may be able to spot things that are missing, or damaged.

I had never worked with, or seen one run before I bought my first one, an N.H. 1032 at an auction. The manual that came with it turned out to be for a different machine altogether, did not help much.

I towed it home, and hooked it up to a tractor to begin trying it out, and the most magnificent fountain of hydraulic oil appeared, must have been twelve feet high. At that point I crawled under the handler and quickly discovered that a hydraulic hose was missing, gone. Thus began a series of trial and error learning opportunities.

I have since bought another NH, a Stackliner, which is self propelled, it has given many challenges as well, but at least it came with the right manual, which helped a lot.

The main thing I have noticed is that all the moving parts have to do so, smoothly and cleanly. Seems obvious, but these things depend on the bales to trip the first two table stages, and if the trip linkage is even a bit sticky, it will cause the table not to trip.

Let us know what you guys decide to do, if you buy it.


----------



## paoutdoorsman (Apr 23, 2016)

Thanks again guys. Here are some pictures of it. There are a couple places I see that I suspect are re-welded/reinforced.


----------



## Lostin55 (Sep 21, 2013)

Welded frame under the first table. Check

Dupont rebuild. Check

Tweaked second table. Check

Missing guard over the pump drive chain. Check.

On the plus side, it won't rust anytime soon. It looks pretty straight overall, and the chute appears to be in good shape. I would check it pretty closely though. They have replaced the wood, that is a definite plus.

I do not like the fresh paint. I would much prefer to look at it in its work clothes. I think it may be a good one but check it over really good.

Edit. Take a can of WD-40 with you and spray the valves. I can only imagine that they will be sticky. Just spray the shiny part when you actuate the handles.

You can also purchase an in cab remote kit for it to move the functions into the cab, or at least onto your tractor, so you don't have to turn around so much.


----------



## paoutdoorsman (Apr 23, 2016)

Sweet. We discussed modernizing those functions, so it's nice to know there is a kit to do that.

I agree that I'd rather have looked it over in the original condition. My friend appreciates the look of the fresh paint...


----------



## Josh in WNY (Sep 7, 2010)

Paint can cover some things, but at least this job looks like someone took some time to do a good job and didn't just go at it with a spray can. As for the cab controls, they would definitely be nice, but be ready to shell out some money for them. NH discontinued the pull type stacker wagons a few years ago, so you might not be able to get the kit from them anymore.

I really like the "simple, but complicated" description. These machines are nothing more than a bunch of hydraulic cylinders, linkages and bushing/spool valves, but the way they are put together makes them complicated. There are several interlocks on the functions to help keep the machine from doing something it shouldn't.


----------



## Idaho Hay (Oct 14, 2016)

Josh in WNY said:


> Paint can cover some things, but at least this job looks like someone took some time to do a good job and didn't just go at it with a spray can. As for the cab controls, they would definitely be nice, but be ready to shell out some money for them. NH discontinued the pull type stacker wagons a few years ago, so you might not be able to get the kit from them anymore.


I have a 1033 and wasn't able to find remote controls for it, so I built my own just for the pickup control. That's really the only one that you desperately need, all the others only get used once or twice per load. I just bought a heavy duty push pull cable off ebay and then fabricated the rest.


----------



## Lostin55 (Sep 21, 2013)

They pop up at auction with some regularity, here anyway.


----------



## Josh in WNY (Sep 7, 2010)

Lostin55 said:


> They pop up at auction with some regularity, here anyway.


Wagons or the cab kits?


----------



## Lostin55 (Sep 21, 2013)

cab kits


----------



## Lostin55 (Sep 21, 2013)

Wasn't yesterday the day? Well, what did you find? Did it get bought?


----------



## paoutdoorsman (Apr 23, 2016)

Yep, yesterday was the day. I got wrapped up in an issue at work and wasn't able to look at it with him, but he did buy it. I should get a chance to check it out sometime this week.


----------



## Lostin55 (Sep 21, 2013)

Pretty paint.... gets em every time.
I hope it's a good one, for all of our sakes. You especially.


----------



## paoutdoorsman (Apr 23, 2016)

Lostin55 said:


> Pretty paint.... gets em every time.
> I hope it's a good one, for all of our sakes. You especially.


I agree on the paint. And like you, I really hope it's a half decent machine. Too bad my day worked out like it did. Checking it out Saturday. I suggested we set out a line or two of straw bales to give it a real run through.


----------



## Lostin55 (Sep 21, 2013)

I have been patiently waiting for an update. It hasn't happened yet? Did the machine turn out to be a good one?


----------



## Lostin55 (Sep 21, 2013)

?????????????
Good, bad, ugly?
Fully functional?
Best thing since sliced bread?


----------



## paoutdoorsman (Apr 23, 2016)

Thanks for your patience @Lostin55. My apologies for the delay. Finally got a chance to give this 1034 a look over. This is the first stackwagon I've looked at, but you may be right that the Dupont rebuild was a big selling factor. I didn't see it run yet, but it has a few new chains and appears to be operational. The structural repairs are probably what would be my biggest concern. Both main hitch beams have been reinforced - may not be a big deal. The arms and pivot points of the second table are what concern me the most. It appears both have been broken off and re-welded, and the one is a bit twisted. I'm advising that these be reinforced before the season gets into full swing.

Ideally he or we would line out some bales and give it a test run. Someone told me yesterday that bales have to be 60-70 lbs for a stackwagon to work well. Any truth to that?


----------



## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

The bolt acts as a pivot? No solid pin? If thats the case you might as well get a couple spare bolts of that size so you arent stranded when they break..


----------



## RockyHill (Apr 24, 2013)

paoutdoorsman said:


> Thanks for your patience @Lostin55. My apologies for the delay. Finally got a chance to give this 1034 a look over. This is the first stackwagon I've looked at, but you may be right that the Dupont rebuild was a big selling factor. I didn't see it run yet, but it has a few new chains and appears to be operational. The structural repairs are probably what would be my biggest concern. Both main hitch beams have been reinforced - may not be a big deal. The arms and pivot points of the second table are what concern me the most. It appears both have been broken off and re-welded, and the one is a bit twisted. I'm advising that these be reinforced before the season gets into full swing.
> 
> Ideally he or we would line out some bales and give it a test run. Someone told me yesterday that bales have to be 60-70 lbs for a stackwagon to work well. Any truth to that?


We run a 1044 and our bales are 45-50 pounds. Do need good firm bales.

Jeff


----------



## Lostin55 (Sep 21, 2013)

Tight bales is a must. I have stacked fifty pounds bales with no issue, if they were tight. 
It isn't uncommon for an older machine to have some play at the pivot points of the tables.
It might be a good one.


----------



## skyrydr2 (Oct 25, 2015)

The repairs look like someone miss judged the door to the barn or the bridge was a touch too low.DOH!


----------



## paoutdoorsman (Apr 23, 2016)

PaMike said:


> The bolt acts as a pivot? No solid pin? If thats the case you might as well get a couple spare bolts of that size so you arent stranded when they break..


It looks like that is how it was designed since the support arms and the table arms join the frame right there. I suspect there should be a bushing in there and bolted firmly in place, rather than the loose fit arrangement it is currently in.


----------



## paoutdoorsman (Apr 23, 2016)

Lostin55 said:


> Tight bales is a must. I have stacked fifty pounds bales with no issue, if they were tight.
> It isn't uncommon for an older machine to have some play at the pivot points of the tables.
> It might be a good one.


His primary intent for the machine is straw. Will it handle straw fairly well? It will be from a rotary style combine. My straw last year was baled behind a rotary, and while I could get the bales relatively firm, we still had to be a little careful handling them as the plastic twine and the short stemmed slippery straw made for a bale that could be accidentally disassembled if grabbing one string too quickly.


----------



## bbos2 (Mar 20, 2015)

Not sure what kind of baler you have but adjustments can be made so that doesn't happen in rotor straw. Ive baled a lot of rotor straw with a sp Bale wagons. As previously stated you just need a tight firm bale. But if you have a loose string on rotor bales get that adjusted up. The pickup chain can yank those strings off pretty easy


----------



## Josh in WNY (Sep 7, 2010)

As has been previously stated, good firm, consistent bales are the key... not so much the weight.

I know I've heard it on hear before, but I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned it to you yet... buying a stacker wagon will re-teach you how to run a baler!


----------



## Idaho Hay (Oct 14, 2016)

I have a 1033 wagon and have had to do some work to my second table pivot joints before. In looking at your pictures, it looks like there's no bushings in there and the bolts should be longer to be able to except a jam nut. The way it looks right now, I'm guessing it won't last long before it works itself apart.


----------



## paoutdoorsman (Apr 23, 2016)

Idaho Hay said:


> I have a 1033 wagon and have had to do some work to my second table pivot joints before. In looking at your pictures, it looks like there's no bushings in there and the bolts should be longer to be able to except a jam nut. The way it looks right now, I'm guessing it won't last long before it works itself apart.


It would make sense for this table to pivot on a bushing, but you are right that there appears to be no bushing in there.


----------



## paoutdoorsman (Apr 23, 2016)

bbos2 said:


> Not sure what kind of baler you have but adjustments can be made so that doesn't happen in rotor straw. Ive baled a lot of rotor straw with a sp Bale wagons. As previously stated you just need a tight firm bale. But if you have a loose string on rotor bales get that adjusted up. The pickup chain can yank those strings off pretty easy


He will be using either a New Holland 575 or 5070, don't remember which. If I attempt to use this, I will be baling with a Hesston 4590.


----------

