# MF 120 baler?



## CDennyRun (Nov 26, 2015)

There is a MF 120 baler for sale not too far from me, and the guy posted "Needs knotter work, otherwise in good shape" and it's posted for $750. I haven't called to see what kind of knotter problems it has, because I don't want to waste his time if I know I can't get parts. I've read that 120 parts are VERY hard to get these days. I know th 124's were great balers, are the knotter parts interchangeable?

Were these good reliable machines? Anyone know of a good parts source other than the local MF dealer?

Thanks in advance!

Chris


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

I don't know man.....You can get a decent operating baler for around 1500 or so.....when you start having knotter issues you can get into some money pretty quick....believe I would probably pass considering baler, age, and problems.....probably save you some great discomfort. I would seek out a older Deere(24T) or NH.

Regards, Mike


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## CDennyRun (Nov 26, 2015)

Vol said:


> I don't know man.....You can get a decent operating baler for around 1500 or so.....when you start having knotter issues you can get into some money pretty quick....believe I would probably pass considering baler, age, and problems.....probably save you some great discomfort. I would seek out a older Deere(24T) or NH.
> 
> Regards, Mike


I totally agree. I've been loking for a long time, and 14 or 24T's, or NH 65's or 68's don't come up very often, if at all. All I can think is this guy is fed up with it, and got a new baler. I'd hate to get a money pit for a first baler. I've just been seeing it posted for so long, I figured I'd give it more thought and get some advice.

Thanks Vol

Chris


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## glasswrongsize (Sep 15, 2015)

Will the seller tell you what kind of knotter work it need?. If he will (honestly) state the issue that it is having, it might indicate whether the mechanism is out of adjustment or broken. There might be broken parts of which he is aware or if it wasn't tying properly etc.... More info on what it is doing would be helpful and it might give an idea of potential parts needed.

There are a couple of baler salvage businesses around the innerweb that may be able to help with parts which are no longer offered new.

If you search "baler salvage", numerous parts are available

Cook's has been helpful to me in the past.

Ebay is another decent place to look for parts but it is hit and miss whether something is being sold at the exact time that you learn you need it.

73, Mark

PS, I just re-read your post and saw that this will be your first baler. If/when you buy a baler, buy a manual for it as well...and study it. My first baler had serious knotter (and everything else) issues when I bought it...in hindsight, it was good learning and experience. So, with your manual, also buy a thesaurus so you can learn new words so your cursing skills do not become stagnant.


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## CDennyRun (Nov 26, 2015)

glasswrongsize said:


> Will the seller tell you what kind of knotter work it need?. If he will (honestly) state the issue that it is having, it might indicate whether the mechanism is out of adjustment or broken. There might be broken parts of which he is aware or if it wasn't tying properly etc.... More info on what it is doing would be helpful and it might give an idea of potential parts needed.
> 
> There are a couple of baler salvage businesses around the innerweb that may be able to help with parts which are no longer offered new.
> 
> ...


Thanks! I may just end up giving him a call to see what's actually happening. I'm more than intrigued with knotters, and would love to understand them better. I'll check out the used baler parts market and see what's out there. Thanks for the help!

Chris


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## glasswrongsize (Sep 15, 2015)

To me, knotters are like one of those 3D posters. You may have to stare at it for hours-but once you see it, you can't unsee it. Once I finally got and understood knotters, they became fairly simple and a lot easier to diagnose. 73, Mark


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## Wethay (Jul 17, 2015)

Knotters are one of those mysterious things that a mere mortal isn't to understand. A service call of $125 to show up, $85/hr from the time they left the shop to the time they got back resulting in a $250 bill for a five minute adjustment made me rethink that. Can't say I understand the magic, but I do try to influence the outcome. A manual is invaluable.


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

The MF have sure tie knotters that don't work the same as jd/nh knotters. I've had good luck with them but not as many people are familiar with them. A nice trait is they don't leave cut ends of twine after tying. I have one picky customer and one landowner that doesn't like that when using plastic twine.


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## CDennyRun (Nov 26, 2015)

slowzuki said:


> The MF have sure tie knotters that don't work the same as jd/nh knotters. I've had good luck with them but not as many people are familiar with them. A nice trait is they don't leave cut ends of twine after tying. I have one picky customer and one landowner that doesn't like that when using plastic twine.


Thanks for the input! I might consider looking at it if it's still on the market in a few months. I'm still recovering from a massive financial crisis due to truck problems. After reading some, the sure tie knotters seem to be pretty reliable. I guess we'll see what the Lord has in store for me!

Chris


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## glasswrongsize (Sep 15, 2015)

slowzuki said:


> The MF have sure tie knotters that don't work the same as jd/nh knotters. I've had good luck with them but not as many people are familiar with them. A nice trait is they don't leave cut ends of twine after tying. I have one picky customer and one landowner that doesn't like that when using plastic twine.


Are they similar to the International knotters in that they leave a loop in the knott and cut the string on the "bottom side" of the knot? Those knotters, if same as IH, are a good knotter and knot, but in my experience, a light windrow will cause terrible knot misses.

73, Mark


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

I've only run maybe 10,000 bales through an MF knotter myself but I've stacked several times more than that behind one. No issues with misties except lumpy cheap sisal causing issues. A really bad foul up we did break a bill hook once. The baler driver didn't even know how to thread the baler as they didn't usually have problems. My neighbours 224 put up 16,000 bales a year for about 20 years. His brother in law bought a 228 at the same time and did almost 40,000 bales a year for about 15 years then dropped to about 5000 a year the next 5.

The weak spots are mainly maintenance related.

The 228 is still baling now and as per the last almost 10 years did about 15,000 bales of hay and straw this past summer at its new owners. It needs bearings on the plunger and other maintenace as would any baler.


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## Coalburner (Jan 8, 2016)

I run a MF120 baler, but just a few hundred bales a year (getting tired and old!!) I get my parts from pittsburg,texas. Very nice folks to deal with for sure. Have seen the little brake pads on the knotter slip and allow the needles to move and cause lots of trouble. Other that that seems to be great baler?


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