# Hoelscher Accumulator



## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

I just picked up a barely used Hoelscher Accumulator and bought a new grapple to go with it. Sad story behind its being on the market but suffice to say I got it cheap and it's in perfect condition. Now I can finally retire my old stacker wagon. I was sold on the Kuhns Mfg unit but the nearest dealer (300 miles away) was a real PITA to deal with and I couldin't pass up this deal.

Does anyone have experience with the Hoelscher? What do I need to look out for, etc? Thanks!


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## Hedge tree (Jul 18, 2008)

They are made about 30 miles from me....Bushton, Ks. Been around a number of years and have had a number of updates....color, tire size and number, etc. I use a Farmhand but many people around here run Hoelschers. They use tractor hydraulics...and it will depend on what type the previous owner had...open center or closed center.....if you will have to change the valving to comply with your tractor's configuration.

If the push over bar is adjusted correctly, you will make a nice tight 10 bale pad with the bales on edge. Until you get some experience picking this pack up...you might knock an outside bale over on occasion. Overall...I think they are great accumulators and most users like them. Like any equipment, one not working correctly is pretty frustrating. I think you will like it and the speed you can handle picking up and stacking.

Good luck.


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## Hayguy (Jun 4, 2008)

We used one for one season. It was very sensitive to bale length - the 1st table would often come down on the next bale comming out of the chamber. I think they need some kind of device like the Bale Caddy accumulator to give the bale a quick push to get it on the table . The guy from Hoelscher said we could also torch the 1st table a little shorter. We chose to trade and got a Kuhns accumulator. We also had an issue with windrows too close together in 1st crop hay. Didn't have enough room between the dropped bale set and the next windrow for the tractor and baler to get through.


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## TooFast4U (Aug 5, 2008)

We've run one for 15 years...a very good machine once you understand how to use it--and that includes a lot of "little things", all of which contribute to your success.

I agree with the comment about bale length sensitivity: once you get your bale length matched to the accumulator, you shouldn't be changing it. This also means you shouldn't drive too fast in heavy windrows, which will make bale length more variable & thus cause problems with the accumulator. (We have a JD 348 baler, which has more capacity than the accumulator, in the sense that you can run a lot of hay in the front of it and it will bale it...but the bale lengths will be erratic due to the large flake size.)

Most important thing to know, is that Hoelscher offers excellent tech. support. If you call them on the phone (620-562-3575), you'll usually get to talk to Daryl Hoelscher, and he certainly knows his machine. Plus, he has experience with all the tractor/accumulator/hydraulic problems that are possible, and can diagnose about anything related to the accumulator over the phone.


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## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

Thanks guys, I appreciate the feedback!

I've only seen a couple of them and the guys that had them were really happy. Heavy windrows aren't much of an issue these days, I hadn't seen rain in over a month until today. Hopefully I'll get some growth and I can try it out next week. My old stacker wagon has been giving me fits and I just about killed some gentlemen of questionable citizenship with the heat on the last cutting.


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## cattleman4170 (Jan 26, 2010)

Mike120,
Do you have John Deere series 500 loader brackets on the grapple?
If so, could you possibly email some pictures?
I recently bought one, but has series 600 loader brackets.
Will have to make some new ones for my loader.
Thanks


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## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

Yes, I bought the grapple new and had them put on by the dealer. I've got it standing up behind the accumulator in my storage shed so I'm not sure I can get to it to take a picture, but I'll try. I did like the brackets as they look easy to make and use a threaded pin that I had not seen before. I'll let you know if I can get to it.


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## geiselbreth (Feb 21, 2010)

hoelscher has a fix for the bale thrower arm pretty neet addition fixes that problem


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## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

geiselbreth said:


> hoelscher has a fix for the bale thrower arm pretty neet addition fixes that problem


I guess you mean the issue with it breaking string. I looked at someone else's solution that was in one of the threads here, but I've never had that problem with mine and I use sisel. Because I never had the problem I assumed that it was an issue with the older models. Can anyone elaborate on it? Thanks!


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## D.S. Farms (Feb 23, 2010)

I have a jd7410 i use to stack the hay in the barn. The tractor is a bit to wide to get the hay close to the barn wall so the first row of bales wount fall over. Is their a way to offset the grapple to the left to get closer to the barn wall?


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## Wrenchbender (Dec 4, 2008)

The new models have a shorter arm with a hinged section at the front. As the bales come back they push the hinged piece down, that makes the arm the same length as it was originally. After the bales are set on the table a spring pulls the hinged part back out of the way so it does not catch the next bale.

Hoelscher sells the kit to retrofit the older models. You cut the arm off and attach the hinged section. We seldom have trouble with catching the next bale. I guess we don't run fast enough! WB<><.


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## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

Wrenchbender said:


> I guess we don't run fast enough! WB<><.


On my last cutting, I baled some high grass/weeds for my daughters donkey (I refuse to waste good hay on him). I had huge windrows and had to really slow down. The bales were coming out with no gap between them and when the arm triggered it caught the third bale coming out. It created a mess back there, but didn't bust any of the twine. Other than that, I guess I've been lucky, 'cause I never had the slightest bit of problems with mine


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## OkhayBallr (Dec 18, 2009)

Someone needs to buy this holescher from me!!!


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## stampitsteve (Sep 15, 2009)

i just bought a used grapple with 600 loader quick attach mating pieces. I need to get rid of the so i can get mates to my 148. [email protected]


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

I've seen a handful of 15 bale and 18 bale holeshler's advertised, are these factory or modifications?


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## gradyjohn (Jul 17, 2012)

D.S. Farms said:


> I have a jd7410 i use to stack the hay in the barn. The tractor is a bit to wide to get the hay close to the barn wall so the first row of bales wount fall over. Is their a way to offset the grapple to the left to get closer to the barn wall?


See my post:
* Hay Barn Ideas*

Started by brandenburgcattle42, Sep 16 2012 08:00 AM


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## gradyjohn (Jul 17, 2012)

We have run a Hoelscher for several years (its red). Feeding the baler at the right speed is the key. We have ours set on 36". I have got into heavy coastal that I really needed a creeper gear. Really your raker can make or brake you. Consistant uniform windrows are the key. We have a JDD348 and it trails right behind it so we have no problem with adjacent windrows. If you are doing rows then sometimes, if it is thick, you need to sometimes pull the baler in the transport and go around the stack then kick it back out. With an inline I don't know because it offsets but I don't think it would me a problem.


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## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

Yep, consistency is definitely the key to happy baling. I spend much more time raking than I do pulling the baler. I still love the Hoelscher and it's been pretty much trouble free. As long as I keep it happy, it keeps me happy. This year I've made more rounds because I produced more hay than I have storage. I hate dealing with round bales and I can clear a field of small squares and put them in the sheds a lot faster than messing with rounds two at a time.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Mike120 said:


> Yep, consistency is definitely the key to happy baling. I spend much more time raking than I do pulling the baler. I still love the Hoelscher and it's been pretty much trouble free. As long as I keep it happy, it keeps me happy. This year I've made more rounds because I produced more hay than I have storage. I hate dealing with round bales and I can clear a field of small squares and put them in the sheds a lot faster than messing with rounds two at a time.


How big are you're rounds? I get the equivalent of 18 to 22 small squares in one of my rounds. But I can handle three at a time while loading which averages around 60 small squares at time, I can also make a 1000lb bale, wrap it, open and close the tail gate in a minute or so.


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## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

If I use my baler 4 X 5, neighbors is a 5.5 X 5. I only have single bale spikes for front and back which is part of the problem. With squares, we haul a 35' gooseneck into the field and can take out 300 at a time


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

Maybe something like this to speed it up?


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## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

That would be faster and it's a European, newer version of my 7710. Every one I've seen around here had 4 remotes in back. I'd love to see the setup he's got under all those bales. I think he's carrying more hay weight than tractor weight.


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

Just a 77,78 or 8240, lots of them around here. He's got a front 3 point hitch with double spear, a double spear on the loader. The rear is just on of those scissor type quad spears, the top tines go to the housing like a posthole digger, the lower tines attach to the lower links and have a post that attaches to the upper spear instead of the top link.

You can get the rear quad spears with hydraulics too so you don't have to remove your toplink.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Mike120 said:


> If I use my baler 4 X 5, neighbors is a 5.5 X 5. I only have single bale spikes for front and back which is part of the problem. With squares, we haul a 35' gooseneck into the field and can take out 300 at a time


With my truck and trailer I can haul 22 rounds or the equivalent of 660 small squares.


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## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

mlappin said:


> With my truck and trailer I can haul 22 rounds or the equivalent of 660 small squares.


You've got a bigger truck Marty! I could probably put more on there but I'm limited by the reach on my loader tractor and my ability to keep them uniform. I can't see up there and like to keep the load straight because we don't bother to strap them down to bring them in. I am set up for squares.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Mike120 said:


> You've got a bigger truck Marty! I could probably put more on there but I'm limited by the reach on my loader tractor and my ability to keep them uniform. I can't see up there and like to keep the load straight because we don't bother to strap them down to bring them in. I am set up for squares.


Yah, but 22 beats the hell out of 11 like when I was starting out. With the higher rainfall we normally get in Indiana the size truck and trailer I use know is the largest I feel comfortable with on some wetter ground. Also the fact is on a few fields what I have now it takes a hell of a driver to get the truck/trailer in and out of them with out clipping a tree, mailbox, or dropping tires into the ditch. Pretty much the same reason we haven't gone to semi's with hopper bottoms yet, found a tandem axle truck with tags and the wide front tires will get out of fields a semi would be stuck in.


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

Around here there are a handful of guys who put their pulp trucks to work on hay in the summer. They always have a 4 way lock on the rear end which helps in the wet and the pulp loader clam is just right for grabbing bales to stack on the truck and trailer. They then pull up to the wrapper and use it to load and sometimes unload the wrapper.


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## agripro1 (Jan 3, 2013)

Mike120 said:


> On my last cutting, I baled some high grass/weeds for my daughters donkey (I refuse to waste good hay on him). I had huge windrows and had to really slow down. The bales were coming out with no gap between them and when the arm triggered it caught the third bale coming out. It created a mess back there, but didn't bust any of the twine. Other than that, I guess I've been lucky, 'cause I never had the slightest bit of problems with mine


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## agripro1 (Jan 3, 2013)

We just purchased a new Hoelscher 1000 and initially having trouble with the bale arm not fully completing its cycle. I talked with Daryl and he said that for some unknown reason a lot of their accumulators were having the same problem this year.

He said they have a plate (update) available to help solve this problem.

We were also breaking strings (sisal) occasionally. Talked with a guy that has a 1000 as well and he purchased an aftermarket kit from G.L. Nause( www.glnause.com/Hoelschler-Solutions ) said it was the best money he ever spent. So I guess I'll be doing the same thing.

*So far i've learned the following:*

1. The row size should be consistant

2. Your speed should be consistant

(You may have to slow down for large piles in the row)

3. Don't go out and expect to drive 3 to 4 mph on first cutting hay or straw

4. When the rows are huge, you have to creep (1 mph or maybe less)

5. Mount a 9" LCD screen in the cab and place a wireless camera on the back of

the baler pointing at the accumulator. We also have one on the back of

the of the cab.

Good luck with the accumulator!!


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## LaneFarms (Apr 10, 2010)

Agripro what does the plate do. I am having trouble with my bale arm not wanting to come back down.


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## weatherman (Dec 5, 2008)

LaneFarms said:


> Agripro what does the plate do. I am having trouble with my bale arm not wanting to come back down.


When I replaced the push over arm, I had to readjust the Detent. The manual states (pg. 13) that this is the most critical adjustment to allow the push over arm to complete the cycle. It took me a little bit of tweaking to get it just right. Not sure what plate Agripro is talking about, hopefully he can shed some light on it.


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