# Cost to operate new holland bale wagon



## bensbales (Jul 18, 2011)

Looking into getting a new holland bale wagon and was wondering what it costs to operate and maintain one. Nobody has one in my area. I'm thinking of getting a self propelled unit gas or diesel maybe a 1069. I want a three bale wide model. It would be handling 800 tons a season


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## Bob M (Feb 11, 2012)

I have a 1069 diesel and a super 1049 gas. Tires very expensive $1200 each for fronts and I think $1500 each for rears. Rears and trannys seem to be a week point also, we have repaired both in both machines. We have a spare trans , rear, main hydro pump, rim and spare tires if we break down. The most expensive repair is being down when you need it. We spent $3500 in repairs on stack wagons in 2013 and $4700 in 2012, and $7000 in 2011. We do about 60,000 bales a year. We also have a 1037 pull type also. Bob


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## Guest (Jan 5, 2014)

Really like my stack wagon. But so many moving parts something os bound to break sooner or later. Bob was right on. Spare parts are great to have. I have 2 extra 1st table chains and a pickup shoot chain. Also. Spare belts , front/rear tires a few sensors (1089) and rack uprights. Just start collecting a few extra parts each year so you can be prepared. Most expensive is the super single tires like bob mentioned


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

Try not to drive on pavement and you shouldn't need to replace tires for a long long time. Also just don't run into things and you shouldn't need to do anything with the racks.


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## AaronQ (Feb 25, 2013)

Teslan said:


> Try not to drive on pavement and you shouldn't need to replace tires for a long long time. Also just don't run into things and you shouldn't need to do anything with the racks.


ditto.

swap the rear tires out for duals. way better traction and way cheaper tires.

if you can get a diesel 1069, but for 800 tons a year and ten grand more for the diesel the gas engine will probably be a little more cost effective short term.

consider tho that you'll spend about 10-15 dollars per load on a gas wagon and about half that on a diesel. the diesel is wayyyy nicer to run and if you can find one get air conditioning you and your operators will appreciate it.

as far as racks, dont run into crap.

we've put over 4000 hours on two different 1069s and my father put 3000 on a 1049, we've never blown much for chains, keep an eye on em. its called preventative maintenance for a reason. keep some spare connecting links and half links in the machine and make sure the tension on them is ok you'll be fine.

grease it every day. no holds. the most important things are your first table,cross conveyor chain,bale loader and second table.

when you buy one make sure the rubber is good you'll get a lot of hours out of one good set of tires as long as your not running the road a whole pile, worst part on em is usually stuble damage.

but they are pricey tires.

check all the bushings on your leaf springs and the bushings in the first and second tables

as well as the push off feet to see if they tip out, easy fix of installing some cam follower bearings.

just remember EVERY wagon picks different despite them being all identical. they all have bugs to work out and they all do quirky things but they are ALL generally very easy to work out and all of em are very easy to make pick very fast.

shoot me a pm or give me a call if you have questions.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

Also once you get one and operate it always pick the bale loader up a little bit when turning. That the easiest thing to damage especially if you have un even fields. The cam follower things mentioned for the push off feet is a good idea. I don't know why NH hasn't put those on themselves except for them being cheap


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## AaronQ (Feb 25, 2013)

we've had new holland engineers at our place to look at some of the mods we've designed. even gave em blue printed ideas didnt want a thing for them and they pretty much told us there was nothing wrong with the components we modified.

i always thought necessity was the evil behind all invention but maybe our mods made they're design look a little flawed and they couldnt bite that pill.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

AaronQ said:


> we've had new holland engineers at our place to look at some of the mods we've designed. even gave em blue printed ideas didnt want a thing for them and they pretty much told us there was nothing wrong with the components we modified.
> 
> i always thought necessity was the evil behind all invention but maybe our mods made they're design look a little flawed and they couldnt bite that pill.


they also like selling new parts to replace worn out ones that with a slightly better design wouldn't wear out


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## Bob M (Feb 11, 2012)

It seems like when I buy a used piece of equipment,I spend the most money on it the first year. I agree with Teslan and Aaron that tires should last a long time, but we do a lot of road travel between farms and a lot of cars. Our tires were dry rotted and I could not sleep at night having my guys driving 40 mph down our busy roads and them sitting out in the front of stacker and being "the first to see the wreck". Each year I wonder if we would be better trucking our hay between farms or building storage on them. We are about 30 miles from Baltimore to the south and 30 miles from Philly to the north, and they are getting closer every day.


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## bltfarms (Dec 13, 2013)

One way to keep the cost down would be to get a pull type, then you would be using a tractor that is already used daily probably. I have a 1033 and a 1049. The 1049 has trouble starting most of the time if it sits longer than 2 weeks. The 1033 has never given us any problems. Where as the 1049 has put up more bales and has more troubles. The 1033 is for sale if your interested in going that route.


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## bensbales (Jul 18, 2011)

bltfarms said:


> One way to keep the cost down would be to get a pull type, then you would be using a tractor that is already used daily probably. I have a 1033 and a 1049. The 1049 has trouble starting most of the time if it sits longer than 2 weeks. The 1033 has never given us any problems. Where as the 1049 has put up more bales and has more troubles. The 1033 is for sale if your interested in going that route.


 The 1033 is a pull type? I have a jd 2950 2wd and a Ford 4240 4wd which tractor would run the wagon the best? How many bales does a that wagon hold? Let me know how much you want for it. Thanks Ben


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## hay hauler (Feb 6, 2010)

With a 1049

We do a fare amount of road travel and age seams to take out tires faster than ware (sunrot, seperation)

I guess around 1 gallon per load in the field. 2,500 bale average day on 25-30 gallons over three to four fields 5-10 miles appart on average day. Gallons to the mile on the road when loaded...

Same pumps since i bought them and they werent new.

The drive moters on the picup seam to go out the fastest.

Never replaced a chain. But have sharpened them.

Springs with brake, just replace the broking one, add some 1 ton chevy springs they seam to fix that problem.

Push off feet are just steel weld and rebulit. Bend them straight with the tractor if ya have a oops

The steering box is $$$$ from what i here.

Most of the moter stuff is cheep i think. Its old ford parts, brake clutch master cylinders $100 or less, slave cylinders $50, carb rebuild $20, brake cylinders $20 each, Distributor $120, etc.

If it isn't working right straighten it usualy fixes the issue in my experence.

Get one with a good rolling rack and railes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There a pain in the but to fight with and fix!!!!!!!!!!!

O and double check the radiator. There around a grand, keep up on the fan barrings.

All in all, there like anything else, beat them up and they will let ya down. Preventive maintance will and a good opperator will keep them happy.

If your handy ya can make a good 1049 for around 16-18k


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## bensbales (Jul 18, 2011)

Can you educate me on what the numbers mean? Some wagons hold 160 bales and other hold 104. Is a 1049 the same as a 1069 but just older? How much slower is a pull type wagon. My storage space would only be less than 3 miles away from the farthest field.


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## Bob M (Feb 11, 2012)

The 1069 and 1049 are very similar, they hold 160 bales. They both need about 13 feet or a little more in height to back into a barn or shed,and roughy 17' in height to dump. A 1037 and 1033 hold 105 bales and our pulled with a tractor and run of tractor pto. They do not need as much height clearance as 1069 or 1049. I think around 10' to back in and around 13' to dump.


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## Bob M (Feb 11, 2012)

If you go roederimp.com they sell stack wagons and have a page that gives the specs on different model stack wagons


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## Josh in WNY (Sep 7, 2010)

bensbales said:


> The 1033 is a pull type? I have a jd 2950 2wd and a Ford 4240 4wd which tractor would run the wagon the best? How many bales does a that wagon hold? Let me know how much you want for it. Thanks Ben


Yes, the 1033 is a pull type. I have run my 1033 on both a JD 4020 (the tractor just played with it) and a Ford 5000 which runs it really well. The wagon itself doesn't take much HP to run, but you want to have enough tractor to handle the weight of the load. A JD 2950 should be more than enough. I've never seen a Ford 4240, but if it is close to the 5000 in size/power, it should do fine as well.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

Bob M said:


> The 1069 and 1049 are very similar, they hold 160 bales. They both need about 13 feet or a little more in height to back into a barn or shed,and roughy 17' in height to dump. A 1037 and 1033 hold 105 bales and our pulled with a tractor and run of tractor pto. They do not need as much height clearance as 1069 or 1049. I think around 10' to back in and around 13' to dump.


Unless you are baling 16x18 inch bales then the 1069 only holds 133 bales if my memory serves me correctly.


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## bltfarms (Dec 13, 2013)

sent you a PM. 2950 would be a good tractor on the wagon. agree with the above poster about roeder imp, between them and jim wilhite's bale wagons in Idaho they know about everything there is to know.


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## hay hauler (Feb 6, 2010)

135 16x18

160 14x18

You want a self propelled one for what your doing. Will take for-ever with a pull type.

You can dump in a 15 ft tall barn, but it won't be a full load.

1069 is quite a bit different machine than a 1049 when ya dig into them, operate the same but stronger and weaker in different ways.

1069 - Weak frame, diesel, a/c, hydraulic rolling rack, big block gas hog, cost more, better seat, better fan placement, engine under load rack.

1049 - Small block easy on fuel, strong frame, built of 2 1/2 truck, weaker pump, no a/c, cheaper, old enough most everything needs work, wired funky, gets stuck easy.

Honestly both will do what ya want, just find a nice one in good shape if its the first one your buying, they take a while to trouble shoot.


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## RockmartGA (Jun 29, 2011)

One of the better balewagon spec sheets out there:

http://www.sodbustersales.com/wagon-specs/

A few websites that sell balewagons:

http://roederimp.com/

http://balewagons.com/

http://www.balewagon.com/

http://www.sodbustersales.com/


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## bensbales (Jul 18, 2011)

A guy that we buy hay from has a 1069 gas that is in perfect condition offered to sell it fo us for 30k. It's located close enough to us that we could drive it home. Does this sound like a reasonable price?


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

Yes


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## Guest (Jan 12, 2014)

Yep thats a good price. Especially if its in perfect condition


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

If you look at tractorhouse.com the diesels are above $30k. The gases are below $30k. But if this one is in great condition and you can just drive it home that is worth quite a bit. I would imagine having to transport one 800-2000 miles wouldn't be cheap if you found a good one that far away. Plus the expense and risk of either trusting whoever was selling it or traveling to look at one.


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## AaronQ (Feb 25, 2013)

Be careful if it's in perfect condition I might just come and get it for 30k

My cummins 1069 is always for sale to if your interested


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

Heck if you don't want it I might....I'm also looking for a more efficient way to get my hay up this year.


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## bensbales (Jul 18, 2011)

AaronQ said:


> Be careful if it's in perfect condition I might just come and get it for 30k
> 
> My cummins 1069 is always for sale to if your interested


you posted that conversion didn't you? Did u use a 5.9 cummins? I let the rest of you vultures know if i don't buy it  Thanks guys, Ben


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## T & R Hay Farms (Jan 19, 2012)

Rear tires are 1500? We have an older style bale wagon, but we had our local tire guy match the tires up and he found us a big skidsteer tire to go on the back. Now before you guys start saying they will not last on the highway, we mostly use it driving on the highway, loaded and empty. 50-60mph. They are fine and the tire cost us 450$ and they get a lot more traction than the regular tires . Our front tires are just pickup tires. Our machine hauls 120 bales so it is a big load. So tires are not that expensive to replace.

Just my 2 cents.

Richard


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## Bob M (Feb 11, 2012)

Richard what model stacker do you have and what size are the skidloader tires. Bob


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## T & R Hay Farms (Jan 19, 2012)

Bob,

Well it has to be one of the first ones made ha, but it has been adapted to fit 3 wide and when I get home I'll check the tire size. It's a big skid steer is how he explained it ha. But I'll let you know in the AM.


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## Lostin55 (Sep 21, 2013)

If it is in perfect shape, buy it quick. I have been fine tuning mine for several years, one little thing at a time as time permits. It takes a while to get them correct, but once you do they cannot be beat. Another thought is that there is a significant learning curve to running one. If you dont believe that, you should see the ways a novice can blow up a wagon, a load, and a stack of hay.I have seen a novice do things with a wagon that the laws of physics should have prevented. lol


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

Lostin55 said:


> If it is in perfect shape, buy it quick. I have been fine tuning mine for several years, one little thing at a time as time permits. It takes a while to get them correct, but once you do they cannot be beat. Another thought is that there is a significant learning curve to running one. If you dont believe that, you should see the ways a novice can blow up a wagon, a load, and a stack of hay.I have seen a novice do things with a wagon that the laws of physics should have prevented. lol


My cousin has two NH stackers a 1069 and a BW28. He found a can't miss deal on the BW 28 so bought it. But up until this last season he could only use 1 at a time. Because he finally found a hired man that knew how to operate one this year. I figure it takes 1-2 full seasons before a person can really be trusted with a NH SP stacker.


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## Rodney R (Jun 11, 2008)

I was pretty good by the end of our first season with one, but I spent about 120 hours in the cab.

Rodney


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## bensbales (Jul 18, 2011)

Teslan said:


> My cousin has two NH stackers a 1069 and a BW28. He found a can't miss deal on the BW 28 so bought it. But up until this last season he could only use 1 at a time. Because he finally found a hired man that knew how to operate one this year. I figure it takes 1-2 full seasons before a person can really be trusted with a NH SP stacker.


Great its going to take me 2 years too figure out how to operate it efficiently. Any pointers you seasoned vets can share? Thanks, Ben


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

bensbales said:


> Great its going to take me 2 years too figure out how to operate it efficiently. Any pointers you seasoned vets can share? Thanks, Ben


No it won't take 2 years to know how to operate it efficiently, but maybe 2 seasons to become an expert operator of your machine. Biggest hint. Take it slow. You are going to be climbing on the 2nd table plenty of times. Especially when you forget to do the tie layers and you will forget at least a couple of times. I would for sure forget about them if I went back to using a 1069.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

For those interested here is a 1069 in New Mexico for sale. Looks kinda rough to me. http://fortcollins.craigslist.org/hvo/4274163224.html


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## Guest (Jan 14, 2014)

When I stated I spilled my first few stacks all over the place! And believe me throwing 160 bales back onto your stackwagon every time you spill to make your stack stand again will make you a quick learner. I spent a ton of hours in one as well right off the bat. but like previously posted you get the hang of it. like Teslan said, take your time. Try to take the extra steps in making sure your stack will stand. Get out and use stack poles even if you think you don't need too until you get the hang of it. Getting out and checking multiple times can help you see what's goin on and help you understand how you can make your next stacks better. As far as in the field., you'll get the feel for your stackwagon. They're all a little different but you'll learn.


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## Lostin55 (Sep 21, 2013)

There are so many tips that I really don't know where to start. The most important thing to me is maintenance. Fresh filters and good fluid, as well as tight chains and trip arms are everything.

The one thing that very few have mentioned is setting the sides to match the baler. You will want to make sure that if you are using more than one baler that the bales are exactly the same length. If not, the different length bales will cause you fits.

When starting out, slow is best until you have mastered how the machine runs, and what little quirks it has.They all seem to have there own little nuances. I have family with the same wagon as mine and that one runs different. I am not sure if the newer ones are any better about that.

As mentioned, use poles when stacking, even when you think it will stand by itself. Ask us how we learned that little tidbit.

Make sure that the counter works in the cab or on a pull behind that you find a way to remember which layer you are on for the tie tiers. Everyone forgets once in a while, it can be aggravating.


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## SVFHAY (Dec 5, 2008)

I only had mine for 2 seasons so what do I know, but here is what I learned.

1- make sure back wall of any building will support weight of leaning stack 
2- do not hand stack on top of stacks
3- get and use many stack poles
4- do not allow employee to operate in the same field a combine is parked in with the auger extended.
5- no surprise on this one level fields work waaaay better.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

For safety make sure the safety lever that crosses the door does indeed shut hydraulics off when it is down. Extremely important on a 1069 as it uses a trip on the 2nd table to make it go up. Which can be easily tripped if you are on it rearranging bales. Bumpy fields are not a stackers friend either. And in case you didn't know or care 14x18 inch bales stack better then 16x18 inch bales in my opinion. What Lostin55 says about having two balers and making sure the bales are the same length is very correct also.


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## Bob M (Feb 11, 2012)

SVFhay, we routinely hand stack on top of our stacks. What problems have you had? Bob


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## SVFHAY (Dec 5, 2008)

Well, back in the day I had a 1033 so there was a 7 layer stack, 2 tie, in a 66'x120'x22' high building. Seemed like a waste of space. 2nd baler was a thrower and plentiful help. I don't remember how many additional we put on top but there were several mornings we had to restack after a collapse. That was very hard on morale. We could put 2 layers up with grapple with no issue. Seemed like all the footsteps and bales falling from elevator shook everything too much. I tried to keep weights close to keep 50 so both types were close. So how many additional layers, tie tiers, bale weights do you do? Elevator or grapple?


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## Bob M (Feb 11, 2012)

We hand stack on top using an elevator, our building is 21' foot to the bottom of trusses. We stack to the truss and sometimes in between trusses. Outside when building a stack, we probably go up atleast 6 layers to build the A frame. Been thinking of buying a grappler, do you like yours.


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## SVFHAY (Dec 5, 2008)

Like everything else it works great with consistent bales in big buildings. Try to handle a set of 40 lb. 2 nd cut in a bank barn and ya might as well do it by hand. Local welder built mine to order with extra teeth for smaller bales. Haven't used it since the bandit moved in, 2001.


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## hay hauler (Feb 6, 2010)

Try this

http://www.haytalk.com/forums/topic/12643-sticky-balewagon-opperating-thread/?hl=balewagon


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