# New Holland self propelled small square baler!



## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

So they made one afterall! Kinda cool (in a retro sort of way)

http://www.tractorhouse.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=7394403

http://www.tractorho...px?OHID=7073383

http://www.fastline....4d3248d7f3.aspx


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

I used to see them quite a bit around here. The guys who had them loved them. I guess NH must have not sold enough though to keep making them.


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

There a popular conversion kit with a big hydrostatic driven tire upfront and the cab sits up front instead of behind.

I wish there was a self propelled one with an electric eye that you could pinwheel rake a field and it would just follow the windrow like the old cutting tables!


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

What never ceases to amaze me is the dizzying array of farm machinery out there. So many ideas tried and some abandoned.
I can honestly say I've never seen one.


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## Lazy J (Jul 18, 2008)

I remember watching two of those run in DeKalb County Indiana in the late 1970's when I was with my grandfather. I did not know just how cool they were then.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

I wonder why they tanked? I guess the advent of the ac cab tractor?


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/owning-operating/138580-square-hay-balers-you-can.html

The second post has pictures of the single tire drive thing. I've seen them around in ads over the years.



JD3430 said:


> I can honestly say I've never seen one.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Hope you dont mind if I post the Freeman SP square baler link.
You gotta see this thing.

http://www.alliedsystems.com/freeman/370sp.htm


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

JD3430 said:


> Hope you dont mind if I post the Freeman SP square baler link.
> You gotta see this thing.
> 
> http://www.alliedsys...eeman/370sp.htm


Iwonder how much that costs. By the look of it, I would think that the engine would gather a lot of dust on it. Though I guess it wouldn't be to much more then a sickle swather. I also wonder why Freeman thinks it can sell enough of them to make it worth it.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

I think if it were set up to pull some kind of accumulator/stacker so the end result is a trailer full of neatly stacked hay bales, it would be a great unit for a farming business that grows and sells thousands of round bales.


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## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

Maybe I'm just dense, but I don't see any advantage the SP Freeman brings. The old powered balers with the Wisconsin engine were useful because you could drag them around with the same low-HP tractor you used with your sickle mower and rake. Needing 115 hp to drive your baler and still needing a tractor for cutting and raking just doesn't add up to me. What am I missing???


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Mike120 said:


> Maybe I'm just dense, but I don't see any advantage the SP Freeman brings. The old powered balers with the Wisconsin engine were useful because you could drag them around with the same low-HP tractor you used with your sickle mower and rake. Needing 115 hp to drive your baler and still needing a tractor for cutting and raking just doesn't add up to me. What am I missing???


I wonder if the extra power is useful for towing accumulator, stacker, etc?


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## Grateful11 (Apr 5, 2009)

I've never seen one but then again I didn't grow up in a farm family, I married into one









I was thinking the same on the 115hp to run a baler.


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## enos (Dec 6, 2009)

Freeman balers are very heavy duty balers..not fast but built. 14x18 weighs about 11,000 lbs. Alot of custom guys pull them with pickups/land cruisers hence the engine. Self propelled look neat but are no longer a big seller fo them. Fairly common in 80's in westen states. A couple pictures of 15 in one field on internet. Still make some 3 string balers for timothy export every year.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

Mike120 said:


> Maybe I'm just dense, but I don't see any advantage the SP Freeman brings. The old powered balers with the Wisconsin engine were useful because you could drag them around with the same low-HP tractor you used with your sickle mower and rake. Needing 115 hp to drive your baler and still needing a tractor for cutting and raking just doesn't add up to me. What am I missing???


I was thinking along the same lines. But then many including myself have self propelled hay swathers. I believe the sp hay swathers are faster, cuts better and is more efficient then the PT swathers. Plus you don't run over as much hay with a tractor. So wouldn't the same thing kind of apply for a self propelled baler? I don't see how a SP baler could go any faster then a traditional one though. A baler can only handle so much hay no matter what size of tractor or engine is powering it. I would think the bale would come out looking the same. I suspect the Freeman SP baler costs over $115,000 if a SP rotary swather costs over $115,000 new.


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## jeff outwest (Sep 13, 2009)

Self-Propelled balers have their place. They will out bale a pull type because of they can make corners quicker and bale back and forth with no head lands. Custom guys used them because you only have one power unit. Freeman balers are fast and tough balers period. They don't wear out nearly as fast the other balers either. The bull gear design lets you hog the hay and 1/2 inch shear bolt contribute to that fact. I have been a Freeman since childhood. Freeman is one tough baler.


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## Lewis Ranch (Jul 15, 2013)

Here is a link to my 1425 NewHolland baler, I bought it last winter and transplanted it to north texas. This was the first patch we tested it out in, we had to do a little work to it mostly minor adjustments but we have it running pretty good now. It was stored outside so it has faded but I have started buffing it out and it is shining up good. This winter I am putting a whole new updated a/c system in it. I am also looking very seriously at a bale baron with a power plant to put directly behind it. I have more pictures but do not know how to upload them from an iPad.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Mike120 said:


> Maybe I'm just dense, but I don't see any advantage the SP Freeman brings. The old powered balers with the Wisconsin engine were useful because you could drag them around with the same low-HP tractor you used with your sickle mower and rake. Needing 115 hp to drive your baler and still needing a tractor for cutting and raking just doesn't add up to me. What am I missing???


I think what you may be missing mike is 25tph.....don't know what y'all are saying about not being fast....that's 700+ squares an hour....that's hauling ass


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Lewis Ranch said:


> Here is a link to my 1425 NewHolland baler, I bought it last winter and transplanted it to north texas. This was the first patch we tested it out in, we had to do a little work to it mostly minor adjustments but we have it running pretty good now. It was stored outside so it has faded but I have started buffing it out and it is shining up good. This winter I am putting a whole new updated a/c system in it. I am also looking very seriously at a bale baron with a power plant to put directly behind it. I have more pictures but do not know how to upload them from an iPad.


That is so unique. Really cool. Makes bales faster than I thought it would. 
With a halfway comfortable cab, I can't see why these machines weren't more popular.


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## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

somedevildawg said:


> I think what you may be missing mike is 25tph.....don't know what y'all are saying about not being fast....that's 700+ squares an hour....that's hauling ass


Good point! Either the windrows have to be huge, or the fields smooth as glass.....I'd have to get a really wide rake, 'cause gobbling up hay that fast in my fields would probably beat me to death.


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## Lewis Ranch (Jul 15, 2013)

The windrows there are so inconsistent which makes it tough, if you listen closely you can hear the belt slipping. The flywheel is powered by a belt on these machines and you can adjust its tension in the cab. The speed ranges are unlimited it has a 3 speed transmission with a variable clutch so you can speed up or slow down to the exact speed you want. (Up to 24 mph) And yes this thing will eat the hay, I got in some thick hay and before I could slow down I was making bales every 4 and 5 strokes weighing 65-70#. The cab is fairly nice as you can tell it will rock you back and forth all day, tough to stay awake after a long day lol


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## Fossil02818 (May 31, 2010)

LW, that is just the coolest project. I had never seen one of those around here and can definitely appreciate the fun factor of getting that thing baling again. It probably couldn't outperform a PT baler by enough to justify the original purchase price difference ,but, as a rare piece of collectable functioning farm machinery I bet its held it original value much better than the stand alone balers. I know I would pay stupid money to own that thing!


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## askinner (Nov 15, 2010)

Mike120 said:


> Good point! Either the windrows have to be huge, or the fields smooth as glass.....I'd have to get a really wide rake, 'cause gobbling up hay that fast in my fields would probably beat me to death.


One other problem I see with this, is it max's out at 84 strokes p/min. By my rough math, that equates to around 6-7 flakes per bale at 25 tph. Them some big flakes


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## Lewis Ranch (Jul 15, 2013)

The only problem I am having is it makes a 16x18 bale and with wanting to go to a bale baron that will only allow 18 bales per bundle vs 21. I'm stuck right now debating wether to get rid of it and run an inline to have 21 bale bundles or try it with 18 packs and see how well I like them.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Lewis Ranch said:


> The only problem I am having is it makes a 16x18 bale and with wanting to go to a bale baron that will only allow 18 bales per bundle vs 21. I'm stuck right now debating wether to get rid of it and run an inline to have 21 bale bundles or try it with 18 packs and see how well I like them.


I don't see where it matters a bunch, although 16x18 is gonna be heavier and some don't like the heavy bales, mostly women, but if you are selling by weight......and transportation should be the same

Comes down to whether they're marketable...


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## Lewis Ranch (Jul 15, 2013)

somedevildawg said:


> I don't see where it matters a bunch, although 16x18 is gonna be heavier and some don't like the heavy bales, mostly women, but if you are selling by weight......and transportation should be the same
> Comes down to whether they're marketable...


The weight in the bales is a big kicker, prices here are by the bale and being sold to the folks with "hobby farms" who don't like handling heavy bales. I have a buddy with 2 bandits and he likes them but problem with them is the bales would be way to heavy going into a bandit out of this baler. This is why I'm looking more towards a baron.


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## aawhite (Jan 16, 2012)

JD, I think a lot of what hurts the self propelled units is lack of flexibility with the machine. Dedicated baler can do nothing else on the farm, and likely still need a tractor for other tasks. Sort of the same thing for swathers, but back when these were coming out you could only get the largest headers for SP units.


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

Watching some other videos of them working on youtube I don't think I'd sit in one all day. They were getting a pretty vigorous shaking in the cab.


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## HALLSHAY (Nov 30, 2008)

If I had a nickel for every bale.......





  








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Sold the last one 1425 this spring. 5 that we had/rebuilt are still running. I will try to dig up a photo of the one with the gleaner combine cab retro.


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## Lewis Ranch (Jul 15, 2013)

Do you mind sharing what you sold it for?


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

HALLSHAY said:


> If I had a nickel for every bale.......
> 
> Sold the last one 1425 this spring. 5 that we had/rebuilt are still running. I will try to dig up a photo of the one with the gleaner combine cab retro.


I MUST see this Gleaner cab.  If it worked out well I'd try and do the same for our 1049 stacker.


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## HALLSHAY (Nov 30, 2008)

Still looking for pics! Had to go to the box in the closet. I will get a few scanned and posted.

Sold the baler for 10k, but it had just been gone through and had a pickup load of parts that went with it. 2 complete brand new knotter heads and gears and all the other parts to rebuild a complete knotter. Probably 3k in those parts alone.


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## Lostin55 (Sep 21, 2013)

I run a 1283 New Holland SP. The average price in the mountain west is around $5K - $6K. I just scrapped one a few months ago. Parts are hard to find for the rearend, clutch etc. As to the baler itself, parts are readily available. I just this year replaced the clutch in the one I still have and it is a spicer clutch and the part number references to a studebaker. The carb on the inline six goes to a '69 Ford Falcon part number.

About the SPM, mine runs at 93 SPM which is spec. I would suspect that one running any slower would indicate an issue with the governor.

The industrial 300 6 cylinder is pretty bullet proof.

The advantage of this machine over my new, ( used) Hesston inline is the ability to speed up or slow down in the windrow with the hydrostatic drive while maintaining RPMs. I run 39" bales and shoot for 15 - 17 strokes per bale..Another advantage is that you are sitting right beside the knotters and the hyd. tension adjustment is in the cab. It is easy to catch anything going sideways right away.

One last thought. You can turn these things on a dime at the end of a field. They have seperate brakes for the right and left side. Combine this with a high speed ( got clocked at 23 MPH) road gear for running from field to field and they are pretty slick.


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

Lostin55 said:


> I run a 1283 New Holland SP. The average price in the mountain west is around $5K - $6K. I just scrapped one a few months ago. Parts are hard to find for the rearend, clutch etc.


Please don't tell me the one you scrapped had a good cab or I'm gonna be sick.


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## Lostin55 (Sep 21, 2013)

I would never say that I crushed a perfectly good cab with the cooler still mounted, all of the glass and a good door. What i will say is that the week before I hauled it in, a gentlemen from western Montana just had to have the cab and I sold it to him for $500. The only usable parts other than the sheetmetal would have been a good running motor and a rear end. It was pretty well hammered. The one that I still have is glad to have a few donor parts from it though.


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## Dill (Nov 5, 2010)

Thanks for the video. I've never seen one of these running before.


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