# Square balers



## gearhartfarms82 (May 10, 2015)

so pondering the idea of a new baler. Wanting some ideas on the different bands. Jd, new holland, and massey. Of course im looking at the largest one in each manufacturer. Curently am running deere and do like but chasing 45'+ plus heads create a problem of there own. Looking at durability, ease of service and how well they bale tough crop in high humidity. Thanks for the input.


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## hay rake (Dec 31, 2011)

its easy. there is only one small square baler made. new holland.


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## jdhayfarmer (Jan 20, 2012)

If you have a deere now stay with deere!! I always had a deere baler and decided to change brands. Tried new holland and Hesston guess what I have now? A John Deere!


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## toddhandy (Jun 20, 2014)

New Holland does make some nice hay tools. I have always owned JD square balers and always will. I am afraid if a change brands I might have to learn how to work on something different.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

I believe all three of the manufacturers make good balers if cared for.....if you are a commercial baler and need to jam hay down the throat due to baling a lot of acreage....go with NH.....if you don't have the weight of acreage hanging over you go with a John Deere.....if you want a baler that is much more navigable than a side pull baler and makes a very consistent bale go with MF/Hesston.

Balers have not changed much in the last 25 years so all three US manufacturers have their balers down pat.

Please, let's not start a whizzing contest over square balers.....they all work like they should if cared for.

Regards, Mike


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## gearhartfarms82 (May 10, 2015)

Mike thats were im at. Trying to get more out of a baler. One of my biggest complaints is cappacity. I can usally push 400 an hr but need more. Ive heard the new hollans can take more but have had past experiance of one string being loose in some conditions. Just looking for ideas. Ive been running a 348 and love it just not wanting to buy a second baler.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

gearhartfarms82 said:


> Mike thats were im at. Trying to get more out of a baler. One of my biggest complaints is cappacity. I can usally push 400 an hr but need more. Ive heard the new hollans can take more but have had past experiance of one string being loose in some conditions. Just looking for ideas. Ive been running a 348 and love it just not wanting to buy a second baler.


I think you'll be disappointed with any small square if you try to push above that 400 mark consistently.....If that was a necessity, I thnk your only option is a dual hitch and two balers....


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## DSLinc1017 (Sep 27, 2009)

Perhaps it's time to move to a large square baler?


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

I was going to say what Mike said but after reading your stated goal, the only realistic answer in the NH hayliner.


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## bbos2 (Mar 20, 2015)

I am a big deere guy. Ran deere small square for awhile then went to nh. I'll never buy another deere. Deere was a good baler but nh was just a lot better. You look at an early model jd 336 and there current newest model and there isn't much change or improvement. Look at an early model 575 nh and compare it to a nh 5070 hayliner and you will see major improvements along the way


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

If you are looking for larger capacity maybe consider a 16x18 baler. Though consider your hay market and how you stack hay as well if going to a 16 inch baler


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## Tamswr (Jan 18, 2015)

My family runs dual baler hitches and ran a new jd beside a new nh. Swathes were cut with gps so they were always identical. We replaced the jd with a nh at the end of the season. A nh just has more capacity. The jd always plugged up first if we pushed it. Just my experience. Neighbors still run jd and love them though.


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## snowball (Feb 7, 2015)

somedevildawg said:


> I think you'll be disappointed with any small square if you try to push above that 400 mark consistently.....If that was a necessity, I thnk your only option is a dual hitch and two balers....


That a good idea devildawg.. But I know the lay of the land in his area and unless he is bale'n on the river bottoms witch I doubt. it would be a Challenge to run a dual hitch set up in hills there.. JMO and I don't know his hay fields either, just know how most of the land lays there


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## gearhartfarms82 (May 10, 2015)

The dual hitch is nice but not pratical here. Fields are not nice and square. Large balers dont pencil at all aound here. Thought about a 16x18 baler doese anyone have experiance with them?


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## gearhartfarms82 (May 10, 2015)

Snowball you are very correct


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

gearhartfarms82 said:


> The dual hitch is nice but not pratical here. Fields are not nice and square. Large balers dont pencil at all aound here. Thought about a 16x18 baler doese anyone have experiance with them?


If you sell by the ton, go for it. If not, don't bother. Depends on your customers preferences too. I would catch heat here from buyers if they had to handle that size bale. The hayliner would be the safer bet if you're unsure how your customers would react.


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

... (Rough ground induced double post)


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## bbos2 (Mar 20, 2015)

16X18 baler in this area would not work We'll. Too many people use to the 14x18


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## Coondle (Aug 28, 2013)

Had a NH 570 and now have a JD 348.

When looking at the specs they are almost identical and with 93 strokes per minute into a 14x18 chamber , they should have the same throughput.

The theory has been outlined here often enough.

Running at 540 pto, 93 strokes per minute and around 13 biscuits/slices per bale means 7 bales per minute and 420 per hour.

Whatever the theory my experience is that the 570 can eat more hay than the 348.

My 570 would deliver 450 bales per hour regularly. My 348 on the other hand seems at its limit at 400 bales per hour. Same tractor and same operator and I feel as though pushing the machines to each ones limit.

I am not rusted on to one or the other but I will say that in the adverse conditions that I strike in some years the 348 retains better bale shape than the 570 but the 348 bale shape is not perfect just better.

In what I term ideal conditions there is nothing to pick in bale shape between the two machines.

Tere is my 2 cents worth, oh hang on it didn't cost 2 cents so the advice may be only worth what it cost!


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## Josh in WNY (Sep 7, 2010)

I'm not sure how your operation is set up, but would adding a second baler on another tractor work? That would give you two balers running like the dual baler hitch, but eliminate the terrain concerns. It also means that if one baler breaks down, you can still run the second one without having to stop and unhitch the good baler from the dual hitch. Down side is that it requires another tractor and operator.


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

Mike pretty much hit the nail on the head.....all 3 manufactures make a good baler and each has its own advantages over the other. For what you said your goals are I would suggest a NH 5070 hayliner.......that is the baler I have. From what I have seen Hesston will make the most consistent bale with the least amount of fine tuning but the NH will beat it for capacity and when you get it fine tuned you can still make a pretty consistent bale. The only time my baler does not make a good bale is when in light windrows.....it will throw out short bales. I can do 400 bales an hour pretty easy if my windrows are laid out right.....I would say that around 450 or so would be getting pretty close to max capacity though even in good windrows.

I came across a 16x18 baler(NH 5080)this past winter and for the price(just about stole it for the condition it was in)I thought it was worth buying for a backup baler. I have run it along side my 5070 hayliner and the increased capacity is impressive. It will make the same number of bales per hour as the 5070 but the bales are about 15-20% larger so that is that much more tonnage per hour you are baling. If your market will accept and pay for the bigger bale and max capacity in a small square is important that may be the way to go. What type of crops are you baling?


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## PackMan2170 (Oct 6, 2014)

They all make good balers these days, but if I was going for maximum capacity with one baler, I'd take a serious look at Freeman. Yes, parts are expensive and dealer support is often lean, but they are built like a brick sh*t-house and don't need much service or parts. And they will flat out-bale any other.


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## gearhartfarms82 (May 10, 2015)

Josh im trying to avoid the second baler. Just means that much more crew ect.

Coondle i have seen the same too. Sort of why i have stayed green. I like the Massey but only one guy around here that has one and he doesn't push as hard as i do. Just trying ti sort some things out. And here what others think.

Ive thought about a freeman any ideas on that


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

I have a good friend in Wyoming and a Freeman is all he uses. He squares a lot of hay.

Regards, Mike


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## Josh in WNY (Sep 7, 2010)

One other thought... what is the dealer support like for each of the brands? The best baler can be a pain if you can't get parts or service when you need it.


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

Coondle said:


> Had a NH 570 and now have a JD 348.
> When looking at the specs they are almost identical and with 93 strokes per minute into a 14x18 chamber , they should have the same throughput.
> The theory has been outlined here often enough.
> Running at 540 pto, 93 strokes per minute and around 13 biscuits/slices per bale means 7 bales per minute and 420 per hour.
> ...





gearhartfarms82 said:


> Coondle i have seen the same too. Sort of why i have stayed green.


If your goal is increased capacity, staying green and agreeing with coondle can't both be true.


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## PackMan2170 (Oct 6, 2014)

Like I said, Freeman dealer support is often lacking if you are out of their core area (Snake River Valley, UT, NV, OR, WA), and their parts (and balers) are expensive. But the company itself is usually pretty good to deal with. And their small balers are exceptional.


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## PackMan2170 (Oct 6, 2014)

Maybe if your lucky, your area dealer is good, but I have no idea in your neck of the woods

Edit: The good news is that they are pretty much functionally identical to any other side-feed baler, so if you have a good independent mechanic or don't mind taking it to another dealer's shop, they should be able to service it no problem


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## gearhartfarms82 (May 10, 2015)

8350 hi tec i know what ur saying. There has to be a trade off 30-50 bales more an hr isn't always better if you have a package problem. Seems to be grass for me that i have the most problems with a newholland (at least the last one i owned). Just looking for good discussion on the options. I have personally not ran a new red baler to know if the package is better. I run all types of hay and straw in every possible messed up condition it seems like so i need to have a good package across the board


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Don't overlook the 1840 Hesston.....


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

gearhartfarms82 said:


> 8350 hi tec i know what ur saying. There has to be a trade off 30-50 bales more an hr isn't always better if you have a package problem. Seems to be grass for me that i have the most problems with a newholland (at least the last one i owned). Just looking for good discussion on the options. I have personally not ran a new red baler to know if the package is better. I run all types of hay and straw in every possible messed up condition it seems like so i need to have a good package across the board


The 570 will out run a 348. 348 is a current model and NH updated the 570 (which wasn't even the commercial baler when it was produced) years ago. So, yes, a NEW commercial New Holland is going to have even more capacity and better ability to make a bale. And Deere keeps selling 348s...


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

All I can say is a 570 must be light yrs better than the two 565's that belonged to my neighbors that I had some hay baled with for me. No thanks on those banana bale making machines for me so I bought a JD 347..


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

Tx Jim said:


> All I can say is a 570 must be light yrs better than the two 565's that belonged to my neighbors that I had some hay baled with for me. No thanks on those banana bale making machines for me so I bought a JD 347..


Completely different balers. 565 is an economy baler, essentially a tweaked 3xx series baler. 570 and 575 were little and big brother while 565 was in a different family. But that's old news. NH has had two model changes since then.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

gearhartfarms82 said:


> 8350 hi tec i know what ur saying. There has to be a trade off 30-50 bales more an hr isn't always better if you have a package problem. Seems to be grass for me that i have the most problems with a newholland (at least the last one i owned). Just looking for good discussion on the options. I have personally not ran a new red baler to know if the package is better. I run all types of hay and straw in every possible messed up condition it seems like so i need to have a good package across the board


I used to have a Deere 24T which was a 1970's model....it always made a very nice package....albeit slowly. I thought my bales always looked nicer than my next door neighbor that baled with a NH.

Now I have a inline baler.....sidepulls seem like old technology compared to the way they(inlines) handle. They can bale a huge windrow if you get it reasonably dry.....if you need to bale green hay and dump a lot of acid on it, the NH will serve you better. The inline makes very consistent bales....which was very important to me to use with a accumulator. Inlines are the most gentle on legumes due to the straight thru design. I have never been more satisfied with a farm implement, than I am with my MF/Hesston inline baler.....knock on wood.

Regards, Mike


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## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

Vol said:


> I used to have a Deere 24T which was a 1970's model....it always made a very nice package....albeit slowly. I thought my bales always looked nicer than my next door neighbor that baled with a NH.
> 
> Now I have a inline baler.....sidepulls seem like old technology compared to the way they handle. They can bale a huge windrow if you get it reasonably dry.....if you need to bale green hay and dump a lot of acid on it, the NH will serve you better. The inline makes very consistent bales....which was very important to me to use with a accumulator. Inlines are the most gentle on legumes due to the straight thru design. I have never been more satisfied with a farm implement, than I am with my MF/Hesston inline baler.....knock on wood.
> 
> Regards, Mike


How often do you think about repainting it? Or asking for custom paint next time?


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Now you fellas think everything I have is green, but it's not. I am color blind when it comes to implements etc........but no doubt, I do like my green tractors. That red and silver Massey/Hesston baler looks extra good behind a green tractor.

Regards, Mike


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## PackMan2170 (Oct 6, 2014)

Agree with you Mike on everything you said about Hesstons. I much prefer mine, and that's why my Freeman stays parked, even though it's faster. And the Freeman is 14x18 vs my Hesston 16x18. Just soooo much more convenient.

But if it's capacity you want, Freeman is the answer. The NH Hayliner not quite as good, granted a lot less$.

gearhartfarms82 have you considered 3-tie? Would be a lot more capacity and enough to differentiate to charge more (vs going to 16x18).

Of course, getting ya'lls sissy customers back East to hump 115lb bales might be a different story!!!


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## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

Vol said:


> Now you fellas think everything I have is green, but it's not. I am color blind when it comes to implements etc........but no doubt, I do like my green tractors. That red and silver Massey/Hesston baler looks extra good behind a green tractor.
> 
> Regards, Mike


I thought it looked good in photos too.


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## snowball (Feb 7, 2015)

gearhartfarms82 said:


> Snowball you are very correct


That would be the 1st time.. gearhart.. I just know your area pretty well spent alot of time in Chillicothe would go to Trans Ova .. Plus I know a few farmers there...I like the NH balers but have had alot of experience with the Deere's devildawg is spot on 400 per hr is pretty much maxed out with either You are done'n well for your area if you are 2 400 per hr it's kinda tough bale'n there your 348 will bale with the best out there ...I personal think you might gain a little more with a NH but enough to warrant a trade IDK could you justify running 2 balers? or is that not a option.. I totally agree with you about the big balers How about a round baler to pick up the slack ???


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## Josh in WNY (Sep 7, 2010)

8350HiTech said:


> The 570 will out run a 348. 348 is a current model and NH updated the 570 (which wasn't even the commercial baler when it was produced) years ago. So, yes, a NEW commercial New Holland is going to have even more capacity and better ability to make a bale. And Deere keeps selling 348s...


While there haven't been any major changes, there have been updates on the 348s. However, JD opted to just break it up by serial numbers, not a new model number. Also, NH finally updated to using a packer fork on the 570/575/580 where JD had them from the old 14Ts on up (maybe even earlier). All in all, I think pushing 400 bales an hour is probably going to be the max for any of the brands unless you start going to 16x18 balers or bigger (or settle for less consistency in your bales). The other thing that would make me worry about running 400 bales an hour consistently is that you are going to wear out the baler a lot more quickly. For a commercial operation, that might not be an issue, but for a small timer like me, I'd rather take it easier on my equipment so it last longer. I just can't afford to be replacing equipment as often as I would like to.



Tx Jim said:


> All I can say is a 570 must be light yrs better than the two 565's that belonged to my neighbors that I had some hay baled with for me. No thanks on those banana bale making machines for me so I bought a JD 347..


The 565s still used the older track-style feed mechanisms from the previous models whereas the 570 model and up used the new rotary feed mechanism with a packing fork. I haven't actually run one myself, but from the people that I've talked to and what I've heard on here, the rotary feed system does a much better job of feeding hay into the bale chamber uniformly resulting in better bale shape.


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## snowball (Feb 7, 2015)

I should stay out of this discussion since I do not own a small sq baler.. but 12 yrs with Mother Deere forage works in Ottumwa Ia.Tell's me to keep look'n at a inline..I won't bash the NH as have not been around 1 of them 20 yrs I look to the north of me.. and here in WI where 100's of dairy farms still small sq and hay season it 8 -10 weeks with short dry'n days Most are running inlines and Some NH hardly a green in a field I got to go with Mike and devildawg.. hesston, Agco,MF. is the way to roll.. side pulls are just old School that works good. Why drag or twist your crop across the whole width of you pickup and then try to stuff it in a box , and think it will look pretty ? JMO


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## Trillium Farm (Dec 18, 2014)

Vol said:


> I believe all three of the manufacturers make good balers if cared for.....if you are a commercial baler and need to jam hay down the throat due to baling a lot of acreage....go with NH.....if you don't have the weight of acreage hanging over you go with a John Deere.....if you want a baler that is much more navigable than a side pull baler and makes a very consistent bale go with MF/Hesston.


Hi Mike, I've read somewhere that the hesston inline swallows more windrow than any of the traditional ones. Is that not so?


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## PackMan2170 (Oct 6, 2014)

Trillium Farm said:


> Hi Mike, I've read somewhere that the hesston inline swallows more windrow than any of the traditional ones. Is that not so?


Freemans and the bigger New Hollands have more capacity than the Hesstons. Deere is probably pretty close to even.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Trillium Farm said:


> Hi Mike, I've read somewhere that the hesston inline swallows more windrow than any of the traditional ones. Is that not so?


You'll probably read the exact opposite somewhere as well.......If I was buying a new baler today with capacity being my main goal, the Hesston would be my choice without a moments hesitation


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

Does anyone else wish we could actually put all three balers and actually have a competition? Of course, I don't think a single person has claimed Deere is the best so we probably don't need to invite one of those 

(I didn't include the Freeman because of two things. The first is most people have never seen one and wouldn't know where to buy one. The second is it would probably win easily)


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## hay rake (Dec 31, 2011)

my test for how good a deere implement is compared to something else, is if a guy bleeds green does he own one. and where i come from the guys that bleed green have nh balers and ih plows. tells me what they think of deere. i'm talking die hard green you know jd lawn mowers,chain saws and weed whackers. deere doesn't have to make it just have the name on it. that's good enough. oh yea forgot the deere gloves and work boots.


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## PackMan2170 (Oct 6, 2014)

somedevildawg said:


> You'll probably read the exact opposite somewhere as well.......If I was buying a new baler today with capacity being my main goal, the Hesston would be my choice without a moments hesitation


Gonna have to disagree with ya, 'Dawg.

However, when I buy a new small baler (late this year or next), its gonna be a Hesston 1841. More than willing to sacrifice the 15% difference in capacity for the 100% difference in convenience!!! And nicer bales. And easier on the hay.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Trillium Farm said:


> Hi Mike, I've read somewhere that the hesston inline swallows more windrow than any of the traditional ones. Is that not so?


Well I cannot honestly answer that question because I do not know for sure.

I think that NH can swallow more not ready to bale hay(treated) than Deere or Hesston/MF....which is important to commercial balers who have to get large amounts of hay(cured or not) in the barn in a short time frame.

I have baled some incredibly large dry windrows with my inline....

Deere makes a very nice bale, but the augers cannot swallow dry hay like NH or Hesston/MF.

I would be very surprised if NH can eat a larger dry windrow than Hesston/MF......but I do not know with certainty either way......maybe someone someday will put it to test, but it really doesn't matter to most folks because they both can bale bigger windrows than what is needed for pure consistency.

But there is one aspect that Deere or NH cannot touch MF/Hesston......manueverability and baling legumes(least amount of shatter).

Regards, Mike


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## Trillium Farm (Dec 18, 2014)

8350HiTech said:


> Does anyone else wish we could actually put all three balers and actually have a competition? Of course, I don't think a single person has claimed Deere is the best so we probably don't need to invite one of those
> 
> (I didn't include the Freeman because of two things. The first is most people have never seen one and wouldn't know where to buy one. The second is it would probably win easily)


At the post JD with Jack Farmer on top, NH with John Farmer on top and MF/Hesston with Bill Farmer on top....Off they go.... at the 1st 1/4 mile it's NH with.....bales on the ground followed by MF with....bales and the JD with....bales, but the race isn't over the going is heavy and the jockeys are working hard......at the finish it's.................................................


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## bbos2 (Mar 20, 2015)

hay rake said:


> my test for how good a deere implement is compared to something else, is if a guy bleeds green does he own one. and where i come from the guys that bleed green have nh balers and ih plows. tells me what they think of deere. i'm talking die hard green you know jd lawn mowers,chain saws and weed whackers. deere doesn't have to make it just have the name on it. that's good enough. oh yea forgot the deere gloves and work boots.


I'm one of these guys. Everything we own is deere. But we pull nh balers. If/when I buy my second baler I think I might buy a hesston soley on the fact that Mike and other experienced guys on here like them so much.


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## Bgriffin856 (Nov 13, 2013)

I'd just say which ever dealer has the best support and is closest.

I've noticed how much green equipment or equipment sold by the green dealer we have now compared to ten years ago....


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

I like the NH 5070 and I like the 348 Deere, I love the Hesston.......which one bales fastest? That would be a guess on my part and there's no real way to compare the three unless you have identical winrows and that's hard to replicate. The key measure is not in the winrow, but at the turns/mobile times/breakdowns/field to transport and back again, at the end of the day, I don't think it really matters too much, may be splitting hairs......probably be + - less than 1-2% either way and that's with no breakdowns of either baler type. 
More interesting to me is to know when to get shed of the baler and jump into a new baler to avoid throwing away money......I thnk the number is 50k-80k bales, but that's another topic and thread


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Trillium Farm said:


> At the post JD with Jack Farmer on top, NH with John Farmer on top and MF/Hesston with Bill Farmer on top....Off they go.... at the 1st 1/4 mile it's NH with.....bales on the ground followed by MF with....bales and the JD with....bales, but the race isn't over the going is heavy and the jockeys are working hard......at the finish it's.................................................


The Freeman came out of nowhere and smoked em all.........WOW, didn't even know they were in the race, neither did jack, John, and Bill.....last they heard Freeman was being disqualified for being too good AND not known......

That's interesting, the one baler we thnk is the fastest and it's the least sold in N.A.


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## PackMan2170 (Oct 6, 2014)

Heck yeah they're the least sold! Have you seen the price on them damn things?! I sure as heck wouldn't buy one new! Only reason I ended up with one is cause I just about stole it!

Just cause they don't sell many Ferrari's don't mean they ain't fast! Just means you gotta be serious about what your doing (and preferably independently wealthy) to drop the $ for one!


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## Trillium Farm (Dec 18, 2014)

You know dawg I did enter Freeman as the dark horse (baler) in the race as the winner, but then I deleted it, maybe I should have left it in. I did a bit a research and we don't have any dealers in Canada, but even in the US people say that since Allied Systems bought the company it's not the same. Before it was a family business and they looked after their clients, now it's such a small part of this conglomerate that I wonder how much longer they will exist.


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## Lostin55 (Sep 21, 2013)

I will have to toss in a vote for the inlines as well. Virtually anyone around me that does a significant amount of hay in small squares runs inlines. I run a Hesston inline as well. There again, we bale alfalfa, and bale it dry on the dew.

When it was in great shape, I think that the old 1283 New Holland that I had might have come close to running with an inline. That statement is more a testament to the variable drive and maneuverability of it than actual capacity I think.

I would like to see all of the big brands in one field under the same conditions, tied to the same model tractor and see who wins. It would be interesting for sure. Who wants to set up the inaugural Haytalk Haytrials?


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## PackMan2170 (Oct 6, 2014)

That's a good point. I have not had to deal with them since Allied Systems bought 'em, but that could very well be the case. I can't say one way or the other


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## Nate926 (Apr 6, 2014)

As far as hesston/Massey vs New Holland if you put 12 strokes to a bale Hesston/Massey will win ever time 100 stokes a min vs 93. Mike you keep saying new holland out performs Hesston/Massey in wet hay I think this is true if your using a 1839, but with my 1837 the augers turn the same way as the 1840 and I have had no problem in higher moisture hay.


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

Nate926 said:


> As far as hesston/Massey vs New Holland if you put 12 strokes to a bale Hesston/Massey will win ever time 100 stokes a min vs 93. Mike you keep saying new holland out performs Hesston/Massey in wet hay I think this is true if your using a 1839, but with my 1837 the augers turn the same way as the 1840 and I have had no problem in higher moisture hay.


If that was the deciding factor, and old NH 320 would eat both for lunch with 120 strokes per minute.


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## Josh in WNY (Sep 7, 2010)

Lostin55 said:


> I will have to toss in a vote for the inlines as well. Virtually anyone around me that does a significant amount of hay in small squares runs inlines. I run a Hesston inline as well. There again, we bale alfalfa, and bale it dry on the dew.
> 
> When it was in great shape, I think that the old 1283 New Holland that I had might have come close to running with an inline. That statement is more a testament to the variable drive and maneuverability of it than actual capacity I think.
> 
> I would like to see all of the big brands in one field under the same conditions, tied to the same model tractor and see who wins. It would be interesting for sure. Who wants to set up the inaugural Haytalk Haytrials?


I'll volunteer my fields for testing them on grass hay... that many balers running at once would finish all my hay in a single day!


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## cornshucker (Aug 22, 2011)

Friend of mine has a NH 5070 that he traded a NH 575 for. I went to see him one day last fall and he was baling and I baled maybe 125 bales with it. I do think in terms of capacity it is a little faster than our inline. Definitely will eat bigger clumps of hay (he rakes with a 10 wheel Vermeer rake and there were some clumps in it. But I do think the inline will bale a little faster while making consistent bales the 5070 would make some 8-9 flake bales if you let it but the length and shape were all over the place. IMHO length and shape consistency are a lot more important than sheer speed than when picking up with machines whether it be a baron, bandit, NH bale wagon or an accumulator. Unless someone is a big commercial producer any of the three has plenty of capacity to do what an average producer needs. Wondering how much the re designed geometry on the inline stuffer forks helped their capacity.


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

Did anyone ever ask (or did the OP say) how they are handling their bales?


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## Trillium Farm (Dec 18, 2014)

Alright then let's start the : HAY TALK BALER HAYLYMPICS where & when?


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## gearhartfarms82 (May 10, 2015)

Well i use grapples. Used to do the bale wagons. Bale quality (shape) is big for me. I hate bales that are not straight. Hauling resons. I would love to put all the balers together in the same field. Wish that could be done. Snowball who u know around here? I just wish you could buy a baler thwt would do 600-800 an hr. The three string bales dont have a good market in this area. Definitely enjoy hearing about the freeman. One thing is for sure no clear winners in one better than the other.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

cornshucker said:


> Wondering how much the re designed geometry on the inline stuffer forks helped their capacity.


Good question.

Regards, Mike


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## gearhartfarms82 (May 10, 2015)

Mike do u have good luck with the Massey overall? In all crops that is. I do run acid but only like to start baleing 20% and down. Closer to 18


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## PackMan2170 (Oct 6, 2014)

gearhartfarms82 said:


> Mike do u have good luck with the Massey overall? In all crops that is. I do run acid but only like to start baleing 20% and down. Closer to 18


Have had great luck with my Hesston. Do mostly alfalfa, but occasionally some oats, sudan, or a little bermuda. They certainly and more consistently make nicer shaped bales than any side-feed I've ever been around. And don't get me wrong, they have good capacity.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

gearhartfarms82 said:


> Mike do u have good luck with the Massey overall? In all crops that is. I do run acid but only like to start baleing 20% and down. Closer to 18


What I call "green hay" is moisture above 27-28%.....the inline will eat 25% and lower with no problem....I am using a preservative also....but not acid. It will bale most anything that I am aware of....

Regards, Mike


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## stack em up (Mar 7, 2013)

I use a an 1839 in alfalfa, grass hay, road ditches, and cornstalks. Haven't found anything it can't bale consistently.

I prefer uniformity over capacity as my stack wagon like nice even bales. When ever I try to push something to max capacity, something else in the hay making system breaks, and I end up further behind. Slow and steady wins the race on this farm.


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## Shetland Sheepdog (Mar 31, 2011)

One question I have is how the Freeman can out bale the big 3 while only running 84 SPM? It would definitely be interesting to see a 14" x 18" Freeman put up against the big 3!


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## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

stack em up said:


> I use a an 1839 in alfalfa, grass hay, road ditches, and cornstalks. Haven't found anything it can't bale consistently.
> 
> I prefer uniformity over capacity as my stack wagon like nice even bales. When ever I try to push something to max capacity, something else in the hay making system breaks, and I end up further behind. Slow and steady wins the race on this farm.


From a great movie: I find this holds true in many arenas:

Slow is amooth. And smooth is fast.

Aka trying to push it beyond capacity makes more mistakes more work alower progress.


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## PackMan2170 (Oct 6, 2014)

Shetland Sheepdog said:


> One question I have is how the Freeman can out bale the big 3 while only running 84 SPM? It would definitely be interesting to see a 14" x 18" Freeman put up against the big 3!


Massive flywheel and plunger can knock out a 70# bale in 9-10 strokes/flakes.


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## Trillium Farm (Dec 18, 2014)

Freeman also had a very interesting hay wagon! Seems a lot simpler than NH but carries only 85 bales. It sure looked a lot simpler and less prone to brake-downs than the others. Any of you heard of it?


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## broadriverhay (Jun 13, 2014)

Why does the NH 5070 have such higher HP requirements than other balers


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## PackMan2170 (Oct 6, 2014)

broadriverhay said:


> Why does the NH 5070 have such higher HP requirements than other balers


I don't know, but it's a lot more realistic to me....


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## Bgriffin856 (Nov 13, 2013)

deadmoose said:


> From a great movie: I find this holds true in many arenas:
> 
> Slow is amooth. And smooth is fast.
> 
> Aka trying to push it beyond capacity makes more mistakes more work alower progress.


That can refer to almost anything.

I always take my time and do things right, rarely in a hurry. I learn alot from watching the old man get in a hurry for no reason


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## gearhartfarms82 (May 10, 2015)

Watched some vids on freemans seem very impresive.


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