# considering a used round baler



## Keith (Aug 8, 2009)

as title states I have started to have a look-no experience with rounders
so am asking a few questions-what is a good tractor size?
is an electric tie something to look for?what about double twine?autotie?
dual tie?can a monitor be added-what does it tell you?
not sure what size to look for-any pros/cons 4x6 etc.
how would one decide between hard/soft core?is there an advantage
to star shaped centers?are fixed or variable chambers more desirable?
does net wrap do away with twine?does a bale kicker speed production?any brands or models to look out for or stay away from?
I am aiming to stay below $5000.any input welcome thanks ks


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## CATTLEMAN (Jun 19, 2009)

I have owned 4 used round balers. The first being a steel rolled OMC fixed chamber baler; and the second and third being JD models. I presently use a NH 644 that has net wrap and Bale Command (electronics). I like my NH the best, which is a variable chamber baler. It make a really tight bale, with a hard core center. To answer your questions Keith; A tractor under 75 horse will run most smaller balers, maybe even the bigger ones (older used models). A dual twine tie will speed up the tieing time, but if your going to sell and handle these bales for shipping, I would suggest net wrap. As far as monitors go; the older balers have just a few things they tell you, where the newer ones are much more complex, and keep track of everything from total bale count to the nmber of wraps or turns a bale makes while putting on wrap or twine; size of bale can be changed; etc. I like the 4x5 size bale, because most of my hay is sold to horse owners, and the rest is fed to my own cattle in round bale feeders. They waste less with the 4x5's because my cows have to stand with their heads inside the feeders to eat instead of dragging it off the outside, like with the larger bales. The 4' wide bales are easier to ship also, due to no overhang on trailers. The soft core bale will not stand up to stacking as well, and they don't keep in storage as well either. My old baler made soft core bales, and if I baled a little to wet, it would mold instead of ferment, like a hard core bale will do. My cattle love bales that have started to ferment, as it smells and looks like haylage. Net wrap does do away with twine, and is faster going on the bale, and will shed more water while sitting outside. Most balers today will have a spring loaded ramp on them for rolling the bale away from the baler; maning no backing up each time a bale is dumped from the baler. I would defintely look at what dealers are fairly nearby, and go with a brand that has nearby parts availibility. When you have a lot of hay on the ground, and you need parts quick; that nearby availibility will make you a beleiver. Your $5000 budget might be the limiting on what kind and size of baler you will be able to buy; however if you are willing to make a smaller bale; you can probably buy a fairly nice 4x4 or 4x5 baler for near that price, Good luck to you.


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## Keith (Aug 8, 2009)

cattleman -thanks for the informative reply.I was almost too embarassed to ask
about rounds since they are so common.I sell mostly to horse customers as well,
(using small squares)but I was thinking that if a round was available that I could use it to catch up with when finding myself behind and to use for my own stock.
I think that I may have posted this in a place other than "machinery" as I had intended to and I may attempt to move it over there later-I find computers extremely useful but often almost incomprehensible.once again,thanks for the
knowledgeable reply-I'm in a much better place to look for a baler now-had been thinking buy one,try it and go from there-thanks again keith


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## Ridgerunner (Jul 10, 2009)

As cattleman said, many of the features are for the purpose of speeding up the process. Alot depends on your operation, size, manpower, etc. If you plan to sell these rounds, go with net wrap. If you plan to feed them yourself AND you can store the bales inside, save the money and go with twine.

If you are mechincally inclined and your acreage is around 100 acres, I would go with a well used baler. You can get them easily for $5000. If you don't like to work on your equipement each winter or you plan to bale thousands of bales each year, get something fairly new and trade often.

I run a Hesston 5580 that I bought for $1000. It does not have any sort of a monitor. It bales a very nice bale and it is simple to maintain. However, it is slow. At best I can roll 18 rolls an hour, but that is very tiring with all of the clutching, shifting, tieing, opening, closing, etc.

It paid for itself in the first cutting, though.


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## Heyhay..eh (Aug 7, 2009)

Hey Keith

You have a lot of valuable information here already but I will add a few more lines just in case it gives a different or even a supportive perspective.

The Hard core baler is much better for a number of reasons. The bale stays together better in travel or multiple handling. They pack tighter so if you have damp hay it will not deteriorate as much as it limits the oxygen that gets into the bale. It sheds rain better if stored outside. The bale hold together if you have to cut strings outside of a pen and then go in to feed.

4' wide bales transport better especially if you are using public roads with width restrictions. They fit in feeders better and they are easier to load in a pick up if you have customers who pick up one at a time. And they will be easier for them to roll off the truck and into place if need be ( I get a lot of those types)

I use a 435 JD 4' wide by variable diameter (3-6') It has a monitor that lets you know bale shape, size, when tying has commenced/finished and when the gate is locked. It also has an emergency oversize warning. This model has 2 tie wands that start from the same side and are hydraulically driven. You set the twine spacing and travel speed of the arms to give you optimum tying speed. When I am in material that winds a tight bale I tie off one wand and only put one twine on. This is an advantage for me in the winter when feeding.

I have a bale kicker which just saves the aggravation of backing up to dump the bale. It does not really save time as the back up operation is performed during the tying sequence. I do not have gathering wheels and wish I did especially for straw. For Hay I have my mower set to suit the width of the pick up.

Had a JD 430 and went to the 435. Basically the same performance. 435 is a little heavier.

I have not tried any other makes but have baled beside them. A Hesston had problems with belts twisting if the bale was not started correctly, also they had an inferior monitor and were much more difficult to work on due to accessibility to chains etc. A NH I don't know much about this other than the operator was not happy with it. It broke down twice and then he went home, never did learn what the issue (s) was.

There are a lot of choices so it will come to the best machine available in your price range, the support system from dealerships, and what fits into your current lineup.

One thing that you should do is put power to the baler before you buy. Run it through all of its sequences, wind it up for a good 10 minutes, Check for heat at the bearings, listen for grinding and screeching, pinpoint noises as best you can just so you know what the problem might be, Check chain/sprocket wear, belts/lacings, u joints. Open up and look for fractures on the side walls of the baler (inside) and also on the pickups. A good idea is to have it washed off before inspection so you can see where bearings might have burned (blue metal).

Sorry this is more than a few lines.

Oh the 435 in good shape should run from 5-9 thousand depending on year, use and options.

Good luck in your search.

Take care


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

I would probably go with a 4 x 6 solid core baler.You can make smaller bales with it for your horse market.And you can make a bigger bale if you want so you don't have as many bales to handle.Perhaps for a cattle feeder that doesn't want to handle as many bales.

I don't know if you will find a baler under $5000 that has netwrap in a 4 x 6.Perhaps get lucky at a farm auction.


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## Ridgerunner (Jul 10, 2009)

Today's hay market seems to lean heavily toward net wrap. Your biggest problem will be finding a baler in good condition that will use net wrap for under $5000.

How many bales per cutting do you expect?


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## okhillbilly (Jun 18, 2009)

Definitly 4x5's or 4x6's bales are the most popular around here. Also the most profitable if you plan on selling the rounds. I know of several hay sellers that sold the bigger balers for these reasons.


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## Keith (Aug 8, 2009)

hi ridgerunner-not sure how many bales to expect as I plan to do mostly small squares but I am ever mindful
of expantion or perhaps a new market-just now getting set up for small squares with less labour and thought that I should be looking ahead or perhaps for a good deal on a baler-looks like hay land can be rented locally
as well-thanks for all comments keith


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## stevemsinger (Jul 8, 2009)

With your limited amount of hay that you plan to bale and the fact that you will use it mostly yourself combined with your budget, I would look at a used string tie. If you go with a smaller bale 4x5 you can probably get one that is in better shape for the money and you would not have to work on it that much.


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## Va_plowboy (Jan 12, 2010)

I use a new idea my dad bought about 15 yrs ago used. We bale about 200 acres every year and have ha no breakdowns. Broke a belt once but other than that nothing. It is soft core and that sux though so I agree with the opinons on hard core balers being the best choice. Mine has string tie and its good enough for what I'm doing. We store some bales outside and may get about 3 inches of surface rot on average. Wrap will really cut that back. A man dont really need much more with a small operation and you dont need a big tractor to run it. My tn75 jerks it around like a ragdoll. It's bales 4x5 Now the farm I work on, they use a NH (can't remember the number) but it makes 5x6 with a monitor and new wrap. Takes alot bigger tractor to operate. They bale about 200 bales a year and it does a pretty good job. Minor breakdowns here and there as expected. They have had it about 8 years and its about wore out but its been over a whole lotta ground.

Use a search engine like google or bing and type in "used farm equipment" and you can look at used balers all day long.

My final opinion is dont get anything more or bigger than you actually need to get the job done effectively and quick enough. We paid 15000 for the new idea and it was only used about 200 acres and the paint on the inside wall wasnt even wore off yet so you could prolly find a good baler for 5000. Even if it's not a big name baler. New idea is built about like a hesston.


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