# John Deere 456 round baler



## Sd1030 (Feb 4, 2015)

Hello everyone I am new to the site and I am posting because I am looking at a 1998 Jd 456 round baler. It is a silage special, and seems to be in pretty good shape. It has the base model monitor which is basically just gauges and what not. I know very little about round balers, I purchased and used a hesston 5530 this past year and that was/is my only experience with a round baler. The price on the Jd is close to 11,000, is that a fair price? Is this a good baler for a small scale farmer, I would say that I would be looking to do 200-300 rolls a year. Any input would be appreciated , thanks.


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## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

Should be night and day. I had a 5530. Nothing like my new Vermeer Rebel. I assume a similar culture shock (good one) with the deere.


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## Sd1030 (Feb 4, 2015)

Thanks for the reply, does your rebel have net wrap.


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## Bazooka (Sep 17, 2013)

If this unit has wrap, check the top roll for bits of surface wrap around them, don't know why but it always seems to end up there and it will work its way into the seals and damage the bearings. If you can hook it up to a tractor and run it, raise the gate and lock it then lower it to put tension on the belts and turn on the pto. if you hear a knock it probably its that top bearing(s) with wrap stuck in it. A silage special may have bearing guards that would help keep the foreign material from getting in the bearings. When you are done and unlock the gate, put the hydraulic lever in float and see if the gate closes evenly on both sides to be sure it is not tweaked, its easy to tweak back square, but it is a good bargaining point.


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## IH 1586 (Oct 16, 2014)

Do you know how many bales have been thru it. The price is on the high side for what they go for. If its an individual you can get an idea about how he takes care of his equipment from the other pieces around. If it is a dealer all bets are off. I have a 458 and it is a great baler. Unfamiliar with what upgrades they have done since 456 baler. I did have a 446 and that also was a great baler.


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## Sd1030 (Feb 4, 2015)

Thanks for all the info, it's a dealer who has it, and the bale count is unknown on it.


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## Grateful11 (Apr 5, 2009)

Find out who owned it before. They should have some idea how many bales are on it. If the dealer won't tell you who owned it stay away from it or get a someone familiar with these balers to look over it with you.


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## Bazooka (Sep 17, 2013)

get me the full serial number and I can find out some info on it for you


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

As was mentioned, the price is kind of on the high side.

Did the dealer say they had gone through the baler and checked/replaced things that were worn?

It would be nice to know if the baler had done silage or just round hay. Silage can put more wear on a baler than just hay. The baler is 16 years old and may have had a couple of other owners during that time.

I would want to see it bale before spending 11K on a '99 model baler.


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## IH 1586 (Oct 16, 2014)

So the monitor back in '98 did not record number of bales.


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## Bazooka (Sep 17, 2013)

Sd1030 said:


> Hello everyone I am new to the site and I am posting because I am looking at a 1998 Jd 456 round baler. It is a silage special, and seems to be in pretty good shape. It has the base model monitor which is basically just gauges and what not. I know very little about round balers, I purchased and used a hesston 5530 this past year and that was/is my only experience with a round baler. The price on the Jd is close to 11,000, is that a fair price? Is this a good baler for a small scale farmer, I would say that I would be looking to do 200-300 rolls a year. Any input would be appreciated , thanks.


 I think I finally got a document to you, there is not much information on t his unit though, just history of ownership. Didn't see any warranty claims or recall information either. Best you can do is try to locate the last owner and talk to them. Good Luck


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## Supa Dexta (May 28, 2014)

The old monitor just has two dials that determine bale size, on each side of the bale so you can try and keep it even.. It also has a buzzer, that goes off at 2 positions. You set that under the side door. It works fine and is better than nothing.

11K is too high for that model baler. They sell for around 8 or so up here, with life still left in them.


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