# Custom baling



## reno12469

Wondering if it would be worth it to start custom baling? I currently don't have equipment but looking at buying a bb9060 and a tractor probably totalling around 100k. I live in central Minnesota. Don't have a customer base. Think it's a good idea?


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## gearhartfarms82

Ummmmmm. Think u might want to get some customers first.


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## reno12469

How do you go about doing that if you don't have the machinery? Tell someone that you would bale their hay but first I have to buy the machines?


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## 8350HiTech

Have you heard from people who currently pay others for baling that they aren't receiving the service in a quality or timely manner? If the area is under served or poorly served, there MIGHT be an opportunity.


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## reno12469

Guess I'll have to do some door to door knocking to see


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## Tx Jim

I began custom baling in '87 with no customers & I'm still doing it. Most custom balers have some customers that they can't get their hay cut/baled on a timely basis because of weather conditions so there are people searching to get their hay baled. IMHO key to good custom baling operation is give customer a "realistic arrival time frame" and attempt to do your best at cutting/baling. I've never paid for advertisement but relied on word of mouth & friends.


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## Lostin55

I have hired a guy specifically to run equipment for custom work this year. There was a need and several people have approached me about it over the last couple of years. 
As was stated above, I feel like word of mouth will be more than enough to keep the wheels turning all summer. 
If you feel that you will have the demand, and customer base, go for it.


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## reno12469

Thanks for the input everyone. TX Jim, how did you go about starting a customer base? Also, should I possibly get cheaper/older equipment to start out with? Like a BB940?


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## duramax

We do some custom haying here in Nebraska. Not much demand on just baling. With that said, how many bales a year are you looking to bale? We do stalks and charged 18 a bale to rake and bale. Can break it down a little more if you need it. Because we can shuffle our amounts around from mowing to raking to baling.


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## reno12469

Hopefully 800 to 1000 large squares at the minimum.


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## Tx Jim

reno12469 said:


> Thanks for the input everyone. TX Jim, how did you go about starting a customer base? Also, should I possibly get cheaper/older equipment to start out with? Like a BB940?


I'm sure because I lived within 2 miles of where I grew up plus I had been employed by local JD dealer for 21 yrs prior to attempting the custom baling endeavor helped me get started. By custom baling I mean cutting/raking/baling & some custom tillage/planting.


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## gearhartfarms82

I started with nothing. But before i bought equipment i knocked on doors and tried to have a few things lined up. Banks will not loan money on a whim. So for me to get loans i had to have a plan. With that being said like others have mentioned above do your home work. If your hungry enough you will make it work and prove to others that you can perform to everyones expectations and more business will come in. In my area its a hard gig to get into. Wish you the best of luck and hope it all works out! Always like to see the underdog succeed!


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## Lostin55

I would have to say that I am in the other camp. I have a bunch of under utilized equipment that I already own.It is relatively easy for me to start up.
Much like TxJim said, community ties and networking, as they call it today, make a huge difference. 
The folks at the Ag dealerships, the ditch riders, the vet, and a couple realtors know pretty much everyone that I do not know.


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## reno12469

As far as what equipment I'm looking at, do you think that's too much money to start out with?


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## swmnhay

reno12469 said:


> As far as what equipment I'm looking at, do you think that's too much money to start out with?


Without knowing if you have any customers it is.Id sure be talking with some potential customers to see if they are looking for help before I spent 100K.

Why not start out with used and if the first yr goes good you could trade up?You could get a good used baler and tractor for 40k and go from there.I fit don't work you could get your money back.

Or you could be cut rate Johnny and run your wheels off and barely make machinery payments.

Anyway you cut it,it will take a few yrs to get a good customer base.


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## Tx Jim

I overlooked the $100K in OP's original post. Sometimes those equipment payments get very difficult to make!!! Ditto on starting out with used equipment instead of trying to keep up with the """Jones's""". The only new equipment I've ever bought in 30 yrs of custom baling was hay balers and that was to get the newer improvements. Granted I had enough mechanical background to repair everything but the most major breakdowns.


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## 8350HiTech

If the total is 100, I don't think there's a new baler involved.


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## reno12469

Baler would be around 50 to 60k used


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## swmnhay

reno12469 said:


> Baler would be around 50 to 60k used


I think everyone presumed you were talking about a Rd baler not a Lg Sq.And with lg sqrs you prly are pretty close to 100K for good used,and a big enough tractor for it.

I would still say you need some work lined up before you purchase.Custom work is not the "field of Dreams"Just because you buy a baler they are not just going to call you up.


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## 8350HiTech

He did give a square baler model number in the first post.


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## JD3430

I did all this recently so it's fresh in my memory.

1. I started with a used 70HP tractor and a used 8' JD MX-8 brush mower and a small used 3pt sprayer.
They first step was to "get in the door". Ask people who have fields currently not producing hay (undesirable fields with heavy weeks, lowlands, odd shapes, small, etc) if you can mow them for a couple years for low costs. Offer to spray the noxious weeds for free or very cheap. 
2. Then a few years down the road, ask them if you can switch to haying the fields for them. By then, your mowing/spraying will have killed a lot of weeds. You'll have feeder cattle grade hay. 
Sell them on the "free cutting" feature. You cut the fields free and keep the hay. 
3. By then, they'll trust you. You can then talk about fertilizing and even no till drilling. Then you'll have good hay to sell.

I took fields that looked like shit and turned them into above average hay in 3 years.

That's what I did. I invested about $35,000 in a cab 4WD tractor, mower and sprayer. Only had 1 or 2 fields. 4 years later, I have lots of equipment (some paid off, some on loans) 12-15 fields, close to 150 acres in hay and a couple hundred more in mowing contracts. I know the income supports the equipment and pays me money.

You could take a chance and make a big up front investment, but you'll need to be able to support your new ventures payments with a real job for ~4-5 years before it supports itself.

The way I did it, I didn't put myself in too much debt. I bought equipment as CHEAP as I possibly could and in just a few years, I was making 3-400 tons of hay, mowing 200+ acres of fields, plowing snow and doing other field-related property work.

You should be able to plow a lot of snow up in MN during winters. That will help support your first few years because you won't be able to make payments on that big of a loan doing a few custom baling jobs in the beginning.


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## JD3430

Don't concentrate on buying any specific BRAND of equipment. Instead, buy the best VALUE in equipment. It'll save you a lot of money. 
I'd love to have all red or all green equipment. But no, I have the "rainbow coalition" of colors in my storage area. Green, yellow, orange, red. 
Maybe when I'm a "millionaire farmer", I can have all color coordinated equipment. 
Brand loyalty will get you in financial trouble when you're first starting.


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## reno12469

Sounds good. Thanks for all the input. I'm still making up my mind now if I want to jump in.


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## bunkhouse

reno12469 said:


> Hopefully 800 to 1000 large squares at the minimum.


Who in the heck is going to pay $15,000 to have 800 bales done ????????????? NOT ME !!! Or anyone else I know small farms or big.


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## Three44s

I am not a custom operator.

Way back in about '70 my father bought a new swather ...... the old 620 Hesston ..... the single stick "jet fighter" swather ........ if you know the machine you know what I am talking about ........ otherwise just run with it .........

Well, we thought hey ........ we can help defray the cost of this new iron by cutting other folks' crops?

So we got a job with a local farmer who had a good reputation as a good farmer!

We asked him ........... Anything out there?

NO ......... clean as a whistle! ............. Was his reply!

So we found out in a BIG way ........... whistles ain't so clean ..... cleaned our clock big time!

It was to profound we quit cutting for other people right then and there ........ we had enough of our own fun and games to keep us busy anyway so we are in a different boat .............

However, the moral of the story is if you take on other folks' waste ground .......... walk it ........ ride it .......... fly it ........... what ever it takes ......... when it's coming out of the winter and everything is fairly visible to get the CRAP off of it before you commence tearing up your valuable investments on it.

Otherwise I agree with all the above in this thread ........ DON'T over extend ...... start conservative and keep your word reasonably in line with your abilities.

Customers don't want blue sky but the GOOD ONES also understand reasonable and unavoidable delays. And the customers that are unreasonable ....... lose them!

Best regards and the best of luck!

Three 44s


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## CowboyRam

I have about $47,000 invested into my equipment, and my newest piece is 12 years old. 2004 Krone BP128VFS baler, 1990 CaseIH 8840 Swather, and 1979 Massey Ferguson 2745 tractor.


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## E.Boman

Where in central Mn are you located? Did you ever jump in and get equipment?


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## reno12469

Never went into it. Work a 9 to 5 job instead. Located in Stearns county. Looking back at that now, couldn't have made that work.


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## shortrow2

Staying busy and getting paid are two different things..


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## FCF

Or as I like to remind someone when they say they will have to charge me for something: "Charging and collecting are two different things". Always said to a friend that knows it is in jest and don't believe I have ever left anyone unpaid.


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## Wethay

Told a hay customer when he asked if I would reposes the hay if he didn't pay that no I wouldn't. Burn his barn down, well now that wasn't as much work.


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## snowball

reno12469 said:


> Wondering if it would be worth it to start custom baling? I currently don't have equipment but looking at buying a bb9060 and a tractor probably totalling around 100k. I live in central Minnesota. Don't have a customer base. Think it's a good idea?


 Today is your lucky day....... Have I got a deal for you !!


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