# Let's talk about round balers



## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

Well I'm starting to get serious about buying a round baler but not sure what baler to get and would like to hear some opinions on which is the best and why. Would be open to JD, vermeer, NH, MF/Hesston. I have no brand loyalty and dealer support isn't outstanding for any brand so that is not a factor for me. I have only ran one round baler before for a single season and absolutely hated it.....it was an older Vermeer.....I'm sure the newer Vermeers are much improved and look really heavy duty so I'm going to try and not hold that against them.

As much as I like the idea of a 5 foot wide baler because I would have less bales to handle I have been told that here in the east it is a problem to transport them over the interstate due to the law enforcement........local law wouldn't be a bother so it would not be a problem for me but it could be a problem for the buyer if they are traveling on the interstate. For 4 foot wide balers I guess a 4x5 would be as big as I could make because 4x6s tend to fall over on our hillsides. If I'm only going to make a 4x5 would there be any sense in buying a 4x6 baler or would I be better to leave the extra cash in my pocket?

A few things that are a must have on my list......wide pickup, net wrap, hydraulic pickup lift. It also needs to be able to handle silage hay because I'm considering a bale wrapper in the future.

Also I do not want to turn this into a color war......if you don't like a particular brand of baler I want to know.......but I need the reasons why you don't like it......not just that it is junk.

Hayden


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

New? Lightly used? How many bales per year? How many per use? What do you have in mind?

I remember you've said before that there's no money in round bales in your market so I'll caution you on buying a baler to make silage bales. It's hard enough to sell those in a good round bale market.

I would stick with the 4x5 if you're having to create a market. 5x balers are going to put you squarely in the local cattle hay market in all likelihood and I'm guessing that's not where you want to be. 4x5 bales are very easy to ship as well as easy to stack wherever you'll be storing them.


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## lidaacres (Oct 11, 2014)

We recently got a NH BR740. We have put about 650 bales on it the last month with some silage bales and wheat straw. It worked about as well as you could ask for thus far. It seems pretty simple to maintain/ fix and overall user friendly without a bunch of complicated electronics.

One neighbor has a Vermeer 5400 maybe?(not sure exact model but a 4x5). He has made allot of hay with it the last few years. He has said at times the net wrap gives trouble when starting a new roll, and I know he has had feeding trouble in really dry straw but overall is very satisfied

.

Other neighbor has a couple year old John Deere and all he's said is it's rare if he has to get out of the tractor till he's back in the yard at the end of the day.


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

8350HiTech said:


> New? Lightly used? How many bales per year? How many per use? What do you have in mind?
> I remember you've said before that there's no money in round bales in your market so I'll caution you on buying a baler to make silage bales. It's hard enough to sell those in a good round bale market.


 More than likely it will be lightly used......going to try and let someone else take the initial depreciation. Your right, in my area there is no money in round bales as a general rule. As of recently though I have talked to a few buyers that would be interested in some round bales at a respectable price on a per ton basis. Then there is the ease/convenience factor when I have some hay that isn't fit to square bale......it is not worth my time and the work to deal with poor quality hay that is going to be sold at a round bale price in square bales......not to mention taking up my limited dry storage.

I won't be starting out making silage bales initially but is something I'm thinking about/exploring so I want a baler that is capable of wet hay as well as dry. I have had a couple positive talks to buyers about silage bales and it would be a huge convenience factor to be able to bale the hay in rainy weather and get the next cut growing to hopefully make dry squares.


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## snowball (Feb 7, 2015)

I've been down this road before and it got very bumpy so Hayden I'am sure you know what I like.. but that being said.. And you are talking about lightly used and in your area I would ask you to consider a NH 70 series, depending on what size bales you are looking for.. maybe a 7060 4x5 baler. since you are thinking about silage bales I myself don't own 1 but have baled a couple thousand bales ( mostly silage bales ) with one. I myself run Vermeers and get along very well with them making silage bales with a Vermeer is easy for me band they make a very nice bale in wet hay but they are just a bit more touchy to run and get set right( not that you could not run one ) but the NH is pretty easy to run and get set... I think the pickups aren't quit as heavy built. and they have more moving parts and chains . the 7060 that I have run had 9200 bales though it and got traded about 2 months ago because it was needing new belts and chains, and the pickup need some TCL but all in all was a pretty good baler and had baled over 5000 silage bales and 2000 corn stalk bales both my Vermeers had chains and belts at around 10,000 bales but that is all that I have ever had to do to them. I won't comment on the balers I don't like as it would get ugly again on here so if your interested in my opinion on them PM me and we'll talk


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

I chose vermeer because of how the pick up feeds the roll and because the roll is supported by a roller while being made, not on the belts.

I do not know when Vermeer made the upgrades, which models. The 5410 and 5420 rebel series roll a lot of hay around here. The Vermeer 4x5 balers have gathering wheels.

I believe all brands with net wrap have a better system then when net was first introduced.

A big selling point for 4x5 is that a roll will sit between the fender well of a pick up truck. Comes in handy if you sell one roll a time to a horse person.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

I went with NH because of price....figured there wasn't much way to pencil out rounds for me so the path of least resistance was taken.....rollabelt 450 SS. About 37k new.....nice baler. Makes a big round ball of hay and puts net on it and does it all fairly quickly....has a nice coat of paint as well


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## cornshucker (Aug 22, 2011)

Any of the later model balers NH, Vermeer, MF/Hesston, Krone, or Deere will do a good job. How well they do depends more on operator ability than anything else. As for service I know that the New Holland dealer in North Wilkesboro and Statesville Ag and Turf (Massey dealer) in Statesville are both excellent dealers from a parts and service point. Both are about 2 hours from me but if I have time will make trip to them by passing a couple of dealers that are closer just because I think they have better parts inventory and seem to be more knowledgeable. As for Vermeer maybe Reneager in Harmony NC and Deere I guess you are probably stuck with James River. Don't know anything about Reneagers and as for James River I'll plead the fifth. As for me if I was looking for a used round baler I would probably look at NH BR740 or 7060 but I'm sure some of the others will do just as good. All depends on how well a particular baler is maintained. Good Luck


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Down here the worry is peanuts, if they been a using it n peanuts I would stay away......new pickup would be in the cards in about 5-7k bales.....$$


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

Tim/South said:


> I chose vermeer because of how the pick up feeds the roll and because the roll is supported by a roller while being made, not on the belts.
> I do not know when Vermeer made the upgrades, which models. The 5410 and 4520 rebel series roll a lot of hay around here. The Vermeer 4x5 balers have gathering wheels.
> I believe all brands with net wrap have a better system then when net was first introduced.
> 
> A big selling point for 4x5 is that a roll will sit between the fender well of a pick up truck. Comes in handy if you sell one roll a time to a horse person.


 I like the looks of the new Vermeer balers.....appear to be very heavily built. The biggest hang up I'm having with the Vermeer is I would have to get a 4x6 baler to get the wide pickup and I'm having a hard time seeing spending the extra money for a 4x6 baler if I'm only going to make 4x5s due to the fact the 4x6s fall over on the hillsides. The wide pickup is a must because my square baler has a 70 inch pickup and I'm making big windrows for it and need to be able to round bale the same windrows if need be.

The roll fitting into a pickup bed isn't an issue because I won't be fooling with selling one at a time. I will have a minimum amount you have to buy to make it worth me starting the tractor to load it. Started doing the same thing with squares this year......cuts out a lot of the problem horses buyers. Likely my customers for round bales will be folks with a lot of horses like boarding facilities or cattlemen if I do silage bales.


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## IH 1586 (Oct 16, 2014)

I have a JD 458 that has done a lot of silage bales and has held up well for not being a S.S. That one has over 9500 bales through it. Purchased a new JD 459 S.S. and it now has 2000 bales through it. Been a good baler and any issues were the result of not being setup properly at the dealership. If you are thinking about silage I would recommend one with a processor. We should have gotten one.


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## barnrope (Mar 22, 2010)

My perception is that the 4x6 balers are usually the more commercial, premium balers. If you want a good one you may want to spend the money on a 604SM or a 469 or whatever NH has or other brands in that class. If buying used, you may be able to find a cheaper premium baler for the money you want to spend.

As far as Im concerned, you can't go wrong with Vermeer, JD or NH. Personally, I would recommend a Vermeer 604M or newer because they are the heaviest built and have the best factory support. Nothing wrong with the other brands either. If you buy Vermeer, don't go back any farther than the M series.


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

Buy a baler that best fits your end use.

E.g., If you're baling only for yourself and feeding cattle, 5x6 means less work hauling, storing, feeding, etc.

If you're baling for re-sale, transporting bales over the road suggests a 4x5 or 4x6 to avoid permitting hassles.

If you're selling to a horse market, 4x5 because of transporting AND horse people often don't have big enough tractors to handle 5x5 or 5x6 bales.

Personally, I'd go with a baler that I could make bales 4x4 up to 4x6. 4x4 for resale, 4x6 for my own use. This year, all my bales are 5x62"---62" means I can stack 8-7-6 tiers in my tarp building completely filling the building edge-to-edge (Not an inch wasted!).

Get my drift?

Ralph


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## Grateful11 (Apr 5, 2009)

cornshucker said:


> Any of the later model balers NH, Vermeer, MF/Hesston, Krone, or Deere will do a good job. How well they do depends more on operator ability than anything else. As for service I know that the New Holland dealer in North Wilkesboro and Statesville Ag and Turf (Massey dealer) in Statesville are both excellent dealers from a parts and service point. Both are about 2 hours from me but if I have time will make trip to them by passing a couple of dealers that are closer just because I think they have better parts inventory and seem to be more knowledgeable. As for Vermeer maybe Reneager in Harmony NC and Deere I guess you are probably stuck with James River. Don't know anything about Reneagers and as for James River I'll plead the fifth. As for me if I was looking for a used round baler I would probably look at NH BR740 or 7060 but I'm sure some of the others will do just as good. All depends on how well a particular baler is maintained. Good Luck


We've been to Renegars in Harmony a couple times. They're good guys and they know and use the stuff they sell. They're not just salepeople, they're farmers too. Now if you go there don't expect to see anything fancy, they operate out of a old single wide mobile home that's so cluttered inside you have to kinda find a path through to the office area but they'll make you feel right at home. Like I said they're good old boys and they know their stuff. They like Krone mowers and Vermeer balers I will tell you that.


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## Gearclash (Nov 25, 2010)

A thing to consider about 4' wide vs 5' wide is that the 5' will take more loader to move, even if the bale weight is equal.

In dry hay, any brand of reasonably modern baler will do the job and well, if it is in good shape.

Since you mention doing wet hay, I would be leaning toward NH. They seem to have put the most effort into making a round baler capable of making balage, aside from the European brands.


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## MikeinKy (Feb 27, 2012)

Barnrope had some good insight. I have a NH because is was used and they don't sell well around here. Vermeer is king, because of the dealer. John Deere, Vermeer and New Holland are all good. I have a 4X6 and usually make my bales 66" tall. I don't like to make them as big as the baler will make them. Also as you have found 5' wide bales are hard to sell. My local Vermeer dealer advised me to not get anything older than an "M" if you want net. My NH has both net and twine, I don't use the net much because it is a problem on an older baler like mine.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

I'd just like. To mention on the Vermeer M balers there was a lot of up dates on the early ones.Some didn't get the updates done so I would be sure it has been updated.


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## timberjackrob (Feb 16, 2015)

Just bought a vemeer 504n and love it clean simple very heavy built and will abosolutly eat hay


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## clowers (Feb 11, 2011)

I can tell you a JD 568 is a great baler. I have one that I have baled 16k rolls through. I have a 604M Vermeer, it makes a good bale and it is easy to adjust bale height so as to make a 72 in. or 60 in. bale, whatever you prefer. Both are good balers

There is a 604M for sale in the neighboring town, it looks to be a low bale unit, looks clean.


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

clowers said:


> I can tell you a JD 568 is a great baler. I have one that I have baled 16k rolls through. I have a 604M Vermeer, it makes a good bale and it is easy to adjust bale height so as to make a 72 in. or 60 in. bale, whatever you prefer. Both are good balers
> There is a 604M for sale in the neighboring town, it looks to be a low bale unit, looks clean.


 Since you own both a recent model Vermeer and JD I'm going to put you on the spot and ask if you had to choose one which would you like the best?


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## clowers (Feb 11, 2011)

FarmerCline said:


> Since you own both a recent model Vermeer and JD I'm going to put you on the spot and ask if you had to choose one which would you like the best?


I am way more comfortable using and and working on the deere. I only bale about 700 bales a year a year with the vermeer. I am getting better working on the vermeer but i also have a friend who is the dealer, so I have good support. Answer: I would buy the deere first.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

The first M balers from Vermeer were kind of like the 466 balers from Deere. Needed some tweaks. Vermeer had some upgrades for the first M's then incorporated the changes into the SM model, Super M.


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## Osman1 (Nov 30, 2014)

I would recommend deere balers we have a 468 and a 467 all we ever bale is a 5 foot really think it makes baler last longer (not running full capacity) I have to believe all other brands have gotten better but I still bale for all the neighbors with the other colors setting in the shop and all are going to break deere has hex shafts on all bearings so even when the deeres do break it is a short downtime and that is by far the reason I would recommend them


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

Tim/South said:


> The first M balers from Vermeer were kind of like the 466 balers from Deere. Needed some tweaks. .


The JD 466 with Mega-wide pickup I bought new needed more than some tweaks. After feeder finger crankshaft got worn from baling in sandy soil I couldn't keep the feeder fingers on it. 466 was the worst baler I've owned bar none.


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## clowers (Feb 11, 2011)

Osman1 said:


> I would recommend deere balers we have a 468 and a 467 all we ever bale is a 5 foot really think it makes baler last longer (not running full capacity) I have to believe all other brands have gotten better but I still bale for all the neighbors with the other colors setting in the shop and all are going to break deere has hex shafts on all bearings so even when the deeres do break it is a short downtime and that is by far the reason I would recommend them


I also never run my balers to max capacity. Mine are both set to stop at 66" bale, sometimes they do make it to 68 /69 inches due to heaviness of the wind row.


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

So if I were to buy a 4x5 baler it would not be recommended to make a full 5 foot bale? I kind of hate to spend the extra money for a 4x6 baler if I'm only going to be making a 4x5.


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## clowers (Feb 11, 2011)

I can only speak on the 568, they will make all the way up to a 72" bale, its at at that point that you don't have much wiggle room on stopping for net wrap. I have had issues with the net not getting on the bale. Besides, most so called farmers here don't have a tractor big enough to move that big of a bale. I would think you could go to 60" inches and put twine on fine,net could be a problem. Just my 2cents


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## central va farmer (Feb 14, 2015)

I've sold alot of round bales by ton. You can get the most weight on tractor trailer with 66 inch tall bales and 2 high your not over height. If I were you I would go with a new holland br7070 silage special. Endless belts wide head and they will eat hay. I'm pleased with mine.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

FarmerCline said:


> So if I were to buy a 4x5 baler it would not be recommended to make a full 5 foot bale? I kind of hate to spend the extra money for a 4x6 baler if I'm only going to be making a 4x5.


It's not a problem, with the nH you can adjust the pressure of the bale and make it heavy and 58", gives you a bit of lee-way.....could be 62" could be 58" like clowers said, depends on windrows....


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## Osman1 (Nov 30, 2014)

Well I didn't say you couldn't bale a 4x5 with a 5 foot tall baler I just think its easier to run a 5' bale in a 6' tall baler, and around here a bale of hay is a bale hay no more income from a taller bale, go figure I think you would do just fine with a 4x5 baler especially if the price is right if you could look at the manufacters side by side go for the simplicity factor


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## Osman1 (Nov 30, 2014)

Well I didn't say you couldn't bale a 4x5 with a 5 foot tall baler I just think its easier to run a 5' bale in a 6' tall baler, and around here a bale of hay is a bale hay no more income from a taller bale, go figure I think you would do just fine with a 4x5 baler especially if the price is right if you could look at the manufacters side by side go for the simplicity factor


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## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

Cline, overfilling is what's hard on the baler. If you are shooting for a max size bale, and aren't perfect you can easily overfill, and therefore put more stress on the baler.

Not to say you can't do it, but if I shot for a full 60 I would overfill too often. Or bale too slow as to not overfill.


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

IMHO with the newer type monitors where one can adjust the bale diameter(height) by pushing button on monitor I think one can limit the number of oversize bales even on a baler that only makes 5 ft tall bales. If one is raking a large windrow at a given MPH then set monitor for a smaller diameter bale than desired and when bale is completed have correct diameter.


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## Gearclash (Nov 25, 2010)

Tx Jim is right. Put a little safety margin in the set bale size and don't worry about it, at least not after you have verified with a tape measure that what the monitor says is accurate. For many years I have set my 72" balers to wrap at 70" and I usually get a 72" bale. Never a problem with over filling. I could see where a 4x5 baler could be more touchy about overfilling.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

I have a 504 M Classic. I set the bale size at 60 inches and bale as fast as the ground will allow. When the bale gets to 59 inches I knock the tractor out of gear and roll to a stop. A lot of my rolls are 61".


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## Lewis Ranch (Jul 15, 2013)

Do any of yall actually measure you bales? When my baler says 60 the bales actually measure 65-66 and to make a true 6' bale I set the monitor on 66"-67".


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## JMT (Aug 10, 2013)

deadmoose said:


> Cline, overfilling is what's hard on the baler. If you are shooting for a max size bale, and aren't perfect you can easily overfill, and therefore put more stress on the baler.
> Not to say you can't do it, but if I shot for a full 60 I would overfill too often. Or bale too slow as to not overfill.


Over filling is hard on a baler. But I disagree that you have to be perfect to avoid over filling when trying to make a stated max size bale. Especially with monitors. Manufacturers have worked hard to increase baler capacity and performance and are smart enough to know operators can't stop on a dime when the bale is full. There is some built in margin before you truly overfill. At least that is my experience with John Deere balers. If other balers make it difficult to make a full size bale without over filling then there is a big positive selling point for John Deere.

Most of the time I run my JD 568 set on 72". Baling at 7mph in thick hay the monitor can read 73.5" or even 74" before I can get stopped. This is not over filling the baler because of the margin built in. I have never reached a over filled alarm or had any belts rubbing or clutch slipping yet. Could be just the calibration of my monitor, but I am 6'2" and my bales are right at 6' or sometimes a little bigger.

Point is that if you can't easily make a full capacity bale then you either need to calibrate your monitor or get a different baler. Or a new operator. Buying a bigger size baler than you need just so you can make a bale the size a smaller baler should make is a waste.


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## shortrow (Feb 21, 2012)

central va farmer said:


> I've sold alot of round bales by ton. You can get the most weight on tractor trailer with 66 inch tall bales and 2 high your not over height. If I were you I would go with a new holland br7070 silage special. Endless belts wide head and they will eat hay. I'm pleased with mine.


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

Lewis Ranch said:


> Do any of yall actually measure you bales? When my baler says 60 the bales actually measure 65-66 and to make a true 6' bale I set the monitor on 66"-67".


Yes. There should be a calibration procedure for your baler. However, a guy down the road uses the "squeal" method of calibrating, i.e., run it til the belts start squealing, then dump the bale. Hmmmmm!

Ralph


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## barnrope (Mar 22, 2010)

I make a lot of 72" bales. It doesn't seem hard on the baler to make that size bale. The overfill alarm is over 75" on my Vermeer. In the last 11,000 bales on the monitor it shows 3 overfills. I remember one. I was talking on the phone in a thick windrow and just lost track of size and didn't listen to the monitor. I did hear the belts squeal though. I measure my bales once in a while and recalibrate the monitor.


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## treymo (Dec 29, 2013)

I seem to have problems when we get over 69" mainly on netwrap feeding. Especially in uneven windrows. We try to stay around 66.5".I can work on my deeres easily and save a lot on repairs.

Trey


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## cheranscustomwork (Mar 31, 2015)

as a custom guy i run a br7060 silage speical! ive baled about 1600 bales this year (and have about 5000 total on baler) about 1000 of wet hay its an ok baler but ive had to many little issues that i cant afford to have that kind of down time! its does ok but i will deffintly br buying a new john deere baler. and maybe the new series new hollands are better but as far as the life expectancy of some parts im just not impressed! i had net wrap actuator go out at 4200 bales and buying a reman actuator at NH was 650 dollars to me 4200 bales is not that many and that thing should last for 10000 bales! another thing i dislike with it is small hay like 1ft or less in height tends to wrap around and get caught on drive roll and it just makes ya about pissed cuz every 10 bales u need to stop yank it out and if u dont it pinches the belts against that steel nipple roll and they u start breaking chains or traring belts etc! in my opion talk to some custom guys there the ones that know balers inside and out are are going to tell you upfront weather its good or not! my opion ik other custom guys that run alll deere round bales and dont complain a bit but best of luck


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

cheranscustomwork

I can't imagine how flustrating it would be to have to stop to clean out hay every 10 bales. I baled 2200 Bermuda grass bales this yr with my JD 467 and didn't clean hay out from between belts at all. IIRC my monitor has 21,256 bales on it.


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

Cheran, I don't think your issue is inherent to NH balers. You might want to start a thread on how to correct it instead of assuming you're stuck with the issue forever.


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

On my new holland 450 baler making 4x5 bale the alarm will sound at 58 inches. But the baler has capacity to go to 65 inches. Just dont ask how I know.


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## socohay (Jul 21, 2015)

Have enjoyed reading learning and all the advice on this forum since joining! Have been considering a round baler or 3 by 3 with additional ground added on as too busy and not enough time to do all small squares anymore. Closest dealer handles New Holland and Vermeer, not the best at troubleshooting yet, but I believe they'll get better. Next closest is John Deere and they have an arrogance problem at that dealership in my opinion. Have a little round baling done custom by a guy with br7070,(oops,typo) but he's frustrated with little problems here and there and the dealerships inability to fix them timely. They are making the effort, they're just not real close. I have experience with all sizes of squares but very little with rounds. Price and total dollars will play a big factor, I have a definite color I'm leaning towards, but would sure like everyone's opinion on a beginning round baler. Don't have time for rebuilds and/or downtime, but like I said the New Holland/ Vermeer dealer is trying to get better. That said I'm leaning towards a Vermeer.


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## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

Color choice seems to be highly regional. From what I gather from others on forum and observations here:south where hot and dry Deere is king. Midwest close to Pella yellow is prominant. Northeast balers are red


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## timberjackrob (Feb 16, 2015)

my neighbor owns a 458 silage special deere and he says he has to clean hay out of belts every thirty bales and that's dry hay said he took it back to deere to correct problem but still does the same thing im not bashing here just saying the deere is not the perfect baler some make it out to be another neighbor has a 459ss and said it pulls very hard and twine tie didn't work right im sure both of these cases can be fixed with the right adjustment but after talking to them I bought yellow.


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## Grateful11 (Apr 5, 2009)

Been running a JD 448 here since '09, only thing it's needed is a few minor adjustments and new belt pins. That's about it, we've handled all the adjustments ourselves. Not saying the Deere is the best just telling our experience.

Sounds like your neighbor is letting his hay get too dry. I've only seen that happen a few times but never enough to have to stop and do a clean out.


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

timberjackrob said:


> my neighbor owns a 458 silage special deere and he says he has to clean hay out of belts every thirty bales and that's dry hay said he took it back to deere to correct problem but still does the same thing im not bashing here just saying the deere is not the perfect baler some make it out to be another neighbor has a 459ss and said it pulls very hard and twine tie didn't work right im sure both of these cases can be fixed with the right adjustment but after talking to them I bought yellow.


I agree that it sounds as if your neighbor with the 458 is letting his hay get too dry or is trying to bale too small of a windrow. How many bales has this baler baled?? Your neighbor could weld extra short rods(14'') on each end of the starter roll between existing rods to help control loose hay in belts. Has he tried slowing pto rm's down? I'd suggest 450 pto rpm's. I think JD rd balers could have had better twine cutting capabilities but I bale with only netwrap. I have no experience with JD SS balers.


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## snowball (Feb 7, 2015)

cheranscustomwork said:


> as a custom guy i run a br7060 silage speical! ive baled about 1600 bales this year (and have about 5000 total on baler) about 1000 of wet hay its an ok baler but ive had to many little issues that i cant afford to have that kind of down time! its does ok but i will deffintly br buying a new john deere baler. and maybe the new series new hollands are better but as far as the life expectancy of some parts im just not impressed! i had net wrap actuator go out at 4200 bales and buying a reman actuator at NH was 650 dollars to me 4200 bales is not that many and that thing should last for 10000 bales! another thing i dislike with it is small hay like 1ft or less in height tends to wrap around and get caught on drive roll and it just makes ya about pissed cuz every 10 bales u need to stop yank it out and if u dont it pinches the belts against that steel nipple roll and they u start breaking chains or traring belts etc! in my opion talk to some custom guys there the ones that know balers inside and out are are going to tell you upfront weather its good or not! my opion ik other custom guys that run alll deere round bales and dont complain a bit but best of luck


There something wrong with your 7060 if you have that problem we custom bale almost every day and had a 7060 and now a 450 we never had a problem in short hay most of what we bale is wet hay for balage Did have a actuator go bad at about 5 or 6K bales but a 650 dollar repair after that many bales .. not a huge issue . just part of baling


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## timberjackrob (Feb 16, 2015)

not for sure about the bales but he bought the baler from another neighbor who bought it new and both just do around 4-500 a year so it would prolly have less than 5000 total I will pass the suggestions on to him.thanks txjim


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

deadmoose said:


> Cline, overfilling is what's hard on the baler. If you are shooting for a max size bale, and aren't perfect you can easily overfill, and therefore put more stress on the baler.
> 
> Not to say you can't do it, but if I shot for a full 60 I would overfill too often. Or bale too slow as to not overfill.


I recalibrate mine so when it says its a 60" bale it's actually more like 58" in lighter hay and 59"-60" in heavy.

I hammer down when baling until the first alarm goes off at 56" then shift into Under which lets it coast a bit then ready to stop at 60".


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## socohay (Jul 21, 2015)

Watched a demo of a NH 688 today. Baler squealed the whole time in 2nd cut alfalfa with a little grass in it. Bearing issue maybe or will the belts squeal? Could not really tell where it was coming from. Hay was right for baling. Bale looked like a shaggy dog when done.


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## cheranscustomwork (Mar 31, 2015)

snowball said:


> There something wrong with your 7060 if you have that problem we custom bale almost every day and had a 7060 and now a 450 we never had a problem in short hay most of what we bale is wet hay for balage Did have a actuator go bad at about 5 or 6K bales but a 650 dollar repair after that many bales .. not a huge issue . just part of baling


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## cheranscustomwork (Mar 31, 2015)

any ideas what i may be doing wrong? ive looked in book but havent had any help there really! it just seems like im alwasy getting lose hay coming inbeteeen belts and its getting caught around rool espeically the first roll right below the drive roll its always getting stuck in there and throwing hay out the side! if i can get a video or pics of the issue i will post them up


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## snowball (Feb 7, 2015)

socohay said:


> Price and total dollars will play a big factor, I have a definite color I'm leaning towards, but would sure like everyone's opinion on a beginning round baler. Don't have time for rebuilds and/or downtime, but like I said the New Holland/ Vermeer dealer is trying to get better. That said I'm leaning towards a Vermeer.


JMO but I would keep leaning that direction if I I where you


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## snowball (Feb 7, 2015)

cheranscustomwork said:


> any ideas what i may be doing wrong? ive looked in book but havent had any help there really! it just seems like im alwasy getting lose hay coming inbeteeen belts and its getting caught around rool espeically the first roll right below the drive roll its always getting stuck in there and throwing hay out the side! if i can get a video or pics of the issue i will post them up


!st thing that comes to mind is are your rolls clean and free from any dirt or dry mud build up on them ? because it thats what it sound like to me especially if your baling wet hay. next I would check your belt tracking if it tends to throw hay out just 1 side .


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## 3srcattleco (Apr 24, 2014)

We run two 469's I sure think they are as good as money can buy. The Vermeer dealer had me come run a 4x6 604 something. I think it would be my next choice after deere. I traded a br7070 for deere. I had major pickup problems. Cam bearing failure twisted teeth rods off. Actuator problems and constantly readjusting things. I was out of the tractor way to much. I really liked it until it got about 5000 bales. After the first year it couldn't stay together a full day.


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## mike10 (May 29, 2011)

Cherancustomwork, you can install an expeller roll that will remove most of the loose hay on top of the belts.

Look at the tailgate nose roll, the one next to the floor roll when the gate is closed. It has a scraper bolted on the rear of the roll. If there is also an angle, not the mounting angle but a formed piece of metal that is between the scraper plate and mounting angle, remove the formed angle. If there is just the formed angle and no separate scraper, then you will need to buy the scraper and install it instead of the formed angle.

Actuator failure is a rare bird, even at 20,000 bales. It is not that it can't happen but you may have had other problems and the actuator was blamed.


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## 3srcattleco (Apr 24, 2014)

Mike 10, I had put 3 actuators on the 7070 at 6000 bales. Had the dealer do it. My partner had a br 750 and a 7070. That year we ran 3 balers and at one time went to the NH dealer and bought 3 actuators and couldn't get a bale rolled up if we had to. Why would we have had such bad luck with them?


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## mike10 (May 29, 2011)

Problems with the actuators can be caused by different elements. First, always go to the battery for power. Charging systems that are not working properly and not supplying enough voltage will give you problems. On the 600 series balers there was an extension harness where the terminals could corrode.

Determine when the actuator stops operating. If it is when the knife is being cocked open then voltage becomes suspect. The duckbill can be modified in the area that cocks the knife so it takes less power. If the actuator fails to return from the fully inserted position, then you have a calibration issue. If not properly calibrated when the duckbill is inserted the actuator will try to insert the duckbill too far and will wedge the duckbill. The stop bolt on the duckbill will contact the frame before the actuator stops moving. The vertical link, attached to the knife and goes up behind the controller, has a bearing at the top that rolls when the knife is cocked. I have seen these bearings not roll and cause the duckbill to stall on insertion.

There are several hundred NH balers in the area and I have only put on one actuator that I can honestly say failed. Some have been replaced because the ends have pulled out. I think this was due to the duckbill wedging as stated above and the operator prying against the mechanism. I tried to explain over the phone to one customer how to free the duckbill and somehow he pulled the end out of the actuator rod while I was on the phone with him.

By the way, to free the duckbill, loosen the lower jam nut of the stop bolt until the bolt is free. Then just retract the actuator. Return the lower nut to it's original position. If the problem persists then you will need to recalibrate the actuator potentiometer.


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## luke strawwalker (Jul 31, 2014)

I dunno... those NH balers just look needlessly complicated to me... all those stupid rollers in the front to do what the belts COULD be doing (and do on a Deere baler). Open gears running in the dirt on the ends of the rollers, all those extra bearings and moving parts, and if you open the side door on one, it's more complicated than a combine as far as overlapping layers of belts, chains, and drives... looks like a maintenance/repair nightmare... and I know a guy running one, who despite them being "open throat", his boy has plugged them, and when he plugs it up, IT IS PLUGGED... like in "hours of work to unplug"....
I've read that Deere balers don't like to start a bale rolling if the belts are worn. Never having run one, I don't know firsthand. But my cousins swear by theirs and really like their Deere baler...
I've been called in to roll up hay in the fall when my neighbor's older Vermeer simply wouldn't start a core for love nor money... granted his baler is an older model, and maybe they've improved things over the years, but when I can pull straight in with my ancient Ford 552/Gehl and roll up what he fought for a day and a half trying to roll a half dozen bales because of aborted cores and ball-ups, well, that tells me SOMETHING is wrong... I know I've read that if someone's having trouble getting a core started, it's usually a yellow baler they're having problems with...

One of these days I'd like to get a newer baler-- nothing with all this electronic garbage on it... just a nice roller that will roll up a nicer, slightly tighter bale, and can still get parts for it. I have no desire or need for all the electronic garbage they put on these new ones just to make more money for the dealerships in repairs... When we DO finally get something newer, I'm leaning towards Deere...

Just my take on it... OL JR


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## socohay (Jul 21, 2015)

Will be looking and building a budget for awhile, but wondering if anyone has watched a vermeer 605n in action with the 1/4 turn on the bale drop. Why only the 605n and not the 604n. Waiting to troubleshoot any problems or see how it performs, maybe?


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

socohay said:


> Will be looking and building a budget for awhile, but wondering if anyone has watched a vermeer 605n in action with the 1/4 turn on the bale drop. Why only the 605n and not the 604n. Waiting to troubleshoot any problems or see how it performs, maybe?


The 1/4 turn has been out a few yrs so I would think any bugs have been worked out.I think this was fall of 2012.On the SM baler.


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## socohay (Jul 21, 2015)

So how well does it work and when will it be an option on the 604's? Or is it and I just can't find one. . .


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Only available on 605 not the 604.


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## socohay (Jul 21, 2015)

That's what I figured, sure hope someday they put one on the 604.


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