# Need help picking a round baler!



## J123 (Jun 29, 2010)

Hi guys, I'm new to the site and was hoping someone on here could help me with trying to pick out a 5x6 round baler.

Here is a little bit about what I need. I've been buying about 50% of my hay and having a custom cutter do the other half. I have a cow calf program and feed around 500 bales a year depending on the year. This past winter we fed way more hay. The problem is the guy that custom cuts for me never gets to my hay until August because he is always busy with all his other customers. My brome and grass hay has little protein left in it by the time he cuts it so the cows go through more. I looked at how much I have been paying him and buying hay and I think it would be better if I do my own hay so I can get it done on time and know what I'm baling.

I was able to buy a swather a month ago at a great price, but the baler has been crazy to find. I can find either ones with 20,000+ bales ran through it for around $10,000 - $20,000 or I have to look at the $20,000+ balers with less bales. I would like it to be a net baler so that really cuts down on finding one for a nice price. My question is first off what kind of baler should I look at? I've been looking at anything from the old JD 535 net balers, to the JD 566, JD 567, or even the New Holland line with like the BR780. I've found the NH balers are a little bit cheaper for the amount of bales ran through them, but I've heard that a JD will out last them.

My other question is, should I buy a cheaper older model baler in the $7-$12,000 range and then worry about spending more money on parts and stuff (and I don't want a lot of breakdowns) or should I spend a little more for a newer baler with more bales ran through it?

I found a JD 567 for only $10,000, but it has had 24,000 bales as it was owned by a custom cutter. Would that baler hold up for me if I only put up about 500 bales a year with it? How many bales will a baler do before it falls apart? Or I could go with a mid 90's 535 for about $9,500, but they don't know how many bales went through it. The 567 looks like a better deal to me, but I don't want the expense of having to put parts on it all the time.

Sorry about this being so long! I'm getting stressed as I now have a swather and hay past being ready to cut, but can't find the right baler. Any help would be appreciated!


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## NDVA HAYMAN (Nov 24, 2009)

They are a bunch of tough questions. It's like Ford, Chevy or Dodge. Everyone has an opinion. I myself prefer NH. I like to be able to see the net wrap when it is wrapping. With Vermeer and JD you cannot tell. I run a NH 7090 and it has been flawless. I recently looked at a JD 567 with net for 14,000. It had been run thru the shop and had some work done. It had 5000 bales. That kind of told me something about those balers. I might be wrong but It should not have needed as much work on it as was done. I run all NH hay equipment and jd tractors. I am sure you will get all kinds of opinions. Mike


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## Va_plowboy (Jan 12, 2010)

I don't see any problems with the NH balers. Boss man runs a....if I'm remembering right, 5070??? maybe. Can't remember the number but they just got it this year. traded in their old one they had for 15k on the new one. Don't know why they got a new one as the old one baled perfectly.

He said it had baled around45-50 thousand bales. It's a 5x6 net. I usually feed for them all winter and the are good, tight, quality bales. I run a New Idea 4x5 and have had it for around 20years. It's prolly rolled around 20-25 thousand rolls. I have never did any work to it besides reg maintenence. They can be had for alot cheaper. New Idea, Hesston are really the same thing. AGCO make both of them. I would recommend one for anybody. It really makes a good tight roll. I bale around 1000 per year with it and it's held up well. Just keep it shedded and clean/lubed.

I agree that JD makes a great baler too, but for the money you can do better elsewhere IMO.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Used balers are only as good as the people who operated them. I own JD round balers and they will last for years and years if operated properly and maintained. There is not alot to go wrong with them and part maintenance is usually very minimal. Also, they make a real nice bale. I would try to find a baler from a individual that baled for himself and did not do alot of custom baling.There are several good brands of round balers and JD is one of the best IMO. Regards, Mike


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## J123 (Jun 29, 2010)

NDVA HAYMAN said:


> They are a bunch of tough questions. It's like Ford, Chevy or Dodge. Everyone has an opinion. I myself prefer NH. I like to be able to see the net wrap when it is wrapping. With Vermeer and JD you cannot tell. I run a NH 7090 and it has been flawless. I recently looked at a JD 567 with net for 14,000. It had been run thru the shop and had some work done. It had 5000 bales. That kind of told me something about those balers. I might be wrong but It should not have needed as much work on it as was done. I run all NH hay equipment and jd tractors. I am sure you will get all kinds of opinions. Mike


Wow. $14,000 for a 567 with only 5,000 bales seems like a great deal. All the balers I've found with 5,000 are in the mid $20's on price. One dealer told me a baler with 10,000 bales is like a car with 100,000 miles. That's a great point on the NH balers with seeing the net being put on.


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## J123 (Jun 29, 2010)

Va_plowboy said:


> I don't see any problems with the NH balers. Boos man runs a....if I'm remembering right, 5070??? maybe. Can't remember the number but they just got it this year. traded in their old one they had for 15k on the new one. Don't know why they got a new one as the old one baled perfectly.
> 
> He said it had baled around45-50 thousand bales. It's a 5x6 net. I usually feed for them all winter and the are good, tight, quality bales. I run a New Idea 4x5 and have had it for around 20years. It's prolly rolled around 20-25 thousand rolls. I have never did any work to it besides reg maintenence. They can be had for alot cheaper. New Idea, Hesston are really the same thing. AGCO make both of them. I would recommend one for anybody. It really makes a good tight roll. I bale around 1000 per year with it and it's held up well. Just keep it shedded and clean/lubed.
> 
> I agree that JD makes a great baler too, but for the money you can do better elsewhere IMO.


wow I had no idea I baler could bale 45-50,000 bales. That's great to know. I've looked at a lot of brands of balers. I would settle for any brand if it was a baler in great shape and will last me. I'm trying to find balers for sale by owners instead of a dealership as I think I could save money, but so far haven't found anyone wanting to sell around here.


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## J123 (Jun 29, 2010)

VOL said:


> Used balers are only as good as the people who operated them. I own JD round balers and they will last for years and years if operated properly and maintained. There is not alot to go wrong with them and part maintenance is usually very minimal. Also, they make a real nice bale. I would try to find a baler from a individual that baled for himself and did not do alot of custom baling.There are several good brands of round balers and JD is one of the best IMO. Regards, Mike


Thanks. Yeah, I was thinking it would be better with a baler that was just used on one farm instead of one that went all over baling stuff. I found a 566 baler with 15k bales for $12,500, but that sounds a bit high still. It was a one owner baler and the owner was nice and said what all needed to be done with it. I was really interested in the baler until I heard that they used it for feed. Doesn't feed wear out a baler fast?


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## rob_cook2001 (Apr 30, 2010)

There are a lot of guys here that know more about round balers than me. But I will give my opinion. I Mainly do custom small squares but 3 years ago I decided to buy a round baler for when I was in a hurry or had bad hay. Looked around for 6 months and found a 688NH that will do twine or net, it had just under 3500 bales through it, very clean. Paid $13,500. I have put 1750-2000 bales through it with hardly any issues. I would not think twice about buying a 688, great machine. 
Robert


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## rob_cook2001 (Apr 30, 2010)

Doesn't feed wear out a baler fast? What do you mean by FEED?
Robert


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## J123 (Jun 29, 2010)

rob_cook2001 said:


> There are a lot of guys here that know more about round balers than me. But I will give my opinion. I Mainly do custom small squares but 3 years ago I decided to buy a round baler for when I was in a hurry or had bad hay. Looked around for 6 months and found a 688NH that will do twine or net, it had just under 3500 bales through it, very clean. Paid $13,500. I have put 1750-2000 bales through it with hardly any issues. I would not think twice about buying a 688, great machine.
> Robert


thanks. I saw a few 688 balers, but didn't know how good they were. I'll see if I can't find one for a good price with a low bale count.


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## J123 (Jun 29, 2010)

rob_cook2001 said:


> Doesn't feed wear out a baler fast? What do you mean by FEED?
> Robert


Feed like cane, sudan grass, hay grazer... stuff like that.


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## rob_cook2001 (Apr 30, 2010)

Don't know much about cane, or hay grazer. I have baled some sudan grass and i don't think it's any harder on the machine than grass or alfalfa.
Robert


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

Around this area, most people tend to run NH. I have a BR780A, bought new with all the options except balage for about $25,000. I've put 2300 bales through so far.

My baling buddy just bought a 688 with 8900 bales on it for about $8500. He's baled 600 bales, but did have to replace the clutch bearing.

The biggest factor is the dealership. Anytime I've had a question or problem, my dealer was right there!

The dealer my buddy bought from said the unit was field ready--it wasn't! There was a problem with the net knives and the kid they sent to repair didn't know a baler from a cow, so he ended up getting another dealer's mechanic to adjust it.

When buying used, my thought is to first check the paint, tin and grease around the bearings. Good paint, good tin, grease, tell you that the previous owner probably took good care of the unit. Poor paint usually means the unit sat outside at least part of the year in the weather. Poor tin often means the previous owner was careless in handling the equipment. Grease around the bearings usually means that the unit was well maintained.

If these check out, then the unit is worth a closer look.

I also use web sites like tractorhouse.com, fastline.com, etc. get get a feel for what the going price is for a unit. I've been eyeballing a NH TS110 with 2600 hours at another dealership. He wants $42,400, and the going rate for similar models is about $37-38,000. He won't budge on price and the unit has been sitting there for 6 months.

Ralph


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## NDVA HAYMAN (Nov 24, 2009)

A lot of guys are trading in their NH 688 balers for the 7090 models. 688 are really good balers that will last a long time and do a lot of bales. Nothing wrong with them. 2 friends of mine just traded in 2 of them for NH balers. I'm sure they did over 50,000 bales a piece since they are strictly producers and sell all of their hay. Mike


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## Production Acres (Jul 29, 2008)

4x5 or 4x6 bales and you can see down the road behind you in your mirrors

Like NH balers


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## tommystunes (May 26, 2010)

I've been lurking about 30 days,and never had much to add to the conversation. I own a small cow-calf operation, and bale my own hay.I use a 30 yr. old NH haybine ,and a 10 yr. old NH 640 baler.I bale about 500 bales a year,similar to the original poster.To my thinking, any good used baler ,if you are sufficiently mechanically inclined, will be suitable.You aren't trying to please anyone but yourself.If you buy one and you aren't satisfied with something about it,sell it and buy another.You will be so much more satisfied with your hay quality that it won't matter much.


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## Hayking (Jan 17, 2010)

New Holland makes a good bale of hay but they have th lightest pick up. We bought a case rbx 563 (same as a new holland BR 780) and a john deere 568 the same time, the cases pick up looked like it had had twice as much hay ran through it as the john deere. we traded them this year for two new 568's. its hard t beat a green haybaler when it cmes down to how long a baler will last. i would say 10000 bales is about the limut before you reall need to start replasing sprockets and as far as belts they sholud still be ok.


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## Byron Seeds (Jul 30, 2008)

I bought a 566 two years ago for $12000. It had 30000+ bales through it. Keep in mind that if these balers are only a few years old and have that many bales through them someone IS keeping up on maint. If you roll 5000+ bales a year you can't be broken down. The chains and sprockets were good on mine and the belts were in pretty good shape ($350 each). The only thing Ihad to replace was the pickup bearings and a couple of bearings on rollers.

Net wrap is another issue. NH has a better net wrap system. JD you must have baby powder around to keep it working correctly. I would look at dealer location and parts availability. I am sitting on top of a NH and JD warehouse so I can get parts pretty quick for either. I wouldn't be scared of a twine machine with 30000+ bales, I don't know how the net wrap part would hold up after that many bales.


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## J123 (Jun 29, 2010)

poor farm said:


> I bought a 566 two years ago for $12000. It had 30000+ bales through it. Keep in mind that if these balers are only a few years old and have that many bales through them someone IS keeping up on maint. If you roll 5000+ bales a year you can't be broken down. The chains and sprockets were good on mine and the belts were in pretty good shape ($350 each). The only thing Ihad to replace was the pickup bearings and a couple of bearings on rollers.
> 
> Net wrap is another issue. NH has a better net wrap system. JD you must have baby powder around to keep it working correctly. I would look at dealer location and parts availability. I am sitting on top of a NH and JD warehouse so I can get parts pretty quick for either. I wouldn't be scared of a twine machine with 30000+ bales, I don't know how the net wrap part would hold up after that many bales.


Was your 566 a twine only or net as well? The previous owner of the 567 I was talking about said he had to keep the baler in working condition all the time since he did custom work. He did a lot of work to the baler a few months before he traded it in.

Now would you buy a 566 (net) with 15,000 bales or a 5 year newer 567 (cover edge net) with 24,000 bales for $2,500 less? I'm really having a hard time between these balers. I like the 567 better because it's newer and the cover edge, but the 566 has 9,000 less bales.


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## NE Texas (Jul 1, 2010)

I assume that when you say feed you are talking about hi moisture, wet hay for feed right away or for silage. If so, then yes, this tends to be rougher on the baler because the bales are much, much heavier, so a lot more ware on the bearings, belts, etc. I agree with the above that comparing balers is like comparing ford, chevy and dodge. It basically comes down to personal preference, having a good dealer close, and just finding a machine that fits what you are looking for. I totally agree that you should buy from an individual, and not from a custom baler. You may want to check with your local dealerships and see if they rent balers. Some do, and this could be a good option as well. If not long term, it could buy you some time until you come up on what you are looking for. Best of luck!


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## rob_cook2001 (Apr 30, 2010)

I would much rather have a older machine with less bales through it. Bales wear on machines, not time.
Robert


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## J123 (Jun 29, 2010)

NE Texas said:


> I assume that when you say feed you are talking about hi moisture, wet hay for feed right away or for silage. If so, then yes, this tends to be rougher on the baler because the bales are much, much heavier, so a lot more ware on the bearings, belts, etc. I agree with the above that comparing balers is like comparing ford, chevy and dodge. It basically comes down to personal preference, having a good dealer close, and just finding a machine that fits what you are looking for. I totally agree that you should buy from an individual, and not from a custom baler. You may want to check with your local dealerships and see if they rent balers. Some do, and this could be a good option as well. If not long term, it could buy you some time until you come up on what you are looking for. Best of luck!


hey thanks for the advice. I'm going to look at a couple balers today that have had a lot less bales like under 7,000.

Can anyone tell me what I should look for to see if it is a sound baler or not??? these are JD balers.

P.s. I have already checked on renting a baler and would rather do that, but they won't rent me any net balers and want $5 a bale for twine and I would have to drive an hour to pick it up as none of the dealerships close by will rent.


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## Va_plowboy (Jan 12, 2010)

I would check for damage around the pick-up and definetly check the roller bearings. Slack the belts and try to shake the roller. Should'nt be any slack in the rollers. Bearings will fail regularly. Look for new looking paint also. Faded paint means it's most likely been stored outside. Storing a baler outside is a sin.


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## CImpson (May 9, 2010)

Yea to me its just a brand opinion both have goods and bads about them. I am a Custom Hay baler and will put over 10,000 Bales a year on a baler and im currently running a 2000 466 john deere net wrap baler and i paid 13,500 for it with 3,800 bales and it come from a farmer that baled maybe 300-400 bales a year but when buying a baler your really gonna wanna get a baler that has 7,000 bales or less because getting beyond 7,000 bales on a new machine means somebody has baled like crazy with it and its almost wore out and you'll have to go to replacing parts and if its john deere you dont want to have to replace very many parts or you'll be broke because there parts are almost triple the price of new holland and in my mine i like the new holland balers better and you can run coveredge wrap on a new holland Br baler one of my buddies runs johnedeere coveredge through his New Holland BR7040. I would go with new holland because john deeres parts crap is ridiculous i had to replace the slipclutch housing on mine this week it cost me 360 dollars for a 20 dollar piece of cast iron when new holland just use a simple shear bolt about 20 cents if it shears


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