# New Holland 320 baler



## raptor660jarhead (Jul 19, 2010)

Hey again, I am very new at baling and have a ton of questions. I am currently looking at a new holland 320 baler. I have found it for sale for 3 grand and from what I can find is way less than I can find anywhere. I am running a Ford 801 powermaster thats been repowered with a 4 cyl gas flathead. Which from what my father in law told me it dynoed at 50 hp at the pto. I guess my question is what do I look for and is that enough tractor til I get a bigger one? I plan on not pulling any wagons behind it and I already heard the fords are geared really high. The ol' 801 has smaller than stock tires on it to drop about 3 mph at top end. I am planning on baling mostly grass hay to start. I guess what I am asking is this too much baler for the tractor and what do I look out for on a 320 nh. I heard they are fast and very reliable if taken care of. Any feedback would be great. Is first gear on that old ford slow enough for that baler or do I look for a smaller slower baler. I plan on getting a newer used tractor in about two years. 
Thanks yah,
Paul
Lansing, Michigan


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

This is from the Government of Alberta, Canada;

Summary of New Holland 320 Baler (Evaluation Report - PDF File - 0.33 MB )

Overall Performance: Overall functional performance of the New Holland 320 baler was very good.

Capacity: Average feedrates varied from 4 to 14 t/h (4.4 to 15.4 ton/h). Field speeds were usually limited to 10 km/h (6.2 mph) due to bouncing on rough ground and reduced pickup performance at higher speeds. Maximum instantaneous feedrates in excess of 20 t/h (22 ton/h) were measured in heavy uniform alfalfa windrows. Feeding was aggressive in all crops.

Bale Quality: The New Holland 320 was capable of producing firm, wellformed bales. Length of the 356 x 457 mm (14 x 18 in) bales could be adjusted from 305 to 1320 mm (12 to 52 in). Bale length variation, at the 1000 mm (39 in) length setting was about 115 mm (4.5 in). For a certain length setting, longer bales were usually produced at higher feedrates. Average hay bales weighed from 26 to 35 kg (62 to 77 lb), while average straw bales weighed from 18 to 26 kg (40 to 57 lb). Bale density varied from 210 kg/m³ (13.1 lb/f³) in heavy alfalfa to 106 kg/m³ (6.6 lb/ft³) in light straw.

The New Holland 320 was easy to operate. Most adjustments were convenient. Adjusting the feed tines and changing the pickup speed were both inconvenient. Knotter performance was satisfactory with most twines if the knotters were adjusted to the manufacturer's specifications. With some brands of synthetic twines the twine fingers had to be advanced slightly from the manufacturer's recommended setting. The optional synthetic twine billhooks had to be used when using synthetic twines.

Power Requirements: Average power requirements were usually less than 30 kW (40 hp) but a 45 kW (60 hp) tractor was needed to overcome power take-off power fluctuations, and to provide sufficient power on hilly and soft fields.

Leaf Loss: Leaf loss was usually less than 4%, similar to that of other conventional square balers.

Operator Safety: The New Holland 320 was safe to operate if the manufacturer's safety recommendations were closely followed and normal safety precautions were observed.

Mechanical Problems: Several mechanical problems occurred during the test. The feed tines broke when rebaling broken bales. The optional hydraulic bale density control ram and linkages failed. One bale chute chain broke, the chain support brackets failed and the welds on the bale chute frame cracked.


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## sedurbin (May 30, 2009)

Your tractor will handle the 320, you may have to feather the clutch in heaver windrows. The smaller tires will help some but the older Fords were just geared high. A faster baler, like the 320 is a better fit to that tractor than a lower capacity baler that would cause you to need to go even slower with your ground speed. Good luck.


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## raptor660jarhead (Jul 19, 2010)

Thanks guys for all your help. I would be completely blind without a resource like this. I brought the NH 320 Baler home friday night and parked it in the barn. Still need to grease it completely and powerwash it. But, other than that its sweet. Now its time to look for a haybine or just use the ol' 7 ft sickle bar.


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## NEHerdsman (Sep 23, 2009)

raptor660jarhead said:


> Thanks guys for all your help. I would be completely blind without a resource like this. I brought the NH 320 Baler home friday night and parked it in the barn. Still need to grease it completely and powerwash it. But, other than that its sweet. Now its time to look for a haybine or just use the ol' 7 ft sickle bar.


I generally avoid power washing balers - too many places for hay chafe to hide, and wet hay chafe = rust, a balers worst enemy. A better choice is to use compressed air...


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## raptor660jarhead (Jul 19, 2010)

I have used compressed air and even with a water seperater it still seems to have water in the line. I used a blower we used to use for drying off lambs and steers when we used to show. But, I bought it off a dairy farmer and it has a few spots of slurry splashed up on it. I know water is bad for it but manure eats alot of stuff to.


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