# New Holland 66 Bailer



## MyDaughtersPony (Jun 12, 2016)

I just bought a New Holland 66 square bailer and put up 40 bails this afternoon. Everything went great and only had a few minor issues with it clogging up. The bails were nice and tight and I was very happy. I am posting to see if anyone has any experience with them and I am looking to know how I should maintain this thing. I noticed that it has a lot of grease hookups so I'm assuming regular greasing would be good.

I will also mention that this bailer has been modified to run on it's own self powered motor. The only thing the tractor does is pull the unit. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!


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## bool (Mar 14, 2016)

It's more than 50 years old but if you only want to make 40 bales in an afternoon it is all you need. If I recall the plunger runs on wooden sliders like the IH B45 I had once. Oil the ways the sliders run on. Keep the slider clearance adjusted up so the plunger knife clearance is nice and tight, say somewhere between 10 and 30 thou. And keep the plunger knife sharp. That will contribute a lot to well shaped bales and a happy baler engine. And keep the twine knife sharp too, which will contribute a lot to fewer knotter problems.

Yes, use plenty of grease. Use sisal twine and the knotters will thank you.

Roger


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## rankrank1 (Mar 30, 2009)

New Holland model 66 hit the market in 1952 I believe and it was the first small "automatic: baler. New Holland also had the bigger 77 that was also automatic but that thing is a monster and albatross looking thing in size. Many balers of that era were not automatic until the 77 and 66 came along. Often times it took as many as 3 people to ride the baler alone (one to stick the wires, one to tie the wires, and one to do something else, plus the tractor driver, plus the 1 or 2 wagon stackers if used). Labor intensive and the the poor soles riding the baler were breathing all the dust to boot. Needless to say farmers loved the little 66 as it reduced labor costs by a bunch.

Many balers of that era were powered by Wisconsin engines so I doubt your baler has been modified other than if the original Wisconsin engine wore out a different brand may be on there now. The majority of tractors of the early 1950's lacked live PTO, lacked hp, and most lacked many gear speed selections. Having an enigine to power the baler allows even the most limited of tractor of that era to easily pull it. Optimum travel speed can be obtained on the tractor by using the throttle to slow down even if only a few gears are available without having to worry about sacrificing PTO hp and PTO speed like if the tractor PTO was powering the baler. Engine provides LIve power to baler at all times too so one can clutch the tractor to let the baler catch up in heavey windrow without stopping power to the PTO shaft like a non-live PTO tractor would do..Only downside is it is one more engine to maintain and keep running (and those old Wisconsins were a buggar to start when hot. Many a farmer simply left them run during lunch break instead of fighting the hot restart hassles).

A 66 is the forefather to the modern balers imop. Knotter design has not changed much even compared to decades newer balers. That said it has wood on the plunger glides and uses a wood wadboard to stuff the hay. One of the few New Hollands to use an auger on the feed as well. It is low capacity by todays standards but can easily handle more bales than the 40 you made with it just plan on a modest windrow and a slow travel speed. Neat old machines that are fun to piddle with on a few acres, but there are better choices if the plan is to cover an immense amount of acres..

Best advice I can offer is buy the New Holland manual for it. Maintenance, care, chain timing, knotter timing and adjustments, and most importantly trouble shooting advice are all in there.

.


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## MyDaughtersPony (Jun 12, 2016)

Thank you for all that!


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## rankrank1 (Mar 30, 2009)

You are welcome. I bale with a 1960 New Holland 65 compact baler as my front line machine. (It makes a 12"x16"x whatever length bale I set). I also have a back-up machine which I hope to never need and it is a 1959'ish New Holland Super 68. (It makes a 14"x18"x whatever length bale I set. This is same size as your 66 and the 68 has some wood in too but less than a 66).

I am just a piddle patch hobbyist. Been doing this masochistic hay hobby for 8 years or so now. Sometimes I love it. Sometimes I hate it. Other than my cutter (1988 Hesston 1120). Everything else I use is antique old. 1946 Farmall M, 1951 Farmall h, and 1950 John Deere A are the main haying tractors anymore. Rakes I use are JD 594's and one is from roughly 1937 and the other 1948.

Everyone thinks haying is as easy as sitting on the tractor and watching the bales spit out the back of the baler like money. Well it is not like that at all. 3 to 4 day commitment everytime you do it. If you work a real job every other free hour you have will be dedicated to getting that hay in barn By the time you cut, ted twice, rake once, and bale, pick up the bales, tinker and repair the antiques there is some time dedication involved.

Yes there are things that can be bought to help with the handling but they pricey then you gotta really cover some acres to make them pay for themselves so not practical for my size operation. Oh Well, I have not made the first dollar yet, but have not lost any money either. Satisfaction is always putting up a crop that smells really good and properly dried/cured so as to not mold inside the bale or worse yet burn a barn down. I enjoy the physical workout too which is ironic as I am a 1 person operation and handle loading and unloading all bales by hand. .

Have fun on your new hay baling adventures....yours are just beginning....


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## MyDaughtersPony (Jun 12, 2016)

I'm using some old family tractors as well. I don't know exact years but both are Farmall's one is a 200 and the other is a BN. I have about 8 acres of family property that we seeded with a pasture mix last year. I don't have a mower or a rake so I had to have that hired out this year. I tinkered around with this NH 66 with a small side field and put up 40 bails. I had the rest round bailed by a neighbor and got about 28 very large bails.

I have a post about hay quality because I've always wondered about the nutrition each field yields. I mean every field is different which would produce a different quality hay. I'm not an expert on grasses or anything so I'm not exactly sure what I have in my fields. So far it's been fun but I haven't ran into any issues yet.... but I know they are just around the corner


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## Coondle (Aug 28, 2013)

Nice to see you using a NH 66. As rankrank says, it is a low capacity baler so be content with slow speed. The 66 and Super 66 were nice little balers and far superior to their contemporary machines, produced nice bales and were reliable.

Enjoy using a piece of historic machinery.


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## r82230 (Mar 1, 2016)

MyDaughtersPony said:


> I have a post about hay quality because I've always wondered about the nutrition each field yields. I mean every field is different which would produce a different quality hay. I'm not an expert on grasses or anything so I'm not exactly sure what I have in my fields. So far it's been fun but I haven't ran into any issues yet.... but I know they are just around the corner


When it comes to quality, I find it hard to always tell by when I cut, bale and it looks. I find that a sample is the best way to define quality, however with a small amount the cost may not work for you. In my area each test costs $18-20. Being you have already harvested you 1st cutting, here in Michigan, your quality should be towards the higher side on YOUR crop (verses those here that wait until July or later to cut).

The people in my area that cut later, kill two birds with one stone, because the OG is dead ripe, the horses eat (what is called hay) spread the seeds, replenishing their pastures with OG seeds.

I think I seen a posting of your hay on another thread and the OG looks like it is not yet dead ripe (seeds falling off the seed heads).

Larry


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## MyDaughtersPony (Jun 12, 2016)

I feel like I've harvested 1st cutting later than a lot of other farmers in my area. Some of the fields will be ready 2nd cutting in 2-3 weeks. My fields wont be ready for second cutting for a while longer after that. Either case a lot of the grass had seed heads but they were not dead ripe.


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## rankrank1 (Mar 30, 2009)

Can not really help you on your crop questions but I would say you got your tractors easily covered for 8 acres.

The Farmall 200 is the evolution of the Farmall C and Farmall Super C line with a bit more horsepower and other goodies. and dates to the mid 1950's. The BN is older and likely late 1940's. While I have never ran one personally, I have also never heard a single person say anything bad about the C, Super C, 200 line either (other than do not put a loader on them). Known for being handy, ultra nimble, economical on gas, and can even often times embarrass a bigger Farmall h from a HP perspective with their spunk.

BN's are good too. Essentially the same engine but slightly detuned for a little less hp in a smaller package.

Either tractor will do the jobs you need (especially with the engine on your baler). The 200 will likely ride better over rougher fields though as compared to the BN simply due to the bigger tires. I learned quick my big tired tractors ride better over rough fields compared to my smaller tired tractors. This was not really a huge deal when I was a little younger but as I have aged it is more noticeable and a better ride is appreciated.


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## thendrix (May 14, 2015)

MyDaughtersPony said:


> I feel like I've harvested 1st cutting later than a lot of other farmers in my area. Some of the fields will be ready 2nd cutting in 2-3 weeks. My fields wont be ready for second cutting for a while longer after that. Either case a lot of the grass had seed heads but they were not dead ripe.


While you can learn lots from experienced farmers, take their suggestions as suggestions. They may not be after the same result as you or may have reasons for doing things a little different. But, by all means, if you have one ready to help, let them.


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## MyDaughtersPony (Jun 12, 2016)

I know this is not the proper forum but wanted to posted a.couple pictures of the tractors I mentioned in a previous post on this thread.


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## rankrank1 (Mar 30, 2009)

Most any forum loves it when pics are posted. Thanks for posting your pics. Someone put some time and effort into making that BN look good. That said the 200 looks quite handy to me and would likely be my pick. I see someone has already hung a delco 12 volt alternator on it for improved reliability.


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## MyDaughtersPony (Jun 12, 2016)

You would be correct  I use the 200 all the time as a utility tractor. The bn is fun but my father in law uses it more as a parade tractor nowadays.


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