# Pulling a Round Baler on the road



## yamaharider28 (Sep 8, 2014)

I have been looking for a round baler for a while now. I have found one I like and it is 400 miles away from me. I do not have a trailer big enough to haul it. Can I just pull it home? It is a Vermeer 5400 baler.


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## Circle MC Farms LLC (Jul 22, 2011)

Yeah you can, you just have to take it easy. I would also recommend checking and re packing the wheel bearings as well as the lug nuts before you leave. Another thing a lot of guys do is bolt extra truck rims/tires on there so they don't wear out the baler tires.


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## Bonfire (Oct 21, 2012)

Get you a set of these.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_19177_19177


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## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

Bring everything you would need to change a tire. That way you wont get a flat.


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## Supa Dexta (May 28, 2014)

Check with a local dealer to see who they use for hauling equipment in. They may be able to get something on a truck at a reasonable rate. Worth looking into, you can haul it yourself (I'd want a 3/4ton atleast) but if they can get it on a truck for 5-800 or so, its worth it for time and fuel.


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## ARD Farm (Jul 12, 2012)

Additionally...

....besides checking the bearings and adding grease and a compatible spare tire......

Make sure the rear facing lights on the unit operate and the pigtail matches your tow vehicle. (nothing worse than a big plug (bailer) and a little receptacle (truck) or vice versa.

Drive with your 4 way hazard flashers on and preferrably your headlights as well.

Additionally, make sure the bailer has a clean and prominently displayed SMV triangle.

Finally, if there are no working rear facing lights ro display, obtain a pair of magnetic LED flashers and put on one each side of the machine, set to flash, not steady illumination.

I use them on my 575 aquare bailer when towing with the tractor between fields as the bailer has no lights. They sell them on this site in the store and ASC has them as well. Great investment.


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## Hokelund Farm (Feb 4, 2014)

I just pulled one about 150 miles home. I used my in-laws 1 ton dodge. Pulled like a dream. It was an older Case 3650 with older tires. They held up just fine going 40-45 mph.


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

For 400 miles, I'd pay someone to haul it.


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

CHECK your farm owners insurance policy for sure before doing something like this.


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## ARD Farm (Jul 12, 2012)

Bonfire said:


> Get you a set of these.
> 
> http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_19177_19177


The magnetic ones work just as well and no pigtail plus the cost is about half of those you linked.

They take 4 AA batteries and the batteries last me 2 seasons.

I keep them stuck on the side of the tractor on the front end loader frame.


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## mike10 (May 29, 2011)

When I pull equipment I want the lights hooked up to the truck. I also do not use the flashers unless the machine is extremely wide. I think it is more safe to have the lights work like the trucks so the vechicles behind know your intentions such as when turning or stepping on the brakes.

I have heard there are some states where the police will ticket you if you have an SMV sign on a piece of equipment and you are pulling it faster. Ohio comes to mind.


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## CRE10 (Sep 28, 2013)

400 miles is a long ways. I usually only go 45mph pulling my baler.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

Is it across state lines?

From my experience when I am out of state I get more hassle. I believe they think I would just pay the ticket rather than come back to fight it. Plus they know I do not know the mayor.

I usually haul or tow at night. Less traffic, less patrolmen.


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## Bonfire (Oct 21, 2012)

ARD Farm said:


> The magnetic ones work just as well and no pigtail plus the cost is about half of those you linked.
> 
> They take 4 AA batteries and the batteries last me 2 seasons.
> 
> I keep them stuck on the side of the tractor on the front end loader frame.


I would assume the rear facing lights of the machine are inoperable. I would use a set of lights I linked to every time. I would want those tail/stop lights plugged into the tow vehicle so that I could communicate my intentions to other drivers.


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## treymo (Dec 29, 2013)

I sold a LMC hay rake on online auction to a guy in southeastern Montana. His tach showed 800 miles exactly when he got to our farm. ....and he pulled that thing the whole way home at 40mph. 
Trey


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## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

treymo said:


> I sold a LMC hay rake on online auction to a guy in southeastern Montana. His tach showed 800 miles exactly when he got to our farm. ....and he pulled that thing the whole way home at 40mph.
> Trey


Heck of a road trip for a rake.


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## Cgd7777 (Aug 7, 2016)

Just pulled a vermeer 5400 home 150 miles...pulled with a half ton...put on magnetic flashing lights...55mph no problems 
It has a plug for the lights but didn't match the truck


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## woodland (May 23, 2016)

We bought a set of twinstar rakes in southern Idaho this spring and we are in central Alberta and it was 1000 miles each way. My folks went with mom's brother and sister inlaw and made a holiday out of it. They drag nice at 65 mph and not an issue all the way home. Last year we bought a tile plow in Ohio and that was 2000 miles each way. My brother and cousin went for it and the only problem was the cousin was a poor with maps and got them lost in Chicago. There is so much more selection in equipment down south than north of the 49 th parallel.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Welcome to haytalk woodland......


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## r82230 (Mar 1, 2016)

Cgd7777 said:


> Just pulled a vermeer 5400 home 150 miles...pulled with a half ton...put on magnetic flashing lights...55mph no problems
> It has a plug for the lights but didn't match the truck


Welcome, Cgd, here is what I have to correct (partially anyhow) your wiring situation. It is a pig tail, that converts your 7 in RV plug (on your truck) to 7 pin round ag/semi plug that is on farm equipment.
Larry

https://www.etrailer.com/Wiring/Hopkins/47595.html


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Read the tire warnings! On the sidewall most baler tires will say "NHS" (not for highway service). If you exceed 25 MPh, you could damage/blow out the tires. If it's just a few miles, I'd say no problem. Do it all the time myself. And it's a risk.
Also, make sure your insurance will cover you for any accidents while towing home. To your baler, truck or other people's property. 
A SMV emblem is fine, but if youre doing 40-45 with one on your equipment picky cops will write you up, since you're not slow moving.
Rent a trailer and go get it. 
There's better ways to save $$
My .02


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## gearhartfarms82 (May 10, 2015)

Check the wheel bearings and go


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## luke strawwalker (Jul 31, 2014)

I pulled a Donahue implement trailer 1200 miles home from Indiana back to Texas. Installed lights on it for the trip, but otherwise just aired the tires up, checked the bearings, and went.

The thing with implement tires is, they're usually thick tires (meaning high ply ratings) while designed to be "flotation" tires since most stuff doesn't have any other form of suspension. High ply tires work fine (as on HD trucks, obviously) BUT high-ply tires on trucks usually run at very high air pressures and are designed NOT to flex any more than necessary, basically the opposite of float tires on implements. The more the sidewalls flex, the more the tire heats up, until the sidewalls weaken and the tire blows out or separates. Truck tires are also made to get rid of heat as fast as its produced, which ag tires are not, because usually heat buildup is virtually non-existent on ag tires due to the slow operating speeds common for farm equipment. The higher the speed, the more heat builds up and the faster it builds up. Ag tires cannot dissipate the heat fast enough so it builds up til the tire lets go.

The same thing is true for airplane tires commonly used on implements like mowers nowdays. The airplane tires are VERY thick, high-ply rating tires designed to carry the enormous weight of aircraft on as few tires as possible. They're also rated at speeds up to 200 mph plus, depending on the tire, BUT, they're only designed to operate at that speed for a minute or so until the aircraft lifts off and becomes airborne, or lands and rolls to a stop. They are NOT designed for prolonged high speed operation, like being towed down the highway. In slow speed ag applications, the tire doesn't heat up enough to matter, but at prolonged highway speeds, the high-ply ratings mean they dissipate heat too slowly, so it continues to build up higher and higher til the tire lets go and blows out or separates.

You can tow implement tires all day long at 25 mph or less. If you go faster, you need to be sure you're either not traveling very far, so they don't have time to overheat, or you don't travel very long at higher speeds, without stopping or dropping to a slower speed to allow the heat to dissipate from the tires.

Later! OL J R


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## Snow Farmer (Aug 30, 2011)

I towed a round baler about 450 miles once, from where I bought it used.

Kept the speed down 45 - 50 mph. Went slower at first, but every time I stopped to check the tires and wheel bearings for heat, they were cold, so I eventually sped up to 50.

It was winter, so that helped to keep the temps down for sure.

We added a set of temporary tail/stop/turn light that I use for this purpose, and a smv sign, no problem.

Did not worry about insurance or permits in those days, but I would now.


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## E220 (Feb 10, 2016)

If it has original tires on it, they could be highway rated. Vermeer put highway rated tires on the balers for several years. Personally, i would go get it and not worry about it. In '97 Vermeer had an anniversary celebration and dealers from all over the US pulled balers on a parade through Pella, then pulled them home. Make sure you have a seven pin round adapter for your truck and a spare tire. Don't drag the hydraulic hoses.

If you don't want to make the trip though, post it on Uship.com . There are a lot of hotshot drivers looking for that type of partial load.


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