Has anyone had any experience with the Heston 4600 Baler’s. Are they good or bad. I’m only looking for something to do around 500 bales a year tops. I’ve had a look at a 4900 hesston but that’s too big for me and I prefer square bales to round ones. Anything to look out for? Cheers
Hesston 4600 baler
- Thread starter Stcarnwell
- Start date
- Location
- Ceredigion
What size bale is that
- Location
- South West
80x50.
- Location
- Ceredigion
I know it's down to cost but a 6string is better in all ways . The bales stay where you put them . 4 string are hard work from the moment they pop out
Rubbish .
- Location
- East Essexshire
Lovely simple baler if you're just doing a few bales for yourself.
Don't push it either on output or bale weight and they're fine.
Don't push it either on output or bale weight and they're fine.
I’ll have a look around see if I can find one then. I did see one for sale at not bad money a few weeks ago but as I was looking at 4900s I let it go!
Cab-over Pete
Member
- Location
- Kenilworth, Warwickshire
My Dad and brother ran two for several years. Cracking little balers they had the twin drop sledges on the back too. Really simple and well made but they had a weak spot, the pick up reel. It goes way too fast and eats bearings for fun. Not a difficult job though, my brother got so he could replace them easily.
DO NOT buy the updated New Holland BB 960 (??) version. They were quite simply shite. I worked for Dad the summer we had the first one and we would never take it far from Warwick because it was a sure fire bet at some time in the day we would be dropping it at Murleys for a repair. It really was shocking and could never do a full days work. Dick Forty at Murleys fought Dads corner and I think NH replaced it, but that was crap too.
Can’t remember which show it was but me and my brother were there looking at a new BB baler on the NH stand. The area sales nob head was doing his best to sell it to a bloke from Wales. He spotted my brother and for some strange reason said to the Welshman “Aaahhh..... Mr Smith will tell you all about this model of baler”
He did. For ages. Every little fault and detail. He didn’t buy it. ??
But the Hesston, really good little baler, we made tens of thousands.
DO NOT buy the updated New Holland BB 960 (??) version. They were quite simply shite. I worked for Dad the summer we had the first one and we would never take it far from Warwick because it was a sure fire bet at some time in the day we would be dropping it at Murleys for a repair. It really was shocking and could never do a full days work. Dick Forty at Murleys fought Dads corner and I think NH replaced it, but that was crap too.
Can’t remember which show it was but me and my brother were there looking at a new BB baler on the NH stand. The area sales nob head was doing his best to sell it to a bloke from Wales. He spotted my brother and for some strange reason said to the Welshman “Aaahhh..... Mr Smith will tell you all about this model of baler”
He did. For ages. Every little fault and detail. He didn’t buy it. ??
But the Hesston, really good little baler, we made tens of thousands.
- Location
- Ceredigion
Pardon
You heard .
- Location
- Ceredigion
I cant see any reason for buying a 4string other than for price or if you have a market for the Bales. H & S should ban them
So everyone should get a baler that best fits your lorries ?
Hows about we just get shut of the middleman .
Boohoo
Member
- Location
- Newtownabbey
Know nothing about them but I've always thought they'd make the perfect size haylage bale for someone who has 2 horses. You don't see them, D710s or BB920s for sale that often.
@Goweresque have you got a 4600?
@Goweresque have you got a 4600?
Cab-over Pete
Member
- Location
- Kenilworth, Warwickshire
Our customers loved them. I’m going back 25 years but they were busy bits of kit from silage in May, through to haylage then straw and even flax in October occasionally.
100hp drives them easily, bales were solid and the twin drop collector meant that, in effect, every time you picked up your loader you had an 80x100 block of crop in the air.
Once cut the bales spread easily and if you were lambing or a small farmer it was easy to put a couple of wads under your arm. Probably not so relevant now but good back then.
To be fair, they might struggle with big swaths these days. I would think 25 ft of straw would be a good mouthful for them.
100hp drives them easily, bales were solid and the twin drop collector meant that, in effect, every time you picked up your loader you had an 80x100 block of crop in the air.
Once cut the bales spread easily and if you were lambing or a small farmer it was easy to put a couple of wads under your arm. Probably not so relevant now but good back then.
To be fair, they might struggle with big swaths these days. I would think 25 ft of straw would be a good mouthful for them.
Cab-over Pete
Member
- Location
- Kenilworth, Warwickshire
Ah yes, that was the NH version, BB 920. The devil’s work. Avoid.
- Location
- Ceredigion
The Irish call them Coffin Bales .wonder why that is
glasshouse
Member
- Location
- lothians
4 string bales are deadly
Lots of accidents in this area with them
Goweresque
Member
- Location
- North Wilts
Yes I do still have my 4600. Its the reserve baler now, as I've bought a new one that makes the same size bale, a Supertino SR508. Very pleased with the new one, far faster than the old 4600, probably up to 50% quicker. Horse customers like the bale size, as they can get the sections in a standard hay net, which they can't with a 80x70 bale. So its a win/win - they get cheaper hay than small bales and I get to sell big bale hay at something approaching small bale prices. I've managed to move a lot of customers over to the 80x50 bales and make far more area of them than small bales now.
Goweresque
Member
- Location
- North Wilts
The 4600 is actually 47x80, as since I've moved to an actual 50x80 baler I've noticed the difference, stacked side by side you soon see the discrepancy in the heights.
glasshouse
Member
- Location
- lothians
What price was the new one?