John Deere small baler

Jsmith2211

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Somerset
Hello all.

I currently make around 200 4ft round bales of hay, but i'm looking to do some of this in smalls instead, as well as baling some for other people. Therefore i am in the market for a small baler. I like the look of the deeres because of the auger feed and the gear driven knotters, so no chain to go out of time and smash the needles off (which happened on our old 124). I've found two that are in my budget, both being a 456a. Does anybody here have advice on this? Is the 456a a good baler, and what should i look for when i go and view one of these balers? I will link them both underneath. Both would have to be transported home on a lorry as are over 100 miles away from me (or a long day's drive to get them i suppose).

Thanks in advance

 

Pringles

Member
Location
West Fife
If you have used a 124 then a JD456 will eat it for breakfast. It has a wider pickup than the Massey 124 but not as wide as a 128.

But just like any baler it has to be set up and timed to perfection to get the best out of it, a well set up Massey 124 will eat a badly set up JD 456 for breakfast!! :)

I would be looking at the cheaper of the 2 balers that you have listed as it looks to be in better order cosmetically although the intake area does look fairly rusty so I would suspect that it has not done much work for a good while.

Try to get them hitched on to a tractor to run them up to baling RPM If possible, obviously they they wont run as sweet empty as they will with crop going through but it will give you an idea of how they have been maintained.
 

Jsmith2211

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Somerset
If you have used a 124 then a JD456 will eat it for breakfast. It has a wider pickup than the Massey 124 but not as wide as a 128.

But just like any baler it has to be set up and timed to perfection to get the best out of it, a well set up Massey 124 will eat a badly set up JD 456 for breakfast!! :)

I would be looking at the cheaper of the 2 balers that you have listed as it looks to be in better order cosmetically although the intake area does look fairly rusty so I would suspect that it has not done much work for a good while.

Try to get them hitched on to a tractor to run them up to baling RPM If possible, obviously they they wont run as sweet empty as they will with crop going through but it will give you an idea of how they have been maintained.
Alright. I'm leaning towards the cheaper one, obviously its cheaper for one thing, but its also a good 50 miles closer than the other one. Our 124 was never brilliant but it had been on the farm since new and had done a lot of work. I just remember the damned thing breaking down every 5 minutes, which is why it isnt here any more... The main problem it had was with the knotters, both the knotters themselves and the timing going out, which is one reason im after the gear drive of the deeres. Ive never bought a small baler before, so is there anything i need to look out for when i go and view it?
 

Dave W

Member
Location
chesterfield
Alright. I'm leaning towards the cheaper one, obviously its cheaper for one thing, but its also a good 50 miles closer than the other one. Our 124 was never brilliant but it had been on the farm since new and had done a lot of work. I just remember the damned thing breaking down every 5 minutes, which is why it isnt here any more... The main problem it had was with the knotters, both the knotters themselves and the timing going out, which is one reason im after the gear drive of the deeres. Ive never bought a small baler before, so is there anything i need to look out for when i go and view it?
They are both dealers selling them. But I'd go for the one in Somerset😉
Huge export trade on 124's. Shouldn't cost you a lot if anything to swap
 

Jsmith2211

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Somerset
They are both dealers selling them. But I'd go for the one in Somerset😉
Huge export trade on 124's. Shouldn't cost you a lot if anything to swap
Think the closest one is in Newquay (not Somerset) but it’s closer to me than Loughborough… our 124 went years ago for not very much. Anything I should be looking out for when I go to view it?
 

solo

Member
Location
worcestershire
Check the flywheel is tight and the shear pin isn’t loose. You will soon see if the plunger ram stop has seen much use just behind the fly wheel. The knives on the plunger and the fixed knife can be shimmed if needed to get a clean cut, rather than bales coming out attached like sausages. The knotter bill hooks should be easy enough to see wear if the area is clean. Garden blower would be quick and easy to clean down. Other than that the usual pto, guards and general maintenance.
 

Jsmith2211

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Somerset
Check the flywheel is tight and the shear pin isn’t loose. You will soon see if the plunger ram stop has seen much use just behind the fly wheel. The knives on the plunger and the fixed knife can be shimmed if needed to get a clean cut, rather than bales coming out attached like sausages. The knotter bill hooks should be easy enough to see wear if the area is clean. Garden blower would be quick and easy to clean down. Other than that the usual pto, guards and general maintenance.
Am i right in saying most things on one of these balers can be replaced relatively easily if it turns out to be worn in a certain place? Knotters obviously are the most important thing to be good as they are expensive to fix, but the rest of it looks like it wouldnt be too dificult to replace anything that was broken. The deeres look to have a lot less to go wrong than a 124.
 
Personal, I would not buy either of these balers.
The pickup on the first one is twisted, the bolts on the bands should be level, not in curve.
The second one has damage on the packer arm guides at the foot of the jack in the picture.
If you are going to buy a John Deere buy a good one, it will never be worth any less.
 

solo

Member
Location
worcestershire
Am i right in saying most things on one of these balers can be replaced relatively easily if it turns out to be worn in a certain place? Knotters obviously are the most important thing to be good as they are expensive to fix, but the rest of it looks like it wouldnt be too dificult to replace anything that was broken. The deeres look to have a lot less to go wrong than a 124.
If you look on John Deere website parts it will give you parts availability and prices if you have an account with your jd dealer.
 

Jsmith2211

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Somerset
If you look on John Deere website parts it will give you parts availability and prices if you have an account with your jd dealer.
Personal, I would not buy either of these balers.
The pickup on the first one is twisted, the bolts on the bands should be level, not in curve.
The second one has damage on the packer arm guides at the foot of the jack in the picture.
If you are going to buy a John Deere buy a good one, it will never be worth any less.

This i think shows the part that is potentially damaged on the cheaper of the two, looks like part number 6? to replace both would be £331 so could work that into the price if i did buy it?
 

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Stw88

Member
Location
Northumberland
Hate the auger for a start, Gives you a bad head watching it Lol. It’s no where near as quiet and smooth running as the new Holland. Have to keep stopping and keep the useless specialist + (expensive) shear bolt tight. Makes a good bale and isnt much slower but there’s always a fight to get on the newholland. This summer father was passing me with the newholland being pulled by a dexta and I had 100hp on the John deer.
 

Jsmith2211

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Somerset
Hate the auger for a start, Gives you a bad head watching it Lol. It’s no where near as quiet and smooth running as the new Holland. Have to keep stopping and keep the useless specialist + (expensive) shear bolt tight. Makes a good bale and isnt much slower but there’s always a fight to get on the newholland. This summer father was passing me with the newholland being pulled by a dexta and I had 100hp on the John deer.
you dont think maybe the 100hp is why it was blowing sheer bolts?
 

Stw88

Member
Location
Northumberland
It wasnt snapping the shear bolts they come loose, no matter how tight you put them. Always have since it was new. As long as you keep them tight they don’t snap.
 

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