Choosing my first round baler

Hello all.
for a variety of reasons I am considering the purchase of a round baler as my cropping acreage has increased. I am not after anything posh....my modest budget i was earmarking is £3000 to £4000 but i am considering spending up to £5000 for the right machine ( as long as the depreciation and running costs are reasonable).
It would be for hay and haylage, and if the weather forces my hand, perhaps silage.

I am currently considering...
97 New Holland 544 rotorfeed (chain and slat?) Apparently v tidy and low use £5k
97 Vicon rf 130 rotorfeed, 33000 bales average condition £3750 but dealer a long way from me.
94? Welgar rp200 rotorfeed and wide pick up. V tidy condition £5000

Any pointers, advice and alternatives gratefully appreciated.
 

DrDunc

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Dunsyre
New Holland make a tidy bale, and will make anything you can drive over. BUT, they are made from chocolate which is why low bale count machines are cheep.

Vicon is a paint job on a Greenland baler. These were one of the first chopper balers. They stuck a pickup/feed rotor/knife unit from a (Parmiter?) silage wagon onto a 17 roller fixed chamber. Bale density is by springs on the door. These weaken with age, but are cheep to replace. Roller bearings (6208rs I think) are very inexpensive and easy to replace the rear ones. However the front ones on the Greenland needed the pickup reel removed for access. I don't know if vicon is better?

Welger rp200 was a great baler. It restored the companies name in balers after the problems of its predecessor, the rp12. Check chain and sprocket condition to verify bale count tallies with wear. Check rear door latch points for cracks/welding.

I'd go with the older welger if it's tidy under scrutiny. Remember it's an old machine and roller/reel bearings will be tired. Also chains, but good chain from somewhere like www.Bearingboys.com will be cheaper than a welger dealer.
 

Monty

Member
I had the misfortune of using a krone chain and slat baler. The bales were tidy enough but it was noisy, slow, unreliable, required daily maintenance oiling the chain to prevent stretching and it just wouldn't apply net to wet or fresh silage. Definitely go for a roller type baler if you want to stay sane.

As for paintwork. A wire brush and a tin of paint is cheap but replacing worn out parts will be expensive.
 

grumpy

Member
Location
Fife
ffs
 

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balerman

Member
Location
N Devon
I don't know about the NH,but I have extensive use of the other 2,The Vicon is a very early 130 which will be a nightmare now its old cos of the sprocket and spline design,the back door rams create density for the bale ,which is fine.I would go for the Welger even tho I don't rate it as their best design,later 220 is much better,but you will struggle to find one for 5k.RP200s are strong enough but the wide pick up and stub auger design leaves much to be desired.
 

balerman

Member
Location
N Devon
A JD545 was my first round baler,almost put me off for life,will bale straw fine,and hay,it wont like any rows of grass that are dry under and wet on top,i used to find haylage worse than silage,i would have a look at that 220 Profi,they are built really strong.
 

multi power

Member
Location
pembrokeshire
all i can say is we started in 96 or 97 with a 1991 welgar rp12s, struggled for maybe 5 years, some of whitch it never came out of shed, cost 4.5k with a grand or 2 spent before we used it, sold for 1600, jd 545, 1982 1k cost, never any trouble, but belts do break now n then, 30 min job to fix, most belt breakage is lumpy rows, we mostly used it for silage, 800+ bales a year
 

multi power

Member
Location
pembrokeshire
A JD545 was my first round baler,almost put me off for life,will bale straw fine,and hay,it wont like any rows of grass that are dry under and wet on top,i used to find haylage worse than silage,i would have a look at that 220 Profi,they are built really strong.

we always aim for dry but i baled in rain with no trouble
 
Will have a proper look under the covers of that Welger 220 profi. I am hearing nothing but good things about them, and it is in budget...but only because it looks so rough.
What are the main points to check on one of these?
From my cursory look around it has no obvious damage to the door locks....
 

DrDunc

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Dunsyre
Will have a proper look under the covers of that Welger 220 profi. I am hearing nothing but good things about them, and it is in budget...but only because it looks so rough.
What are the main points to check on one of these?
From my cursory look around it has no obvious damage to the door locks....
Same as any roller. Check sprocket teeth and chain condition. Teeth should be symmetrical, if worn I'd walk away from the expense of repairing them. Slacken chains and feel for sideways flex.

Take a big pry bar to the rollers to look for play in the bearings. Look for dents or damage.

Check the comb behind the feed rotor hasn't got bent/missing bits.
 

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