Mchale v660

SteveE

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Shropshire
Hello one and all!

Just after some advice, we are looking at changing our round baler and have located a mchale v660 in a reasonable price range for us, it's done 32000 bales so far.. We do roughly 1200 bales a year currently and like the ability to vary size for straw and silage. We have had a new holland 648 previously but it is time to change.

The main question is what kind of lifespan bale wise do people find that the mchale has? And also is there anything to look for when checking over a baler of this type?

Any advice greatly appreciated.
Steve
 

icanshootwell

Member
Location
Ross-on-wye
Hello one and all!

Just after some advice, we are looking at changing our round baler and have located a mchale v660 in a reasonable price range for us, it's done 32000 bales so far.. We do roughly 1200 bales a year currently and like the ability to vary size for straw and silage. We have had a new holland 648 previously but it is time to change.

The main question is what kind of lifespan bale wise do people find that the mchale has? And also is there anything to look for when checking over a baler of this type?

Any advice greatly appreciated.
Steve
Belts and chains are the main thing, also run for a while then check any bearings getting warm. Check PTO as expensive to replace.
 

KB6930

Member
Location
Borders
Hello one and all!

Just after some advice, we are looking at changing our round baler and have located a mchale v660 in a reasonable price range for us, it's done 32000 bales so far.. We do roughly 1200 bales a year currently and like the ability to vary size for straw and silage. We have had a new holland 648 previously but it is time to change.

The main question is what kind of lifespan bale wise do people find that the mchale has? And also is there anything to look for when checking over a baler of this type?

Any advice greatly appreciated.
Steve
What age ?

Definitely check the belts!!!!
 

dannewhouse

Member
Location
huddersfield
Mines a 2012, 30some on mine only things replaced.
Plastic inserts in ends of rollers open back door, the bottom 1 (not on door) I think I have another that will want doing soon (new model has a small cast piece to stop this wear) had a bearing on bottom of door new it was going so swapped it.
Plastics in middle of pickup reel.
Non of them expensive repairs.

Just reminded me I have a clicking tine spent about 2 days on and off looking for the bugger, can I he'll find it!!!

Don't bother with a bare co guard mine lasted 2 seconds!
I had a NH 640 that I thought was good, not a patch on the v660!!! You need the extra return, I ran mine in the 3rd spool in float for first year then made up a return
 

KB6930

Member
Location
Borders
Might still be ok they changed a lot of things around then. But will be better than a new Holland!!

My first was a 2015 and put holes in the belts never put holes in previous make of baler. My second was a 2018 and it got new belts after the first season FOC as they were so bad with holes.

I'm off McHale now and back to what we ran before and back to not putting any holes in belts
 

dannewhouse

Member
Location
huddersfield
I have no marks in my belts but I know of a baler that a belt has rubbed the edge out, I assume this was a sh!t operator or rake man making the belts track to the side.
I will admit in 3rd cut or poor crops you have got to keep an eye on belts for tracking (I run with bale indicators turned on but they are slightly off, I have to have I think it's the right arrow on to make a parallel bale, never bothered looking how to re set them
 

aangus

Member
Location
cumbria
Might still be ok they changed a lot of things around then. But will be better than a new Holland!!

My first was a 2015 and put holes in the belts never put holes in previous make of baler. My second was a 2018 and it got new belts after the first season FOC as they were so bad with holes.

I'm off McHale now and back to what we ran before and back to not putting any holes in belts
What are you running now
 

KB6930

Member
Location
Borders
Happy with it?
Yeah I did 7k ish bales and it's an improvement on the one it replaced the silage bales will actually stay standing now. It packs the crop better but won't put as much in a bale as the last welger 445 I had due to a change of geometry in the density rams . The camless pickup is better than they were in 2013 but still not as good as a cam pickup. All in all I'm happy enough with it
 

Sebastian77

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Nottingham
Mines a 2012, 30some on mine only things replaced.
Plastic inserts in ends of rollers open back door, the bottom 1 (not on door) I think I have another that will want doing soon (new model has a small cast piece to stop this wear) had a bearing on bottom of door new it was going so swapped it.
Plastics in middle of pickup reel.
Non of them expensive repairs.

Just reminded me I have a clicking tine spent about 2 days on and off looking for the bugger, can I he'll find it!!!

Don't bother with a bare co guard mine lasted 2 seconds!
I had a NH 640 that I thought was good, not a patch on the v660!!! You need the extra return, I ran mine in the 3rd spool in float for first year then made up a return

Yeah those plastic cup things on ends of the bottom roller behind door are totally useless, replaced ours twice now, mind have done 40k odd bales. We find straw gets in down the side of them and think that's what causes them to distort even more with the heat... They get too hot to even touch!

Reminds me we have few tines to replace.. hellish job 😅
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

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