Small Square Baler for Starting Out With

[Barleymow]

I'm on that .

Me too

 

[bobk]

Me too

I've never posted though , must be frit or shy .

 

[Barleymow]

I've never posted though , must be frit or shy .

No harm in lurking ,bet there are loads of lurkers on here

 

[puntabrava]

check width of the pickup compared to the combine you are going to follow.

Nothing much is overfit behind a combine nowadays so I would say leave it a day and haybob it over but not ground scraping then bale with a NH as a Welger will be overpriced for its condition.

 

[Henarar]

Hi all,
Just looking some advice for a small square baler to make small hay, haylage and straw bales with. Will only be making about 1500-2500 a year. Looking advice as I haven't done much square baling before and so was looking for what I should be looking for when looking at balers or any brands or models people suggest! Have been looking at a New Holland 940 and a New Holland 370... Any advice welcome
Cheers, Rob

About 4 hours work then

Hi Thanks for your long reply,

Budget is a around £4-6k I guess but havent really set a budget so guessing in and around a slightly older well looked after baler. Man power for gathering bales isnt really an issue as we have always gathered our own as a family by hand balling them or using the lifter on the loader. We have made our own hay for years but got fed up having hay ready to make and can't get the baler men to come so wanted to try our own. Baler I had went to see was owned by an older guy whowas retiring and was in great shape always stored in doors and seen it insitue from last season as it was well blocked in and had seen him using it last season but going to take the guy who usually bales for us to have a look as he would know more about square balers as I currently know nothing but am really willing to learn. Have customers for the small quantity we usually sell to saturday horsey people so was thinking of making a few more and see how we go this year...
Would you say them that for a novice I should steer away from that 940? Only asking cause I genuinly have no clue!

MF 124 or 224 or I you going to put it directly behind the combine 128 or 228 and change in your pocket.
If they tie 10 bales they will tie 10 thousand and don't leave those stupid inch long bits of string all over the place

 

[bobk]

Baling straw in to small bales is a mugs game .

 

[Cowcorn]

Baling straw in to small bales is a mugs game .

Not at 3 euro a bale and the been grabbed as quick as the come out of the baler by the horsey set !!
Have to be sure to bone them for the cash before the horsebox leaves the field though !!

 

[Moors Lad]

Have to be sure to bone them for the cash before the horsebox leaves the field though

Sounds more fun than small baling straw....

 

[essexpete]

Buy the cleanest most well looked after machine you can find in budget. I would also do a check with nearest dealer as to whether or not main wearing parts are available. Some of the really old machine may be difficult. If you are baling straw I would have a wide pick up. A friend runs a very tidy older John Deere successfully and mostly reliable. It did require a major expensive knotter rebuild a year or two back but at least parts were available. We had New Holland 945 for many years and once quirks were understood it was quite a good baler.

 

[Mark the shepherd]

Plumped for a really nice NH940 myself a few years back. Serviced thoroughly stopped all the squeaks and bangs! Bit narrow behind a big combine but didnt miss too much. Almost 500/hr pushed really hard. Last year packer drive gave up the ghost and been having real trouble trying to find parts. Up till then good baler!?

 

[Classichay]

We’ve a Jones mk18 very nice baler does a good job as it’s a high cap baler. Claas tend to throw all sorts of lengths for when your trailer stacking.

 

[Richard98]

As @Will 1594 said, welgers can have plyboard lining both sides of the chamber to make the bales standard size. Our AP830 came with the 'bale reduction kit' from the factory so I suspect many others will too. a few years ago the cook sledge started messing about, turned out the ply had got worn and the bales were a tad wider. Dad bolted sheet steel over new ply and its been grand ever since. We had an NH 575 before the welger which was fine if you were steady, but was fussy on makes of string and had a few other quirks. Condition over age for definite

 

[grainboy]

Pictures,

as off farm condition, used last year,

 

[Will 1594]

@carbonfibre farmer ,
markant 65 ,any good , how will it compare to welgar ap52 ,

 

[carbonfibre farmer]

@carbonfibre farmer ,
markant 65 ,any good , how will it compare to welgar ap52 ,

I'm a bit biased.....

Both good balers. Condition though everything? What age?
65 will have good output. As will an AP52. Probably fairly similarly matched.

 

[Oliveau]

As @Will 1594 said, welgers can have plyboard lining both sides of the chamber to make the bales standard size. Our AP830 came with the 'bale reduction kit' from the factory so I suspect many others will too. a few years ago the cook sledge started messing about, turned out the ply had got worn and the bales were a tad wider. Dad bolted sheet steel over new ply and its been grand ever since. We had an NH 575 before the welger which was fine if you were steady, but was fussy on makes of string and had a few other quirks. Condition over age for definite

I knew someone who ran 2 for a big straw baling business - Smith stacker lorry and so on. Butwitht the boards in they were continually twisting the pto drive shafts off.

 

[Will 1594]

I'm a bit biased.....
View attachment 977002

Both good balers. Condition though everything? What age?
65 will have good output. As will an AP52. Probably fairly similarly matched.

Markant will have wider pick up ,
might hire it to @robbie

 

[carbonfibre farmer]

Markant will have wider pick up ,
might hire it to @robbie

Or spin if he's feeling particularly masochistic

 

[glasshouse]

We had a Welgar, nowt but trouble missing far too many bales. Messed around with it for years my father did trying to get it right. Baled a large twig / small branch, bent a needle and smashed a bit off a knotter. Replaced the smashed bit and can't remember whether we replaced the needle or just straightened it.... but the next field it went and did 5 acres without missing a knot. Some kinda dark-art voodoo witchcraft getting a bad baler good, and sometimes just a cheap couple of worn parts it is just a question of knowing which couple of parts.

Was that in manual under trouble shooting?

 

[robbie]

Or spin if he's feeling particularly masochistic

Let him get the hang of a round one first before letting him try with something that ties knots!!!!!