Round baler for lower HP tractor

[Horace Baker]

My biggest tractor is a Ford 4100, 45 HP. I am hoping to get a variable chamber round baler but I'm worried the tractor may not be big enough, it's 2WD and many of my hayfields are somewhat steep. Am I just being ridiculous? I'd like to make 4x5, but will settle on 4x4 if necessary. I won't be doing baleage. Thank you.

 

[EIEIO]

My Massey is 62 HP but my baler says anyway that it only requires 45 HP to run. It's a Hesston 540 and put's out the small 4x4 bales which I liked when I was in Arkansas and baling lots of Bermuda but here with all the fescue I'd like a larger baler.

I'd think your gonna be working a 45 HP tractor pretty hard if the baler requires 45 HP to run it and mine is small when it comes to round balers so I don't quite know if you can find one that requires even less HP.

I'd say your gonna need more HP if your wanting to put out a 4x5 bale than what you have but I don't know all the spec's on the new balers and what they require. I think my baler is either a 98' or 99' model.

I don't think I'd believe a dealer or even a private seller if they say you will be fine with what ya' got unless they let you try it before you buy it.

Have you already got your mower and rake?

I don't have a day job so it's no problem for me to bale my own hay and I enjoy it but an old rancher once told me that it makes more sense to buy hay since feed is tax deductable, spend money on more cattle, and graze what what you were gonna gonna set aside to be your hay field.

It was just his opinion and makes some sense to me but yet I still bale my own.

J

 

[Horace Baker]

Thanks for the reply. I've been making small square bales to this point, but can no longer find pick up help, and I'm not getting any younger, so that's why I'm thinking round baler. I used to be able to make 2 day dry hay, but now I have to allow a third or fourth day to get everything picked up, and that's a problem here in the Northeast. Aside from the HP it takes to run a round baler, I'm also not sure if it's safe on the side hills from a weight perspective. I don't want any out of control "rides" being pushed downhill.

 

[dun]

May be cheaper to buy a bale retriever/bale wagon then buying a round baler.

dun

 

[Horace Baker]

May be cheaper to buy a bale retriever/bale wagon then buying a round baler.

dun

I'm sure that's true, but many of the places I need to go (including the back of my barn where the haymow is) aren't conducive to a 4 wheel hay wagon.

 

[EIEIO]

If you do get a round baler and your hay fields are as steep as ya' say be aware that it's amazing how far a round bale can roll at times when it's kicked out the back of the baler if you don't have it backed up just right to keep it from heading down hill. Lord knows I've watched my fair share go for quite a trip down some of these Ozark hills! Proud to say I've never taken out a fence with one that's gone astray but have seen it happen.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

J

BTW- Know what you mean about finding help loading squares. Last time I put any up I found some actual farm kids who knew what they were doing and they did it for .25 cents a bale and that was using my trailer and truck! Seems like I can remember a day when the going rate was .05 cents a bale, bet some of you can remember it being even less.

 

[fitz]

My biggest tractor is a Ford 4100, 45 HP. I am hoping to get a variable chamber round baler but I'm worried the tractor may not be big enough, it's 2WD and many of my hayfields are somewhat steep. Am I just being ridiculous? I'd like to make 4x5, but will settle on 4x4 if necessary. I won't be doing baleage. Thank you.

I pull a 4X4 round baler with a 50 h.p. It's 4 wheel drive. There's not a lot of level ground here and I get by O.K. You might try to contact the "ironpeddler" guy on here. He deals in haying equipment. I'm sure he could give you some good advice.

fitz.

 

[Horace Baker]

Thanks for the replies. I did some googling, and apparently Hesston and Vermeer make balers with lower HP requirements, but I don't know if there's much of a chance of finding an affordable used one.

 

[Campground Cattle]

My biggest tractor is a Ford 4100, 45 HP. I am hoping to get a variable chamber round baler but I'm worried the tractor may not be big enough, it's 2WD and many of my hayfields are somewhat steep. Am I just being ridiculous? I'd like to make 4x5, but will settle on 4x4 if necessary. I won't be doing baleage. Thank you.

I pull a Krone 4X5 baler with a fifty horse and I have some steep slopes. I have kicked out a bale or two over the years the last time I saw them was when they hit the pond.
Now being serious that Krone will out work that fifty horse have to bale in lower gear range. I have a 65 horse and it never looks back, usually have the cutter on it. I have found I need more HP for the cutter than the baler.

 

[EIEIO]

Horrace, I've been real happy with my Hesston with one exception. The rubber on the gathering wheels. When they wore off they wanted around $400 for new one's cause the rubber is molded onto the metal and said I had to get whole new wheels as just the rubber part was not available.

Thankfully I was talking to a tractor mechanic that also had a Hesston and what he did was switch to Vermeer on the rubber part which can be replaced for like $90. He's gonna be doing mine soon as all the parts are in. The metal part will stay the same then he drills out the existing metal wheels on the Hesston and puts on the rubber part from Vermeer. There were a few other parts that needed replaced to make it work right but to change it over is costing around $200 and then when the rubber on the gathering wheels wears down again it will only cost about $90 to replace them with Vermeer rubber.

Don't know if all Hesston's are like mine or just certain models or just the older one's but thought I'd give you a heads up on that.

From reading these posts sounds like you might be OK with just the 45 HP tractor. Only thing I'd still keep in mind is your idea of steep and mine may be different!

J

 

[fitz]

EIEIO,

You know I ran into the same problem with my baler. Rubber broke off gathering wheels. It's an 8420 Case International, which is just a generic 540 Heston. They also sold the same baler to New Ideal. Can't remember their number. Have it written down here somewhere. Thought that may interest you on parts. Anyway, I priced the gathering wheels same as yourself and decided not to pay that price. Took the whole assembly off. If you notice the new Heston Balers no longer have them. The only time I miss them is on an extra wide windrows. Been baling with it for three (3) years without them.

fitz.

 

[EIEIO]

Fitz, I almost said to heck with it also and was gonna take off my gathering wheels but when the price on new one's came down from over $400 down to $200 and then just $90 to replace the rubber after that I went ahead and ordered the parts needed for the conversion.

Can't believe how fast that rubber got ate up on the old gathering wheels. I've not got a Hesston dealer around here anywhere so I have not seen any of the new models. Your saying they no longer come with gathering wheels? When I got mine it was an option.

Sure as heck did not need the gathering wheels this year. Most pitiful looking hay crop I've ever seen!!

Take care,

J

 

[frenchie]

EIEIO,

You know I ran into the same problem with my baler. Rubber broke off gathering wheels. It's an 8420 Case International, which is just a generic 540 Heston. They also sold the same baler to New Ideal. Can't remember their number. Have it written down here somewhere. Thought that may interest you on parts. Anyway, I priced the gathering wheels same as yourself and decided not to pay that price. Took the whole assembly off. If you notice the new Heston Balers no longer have them. The only time I miss them is on an extra wide windrows. Been baling with it for three (3) years without them.

fitz.

A 8420 is actually a R530 hesston.My dad had both a R 530 and an 8420 Made a 54 inch high by 39 inch wide bale.I think Massy 140 and New Idea 4643 might be the same baler as well.

Horace..A 45 hp tractor would easily run that baler.The only problem is as fitz said the gathering wheels are not worth the price.and they don,t work worth a tinkers damm.Also don,t waste your money on bale ramps either.
If you have a lot of acres I would rather see you buy a wider baler with at least a 4 ft pickup.

Another downfall to Hesston R530 and Case 8420s is that the knife and anvil for the twine are underneath and can plug in chaffy crop residue.

 

[Horace Baker]

Anyone have an opinion on the Vermeer Rebel 5400?

 

[fitz]

frenchie,

I think you're right about those baler numbers. Haven't had much problem w/the knife. I've run a bunch of hay through the little rascal. Got to be careful and not feed it too much or it will clog up which can be a real pain. I would like to have a larger one just can't bear the cost at present.

Thanks, fitz.

 

[Horace Baker]

A 8420 is actually a R530 hesston.My dad had both a R 530 and an 8420 Made a 54 inch high by 39 inch wide bale.I think Massy 140 and New Idea 4643 might be the same baler as well.

Horace..A 45 hp tractor would easily run that baler.The only problem is as fitz said the gathering wheels are not worth the price.and they don,t work worth a tinkers damm.Also don,t waste your money on bale ramps either.

frenchie, are you saying that the R530 and 8420 will run on my 45 HP tractor?

 

[frenchie]

frenchie,

I think you're right about those baler numbers. Haven't had much problem w/the knife. I've run a bunch of hay through the little rascal. Got to be careful and not feed it too much or it will clog up which can be a real pain. I would like to have a larger one just can't bear the cost at present.

Thanks, fitz.

Good little baler them ones for a small acerage. Easy to load, even by hand as long as they were well tied..Used to back up a truck tailgate to the butt end of a bale and flip them on. Bales weighed 400-500 lbs in grass hay.Up to 600lbs. in good alfala

 

[frenchie]

A 8420 is actually a R530 hesston.My dad had both a R 530 and an 8420 Made a 54 inch high by 39 inch wide bale.I think Massy 140 and New Idea 4643 might be the same baler as well.

Horace..A 45 hp tractor would easily run that baler.The only problem is as fitz said the gathering wheels are not worth the price.and they don,t work worth a tinkers damm.Also don,t waste your money on bale ramps either.

frenchie, are you saying that the R530 and 8420 will run on my 45 HP tractor?

Yes..

These specs are from the 8420 book.

They need min 30 hp on the PTO., and 540 PTO .

12 volt electrical if you get the electric tie.

They also come with a pull rope as well, or hydraulic tie.

If you go hydraulic tie you will need 2 remotes.

Just remember that there biggiest flaw is that they only have 39 inch pickup.is that wide enough for you.

 

[fitz]

Horace,
frenchie is right on the h.p. requirements. He also has a good point on the acreage you intend to bale versus the size baler you want. One thing I have to consider is the size bale I'm dealing with come feeding time on slick sidling land. I would definately go with the hydraulic tie or, on the new models you can go electric. One thing is for sure, I couldn't do it by myself and square bale. For me the round is a must both during harvest and feeding. I buy what square bales I use. Besides,
if most here have read any of my previous posts it is clear I'm just small potatoes.
fitz.

 

[Horace Baker]

Thanks for clearing that up. The small pickup width probably won't bother me, I'm small potatoes, too. My biggest field is 6 acres, on a sidehill.