IH Baler Question

My wife's grandfather farmed with a Farmall Super H and baled hay with an IH model 45 baler. I never heard him say anything negative about any IH equipment (his blood was IH red to say the least!), including the baler. But I have read some really interesting baler experiences with IH balers, including the 45.

My question is - in you opinion/experience, what was the best IH baler made?

Another question is - can you explain the IH knotter history? I read some about Deering knotters?

One of these days I think I am going to restore a Super H and maybe an old IH baler - may be not the 45, but an IH.

Thanks in advance,
Bill

I was an IH mechanic and spent many an hour servicing balers. As long as you adfjust them as the manual tells you, they will out bale a NH.

Can you offer any advice?

Thanks
Marvin

In my area the 45 was such a disaster that it basically wiped them out of the hay equipment market. My cousin and her husband became established New Holland dealers in 1958. They had one of the largest IH 45 bone yards in Eastern Canada, mainly because IH was there first. They had 45 balers there 3-4 years old, some of them hadn't baled 10,000 bales of hay. They sold a few of them, but mostly parts. Eventually they cut them up for scrap. In the end he wouldn't even take a 45 on trade, they were worthless.

The bottom line is if you have 2 good IH knotters they will tie just as well as a JD or NH. But if you have a bad one it will take an old IH service man to fix it. The IH 46 and newer had a better pickup than JD.

My 2 cents.
JB