Baler Recommendations

You could probably handle a PTO driven baler with a 9N but it will be a challenge. You probably will want a "swinging" drawbar. You had better be patient and take a lot of time raking just so or you are really going to miss having live PTO.

I'd guess that 500 to 700 would get you a usable baler. You know, buy cheaper than that and add parts, or spend some more if you know for sure the thing works right. Like if you know the guy selling it and you've watched it work.

I've driven 9N's and I've owned a JD 14T, NH 66 and 68.

As far as parts, books, etc go, I've had better luck getting parts quickly from JD. I've needed fewer of them with the NH 68.

The curb weight is around 2600 pounds on the NH. The Wisconsin powered balers are agravating as h***. If you have hilly ground there you may want to water your tractor tires for stability and be sure you have an over run clutch on the pto.

I've always found the windrow condition is more important than what you pull the baler with. The NH only needs 18hp to run it right and you can find parts for it easier and alot cheaper than JD or IH.

Around here you can get a pretty fair baler from $200 to $750 tops.

BTW, in Lancaster County, Pa, the Amish put new engines on some very new balers. Saw a Hesston centerline with what looked to be a Kawasaki engine mounted on top, with brandy-new steel wheels and a wagon chute.

Pricing might be a matter of region I guess. We have 2 good family owned NH dealers here that go out of their way to help and keep prices down on the NH parts, and will answer questions so you can do your own repairs. We have 2 JD dealers that are owned by corporations that price the JD parts over the moon here, and the attitude here is like Wally World. No matter what you ask anybody there the answer is DUH..

Both our NH dealers usually have what you need or can have it by tomorrow, but our Deere dealers don't stock any small parts or older equipment parts. It usually takes them about 10 days to get your part.

We have newer model JD and NH tractors and it's the same with parts for them, NH has them and JD does'nt.

The best dealer support we ever had around here was with Case back when a Case was really a Case, but now it's owned by some big bunch out of Tennessee and their place sucks too.

I used to go into the Ammish communities in Ohio to get ice cream. I don't think anybody else makes ice cream as good as they do.

Lots of New Idea 323 1-row corn pickers there set up with foretrucks, steel wheels and engines with special elevator diverters to drop corn into a wagon being pulled alongside the elevator instead of behind it. Ever see an Unverferth 150 bu gravity box on steel wheels? How about a 36' elevator powered by a Kohler engineon the ground, running a hydraulic pump connected by hoses to a hydraulic motor up where an electric one would normally be on the elevator? That's how the Amish do it in PA.