Balers

First you need some idea of "what" should be there. This comes from experience, I bought a nice lookin Mc drill only to find the closers where not there. At the price it would of been a good deal after acquiring parts it may not have been. (although it worked out in my case) So you need to have a good idea of what you are lookin at.

Second, General condition, is everything that should be tight, tight? Are there any obvious rust holes or broken brackets. I spotted a NH 65 the other day and from the road it looked pretty good. upon closer inspection the pickup chamber didn't have a bottom in it (all rusted out).

Third a few special areas,

Needles - New or welded, why? it could be as simple as they have fixed it up, but could also be they can't keep from breakin them. If not new look at the eyes, are they grooved? Excessive wear could lead to tie problems.

Knoters - New or badly worn, Again why? Have they fixed it or have they given up? Worn shafts and hooks will not tie properly and soon need replaced.

Chains & Gears - wear, look at the teeth on the gears are they worn down to a nub. Are the tensioners all the way out? Stretched chains. This could affect timing and cause a multitude of problems.

Plunger - Guides, roller or slides, look for wear, side play. Does it move freely?

Operation - Rotate the fly wheel, does it turn freely? Are other parts moving? Everything should move - Plunger, auger or rakes, Pickup teeth.

Last and most important - Don't take their word for it. Ever notice that most ads say "did 1000 bales with only 3 misses" Sure it did, and I get my money back if it misses 4? Nope that's why they all say "as is where is". If at all possible have them show you it works by using it. There are so many things that could be wrong and you will not see them. Like a broken spring on a lower hay dog that is suppose to prevent the hay from uncompressing and blocking the feed chamber, causing the baler to clog excessively.

I will assume you are looking for an older baler to do a small area. So you are probably looking at an older baler.

NH 68 and newer (I think the 66 has the wad board, & not sure on the 67 now???), and JD 14T and newer balers have a good reputation. They bring a bit more money, but it might be worth it. There is nothing as frustrating as a baler that doesn't tie bales. No point to it then. NH & JD have parts available, folks who know how to work on them, and were the first ones to get the knotters right to begin with.

Other brands have baled a lot of bales, and there were some good machines in the mix. But it is a bigger risk to get a good working machine with these other brands. At least pay a lot less for a different brand....

--->Paul

One other consideration: Check locally for "who" has the best service/dealership. For example, where I am the New Holland dealer is known for miles around as "the best"...they'll go out of their way to provide great service. The Deere dealer here is not known for that, and so most local farmers tend to buy NH equipment because they know when/if it breaks they can get support. Find out who your local "good guys" are and key in on equipment they sell and repair.

Tom

There is a JD dealer about 40 miles in either direction. Both of their shops are about like Walmart. Parts dept are both worse than Walmart.

There is a Ford dealer located within sight of both the JD dealers and both of the Ford dealers have A-1 parts and service depts.

Plus that anybody that works at the one Ford dealer can rebuild a NH baler, or can tell you how to do it over the phone if you can tell them what your problems are.

Tom A
_NOSPAM_bkeepr@aol.com

I will go over to the mail site and check to be sure there is room to recieve.