Hay Baling

Bob C.

I am in just about exactly your situation, just a few more/different animals. I've been making my own hay for about 3 years now with my 48 8N. Have been through several iterations of baler and will give you my experience.

First, I have a 6' Ford 515 sicklebar mower. I works just fine (even great) in some grass, with more difficulty in others. My problem field is dampish with heavy, stalky grass. If I let it get too tall then I have the problems described below with the cutter getting plugged up frequently...though probably not as bad as described. There is a learning curve there, and I'm better with it now that 3 years ago (a "half section" on the end of the blade is a big plus!).

For about a year I used a Massey Ferguson #10 baler. When it worked, it was fine. There are some "tricks" to baling without live PTO, but it can be done if you are careful and not in a big hurry. With only a few acres to hay like we have, it is ok. I finally got frustrated with parts prices and availability on the MF baler and sold it (at a loss, of course).

Last have of the year before and all of last year I put up all my hay loose. Really was not a bad experience, and frankly all my animals (mule, donkey, sheep, and goats) preferred the loose hay by far. I decided to just keep putting it up loose...only 2 drawbacks are time required (not *quite* as fast as picking up bales, although not significantly longer if you factor in baler maintenance time!!) and space required (takes up about 3 times as much room as bales).

Anyway, I was at a farm auction a few weeks back and there was this NH 66 with an engine on it that went for next-to-nothing...$170. I bought it and am in the process of getting it ready to bale (I figure I can always sell it if it doesn't work out for me.) One big factor for me is weight. The engined 66 weighs about 500 lbs *more* than the tractor! This is a biggy because I have very little flat land and am not certain how well the N will pull the thing. The MF 10 (and similar MF balers) all weight about the same as the N. I am told that some of the other older NH balers are lighter than the 66 with engine.

As somebody said below, the real issue is *not* HP at the PTO for the baler, there is just enough there to use a smallish square baler; the real issue is weight.

So, make your own hay! Consider putting it up loose for awhile, a baler is *not* a necessity. If you really have to bale, then look for a small baler in good shape that you can still get parts for.

good luck!
Tom A

However, balers are heavy, and it takes about the same hp to pull one + the tractor around.

That about uses up all your power. Don't expect to pull a wagon too yet. (Maybe you can, but don't expect to!)

If you are on hills, that is more stress on your tractor, more so on the brakes,which were never great on the N series to begin with, and only worse with age. A LOT of weight for you to control, if you are on hills. And it seems most hay ground is hills....

Then the big negative for a tractor with barely enough power to run the baler - no live pto on an N. If you drive along & come across a thick windrow of hay that is bogging your tractor down, as soon as you push in the clutch to stop moving, the pto also stops & the baler plugs up. Then the N series doesn't have a whole lot of slow gears to choose from either! You can get through this, by learning to quick-shift into & out of nuteral, plan ahead & do so before the baler does bog down, and by making thin windrows of hay. But, it _is_ a pain, despite all the hay that has been baled with a small tractor without live pto - no way around it, it's a bother.

With all those negatives, note that lots & lots & lots of hay has been baled with just such a setup. It is not ideal, but it does make hay. On 4 acres, you really don't have a choice - doesn't pay to get anything else, and driving slow really isn't a big deal on such few acres.

There are balers with 2 or 4 cylinder engines (mostly Wisconsin) on them instead of a pto. This takes some power load off of the tractor, & allows you to use the clutch & throttle to change speeds while the baler continues to bale. However, it adds weight to the baler making it harder to pull & stop, and is yet another engine to fool with and try to keep running on a seasonal machine.

Your choice on that issue! :) :)

As most of us say, the NH & JD balers got things figured out right, first, and cost more, because they are more likely to make good bales and have parts & knowledgeable mechanics all over the place. Other brands of old balers are cheaper, but seem to have more problems. Doesn't mean other balers are always junk, but it's like playing a horse race - you have better odds going with either a NH or JD. Again, your choice, take any color you want. :)

--->Paul