10 Things to Consider When Buying History Of Hay Balers

My dad was born in , and told me that as a teenager in the thirties, he could get work sometimes in the winter, forking hay from barns , and into a hay press, as they called them. A hay buyer would own the haypress or baler and bring it to your farm. You would have to provide the crew to fork the loose hay from the barn, and into the stationary baler, and load it onto wagons, haul it to town. It was sold by the ton, and after going across the scale, the hay dealers crew would load the hay onto box cars on the railroad siding. There was still a strong market for hay in the city, with many companies still using horses and wagons to make deliveries. No one had a baler that could bale from the windrow in our neighbourhood until my dad bought hi AC Roto-Baler in 48. He was busy baling hay for others for a few years. NH square balers were the first windrow balers that I heard of, any ideas as to when they first hit the market?

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When can you justify a brand new baler?

jcolli140

Posted 8/22/ 20:23 (#)
Subject: When can you justify a brand new baler?

SC Wisconsin

I was planning on keeping an eye out this fall/winter for a 4x6 round baler with knives in it, in the 20k-25k range. I'm just wondering how those of you who buy brand new justify it, if you say you need X amount of bales per year or whatever. Ill be making 500+ per year between dry hay, baleage, straw, and maybe a little stalks if I'm short on straw. Right now I hire my baleage and straw made, but I bale dry with my dad's Gehl that he bought new in . Let's just say it is not breaking any records eating up the hay lol. Im almost certain I'm going to go with a Kuhn baler due to dealer and from reviews I've read. There are a few that are getting near 10k bales in that price range, but I've heard the early ones had bearing issues in the upper roller, and a new one is pushing 40k. Anyways, what is everyone's magic number for justifying a new baler? Thanks ntexcotton

Posted 8/22/ 20:33 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: RE: When can you justify a brand new baler?

North Central Texas

I used to bale + bales per year per round baler custom baling. I never bought a new baler. Loved the 4 year old bale balers deeply discounted. We could double the in less than 2 weeks. IFarmtoo

Posted 8/22/ 20:35 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: RE: When can you justify a brand new baler?

Eastern Iowa

For me I put it on the 5 to 10 year plan and that will depend on how well I like the the baler right now I have a Case RB-565 and so far like it. jcolli140

Posted 8/22/ 21:08 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: RE: When can you justify a brand new baler?

SC Wisconsin

I wouldn't mind picking up a little custom work to help ease payments, but I'm not going to buy a baler just to wear it out on someone else's hay lol. I would be comfortable with something like you had mentioned, or even a demo baler or a one year and trade. I just need something reliable as I work 6 days per week on second shift, so I have about a one hour window each day during the summer between when the hay is ready to bale and when I have to leave for work. Otherwise I ha e all day Saturdays, but as many others experienced this year, it likes to rain on Fridays so I can't bale Saturdays. Macttle

Posted 8/22/ 21:11 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: RE: When can you justify a brand new baler?

Buy a new one when its burned up or past repair..
I put over that on a '97 case
They are cheap and eat hay
If your gonna buy a new one you need to be in the - bales a year category (worked for guys that bought new and traded every over year ) during the drought we were still puttin - on a year ahay

Posted 8/22/ 21:18 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: RE: When can you justify a brand new baler?

Saronville NE

500 bales a year, I'd buy used. For new I'd say -5k bales a year.
I had been trading every 2 yrs at 10k bales. After 10k bales repairs go up fast. I didn't last winter, have on it now, lots of downtime and repairs this year. turbo diesal

Posted 8/22/ 22:00 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: RE: When can you justify a brand new baler?

When hay can be purchased below the cost of production doesn't make any sense to own one IMO. At least that's how it is around here most years was the exception. Jim

Posted 8/22/ 23:01 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: RE: When can you justify a brand new baler?

Driftless SW Wisconsin

jcolli140 - 8/22/ 20:23 I was planning on keeping an eye out this fall/winter for a 4x6 round baler with knives in it, in the 20k-25k range...

Before you spend $20-25,000 on a used baler with 10,000+ bales, you might consider putting a smaller amount of $$ down and buying a new one on a good, long term/low interest dealer financing program.  It works when needed, no repairs for a LONG time, you will get a good portion of your money back if you ever decide to sell it with your relatively low annual bale count.

Regardless of how many or few bales you make per year, a baler is a piece of equipment that has to work when you need it. Used balers are generally really beat up unless you know one coming up from a neighbor etc...

Big Square

Posted 8/22/ 23:14 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: RE: When can you justify a brand new baler?

Eastern Half of Kansas

Up to how many bales would you run a baler? carlsoncl

Posted 8/22/ 23:57 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: RE: When can you justify a brand new baler?

Beresford, SD

I've bought three balers in my life, a IH (Hesston), 566 JD and last year a 568 JD. All of them had over 10,000 bales when I bought them........pull in shop every spring....replace some pickup teeth, splice a belt, replace a chain or two and good to go. Balers are the simplest piece of equipment on the farm, just gotta get your hands dirty once in a while. Put up about bales a year...all my own...no custom. I hate payments, I tend to trade when the rollers are paper thin and I'm aggrevated with gremlins. Got over bales on my 568 since I bought it.....it had 11,500 bales when I bought it.(traded for $10,500...566 had over 22,000 bales through it).....I've greased it and replace about a dozen pickup teeth.....its hooked up and ready for 140 acres of 4th cut around Labor Day.......then about 300 corn stalk bales in October. A cheap used round baler is the highest returning machinery investment on my farm over hiring it done. garvo

Posted 8/23/ 06:16 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: RE: When can you justify a brand new baler?

western iowa,by Denison

There is no majic number-we typically bale 1,800-to 3,000 bales a year-mostly corn stalks for bedding-nice to have low bale count balers-if your baling 500 bales a year realize that in 10 years you will only have 5,000 bales on your machine vs the one your buying with 10,000 bales
-if you can bale bales in 5 years and the used baler only has bales you will only have 5,000 bales on that baler-the baler with 10,000 bales will now have 12,500 it would be 15 years before you hit 12,500 before you have that many bales on the lower count baler-new it will take you 20 years to get to 10,000 bales
Your dad is a smart man-his baler lasted 40 years!
AGDEAL

Posted 8/23/ 06:34 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: RE: When can you justify a brand new baler?

Illinois

jcolli140 - 8/22/ 20:23

I was planning on keeping an eye out this fall/winter for a 4x6 round baler with knives in it, in the 20k-25k range. I'm just wondering how those of you who buy brand new justify it, if you say you need X amount of bales per year or whatever. Ill be making 500+ per year between dry hay, baleage, straw, and maybe a little stalks if I'm short on straw. Right now I hire my baleage and straw made, but I bale dry with my dad's Gehl that he bought new in . Let's just say it is not breaking any records eating up the hay lol. Im almost certain I'm going to go with a Kuhn baler due to dealer and from reviews I've read. There are a few that are getting near 10k bales in that price range, but I've heard the early ones had bearing issues in the upper roller, and a new one is pushing 40k. Anyways, what is everyone's magic number for justifying a new baler? Thanks

Short answer; When you want it , can afford it and are not worried about the gossip. ntexcotton

Posted 8/23/ 07:40 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: RE: When can you justify a brand new baler?

North Central Texas

If they stayed in grass, I traded every 5 years. Drought years were the only times we baled stalks. 10-15k of stalks would wreck a baler. garvo

Posted 8/23/ 07:43 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: RE: When can you justify a brand new baler?

western iowa,by Denison

ntexcotton - 8/23/ 07:40

If they stayed in grass, I traded every 5 years. Drought years were the only times we baled stalks. 10-15k of stalks would wreck a baler.

Wont wreck a baler-good ness theres a lot of cornstalks baled here-a lot of balers bale over 10,000 bales a season of cornstalks-more pickup teeth etc-depends who is the operator more so KDK Herefords

Posted 8/23/ 08:27 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: RE: When can you justify a brand new baler?

East Central, IA

ntexcotton - 8/23/ 07:40

If they stayed in grass, I traded every 5 years. Drought years were the only times we baled stalks. 10-15k of stalks would wreck a baler.

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Wont wreck a baler-good ness theres a lot of cornstalks baled here-a lot of balers bale over 10,000 bales a season of cornstalks-more pickup teeth etc-depends who is the operator more so

garvo - 8/23/ 07:43Wont wreck a baler-good ness theres a lot of cornstalks baled here-a lot of balers bale over 10,000 bales a season of cornstalks-more pickup teeth etc-depends who is the operator more so

Gary,
I think it depends on where you're baling. I used to manage a place in SW Missouri and we put 10K hay bales through a baler per season. The owner traded every year. Friends of mine were good careful operators in Oklahoma. They baled a lot of stalk bales and that sandy/rocky dirt just ate those balers up after about 12K bales. I'd guess that's why ntexcotton's balers won't last like a baler in your good dirt. jcolli140

Posted 8/23/ 09:10 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: RE: When can you justify a brand new baler?

SC Wisconsin

He is very good about maintaining it and it never sat outside. It was one of the first round balers in the neighborhood and he would custom bale 10k plus per year. He thinks it is well north of 100k bales, and it still has the original tire on one side. It uses bearings in the pickup alot, but he says hes only replaced half the bearings in it and belts a few times. Been a good baler, just need to upgrade capacity wise ntexcotton

Posted 8/23/ 10:34 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: RE: When can you justify a brand new baler?

North Central Texas

Yes sir and in those drought conditions the stalks are burned to a crisp and it's well over 100 degrees with dirt blowing. It's the sides of the baler that wear through. Deere's skins were made for places like here. In / there were lots of 1 and 2 year old balers with holes worn in the sides.

Bale good coastal bermuda and you can make make that baler last a long time. puma

Posted 8/23/ 10:38 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: RE: When can you justify a brand new baler?

Jim,

It has been my experience that every piece of equipment I am using has to work when I need it. Be it the planter, the combine, the tractor or anything in between, downtime is never convenient. That being said, buying a complete new line of machinery so you don't have to fix doesn't always make sense.

If it have moving parts, it will at some point break, that is an inevitability of mechanization. deereman

Posted 8/23/ 13:16 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: RE: When can you justify a brand new baler?

JColli do you have an ? My dad is looking to sell his New Holland BR baler. Has less than bales on it and always shedded. Located by Baldwin, Wis. Can deliver.

Edit was for location.

Edited by deereman 8/23/ 13:20

aussiebagger

Posted 8/23/ 20:28 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: RE: When can you justify a brand new baler?

Adelaide Hills, South Australia

I haven't been able to justify a new baler. When buying I look at how many bales are left in the machine not how many it has done. We bought a Krone about 10 years ago so my wife could bale the baleage while I wrapped them. We sold the old Hesston privately which we had for 20 years and it had done 5-10k when we bought it so it had done well in excess of 25k bales. We needed a baler that operated well and was easy to drive. The Krone had 20K bales on it but new chains etc and still has 10 years left in it for us. Our amount of round bales changes every year currently. The price was right because we new its history and condition and they are less popular here so the price was less.

One thing this forum has taught me is that "here" machines don't have to be as special as we once thought they needed to be so thinking outside the square and buying something different can be a really good idea, and save you some $$

Couple of questions:
Do you like maintaining machines and repairing them or do you get someone else to do it?
Can you store it properly?
Does it bother you if it ain't new?
Are there other ways to get it done easier/ would the money be spent better elsewhere, like better rake, carting, or daily chores etc?
Could you work in with someone else to increase the use of the machine? We would cart and wrap for a guy who baled our baleage and the $ used to work out similar for us both till we grew our operation. JPT

Posted 8/23/ 21:44 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: RE: When can you justify a brand new baler?

Wow! billiet330

Posted 8/23/ 22:19 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: RE: When can you justify a brand new baler?

Jim - 8/22/ 23:01

jcolli140 - 8/22/ 20:23 I was planning on keeping an eye out this fall/winter for a 4x6 round baler with knives in it, in the 20k-25k range...

Before you spend $20-25,000 on a used baler with 10,000+ bales, you might consider putting a smaller amount of $$ down and buying a new one on a good, long term/low interest dealer financing program.  It works when needed, no repairs for a LONG time, you will get a good portion of your money back if you ever decide to sell it with your relatively low annual bale count.

Regardless of how many or few bales you make per year, a baler is a piece of equipment that has to work when you need it. Used balers are generally really beat up unless you know one coming up from a neighbor etc...

So spend double that to bale 500 bales per year?? You must have far too much excess cash laying around jreiser

Posted 8/23/ 22:36 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: RE: When can you justify a brand new baler?

nc Ne

nc Ne

I bought a new one few years ago , can it be justified probably not . Nothing worse to me though when hay is ready to put up and something breaks down. Should really have 2 balers to make it work right . Have thought about going back to stacking hay , cheap way to put up hay . billiet330

Posted 8/23/ 23:06 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: RE: When can you justify a brand new baler?

For 500 bales? AGDEAL

Posted 8/24/ 07:26 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: RE: When can you justify a brand new baler?

Illinois

Read my post below. If I met the criteria I would do the same as jim. rollinsorchards

Posted 8/24/ 07:54 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: RE: When can you justify a brand new baler?

Garland Maine

Somethings I think about:

Is a good used one almost as much cost as a new one?

How does each cash flow? You can sometimes finance new stuff for a better deal than used, sometimes not.

Do I know enough about that machine to spot somebody's abuse or headache that they traded off?

I sell some hay and feed some to my own cows. I sort of figure that $1 per square bale I sell can pay for equipment, either repairs or replacement. So if I make 10,000 bales a year and spend $3,000 in repairs and maintenance I budget myself $7,000 to spend towards equipment overhaul or acquisition. Now I don't always spend that, but it gives me a top end of my budget. If I was making payments that would give me $500 a month to split between tractors, mower, and baler. My last square baler was used, but not old, and well maintained, about 2/3rds the price of new. I figured 25 cents per bale over 5 years would pay for it.

With your $20k round baler 500 bales per year over 5 years will cost you roughly $4 to $5 per bale for the baler. It will probably outlast that by a significant amount, but it is something to think about.

Posted 8/24/ 08:14 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: RE: When can you justify a brand new baler?

Nc Ks.

My uncle and jointly own an old 535 JD and bale 500-700 between the two of us. Generally if we look it over good at the beginning of the season, about the only trouble repair we have to do is replace a bent pick-up tooth. I did have a bearing go out just last week but that's the first one in several years. So before next season we will pull the belts and check all bearings and replace some. It is an aggravation when it breaks and rain is coming, but around here now, late model used ones cost a lot and are still prone to breakdowns. Not like our first baler we did buy new, a Vermeer 504 for $.00. I'd buy another new one for that price, lol.









4 cih

Posted 8/24/ 08:37 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: RE: When can you justify a brand new baler?

WI

jcolli140 - 8/22/ 20:23

I was planning on keeping an eye out this fall/winter for a 4x6 round baler with knives in it, in the 20k-25k range. I'm just wondering how those of you who buy brand new justify it, if you say you need X amount of bales per year or whatever. Ill be making 500+ per year between dry hay, baleage, straw, and maybe a little stalks if I'm short on straw. Right now I hire my baleage and straw made, but I bale dry with my dad's Gehl that he bought new in . Let's just say it is not breaking any records eating up the hay lol. Im almost certain I'm going to go with a Kuhn baler due to dealer and from reviews I've read. There are a few that are getting near 10k bales in that price range, but I've heard the early ones had bearing issues in the upper roller, and a new one is pushing 40k. Anyways, what is everyone's magic number for justifying a new baler? Thanks

Short answer; When you want it , can afford it and are not worried about the gossip.

AGDEAL - 8/23/ 06:34Short answer; When you want it , can afford it and are not worried about the gossip.

Winner jcolli140

Posted 8/24/ 09:36 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: RE: When can you justify a brand new baler?

SC Wisconsin

Yes I thought it was in my profile but I was wrong. It's there now jcolli140

Posted 8/24/ 09:40 (# - in reply to #)
Subject: RE: When can you justify a brand new baler?

SC Wisconsin

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Thank you everyone for all the great replies, definitely gives me something to think about. I think I will atleast get some prices and financing options from a dealer or 2 just for consideration. Really I would like to find one with a low bale count and let someone else take the depreciation from new.