Square baler for hobby farm?

We've got about 10 acres that we are going to start square bailing. Looking for advice on which baler would be a good choice that can be found easy and not break the bank. Don't have to be Allis.

My neighbor and I have about 30-35 acres between us to bale. I bought a Rotobaler (worked when parked) a few years ago but have struggled with getting it to stop tying the bale. It has other issues as well. Last year my neighbor found a really nice NH 275 for $2500. It was in exceptionally nice shape, so we promptly broke it. Turned out to be just a bearing in the sweep arm so not too bad. We baled our second cutting with it last summer and it never missed a beat. Knotters are pretty straightforward to set up. I still haven't forgiven him for destroying my dream of having an Allis square baler but have to grudgingly admit that the 275 works really well. Someone told me the 275 is the same as the 273, but with more teeth in the pickup (Super Sweep?).
Evidently not made for baling heavy straw though, we broke the needles on the first bale. Rotobaler to the rescue!
cheers,
Creek

Had a JD 14T, sold it for $600 if I remember right about fifteen years ago. Great baler, springs and restrictor plates were all I ever touched on it!

Okay thanks guys this will give me somewhere to start

NEW HOLLAND, they are tried and try,,

I have a nice 276 New Holland twine tie, will take 2500 for it, located Eastern Kansas

Funny I grew up with a JD my uncles couldn't keep that knotting for anything we had several different JD late 80s early 90s. When I started baling hay I got a NH 565 too big for what you have but it as the same knotters as the smaller NH. Anyway i have much better luck with this baler. The knotters just don't hang up on the bill hook the way we always fought with the JD. Maybe my uncles didn't know how to setup knotters I don't know but my uncle bales for me some and he told me he has never seen a baler run as well as this NH does. For me it was all about parts JD parts are expensive and hard to get here. Look for the parts dealer or online first then look at the baler... I think either JD or NH will work ok. I like the bill hook better on the NH don't know how to explain it but the geometry is slight different and seems to work better here. The JD feed might be better with light hay but if you have heavy hay the NH works great.

Gary Burnett wrote: I bought an Oliver 62-T at auction last Summer and baled about 200 bales with it and it did a real good job makes a nice tight consistent bale.Gave $200 for it. Pulled it with my D15.

Nice tight consistent bales are not something Oliver balers are typically known for.   You must have gotten a good one.

On that old Oliver baler make sure that you do not forget and engage the PTO while the hitch is swung to go through a gate because if you do you won't  be doing any more baling until you pull the plunger out and get the severely bent plunger rod straightened.   Been there done that!



 




Edited by VAfarmboy - 07 Apr 2017 at 11:50pm

we used a new holland 66 that was converted to use a tractor pto instead of the motor on top the baler. paid 400 for baler and side delivery hay rake the both worked good.  about every 20 bales it might miss a knot on the left side, not bad for a baler made when the dinosaurs roamed the earth.  we baled about 20 or so acres with it.

just be careful how tight ya crank them pieces in the back that adjust how heavy your bales are.  I was in a hurry cranked them down and took off through the field, it dropped bale after bale perfect, about 20 or so bales in it wouldn't tie a bale for crap.... jumped off the tractor cursing and swearing only to find it took two of us to heave them bales on the truck....loosened them up a bit and all was good.

EDIT:  if ya get a baler make sure ya watch walking around it when it's running.  the 66 had a 2x6 board that would fly out the side of it, I'd imagine it'll leave a heck of a mark if it smacked ya in the hip!!!





Edited by dt1050 - 08 Apr 2017 at 5:25am

I've been running a 273 for about 3 years now and all I've had to do is grease it and add string. Not fast but hard to beat

I would go for a deere or NH only cause the parts I have have been around an IH 47 I think it was (P.O.S worn out rigged together ) and a massey 12 I like the 12 a lot parts are a #^*,$ and cost a ton (only good dealer is about 60 miles away vs deere 5 miles away) but it sure gobbles hay nicely for its age and price. Then again just my $0.02

7 or 8 years ago I gave 600 bucks for a NH 270. I've baled thousands of bales with nothing more than grease and twine. Only dislike is the short tongue which makes sharp turns impossible. A 271 is the same baler with the long tongue and sectioned PTO shaft. 

I've never experienced it but I've heard a plugged auger on a JD is a SEVERE PIA. Yes a plug is from operator error instead of machine fault but still it happens.

Let's not forget he's baling 10 acres, not 500. The high capacity balers are probably more than he wants to spend and require more HP. A 68 to 273 or JD 14T or 24T would be just fine and affordable.

cottonpatch looks like you got the same deal i got on the baler. i bought mine and it was still in a create and i had to put it together. nearly everywhere around here they was 20+ for the baler my cusin bought one for 15 maybe somewhere off from here. mine come all the way from north or south Carolina the balers was going to be shipped outa country but the economy tanked where they was sending them and they was stuck with them me and another man each bought one. wish i had the 5060 but i wouldnt have got the deal like that