My "new" 303 baler w pics

Back on Memorial Day weekend I got my new to me Allis 303 wire tie baler hauled home.  I am the 3rd owner.  I bought it from Terry(MO) in Wentzville, MO who had bought it from the original owner in New Melle, MO.  Terry didn't use it and when he posted it for sale earlier this year I jumped at it.  I wanted a wire tie mainly for putting up wheat straw bales in storage for multiple years and not having to work about mice eating the twine.  I missed hay season on my place this year by about a week or else we would have tried it out on a little patch of clover & timothy.  I also want to teach my boys what hauling small squares was like when I was growing up so likely we'll bale about 50 bales each year.

The baler is in great shape and has little wear from what I can tell.  Paint still on the pickup and paint on all the chains.  I think the tires are originals (and will hold air).   It includes factory options like a jack, dual wheel on the bale chamber side (dustin tells me it the same as an all-crop dual), and the extended bale chute to reach a wagon.

I originally planned to tow it home about 120 miles but Terry talked me out of it and turns out it loads on a 18 foot car hauler fairly easy.  We put a couple pallets on the pick-up side and stuck that wheel out over the trailer bed past the fender.  But that wheel & spindle just bolts on so when you remove it it will fit flush with the trailer fenders.  This let me drive home down I-70 instead of the back roads.  Terry helped me load it with a big backhoe on the bale side and a skid loader on the pickup side using straps.  Once lifted we just backed the trailer under and set it down.  I also went overboard with two 3/8 chains and three 10K straps to cinch it down.  To unload, I did the reverse with my loader & forks on the 180 using two straps and just picked it up and drove the trailer out from underneath.

Here's some pics after loading at Terry's and then after unloading at the farm.  It's new resting place is my dad's old garage that later served as the chicken house for new chicks.  Without the dual on it tucks in with a few inches to spare on each side.   Mike













Wire twisters:


Pickup area


New home:

That is a nice find there,Mike! Looks dang good! I remember bucking many a bale of wire tied hay (not straw) when I was a kid. Heck,we only got payed .02 cents per bale when we helped the neighbors buck bales. You probably couldn't find too many young ones now-a-days to work for that! Guess that might be one of the reasons everyone went to round bales! LMAO! Good find!  Rick

I'm jealous!!! Thats one fine looking baler Mike!!! I hope to add one to my toybox someday. Ryan

Is baling wire available many places and wonder what it costs? Had a NH 269 wire baler some years back and the twisters looked exactly like like the ones on your 303. I really liked the wire bales in straw. Don't matter how long you store them-When you need them they are still bales and not a pile of loose straw. Good with your 303 baler--It looks great!!!! 

i have a 303 and a 302 both good bailers but mine are twine tie i use the green "rodent restsnt twine" and have good luck i cleaned the loft out last year and there was some 4yo straw and no broken string.i guess the stuf works.

Nice one! Just saw one like it today!

Charlie - always just used good leather gloves for wire bales, no hay hooks.  Hay hooks were for rotobaler bales from what Dad told me but I did see a new people use them to pull bales up stacking in barns.  But yes when I was a teen and hauled for people who liked to bale 100lb green bales, it hurt your hands.  Rick - I was rich - I got a nickel a bale!  Ky.allis - I think AC bought the knotters and wire twisters from New Holland for their balers.   Mike

Don(MO) wrote: Mike I think I can still remember how to load a hay wagon and no hay hooks for me.lol Call me the next time you bale and I'll try getting over to help load the wagon (or watch) you bale. I'm thinking there's one good wagon load of hay left in me! lmao Don

Yeah,Don...come on! Surely you can load more than one wagon of hay! I'll even sit back and count the bales for you! LMAO!  Rick

Boy...this is getting interesting! I'll run the video camera,but I don't know how it'll come out,since I'll probably be rolling on the ground laughing my ass off watching you old men load the wagons! LMAO!  Rick

We've had plow day & even a disc day...now we'll have a hay day!! LOL!

Now another comment to tell on myself.  Back in the day (early 80's) when I was an older teenager and hauled hay to make money, one of my friends and I gave ourselves nicknames....I was "Conan the BARNbarian" and he was "RamBALE", lol.  Can you tell what movies we'd seen?????  Mike

WHAT!!?? 50 bales a year to see what's it's like!!  Why you ball-busting son-of-a-youknowwhat(gotta tease you little). Try 6 dairy barns per year of hay bales!  That baler looks a darn good find.