What to Look for When Buying a Used Hay Baler

New Holland has a long history in the big square baler game, having launched its iconic D1000 four-stringer in 1987 and followed information technology upwards 6 years later with the equally popular D1010 – claimed to be the world'south first square baler with a silage-friendly chopper unit.

These first yellow-liveried (and later cherry) machines were developed and built at Zedelgem in Kingdom of belgium, but their success spurred the company on to gain traction in Due north America and, unsurprisingly, everything was that trivial fleck bigger on the other side of the pond.

In 1978, Hesston unveiled its debut big foursquare baler – a six-cord monster with a 120cm-wide, 127cm-tall chamber.

Run across likewise: Guide to ownership a used hill-sider combine

Confronting the European four-stringers that were starting to come out of the woodwork (well-nigh notably from Vicon and Welger) in the 1980s, these behemoths offered a significant step upwards in capacity.

A decade subsequently, the management at New Holland had bought into that thought, entering a marketing agreement with the Kansas-based large baler builder that was to last for iii decades, despite Agco taking buying of Hesston in 1991.

Alongside this rebadging arrangement for 4×4 Hesstons, New Holland's Zedelgem engineering team was likewise busily working away on its own Europe-specific five- and half dozen-stringers, albeit designed to produce flatter, rectangular-profile packages.

Introduced in 2001, the BB950 and BB960 were unusual in being v-string machines that pump out 120x70cm and 120x90cm bales, respectively.

With the assistance of its US partner, the company ended up with a pretty comprehensive line-up, from 80x70cm 4-stringers upward to 120x127cm Hesstons.

As a result, there is a wide range of second-hand options out there for anyone looking into used New Holland square balers.

To become some communication on what to wait out for on what are arguably some of the virtually popular machines in this area (alongside MF-branded Hesston products), we visited New Holland's leading UK hay and forage dealer Th White.

Overall condition is the first thing to take into business relationship and a baler that has manifestly spent a good bit of its life outdoors won't have fared well.

Although contractor-owned machines might have higher bale counts, they may well have received more thorough servicing.

Ideally, hitch the baler upward to a tractor with the control box, hydraulics and pto all continued to ensure everything is functioning every bit it should. Then work through the baler methodically, from front to dorsum.

PTO

The 2 shafts that transmit drive from the tractor to the flywheel and plunger gearbox take a hammering because of the angles they run at, as does the centre back up bearing.

Despite having a CV joint at the front finish, the vibration generated when turning tightly means the UJ bearings and shaft guards have a hard time.

It's not unusual to replace them every season, adding £400 to your annual running costs. Adjusting drawbar height to correctly friction match the tractor volition assistance reduce the strain.

Interestingly, switching to a ball-and-spoon hitch shortens the drawbar, bringing the front end CV articulation into line with the hitch pivot betoken.

Because they then swivel in line around the aforementioned axis, the vibration generated during headland turns isn't nearly so astute and, consequently, shafts and guards final much longer.

New Kingdom of the netherlands'south latest generation High Density balers utilize a mid-mounted stride-up gearbox to keep the shafts running direct as they change level from the tractor to the flywheel.

Gearbox

The main gearbox on these big balers is a beefy lump for a reason. They tend to be pretty bulletproof – TH White'southward main baler man Pete Francis hasn't replaced one in his 35 years of working on New The netherlands machines.

Packer drive clutch

The packer bulldoze clutch runs on a sealed begetting, which will probably fail at some point. The only way to diagnose whether it's on the way out is to run the baler up and listen carefully.

The clutch's phosphorus bronze friction plates tend to only wear out if the motorcar has done a lot of silage work and the first indicator of trouble will exist interrupted pick-up drive when nether load.

As a brusk-term measure out, any slack tin be taken up by packing out the clutch springs with washers.

The drive concatenation tensioner on a standard car uses a threaded adjuster with whorl spring damper.

On 'Packer Cutter' models at that place'south a bigger clutch pack with a rubber cake damper for the tensioner – frequently this doesn't provide enough requite and the chains have a tendency to snap if the baler is pushed besides hard.

Pick-up

While New Kingdom of the netherlands four-stringers are generally equipped with 1.96m-wide pick-ups, six-string models become either a two.23m- or ii.35m-wide unit of measurement.

These bigger pick-ups have a weak point, snapping the central shaft only inboard of the cam-bearings.

Bank check with a New Kingdom of the netherlands dealer to observe out whether the automobile in question has had the mod to replace the shaft with a beefier version (anything built within the last two years is likely to have been fitted with the more robust unit).

As well check for cracks where the selection-up cam bolts to the side plate, as this is frequently an surface area where fatigue tin can set in.

Stub augers

The lower set of augers that sweep material in from the outer edges of the choice-upwardly can shear off. This can upshot in some ugly damage to the packer tines – look out for botched repairs.

Typically, this is only an effect with four-stringers because the augers are required to sweep cloth into a much narrower channel than wider-chambered balers.

Packer

Snapped crank

The packer crankshaft comes nether heavy strain and can shear after two or three seasons' work (effectually 30,000 bales).

Information technology's a couple of days piece of work to fix, so is likely to make for a adequately hefty insurance claim. Annoyingly, without ten-raying every component information technology's pretty much impossible to know when it's likely to occur.

Rotor Cutter models introduced iii years ago have the benefit of a straight rotor shaft and therefore don't endure this issue. They're also reckoned to run 20-25% faster than standard versions.

Pre-chamber

There are a number of elements within the pre-sleeping room to check over. First up, be aware that the friction cloth on the stuffer restriction will tend to need replacing every 20,000 bales or so.

Grab hold of the stuffer trip cam linkage and check for play. It should be pretty tight, so if there's any slack then it's likely that the small shaft that the linkage pivots on has snapped.

It's an easy fix if caught early on, but if it drops out of its carrier it will cause the stuffer mechanism to seize.

At the peak finish of the pre-compression sleeping accommodation there'south a row of claw-similar retractable tines – belongings fingers – that maintain pressure on the pre-packed wad until they're prompted to trip out to permit fabric upwardly into the master chamber.

The return springs tin break but are uncomplicated to replace.

If the cross-shaft that these are mounted on has snapped, the baler will still run but information technology'll struggle to produce decent bale shapes.

Frustratingly, for quite a simple component information technology's not the easiest to change. Replacement will take two fitters three to four hours.

Plunger

The four main plunger roller bearings rarely give any issues so long as their supply of grease from the auto-lube arrangement isn't interrupted.

Check that all the pipes are connected and oasis't been snagged – escaped grease should make any leaks obvious but if there's any doubt, get the baler control box up and running and prompt it to run a examination wheel.

It's the same story for stuffer bushes and other components that rely on a regular supply of lube.

The fixed plunger knives can get knocked off by foreign objects and then cheque they're all withal intact and, likewise, the bandage points on the groovers that clear a path for the needles and strings.

If they're broken so you lot can expect plenty of miss-ties.

Similarly, positioned on the side walls right at the front end end of the bale chamber, the hay-canis familiaris wedges that agree the bale dorsum abroad from the needles will cause knotter issues if their springs accept snapped.

Up at the forepart of the bale sleeping room (right behind the gearbox) in that location's a load-prison cell that monitors bale density.

It has a threaded adjuster commodities that is used to calibrate the organization and this can shear, making it impossible to go the bale density prepare correct.

Needles

Other than looking for needles that have been snapped and botched back together with electric glue, the only matter to cheque is that the twine rollers run freely.

If the baler has done a lot of silage work then its bearings may fail, trapping strings and snapping them.

Knotters

New Holland large balers double knot each string. The knotters are industry standard Rasspe units that are pretty reliable.

First up, bank check that each of the bill-hook tongues is in place.

Then accept a look at the tucker finger plates – if the lug on the pinnacle left corner snaps off then the finger tin over-centre and break the terminate of the pocketknife arm off.

If any tucker finger springs are missing then it's likely that the knotter won't tie. Equally, look out for cleaved spring clips on the twine retainer, which volition take the same consequence.

Spec-savers

Aside from the obvious choices of bale size, in that location are a raft of options that volition have an bear upon on the second-manus value of large square balers:

Running gear – a tandem-beam baler will more often than not control a £3,500-£four,500 premium over a unmarried axle machine. Add passive rear steering and 560mm wide safe into the mix and you lot can expect to pay a further £ane,000-£2,000.
Bale weigher – load cells on the tailgate are a sought-subsequently extra, adding at least £2,000 to the toll tag.
Wet meter – coming in at over £2,000 new, await wet sensors to hike the price by at least £1,000.
Electronic bale length – although it's a squeamish-to-have feature, the extra complication of having in-cab adaptability of bale length means information technology won't add anything to the ticket price of a used auto.

What to pay?

There's no hard and fast rule for what yous should pay for used big balers, but it volition conspicuously depend on their age, bale count, spec and full general condition.

Here are a few examples of machines currently upwardly for sale or recently sold to give a guide, forth with commentary from independent Lincolnshire-based dealer George Starling.

New The netherlands BB9090 (equivalent to MF 2190)

New Holland BB9090

Yr: 2009
Bale count: 47,676
Bale size: 120x127cm, six-string
Extra spec: Roller tailgate
Guide price: £23,000-£27,000

Comments: Fairly depression bale count for the twelvemonth of manufacture.

The BB9090 offered a massive comeback in output and bale weight over the BB980 and MF 190, so examples such as this are often bought by harbinger contractors as a spare car to ease the pressure at harvest – meaning they might exist producing 4,000 rather than 10,000 bales/season.

Like virtually of this age, it has been welded under the knotters.

New Kingdom of the netherlands BB960

New Holland BB960

Year: 2000
Bale count: 68,551
Bale size: 120x90cm, five-string
Extra spec: Air brakes, bale ejector and roller tailgate
Guide price: £xiv,500-£16,500

Comments: Specially low bale count because the twelvemonth of industry and it appears in decent enough status, so will probably be quite capable of knocking out a couple of m bales a yr.

It'due south less money than an MF 187 of the aforementioned year and bale count, but will struggle to complete in output and bale weight.

New Holland BB1290

Twelvemonth: 2016
Bale count: xxx,000
Bale size: 120x90cm, six-string
Extra spec: Automatic greasing, two-piece roller chute, partial and full bale eject, bale weigher, moisture sensor
Guide cost: £53,000-£57,000

Comment: Good, solid baler, merely it won't match a high-density machine for bale weight in dry harbinger – something that is reflected in the price. Later 'Plus' models volition produce far denser bales.

New The netherlands BB890

Year: 2019
Bale count: 27,000
Bale size: 80x90cm, 4-string
Extra spec: Packer Cutter, automated greasing, ii-slice roller chute, partial and full bale eject
Guide price: £61,000-£65,000

Annotate: Bale count marginally below the average. New Holland 80x90cm balers are often the machine of choice for grass specialists as they consistently produce good-shaped bales with even density.

By comparison, early examples of the equivalent MF 2150 sometimes struggled to get enough grass in the peak of the bale.

There aren't many recent balers of this size on the second-paw market place, just the unmarried axle lets information technology downwards slightly.

New Holland D1010

Year: 1999
Bale count: 15,768
Bale size: 80x90cm, four-string
Actress spec: Silage kit, roller tailgate, bale ejector
Guide toll: £9,000-£12,000

Comments: A very abrupt example with no signs of excessive use, which goes some way to backing upwardly the incredibly low bale count.

The popularity of half dozen-string slab balers means it is getting harder to find tidy four-stringers, but the 80x90cm bale has a slight edge in the straw marketplace if someone specifically wants the smaller size flakes to spread past mitt.

The D1010 will hold its ain confronting an MF 185.

Instance 424RXL (exactly the same as a New Holland 1270)

Year: 2017
Bale count: twenty,600
Bale size: 120x70cm, six-cord
Extra Spec: 15-pocketknife rotor chopper, concatenation lube, wet meter, electrical bale length, weigher, rear photographic camera
Guide price: £48,000-£53,000

Comments: This example is fully loaded with everything bar air brakes.

It can't consistently friction match the bale weights produced past an MF 2260 (circa 400kg) in wheat straw, simply might cost £10,000-15,000 less for the same age and spec.

The 120x70cm size bale represents best value per cubic metre of cloth – almost comparable with high-density bales.

Wildcard – Fendt 1290NXD (equivalent to MF 2270XD)

Twelvemonth: 2021
Bale count: thirteen,106
Bale size: 120x90cm, six-string
Spec: Weigher, air brakes, 620/40 R22.5 tyres
Guide cost: £115,000-£130,000

Comments: Will make clean upwardly like new and this model withal has most of its 5-year, fifty,000-bale warranty intact (one-year warranty is standard).

It will comfortably brand a 500kg bale in wheat straw, but it needs a tractor of at least 250hp on the front end.

In that location'south a strong export market for this specific model, so examples are hard to detect.

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Source: https://www.fwi.co.uk/machinery/grassland-maize/balers-wrappers/tips-for-buying-a-second-hand-new-holland-square-baler