Mchale F550 round baler

coolio kidddd

well lads. interested in them f550, lots of talk about them but are they all that they are cracked up to be? im talking in terms of reliability and ease of maintenence and repair, are rollers easy to replace? are bearings easy to replace? does the netting system work well? is the pickup reliable? general questions and thoughts really. whats the maximum bale count realistecially before things need to be rebilt.....20k, 30k???.........and what would i be paying for decent one.
looking forward to yere input.
thanks

pajero12

coolio kidddd wrote: »

well lads. interested in them f550, lots of talk about them but are they all that they are cracked up to be? im talking in terms of reliability and ease of maintenence and repair, are rollers easy to replace? are bearings easy to replace? does the netting system work well? is the pickup reliable? general questions and thoughts really. whats the maximum bale count realistecially before things need to be rebilt.....20k, 30k???.........and what would i be paying for decent one.
looking forward to yere input.
thanks

Yes, Very reliable, Depends what you mean in terms of maintenance, You dont want to be replacing rollers, Bearings are the same as any other machine! Yep, never had problems with the netting, Pickup would be, yes! We replaced the chains, as they were all fúcked at about 20,000 bales! Cant say price as was bought new!

PureClaas

How do they behave in real dry straw?? Any problems with the bale not spinning in the chamber when its all shined up??

We have a 578JD and when dry straw or hay becomes a problem we can put on a belt kit, problem solved but the belt kit is hard on the net when dropping the bale out

beretta686s

very good baler the newer 1,s have no problem in short straw chains need replacing every 20000 baler cam bearing every season or 10000 baler rollers and chamber bearings give feck all trouble once the auto greaser is working properly net works very well makes a great hard bale are an animal to take in grass

PureClaas

Heard they were a glutten in 20ft swarths alrite, very disappointed with the JD in 20ft. A nightmare . Great in 10ft's tho.

hedgecutting eddie

PureClaas wrote: »

How do they behave in real dry straw?? Any problems with the bale not spinning in the chamber when its all shined up??

We have a 578JD and when dry straw or hay becomes a problem we can put on a belt kit, problem solved but the belt kit is hard on the net when dropping the bale out

have ur belts got a diamond pattern or is it a smooth belt was thinking putting them belts on my 578 one bale did stop turning this evening but it baled up again no probs ,wud a smooth belt b better on the net like,was a mchale bailing in same fileld prob older model one he was gettin trouble with de bale not turning but making a great bale and gud baler to take is stuff

PureClaas

Yeah there the diamond shaped belts alrite. Was baling silage earlier this year and didn't wanna take the belts out only to have to put them back in again cause its a rite pain, but i had to take em out anyway

The belts were busting bales for sport where the net sat on the belted roller for that split second on ejection

Swinefluproof

coolio kidddd wrote: »

well lads. interested in them f550, lots of talk about them but are they all that they are cracked up to be? im talking in terms of reliability and ease of maintenence and repair, are rollers easy to replace? are bearings easy to replace? does the netting system work well? is the pickup reliable? general questions and thoughts really. whats the maximum bale count realistecially before things need to be rebilt.....20k, 30k???.........and what would i be paying for decent one.
looking forward to yere input.
thanks

Have 30000 odd on a 550, all I've replaced are 2 bearings and pickup cam bearings every season. Has never given an ounce of bother. Threated it to a full set of diamond chains this year for the 1st time as it broke 2 links towards the end of last season. I'm picking up 30ft with it but have 130+ horses in front and it absolutely eats the stuff up. Bought new aswell so can't help you with cost. No problems with net at all once you keep it inside for the bad weather

PureClaas

Jaysus if my 578JD saw a 30ft it would detach itself from the tractor and run back to the yard and hide for the rest of the season lol

Swinefluproof

PureClaas wrote: »

Jaysus if my 578JD saw a 30ft it would detach itself from the tractor and run back to the yard and hide for the rest of the season lol

I know what you mean, ran a Deere for a season and it broke my heart. Wouldn't take 10s as quickly as the McHale took 20s.

Only thing I would say about the McHale is that once a chopping knife gets knocked down, by a stone etc, it can be troublesome enough to get back up into place if the roll/shear pin breaks inside

PureClaas

Ever bale shiny straw with it???

Swinefluproof

No, unfortunately not in a straw area

PureClaas

Ah rite, im very interested to find out how boys deal with straw not turning in the chamber with the JD ya just throw on the belts but ya have to take em off for silage again its a pain in the a$$

Might make up a new set of belts with a smoother surface or change it for a 550
if they were great here as they are in silage

vanderbadger

coolio kidddd wrote: »

well lads. interested in them f550, lots of talk about them but are they all that they are cracked up to be? im talking in terms of reliability and ease of maintenence and repair, are rollers easy to replace? are bearings easy to replace? does the netting system work well? is the pickup reliable? general questions and thoughts really. whats the maximum bale count realistecially before things need to be rebilt.....20k, 30k???.........and what would i be paying for decent one.
looking forward to yere input.
thanks

what about a welger, have you any interest in them? surely as good as the mchale and you have a main dealer there in clare so easy get parts etc

hedgecutting eddie

was bailing today beside a mchale im delighted now i didnt buy one , this one was making square looking bales in straw today and had to let out a nice few because they stopped turning in the chamber now i had to let out 2 but my deere 578 was makin alot nicer looking bales , i think welger is the next baler for me

hedgecutting eddie

PureClaas wrote: »

Ah rite, im very interested to find out how boys deal with straw not turning in the chamber with the JD ya just throw on the belts but ya have to take em off for silage again its a pain in the a$$

Might make up a new set of belts with a smoother surface or change it for a 550
if they were great here as they are in silage

are the back of them belts not smooth cud u not just turn them inside out like

PureClaas

Yeah your rite there, try'd to put em on that way first but it was a bitch, might be easier this time round after gettin a run.

Still wont make my JD take 20ft silage tho .

As for that McHale Hedgecutter in on about thats my fear when it comes to straw, and can ya put belts on them to cure that. I know my JD is as bad without the belts in shiny straw

Dunno how the Welger boys manage to get the bales spinning again after they stop in the chamber with them locks on the door Welger uses

murph87

PureClaas wrote: »

Yeah your rite there, try'd to put em on that way first but it was a bitch, might be easier this time round after gettin a run.

Still wont make my JD take 20ft silage tho .

As for that McHale Hedgecutter in on about thats my fear when it comes to straw, and can ya put belts on them to cure that. I know my JD is as bad without the belts in shiny straw

Dunno how the Welger boys manage to get the bales spinning again after they stop in the chamber with them locks on the door Welger uses

Same happened us with our jd578 with belts, would'nt bale very dry crisp straw there this year. There was rain forecast next day so i got a loan of the neighbours new f550, it flew through it, no belts on it. Far better grip on the f550 rollers. It will be a mchale baler next season.

thetiredfarmer

Same happened me with 578jd so I painted two bottom rollers with thick old shed paint left over from years ago,baled fresh barley straw to beat the band after that.Paint probably good for about 4-500 bales ? beats putting on and off belts! .
Still will probably go for McHale next time and make local dealer sit up and listen when I complain about JD's

valtra8150

there a great baler all right, we baught another one with 20000 bales on it this year nt a bit of trouble expect for the back roller but that was very easy to change. mchale say that if there looked after well then they will do 80000 bales without giving much trouble.