What is the least amount of tractor power needed for round baler

raher1

Just think I would buy a second hand round baler,just wondering I have 75 hp 2 wd tractor is that enough.

RaggyDays

You`d run a non chopper baler on good ground with it. Something like a claas 46 standard twine baler. The tractor would struggle to do silage for you especially if your ground was hilly or heavy mud

grazeaway

you would struggle with any of the modern type chopper balers. It could be done on flat land but you would need to go very slow and with small rows. TBH if your going to do silage bales you need a chopper baler. and you'll need about 100hp min to do that comfortablly.

how much baling were you planning on doing? If you were planning on doing any contracting then you would defo need a chopper baler and a bigger tractor.

I you were planning on doing your own then maybe hire in a lad with a baler and do the wrapping your self, or else hire in a tractor for the day to drive the baler. A neighbour of mine does that, the only time he needs an extra tractor is for the silage, as he said it would be mostly parked up for the rest of the year, does 2 maybe 3 bigish cuts every summer so will in in a tractor for those days, if he is doing just a single paddock he'll do the balign 1st then use the same tractor to bring in the bales for wrapping.

Sam Kade

I tried baling with a weldger rp12 on ford 4600 and failed. A 4600 is around 64hp. You would want at least 100hp. Years ago they used 135s with krone balers as they only had chain and slat instead of rollers. Don't buy a chain and slat baler as it will break your heart.

reilig

Plenty of people still running Krone balers on MF 165's around here. I know 2 brothers who run one on a MF565, making 1500 bales per year. The baler never misses a beat and they make great bales. I have been around plenty of Krone chain and slat balers and would consider them to be very reliable!

Wrapped bales from a McHale F550 over the weekend - baling out of 30ft swarts that were raked ahead of the baler. Maybe it was the driver, but the bales were a disaster. Poorly packed - more like swiss rolls than bales. very hard to keep on the wrapper table at any more speed than ticking over! Certainly the krone bales with the 565 contain 25% more grass!

maidhc

Sam Kade wrote: »

I tried baling with a weldger rp12 on ford 4600 and failed. A 4600 is around 64hp. You would want at least 100hp..

So did I. It would stall before the bale was formed!

Mind you I did a good bit of baling with a Zetor 6340 (7245), and it was fine, if a little down on power.

revsperminute

Hi Reilig.. What your saying about the raking of grass ahead of the balers.. getting the same complaint down around my way.. A farmer i do the pit for with the wagon was complaining about hes soft bales after the baler contractor raked two 10 foot swarts together before the baler... they were baled with a McHale F550 and a New Holland TM170... Made 50 bales, wraping in the field as it was next to the yard.. had 20 brought in went for some thing to eat came back and the rest were like swiss roles.. very hard to bring in and he bursted at least 10 with the bale lifter..

The other was a farmer with a different contractor that makes about 300 bales a year, was happy last year with the quality of the bales, no raking ahead of the baler... contractor bought a rake this year and raked ahead of the baler.. same baler and tractor.. Class baler and Valtra... 405 bales this year.. and reakons they are like swiss roles as well and very soft...

The grass was dry and wilted in both instances. Raking ahead of a baler to make silage bales seems not to be a good job, or what do ye reakon the problem is..

vanderbadger

reilig wrote: »

Plenty of people still running Krone balers on MF 165's around here. I know 2 brothers who run one on a MF565, making 1500 bales per year. The baler never misses a beat and they make great bales. I have been around plenty of Krone chain and slat balers and would consider them to be very reliable!

Wrapped bales from a McHale F550 over the weekend - baling out of 30ft swarts that were raked ahead of the baler. Maybe it was the driver, but the bales were a disaster. Poorly packed - more like swiss rolls than bales. very hard to keep on the wrapper table at any more speed than ticking over! Certainly the krone bales with the 565 contain 25% more grass!

30ft is alot for a baler but he must have had the density set low if he was making soft bales or else something up with baler, i find a big swarth actually facilitates making a better bale, that said i think 20ft is enough

Irishmale

I had a 6320 tested at 110 hp on a 578 chopper baler and was not enough for silage and only just enough for hay. Had to get more material in the bale to make a good one while travelling much slower then the bigger tractor beside me.

Irishmale

I had a 6320 tested at 110 hp on a 578 chopper baler and was not enough for silage and only just enough for hay. Had to get more material in the bale to make a good one while travelling much slower then the bigger tractor beside me.

reilig

vanderbadger wrote: »

30ft is alot for a baler but he must have had the density set low if he was making soft bales or else something up with baler, i find a big swarth actually facilitates making a better bale, that said i think 20ft is enough

3 x 10ft swarts he was putting together.

I wrapped the bales from the same baler in the same field last year and they were as McHale bales should be. Don't think he has changed any settings on the baler since then. Suits the contractor to make as many bales as possible but the farmer wasn't too happy to see that his MF375 2wd could lift 2 bales at a time :eek:

nashmach

A lot of silage being cut this year is short and quite leafy and no matter what that is difficult to get into a hard compacted bale that won't sag.

No excuse though for a bale to be like a Swiss Roll though.....

As for the OP's question, first year we made silage, a 82hp Deutz was baling with a Claas Rollant 46 - she knew it was there but nice and steady and good solid bales.

maidhc

Irishmale wrote: »

I had a 6320 tested at 110 hp on a 578 chopper baler and was not enough for silage and only just enough for hay. Had to get more material in the bale to make a good one while travelling much slower then the bigger tractor beside me.

That doesn't make sense. 110hp is loads!.

I run a 575 with a NH TS115 (100hp), and it has no bother at all with it.

raher1

Irishmale wrote: »

I had a 6320 tested at 110 hp on a 578 chopper baler and was not enough for silage and only just enough for hay. Had to get more material in the bale to make a good one while travelling much slower then the bigger tractor beside me.

I think your tractor is not firing on all cylinders Irish male.

1chippy

I have to agree with nashmach. i took out a few bits of strong grazing and the man on the baler who is very good. told me to get them moved fast as the bales made with soft grass sags very quick. he was right but nothing too extreme.

raher1

1chippy wrote: »

I have to agree with nashmach. i took out a few bits of strong grazing and the man on the baler who is very good. told me to get them moved fast as the bales made with soft grass sags very quick. he was right but nothing too extreme.

That make no sense!

reilig

raher1 wrote: »

That make no sense!

Short grass baled sags fast. So does second cut. Although there's not much first cut short grass out there at this time of year - mostly old meadow.

yellow50HX

raher1 wrote: »

That make no sense!

bales with very leafy grass will sag after a while, its best to wrap and stack them as soon as you can before they start to lose shape. if you are slow to do so they can break when being transported, worse if they have been wrapped and the plastic bursts. this is a big draw back for bales that are wrapped in the field. you really notice it in fields that have been reseeded or are from 2nd cuts. the strong stalky grass binds the bales and helps keep the shape