Minimum size Massey to lift round bales of silage?

patjack

Hi all, as the title says: What is the minimum size Massey that could be used to feed silage bales?

I say Massey because we have a Massey dealer nearby who we usually deal with.

We are looking to buy an old Massey 165 or the likes, smaller if possible although I don't think smaller will lift the bales. It's for a yard 5 miles from home house.

The bales are made with a McHale F550 baler. Bales would only be moved a hundred yards from where they are to shed.

Is the MF165 the minimum size Massey for the job?

Farrell

patjack wrote: »

Hi all, as the title says: What is the minimum size Massey that could be used to feed silage bales?

I say Massey because we have a Massey dealer nearby who we usually deal with.

We are looking to buy an old Massey 165 or the likes, smaller if possible although I don't think smaller will lift the bales. It's for a yard 5 miles from home house.

The bales are made with a McHale F550 baler. Bales would only be moved a hundred yards from where they are to shed.

Is the MF165 the minimum size Massey for the job?

I'd say 188/690/390 minimum, the rest could be too light on the front if you have any incline.
The 675 is the exception, with the small back tyres, it has a good weight distribution

Jb1989

patjack wrote: »

Hi all, as the title says: What is the minimum size Massey that could be used to feed silage bales?

I say Massey because we have a Massey dealer nearby who we usually deal with.

We are looking to buy an old Massey 165 or the likes, smaller if possible although I don't think smaller will lift the bales. It's for a yard 5 miles from home house.

The bales are made with a McHale F550 baler. Bales would only be moved a hundred yards from where they are to shed.

Is the MF165 the minimum size Massey for the job?

You'd get away with a 165 at the minimum for moveing bales in winter a few hundred yards,
Any kind of weight on the front would be great,
Just make sure the lift, has good pressure,, anything under the minimum, she'll lift and then drop,
But don't be relying to stack freshly wrapped bales in the summer, one drop and plastic ripped, you wouldn't mind that in the winter,
Because drawing a lot of wraps in the summer, the oil heats up and lift messes about, but that won't happen with 2 or 3 bales a night over the winter,
I useing a 168 for wintering with bales and I'm happy.

ganmo

Dad fed silage with a 65 for years, still gets brought out when making silage but did rear up goin up slopes at speed

smokey-fitz

ganmo wrote: »

Dad fed silage with a 65 for years, still gets brought out when making silage but did rear up goin up slopes at speed

Due to the pure power of course. OP could always get some front weights for the 165 anyway, not a big deal but make sure it has power steering. An old tractor with no power steering and front weights would be torture on yourself.

limerick farmer

It depends on the bales if they are made wet the 165 may not be good enough. where they are stored as well. if on concrete or hard core the 165 should be ok

emaherx

Why are you looking for smaller than a 165, because if it is price, smaller Massey's (135/145) go for more and will not be much use for feeding silage. 500 or 600 series Massey's go for small money but cabs will probably be full of tin worm.

Or perhaps an industrial model with loader may suit? Your main dealer may not have all parts available, but should have most especially for clutch models.

Miname

If your buying something older and just for bales id search around rather than buying a massey just because the dealer is down the road, an older 885 international could be picked up pretty handy and they have a great lift on them .

Jb1989

Miname wrote: »

If your buying something older and just for bales id search around rather than buying a massey just because the dealer is down the road, an older 885 international could be picked up pretty handy and they have a great lift on them .

Or a Zetor.......

mickdw

Any tractor will handle a round bale around a yard.
A 165 would be more than good enough.
It would be silly to go buying smaller but if it was a case of having a 135 sitting there, you could even use that.
I see my uncle aged 70 handling bales with his 135 and you would be amazed what he can do with it.
I think alot of the skill had been lost with the large tractors now.
We use a zetor 6211 and its perfect for the job tbh.

Jb1989

mickdw wrote: »

Any tractor will handle a round bale around a yard.
A 165 would be more than good enough.
It would be silly to go buying smaller but if it was a case of having a 135 sitting there, you could even use that.
I see my uncle aged 70 handling bales with his 135 and you would be amazed what he can do with it.
I think alot of the skill had been lost with the large tractors now.
We use a zetor 6211 and its perfect for the job tbh.

The art of learning to steer a small 2wd drive with the side brakes is lost to the young people

mickdw

Jb1989 wrote: »

The art of learning to steer a small 2wd drive with the side brakes is lost to the young people

I honestly think so to a point.

Jb1989

mickdw wrote: »

I honestly think so to a point.

Aw without a doubt
There's no driveing on the new yokes apart from needing a degree in buttons,
The old yolks took skill

rushvalley

Jb1989 wrote: »

The art of learning to steer a small 2wd drive with the side brakes is lost to the young people

Some of us young lads can steer with the brakes 😂😠drawing bales with a 135 takes skill

Farmer Pudsey

If you are buying you need a tractor that is over 65hp. A 2 WD will be fine and there are great to turn around a yard. I have a MF 675 and use it all the time with bales however rust is a huge issue with them.. Would not get hung up on make, Case, Zetor, Fiat, Ford etc. If I was looking for such a tractor I be looking that one done up for tractor runs. Some of these tractors are quite reasonable. Your budget will decide a lot on what you can afford.

selectamatic

Going back as far as 165's and the likes could be a bit of a false economy as many tractors of that age are on the up in price. Really the dealer being near ye wouldn't make much difference for an "older" tractor if it was a new Massey then ya but a tractor over 30 years not so much. Tractors from the late 70's and early 80's might be better suited. 885xl 2wd would be a solid choice but a good one could still be pricey enough. Fiats and masseys from the 80's are still too dear for what they are. A small 2wd with a loader is a serious job for bales as ya can have the bucket half full of gravel for a weight and she'll never rear up, down side is if ya baled in wet conditions you'd plough before ya! Any one ya hear giving out about 2wd tractors and loaders are usually too lazy to take the loader off when doing proper field work in testing conditions. A 165 isn't that great of a tractor if you get the wrong one! 212 engine and square axle is the best by a mile but many are smaller engined round axle ones and these just aren't as good. Db 995/6 1210 would be better but cabs are poor, ford 4000 are solid aswell but dear. The Zetor crystals are fair tractors and I think the very last of them have 40k boxes so they could be your best value for money. Ursus also do a version but be wary as some parts differ and are harder to get. A few other zetors worth looking at too, Ford 4600, ih 674/574, db1390/1490 (a 1494 or 1410/12 are the holy grail but super hard to find and dear too) Massey 690 (love to rust), fiat 880 but a cheap one will be rough, Jd 50 series but usually way over priced, air cooled same's and lambroghini's, even leylands have their merits especially the 272 just make sure whatever you get has good mechanicals and tidy enough tinwork also power steering is a help but make sure it's working faultlessly as issues can be awkward and expensive depending on make and model. (My personal hidden gem that are usually cheap/overlooked = case/ih 885 with a stockman cab some of them have a 40k box too! It's just I could never see myself buying one over an xl cab as they are just so much nicer.) whatever you do explore all possibilities as said not all 165's are equal. Also reverse can solve a lot of rearing up problems if your only stacking in a field and weights/a loader will solve them too.
Also in relation to the original post you would work bales with a 135 if your used to smaller tractors and how to get the best out of them. However 135's are in general dearer than bigger tractors so it's not really worth your while.

Jimlh86

We have a 240 that feeds silage it hasn't let us down yet. Lovely tractor bit bouncy in front but does the job

Jimlh86

We have a 240 that feeds silage it hasn't let us down yet. Lovely tractor bit bouncy in front but does the job

4odh4n

MF148 here handles chopped round bales no problem!, usually 6 x 30kg weights up front to keep the nose down mind you!

jmrc

the 165 and the 135 I believe had the same hydraulic pump.... so the lift was the same, im lead to believe
We used a Dexta for a few years.. feeding ewes on the side of a hill.... was the best entertainment ever...
didn't much like the Mchale bales though so change was inevitable. picked up an Ursus for smaller money than 165's were going for.
agve it a good service, I think it cost 200yoyo and never looked back.

50HX

Jimlh86 wrote: »

We have a 240 that feeds silage it hasn't let us down yet. Lovely tractor bit bouncy in front but does the job

Ditto

just have spendin a few bob on a 240 & she's ready to go for winter feeding

as in previous posts once your able to use the side brakes then she's fine
any bales that are a bit wetter she rears up in the front but she's the grandest once you do most of the drivin in reverse:)

smokey-fitz

50HX wrote: »

Ditto

just have spendin a few bob on a 240 & she's ready to go for winter feeding

as in previous posts once your able to use the side brakes then she's fine
any bales that are a bit wetter she rears up in the front but she's the grandest once you do most of the drivin in reverse:)

Would you not just use the 50hx

50HX

smokey-fitz wrote: »

Would you not just use the 50hx

sure there'd be no fun in that;)

selectamatic

50hx should draw 2 fusion bales at a time not a bother to it there's some steel in them massey industrial loaders! was always a fan of the design of them too tipping rams in at the brackets along with the lifting rams was a great way of minimizing the distance oil has to travel.
Edit sorry was thinking of the 50ex I'm assuming the 50hx all have a back actor instead of lift arms and a pto

9935452

patjack wrote: »

Hi all, as the title says: What is the minimum size Massey that could be used to feed silage bales?

I say Massey because we have a Massey dealer nearby who we usually deal with.

We are looking to buy an old Massey 165 or the likes, smaller if possible although I don't think smaller will lift the bales. It's for a yard 5 miles from home house.

The bales are made with a McHale F550 baler. Bales would only be moved a hundred yards from where they are to shed.

Is the MF165 the minimum size Massey for the job?

If i was buying a tractor for what you are describing i would get a zetor 8011/8111 or ursus 912.
Its small enough and big enough for most jobs.
I have one at home and she draws 2 bales off a fusion with a double bale handler and 250kg or weights on the nose . a bit more when the bales get wet . The bale handler is home made and is designed to keep the bales as close to the tractor as possible .

Nekarsulm

You would nearly get a 2640 for the price of a restored 135....
Just saying....

Bullocks

Nekarsulm wrote: »

You would nearly get a 2640 for the price of a restored 135....
Just saying....

A fine lump of a tractor

Farmer Pudsey

Nekarsulm wrote: »

You would nearly get a 2640 for the price of a restored 135....
Just saying....

OP dose not need a 4WD tractor. he is feeding round bales in a yard. A two wheel tractor is the job for this. If he has a shed, I be looking at a 5 or 6 series Massy. A lot depends on his budget on whether he has 3-4K or 6-7K to spend.

The lock on a tractor (turning area) is more important than a lot of other issues if using around a yard. Hard to beat a MF for that especially 2WD ones.

Nekarsulm

Bullocks wrote: »

A fine lump of a tractor

Go hard or go home!
Euro per kilo, best value out there :-D

Bullocks

Nekarsulm wrote: »

Go hard or go home!
Euro per kilo, best value out there :-D

What are they like to drive comfort wise ? I always liked the look of them . There is a lad here that got one at an auction a few months ago and he is trying to kill it in rough ground with a pig of a dump trailer and I haven't seen him take any spanners to it yet !

Nekarsulm

Woefully underpowered for their appearant size. Take a big yard to turn in. But simple and fairly reliable. Very American inside, with a hand throttle like something out of a 747. And a gear lever like no other. Good old wagon if you like that sort of thing! ,
They are only around 110 hp. Great steady platform for a hedge cutter or saw.l