Round Baler recommendation

r4110

I'm looking at upgrading my round baler and was looking for peoples opinions on a good machine for around 10k. I have a welger rp200 for the last 16 years and it has served me well but its only twine tie.
The balers i would be looking at are the welger rp220 and 235, krone 1250 and a john deere 578. is there any other baler i should be looking at that falls within my budget and can anyone with experience of these recommend one over the other?

tanko

McHale balers are very popular, i'd be considering them also.

davidk1394

Krone is a very troublesome baler. John Deere is good baler but the gearbox on them is poor. Had a Lely 220 here up till last year. A powerful machine but their all shoving on now. A neighbour bought a 220 profit bit its giving awful trouble with electrics. Could you come up a few years ?

GrasstoMilk

davidk1394 wrote: »

Krone is a very troublesome baler. John Deere is good baler but the gearbox on them is poor. Had a Lely 220 here up till last year. A powerful machine but their all shoving on now. A neighbour bought a 220 profit bit its giving awful trouble with electrics. Could you come up a few years ?

Have an 02 krone 1250 here and think it's a super baler. Pulled her out of the shed a few weeks back. Greased and oiled here and she started making bales not a bother. Still makes them at 750 kg

White Clover

r4110 wrote: »

I'm looking at upgrading my round baler and was looking for peoples opinions on a good machine for around 10k. I have a welger rp200 for the last 16 years and it has served me well but its only twine tie.
The balers i would be looking at are the welger rp220 and 235, krone 1250 and a john deere 578. is there any other baler i should be looking at that falls within my budget and can anyone with experience of these recommend one over the other?

They're all good balers but finding a good one of any of them will be the tricky bit.

davidk1394

GrasstoMilk wrote: »

Have an 02 krone 1250 here and think it's a super baler. Pulled her out of the shed a few weeks back. Greased and oiled here and she started making bales not a bother. Still makes them at 750 kg

Neighbour had one and it kept giving trouble. I suppose its how their looked after. Another fella I know has a Lely and he hates it

freedominacup

r4110 wrote: »

I'm looking at upgrading my round baler and was looking for peoples opinions on a good machine for around 10k. I have a welger rp200 for the last 16 years and it has served me well but its only twine tie.
The balers i would be looking at are the welger rp220 and 235, krone 1250 and a john deere 578. is there any other baler i should be looking at that falls within my budget and can anyone with experience of these recommend one over the other?

A good contractors machine owned and operated by him is your best option. I rang contractor on Tuesday to book him for today. Confirmed arrangements yesterday, he said he'd be here at lunchtime today, his driver rang me at 12.15 to check where we were starting and he was baling at one.

I'd be a good few years baling before I'd have the 10k back on the baler nevermind carrying other machinery to do the rest of the job or dealing with the attendant hassles of doing the work myself.

r4110

The mchale might be a bit out of my price range for a good one and probability the rp235 too. I know of a good welger rp220 that is farmer owned for most of its life but at 9k it might be expensive. does anyone know what the main difference is between the rp235 and rp220 is it a camless reel?
The krone looks like a good option
i understand i would be a long time making the 10k back but ive always done my own silage and now that i'm retired its actually someting to look foward to

J.O. Farmer

freedominacup wrote: »

I'd be a good few years baling before I'd have the 10k back on the baler nevermind carrying other machinery to do the rest of the job or dealing with the attendant hassles of doing the work myself.

Would you save €2 a bale with your own baler when you take the cost of a contractor doing the baling.
Subtract from that money for netting, diesel, wear and tear and repairs on both the baler and tractor including time spent getting parts and fixing them and the wage per hour of lads doing baling at a minimum for your own time. You might not have the 2 euro. That's 5,000 bales to make back €10k.
As you say after that you need the wrapper and you'll probably mow yourself too.

Oh yeah don't forget that the €2 is tax deductible when you give it to the contractor but taxable when you keep it yourself.

r4110

I've always done my own silage and always will while able to. Its not really about saving money I enjoy doing it. you cant bring the money to the grave

patsy_mccabe

Is it true that the McHale Balers are now made in Turkey? Only the Fusions are still made in Mayo.

J.O. Farmer

r4110 wrote: »

I've always done my own silage and always will while able to. Its not really about saving money I enjoy doing it. you cant bring the money to the grave

Sorry I wasn't really getting at you shouldn't do it. I was more expanding on freedoms post on how long to make back the cost.
If it was all about money I wouldn't be involved in farming at all. If doing your own silage is something you enjoy then fair play to you.

maidhc

J.O. Farmer wrote: »

Would you save €2 a bale with your own baler when you take the cost of a contractor doing the baling.
Subtract from that money for netting, diesel, wear and tear and repairs on both the baler and tractor including time spent getting parts and fixing them and the wage per hour of lads doing baling at a minimum for your own time. You might not have the 2 euro. That's 5,000 bales to make back €10k.
As you say after that you need the wrapper and you'll probably mow yourself too.

Oh yeah don't forget that the €2 is tax deductible when you give it to the contractor but taxable when you keep it yourself.

I have baled my own silage since 1996.

Machinery Costs :

John Deere 575, bought 2012: €5,000
Kvernland Wrapper, bought 1996: €2,000
Deere 1360 Mower, bought 2013: €6,000
Yearly Maintenance: €1,000
Ford 550 digger, bought 1991: €4,000

Ford 4600 x2
New Holland Ts115

Knocked out 300 top class bales last weekend when every contractor was up the walls. I'd say €300 diesel was the outside of what was burnt. And I liked it.

visatorro

Would agree with freedom. Saying that I see know lads that have brothers and uncle's that seem to drop all To go at silage for the week. Never happen here.
Seen alot of mchales on my travels during the good week. Must be something to the volume's they sell. See a post about them being made in Turkey which would be disappointing because a lot of their sales pitch is about being an Irish machine

davidk1394

r4110 wrote: »

The mchale might be a bit out of my price range for a good one and probability the rp235 too. I know of a good welger rp220 that is farmer owned for most of its life but at 9k it might be expensive. does anyone know what the main difference is between the rp235 and rp220 is it a camless reel?
The krone looks like a good option
i understand i would be a long time making the 10k back but ive always done my own silage and now that i'm retired its actually someting to look foward to

The 235 has bigger bearings but still has a cam track on the pick up. McHale 5500 and 5600 are made in Hungary

fanmanad

A good rp220 profi on 50mm bearing shafts would still be a great baler but not easy to get with a low bale count. Would put them ahead of a 235 especially if grass was wet. Don't know much about the rest but McHale seem popular

r4110

thanks lads for the replies. is there anything in particular to check out on the rp220s?

Panch18

Bakers have come down a lot in value over the last year

10-12k gets you a fine baler now with low bale count

Country is full of round balers, it's actually hard to shift them

davidk1394

r4110 wrote: »

thanks lads for the replies. is there anything in particular to check out on the rp220s?

Check the axles for rust, around the pick up to see if the fella who owned it was a rough operator. One thing we got caught with on our baler was the drive chain for the rollers on the back door. It got loose and bent the tensioner and wore a hole around it. Just have a good look at chains and particularly that one

emaherx

maidhc wrote: »

I have baled my own silage since 1996.

Machinery Costs :

John Deere 575, bought 2012: €5,000
Kvernland Wrapper, bought 1996: €2,000
Deere 1360 Mower, bought 2013: €6,000
Yearly Maintenance: €1,000
Ford 550 digger, bought 1991: €4,000

Ford 4600 x2
New Holland Ts115

Knocked out 300 top class bales last weekend when every contractor was up the walls. I'd say €300 diesel was the outside of what was burnt. And I liked it.

Very similar situation here too Maidhc, also just going to add flexibility of time allows for proper wilting and grass cut / baled at the right time not on the schedule of a contractor who just wants to get in and out in the quickest time possible. (can't blame them they need to make money but....)

On the flip side own machinery is not for everyone as maintenance is where most lads struggle. You need to be able to maintain machines yourself and maintain them well or they will turn to scrap very quickly.

r4110

J.O. Farmer wrote: »

Sorry I wasn't really getting at you shouldn't do it. I was more expanding on freedoms post on how long to make back the cost.
If it was all about money I wouldn't be involved in farming at all. If doing your own silage is something you enjoy then fair play to you.

Thats true. I'm a secondary school teacher so it gives me something to do with the 2 months off in the summer

lakill Farm

r4110 wrote: »

Thats true. I'm a secondary school teacher so it gives me something to do with the 2 months off in the summer

Don't you have 3 months off ? June July August ?

My OH is primary and she finished up on Friday just gone. 9 weeks. Have thought of sending her off contracting

lakill Farm

r4110 wrote: »

Thats true. I'm a secondary school teacher so it gives me something to do with the 2 months off in the summer

Don't you have 3 months off ? June July August ?

My OH is primary and she finished up on Friday just gone. 9 weeks. Have thought of sending her off contracting