Cheap horsepower to run round Baler

Seanhorse91

Looking for a few recommendations for tractors that would run a chopper baler. Currently have a ford 7740 but could do with a few more horses. Only making 300/400 bales a year going handy.
Budget would be around 15k.
Would a 7840 be much of an improvement?

Who2

Seanhorse91 wrote: »

Looking for a few recommendations for tractors that would run a chopper baler. Currently have a ford 7740 but could do with a few more horses. Only making 300/400 bales a year going handy.
Budget would be around 15k.
Would a 7840 be much of an improvement?

Even an 8340 is under pressure. Something like a big old Renault, cheap and well fit to do the job, 150 hp minimum for any comfort

Butcher Boy

If you could pick up a good tw 15 a straight forward yoke she would drive a chopper baler no bother.my brother have one of them and its mighty for all the donkey work.

Seanhorse91

Who2 wrote: »

Even an 8340 is under pressure. Something like a big old Renault, cheap and well fit to do the job, 150 hp minimum for any comfort

Ya the uncle has an 8340 lovely machine and she's perfect for the bit of baling he does. The only issue is I don't want anything too big and cumbersome like a big aul 150hp tractor. Would 110/120hp do? I'd only have half a bank of knives up, around 10/11.

White Clover

Would your uncle do the baling for You?

yellow50HX

Seanhorse91 wrote: »

Looking for a few recommendations for tractors that would run a chopper baler. Currently have a ford 7740 but could do with a few more horses. Only making 300/400 bales a year going handy.
Budget would be around 15k.
Would a 7840 be much of an improvement?

Depends on your plan for the 7740. If your planning on spending 15k trade the 7740 and get a ts115 turbo

Otherwise as suggested go big like a tw15, jd3350, or fiat 130/90 could be got for 8-10k

https://www.donedeal.ie/tractors-for-sale/john-deere-3650/18069246

queueeye

Seanhorse91 wrote: »

Who2 wrote: »

Even an 8340 is under pressure. Something like a big old Renault, cheap and well fit to do the job, 150 hp minimum for any comfort

Ya the uncle has an 8340 lovely machine and she's perfect for the bit of baling he does. The only issue is I don't want anything too big and cumbersome like a big aul 150hp tractor. Would 110/120hp do? I'd only have half a bank of knives up, around 10/11.

Used to run a chopper baler on a 110 hp tractor here. No issue with it until the bale was almost full, it came under pressure very quickly especially with big rows when the tractor would be on its knees to take in the last of it and begin the netting sequence. An extra few hp in reserve is no load.

Seanhorse91

White Clover wrote: »

Would your uncle do the baling for You?

Uncle is back west limerick, we're in Clare!
Ya a ts115 would be perfect if we could find a clean one with decent hours.
Jd 3650 are a fine tractor, would they be reliable now or are they pushing on in age?
Anyone have any experience with a fiat f115? I see one for sale in Galway
https://www.donedeal.ie/view/16427619
Fordes TRACTORS GALWAY

yellow50HX

Seanhorse91 wrote: »

Uncle is back west limerick, we're in Clare!
Ya a ts115 would be perfect if we could find a clean one with decent hours.
Jd 3650 are a fine tractor, would they be reliable now or are they pushing on in age?
Anyone have any experience with a fiat f115? I see one for sale in Galway
https://www.donedeal.ie/view/16427619
Fordes TRACTORS GALWAY

While fiats make rubbish cars of poor build and quality they made brilliant tractors, absolute bullet proof. The F range was really the last of the fiat's before the merger with ford and are very good. The 115 is a nice machine. Drove a 130 back in the day and it was well ahead of it time.

Would be well able for the baler and anything else you have for it

twin_beacon

im going to be brave and say a massey 3125. One of my mates bought one last year, lovely machine to drive. Think its 125hp. You should pick one up for around the 10k mark.

I've spent many hours on ford TWs, good machines, but not the nicest cab to be spending hours on end.

rs8

8560 new holland? Maybe hard got in that budget

Panch18

Seanhorse91 wrote: »

Looking for a few recommendations for tractors that would run a chopper baler. Currently have a ford 7740 but could do with a few more horses. Only making 300/400 bales a year going handy.
Budget would be around 15k.
Would a 7840 be much of an improvement?

is that 15k with the 7740 or you keeping 7740 and getting another tractor?

st1979

8340 should be powerful enough. Great powerstar engine. Baling contractor here uses one with 15k hours. Have to be better than a TW15 much nicer cab plus shuttle

maidhc

Seanhorse91 wrote: »

Looking for a few recommendations for tractors that would run a chopper baler. Currently have a ford 7740 but could do with a few more horses. Only making 300/400 bales a year going handy.
Budget would be around 15k.
Would a 7840 be much of an improvement?

Just remember that if you are only making 400 bales a year, that will cost €2,000 in Contractor charges, and you will need 8years before you even recoup the cost of your tractor. If you take account of the cost of diesel and labour, you can add on a few more years. Any breakdown will add a bit more.

But since you have a 7740 already, I would suggest you just drop down a gear and take a few knives out of the baler. It will "do".

Alternatively of course you might decide to upgrade, and either need another tractor or are planning a decent upgrade to the 7740. I wouldn't bother changing a known tractor to be good for an old 7840 or 8340.

FWIW I run a Deere 575 on a TS115. It walks away with it. A clean low houred TS is going to cost €30k though.

selectamatic

What sort of land do ye have?

For a select few in Ireland a big 6 pot 2wd machine can make some sense. Especially considering how cheap they tend to be.

yellow50HX

selectamatic wrote: »

What sort of land do ye have?

For a select few in Ireland a big 6 pot 2wd machine can make some sense. Especially considering how cheap they tend to be.

Good point, but hard to get the 2wd 6 pots in good condition.

No shortage of power...
https://www.donedeal.ie/tractors-for-sale/ford-tw30/16745240

yellow50HX

https://www.donedeal.ie/tractors-for-sale/93-case-5150-maxxum/18253981

https://www.donedeal.ie/tractors-for-sale/ford-tw30/16745240

IH784man

For the sake of 300/400 bales it would hardly justify a bigger tractor.
We do about 4/5000 bales in the summer with a 110hp tractor and a mchale f5500 and you'd know when she is full but it still does the job well.

Seanhorse91

Panch18 wrote: »

is that 15k with the 7740 or you keeping 7740 and getting another tractor?

15k including the 7740. She's probably worth 11 or that.
Land is fairly flat with abit of land on a hill where I'd need the 4wd alright to be safe.
110hp or that would be loads I feel. I go fairly handy but I don't want a big brute of a tractor. She'd have to be able to do all the rest of the farm work like spreading, mowing and that.
If I stretched the budget something like this would be ideal:
https://www.donedeal.ie/view/16267303
Massey ferguson 6280

cute geoge

For your money you could hardly pass a tm120 or mxm r,c. but you should insist on getting suspension on one of them

mengele

That Massey is advertised at 110HP but should be about 130hp

yellow50HX

Seanhorse91 wrote: »

15k including the 7740. She's probably worth 11 or that.
Land is fairly flat with abit of land on a hill where I'd need the 4wd alright to be safe.
110hp or that would be loads I feel. I go fairly handy but I don't want a big brute of a tractor. She'd have to be able to do all the rest of the farm work like spreading, mowing and that.
If I stretched the budget something like this would be ideal:
https://www.donedeal.ie/view/16267303
Massey ferguson 6280

What year condition is the 7740? So you would be looking at -5k plus your tractor as a trade in?

Do you need the extra power for anything other than the bales?
How many days baling do you do? My neighbours have most of their own kit but hire a tractor from local dealer for the days they need it to drive the baler. The tractor they have is perfect for everything else so don't need a 120hp tractor year round. Might be an option for you?

We used to do the same previously for prepping for beet as the tractor we had wasn't able to drive the rotovator after we put new pins in. Was about €150 for 2 days + diesel. But as I used less diesel was actually less than €100

lab man

booth wrote:

myself and John Davidson captured òn Frank's Shed TV: have a nosey!!

Seanhorse91 wrote:

Uncle is back west limerick, we're in Clare! Ya a ts115 would be perfect if we could find a clean one with decent hours. Jd 3650 are a fine tractor, would they be reliable now or are they pushing on in age? Anyone have any experience with a fiat f115? I see one for sale in Galway

Try get a f130 make sure not to buy the ones with electric lift
There are 2 types of duel power on them shove the gear handle side to side or the newer models have a button on the gear handle
They are a great tractor the tm 125 are based on them I'm in clare if u want to have a look at one but tis not for sale

Timmaay

Landini legend. Mid 00s tractor, undesirable but reliable, which makes them great value.