ZetorMan98
Well-Known Member
Lads, I’ve been thinking the last while about buying a Claas 46 at handy money, needing a bit of work as a fixer upper and for making the few bales we do make every year, along with a bit of hay for a couple of neighbours. I won’t have enough work to justify buying a baler (would only make 100-150 bales a year ourselves) but would like to get one if nothing else to learn a bit about working on them and as a bit of a project that I could tidy up a bit and move on again in time.
Ive been eyeing them up on DoneDeal for a while and prices seem to vary hugely (anything from 1500 to 5000 and occasionally a bit more). I know there will be a difference between say a narrow pickup non chopper twine only machine versus an all bells and whistles wide pickup chopper that has a netter.
Basically I’m just looking for a bit of info on them. I may end up forgetting about it again and never buying anything too. I’ve heard plenty of good reports about them and no real horror stories. I know they may not be the fastest or nicest machine to run but it’ll be ran behind an Ursus C385 and will only do an odd few days a year.
Are the narrow pickup balers worth bothering with these days and how do they compare to a wide pickup? And would they be any good for silage or would it be only really for hay and straw? How big of a row would they be fit to handle vs a wide pickup? I’ve only a 5ft 6” rotary mower at the minute so I know they’d manage that but at what point is it too much for the narrow one? Is twine a waste of time nowadays and could it be used with silage or would it be just hay and straw?
Also, and this question will probably sound a bit mad, but would it be possible to fit a net unit off say a scrapped baler onto a twine only baler? Or were they a different built machine altogether to take the net. I’d be fairly handy with a welder and grinder, and electrics don’t phase me either.
Sorry for all the silly questions. I never really saw any of them working around our part of the country and would have little knowledge of what I’d consider the ‘older’ technology. In my time it has been nearly all John Deere balers (575s and 578s) and then in the later days McHale (geography having a lot to do with that. Former major John Deere dealer in the west being in the next parish and only about 20 miles from McHale factory in Ballinrobe). As I mentioned, it’s more of a project than anything I’m looking for but would be able justify keeping it around the place if it came at right enough money. It’s not trying to cut out the contractor and I’ve no interest in trying to start contracting with it and undercut him with clapped out gear.
Ive been eyeing them up on DoneDeal for a while and prices seem to vary hugely (anything from 1500 to 5000 and occasionally a bit more). I know there will be a difference between say a narrow pickup non chopper twine only machine versus an all bells and whistles wide pickup chopper that has a netter.
Basically I’m just looking for a bit of info on them. I may end up forgetting about it again and never buying anything too. I’ve heard plenty of good reports about them and no real horror stories. I know they may not be the fastest or nicest machine to run but it’ll be ran behind an Ursus C385 and will only do an odd few days a year.
Are the narrow pickup balers worth bothering with these days and how do they compare to a wide pickup? And would they be any good for silage or would it be only really for hay and straw? How big of a row would they be fit to handle vs a wide pickup? I’ve only a 5ft 6” rotary mower at the minute so I know they’d manage that but at what point is it too much for the narrow one? Is twine a waste of time nowadays and could it be used with silage or would it be just hay and straw?
Also, and this question will probably sound a bit mad, but would it be possible to fit a net unit off say a scrapped baler onto a twine only baler? Or were they a different built machine altogether to take the net. I’d be fairly handy with a welder and grinder, and electrics don’t phase me either.
Sorry for all the silly questions. I never really saw any of them working around our part of the country and would have little knowledge of what I’d consider the ‘older’ technology. In my time it has been nearly all John Deere balers (575s and 578s) and then in the later days McHale (geography having a lot to do with that. Former major John Deere dealer in the west being in the next parish and only about 20 miles from McHale factory in Ballinrobe). As I mentioned, it’s more of a project than anything I’m looking for but would be able justify keeping it around the place if it came at right enough money. It’s not trying to cut out the contractor and I’ve no interest in trying to start contracting with it and undercut him with clapped out gear.