[Farmer Jones]

I was talking to my neighbor, who has a huge John Deere, about baling for me. He doesn't have time; he has his own acres of hay to bale.

I don't know if my 8N, with it's 23HP, could power a square baler.

My neighbor said that when he was a kid, his dad had a Ford 8N, and they had a baler that was self-powered (by a lawn-mower engine), that the 8N just needed to pull around the field.

Does anybody know if they still make these? I can buy a sickle mower for the 8N and I can easily pull a tedder, but I would like to be able to bale as well.

Or should I just hire someone to do it? I only have 13 acres of hay fields. My neighbor said that he will never make his money back on the hay-baling equipment that he bought.

 

[sadixon49]

I haven't seen one made in while, but when I was a kid, my uncle had a NH baler with a V-4 Wisconson on it. In the pre live pto days, you could find many self powered, pull behind implements, balers, combines, and choppers were available. I think with the advent of live power shafts, the market for these implements dried up and they would be hard to find now.

steve

 

[Oo-v-oO]

I know someone (International, maybe?) made balers with Wisconsin singles and twins as well. I'm sure they are still out there somewhere.

 

[cjet69]

Here is a power unit off an International 55 baler. Its a continental IY-69, 69 cubic in. Just a little larger than a cub engine. We have the rad and sheet metal for this, but pulled it off to have the rad inlet resoldered.

 

[forkz]

long mfg made square hay balers with wisconsin motors for ford years back

 

[LilysDad]

Some of the Amish might still use these.

 

[migraineman]

Your 8N can power a baler. You just need to find the right one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjyJKx4U4vE

 

[CTPhil]

I've baled hay with a Case VAC and my International Model 47 baler, and it's only about 17HP.

 

[wdwrkr1]

I just have to toss this one in.
Around 1951 my dad bought a Case 3-man wire tie baler and hired his 3 sons out to do custom baling. We pulled it with a '46 JD A and it was powered by a Wisconsin V-4 engine with a 4 foot flywheel. I was 13, my brothers were 17 and 18. Here's a link to a story very similar to mine except he worked it with his sister and dad.
http://www.ytmag.com/articles/artint123.htm
Like him I learned to do the driving, the blocking and the hand tying of the baling wires. And yes, I did tie a few bales together.
Oh what memories!
Bob

 

[JDblazer]

I've seen it done. My dad has a '47 8 or 2N and had a 24T John Deere baler on it. There's no live pto on it. So once you push the clutch in the baler stops. You'll have to be creative.

 

[esnb74]

An 8N can handle any small hay baler. You can get an older one from JD, IH, or NH. I've baled with a Farmall H many times.

 

[Tencubed]

International, Case, New Holland, John Deere and others made balers with an engine on them. Never saw one with a single cylinder engine however. Many used the Wisconsin V4 or twins for power.

They are still around but getting harder to find due to the high price of scrap metal.

wdwrkr1 mentioning the old hand wire tie Case balers brought back a flood of memories. First baler I was on as a kid. One guy on the tractor, one on the feed platform, one tying wire and one on the backside pushing the wire back thru to be tied. One more on the sled stacking bales for the Farmhand loader to pick up and set on the trucks. Two guys on each of two trucks hauling hay to the barns. Another guy at the barn to help unload. and one kid, me, running the tractor, in our case an 8N, with the loader on it. Total of 11 men to do what two guys do now. Times change.

I'd suggest not using an 8N with a PTO baler, you really need a live PTO to make a baler work properly. You need to vary the tractor ground speed to accommodate the size of the windrow while keeping the baler running at the proper speed.

I'd also suggest you find a baler with an automatic wire feed and tie system. Those old hand ties resulted in a lot of hot and dirty work.

Just my opinion based on a tad of experience.

Mike

 

[ford 8401]

my grandfather used to bale with a Ferguson tea 20
an 8n is only 6 hp less
so it can be done
(but the tractor was new at the time)