New Holland Self Propelled Balers

Well, things come in bunches ........ good bad or indifferent!

 

Since I was a kid ......... about 40 years ago ........ plus a little ............ I have always wanted a SP baler .......... 

 

And if you are patient enough ........... persistent enough .......... and observant enough ......... sometimes your ship sails in!

 

Mine did about three weeks ago!

 

A neighbor bought a new inline Ferguson 16X18 a while back and I ran into him at the local NH parts store.  He owned three SP balers, two 1283's twine and a 1281 wire.

 

I asked him to let me know if he ever thought about letting go of one ................. 

 

So a couple of years later .............. he drives in unexpected and tells me .................. I can have the whole passal.

 

The price ......... well lets say it was three for the price of ONE!

 

Now there's problems ....... of course with them ............. that's why he went off the deep end and bought the inline!

 

He gives me a complete run down on them .......... but  I am not deterred!

 

So we get them home ........ only about two miles separate us ........ we tow one on a car dolly and drive the other two to our ranch and we tear into the one that's supposed to be the first to get running.

 

The neighbor was positive that the bearing on the output shaft on the motor was bad .......... we thought .......... sweet ....... it's no sweat taking the motor loose and changing that bearing ....... 

 

We get the motor loose in no time and set it on the ground and take out a perfectly good output bearing!

 

Now we go looking ............... and we find the real culprit ........... 

 

I would say that a owner prior to my neighbor had worked on the next drive shaft from the engine and used a bolt that was too long to seat that pulley on the tapered spline ....... after a number of years of running and getting by ...... it ruined the pulley and damaged the shaft.

 

If you can find it ............ those two items are about $1K ......... and bearings are another $200.

 

So we send out an "SOS" to another neighbor who is the number one guru on these machines in my area hoping he has the parts and will part with them.

 

He wanted to check his inventory before he'd commit but instead offered some other advice ........ he's had sold two other wire SP's to another farmer who had passed away about 12 years ago and that ranch sold and the machines were just sitting there unused all that time .......... one ........... another 1283 wire and the other ..... a stripped out hulk of a 1281 wire.

 

I got a hold of the property owner and secured his enthusiastic permission to look at them ........ 

 

We came to terms and towed that whole passal home as well.

 

So now ........... at five self propelled balers ........... 

 

I think my neighbor with the car dolly is going to change his phone number ............ LOL! ......... you see, I have word of another SP baler about 20 miles away that's not used much ............ hmmmm

 

Best regards

 

Three 44s

New Holland Self Propelled Balers