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| Classic
Square Balers
by Gordy Schultz |
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It will not be long before we are haying here in Wisconsin. Ofcourse
the rain has to let up so that we can finish planting corn. Haying is a
big part of my life because during the summer I run a custom baling
business called Balck Wolf Harvesting using a CaseIH tractor and big baler.
Because baling is my business I would like to review
the progression of baler literature. Just like the corn
planters we looked at last month all the major brands have offered hay
balers at one time or another. Because there are so many balers brochures
I would like to high light some of the more notable and interesting pieces
of literature this month. All of these brochures are items that I sell in
the $5 to $20 range. If you are interested baling all of these
brochures are fairly easy to acquire with out breaking the bank.
Next month for the County Fair I will feature the original
literature of the tractor that will be the 2003 1/16 Toy Tractor Times
Anniversary Tractor.
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| Oliver balers were an early leader in
square baling. Oliver purchased the Ann Arbor Machine company in 1943 to
enter the haying market. Ann Arbor began building hay presses in 1882 and
was a popular baler brand. Ten years after Oliver's merger with Ann
Arbor the Oliver 100 series balers were introduced. Produced from
1953-1958, this wire tie baler used a 16 x 18 inch chamber with the
plunger operating at 34 strokes per minute. Bale length could be
varied between 26, 40 and 44 inches. A Wisconsin Model VE-4 air
cooled engine was standard on the 100 baler. The 100 baler
literature is only one page but given its age it will bring $7 at
least. Early implement brochures were black and white and were
merely information flyers. |
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| The McCormick No. 56 baler had greater capacity
than any IH baler built before it. The 56 featured automatic tying,
fully automatic operation and an optional wagon hitch reduced the field
force of 2 or 3 men previously needed during baling. The 56-T model
featured twin baling and the 56-W was a wire baler. The No. 56 could be
powered by live pto from the tractor or with a Water-cooled IH engine or
Wisconsin air-cooled engine. McCormick No. 56 literature was
offered in the late 1950's and normally sells $10 to $15 depending on its condition.
This IH brochure is a good example of early color brochures. The
photo's are black and white but the IH advertising department added the
color red on the balers to highlight the product. |
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| New Holland Machine
Company's key business was grass land farming so it was only natural
that they would advance self-propelled baling. NH dubbed the sp baler the
Haycruiser. The piece of literature featured here is the June 1959
piece on the Haycruiser 178. You can just see the pride beaming on
this farmer as he cruises through his hayfield on a big sp baler powered
by a 51hp Wisconsin air-cooled engine. New Holland writes in the
brochure baling has never been so easy road speeds up to 23 mph and baling
speeds up to 9 mph. The sp baler was not a big seller although
New Holland offered this type of baler through 1984. The sp baler
found great acceptance in Arizona and New Mexico hay farms were baling
speed is essential to beat high temperatures. This particular
brochure sells for $20 due to its rarity. This 1959 brochure features full
color art work and black and white pghotographs. |
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John Deere introduced
its first wire tie pickup square baler in 1946. In 1957 John Deere
was the first to offer the bale ejector, commonly called the kick baler.
The kick baler made one man haying practical for the first time and cut
down on labor costs during the haying season. The farmer could work alone
in field because the bales were ejected into a high sided wagon or chuck
wagon. This 1963 John Deere baler brochure features the No. 2 Bale
Ejector. The No. 2 ejector replaced the No. 1 because the first
kicker threw straight to the rear and sometimes the bales missed the
wagons on turns. No. 2 ejectors corrected this problem by pivoting to
follow the wagon. This brochure is 20 pages and sells for $8. It is
one of the first modern brochures offering full color and multiple
pages.
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| Case
entered the hay equipment business in 1928 with the purchase of the
Emerson-Bratingham Company in 1928. Early Case balers were
stationary and then progressed to tractor pulled machines. In 1967
the 230 and 330 balers were introduced. These balers would be
produced through 1972 when Case exited the hay implement market. The
230 and 330 were produced at a Case factory in France. The 230
baler's key selling point was a top mounted knotter , which kept it out of
the dust and dirt. The 330 was a heavy-duty version of the 230. The
330 was available in either twine or wire tie. In 1972 when Case ceased
baler production the baler factory in France was converted to build the
popular Case backhoe. Case 230/330 baler literature sells in the $7-$9
range depending on condtioner. |
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| Massey
Ferguson offered square balers. In 1970 Massey Ferguson offered the
MF 9 and MF 12 balers. MF sold these balers has high endurance haying
machines. The MF balers could bale 15,000 bales with out greasing, make 6
balers per-minute and push out 14 tons an hour. MF engineered a new
hydraulic bale density control so the farmer could control bale tension
from the tractor seat. This new control also allowed for bale
thrower steering from the tractor seat so that bales hit the wagon mark on
hill sides and turns. MF 9 and 12 literature sells for $7.
This piece of literature opens up into a large poster showing the MF's
improvements and advantages. |
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| During the
1950's Ford offered balers with fairly good sales. In the 1970's
Ford turned to an outside source to build its baler. The Ghel Company
built the Ford 532 and heavy duty 542 baler through out the 70's.
These two Ford balers were built to get the hay out of the windrow and
into the barn. The plungers in Ford balers ride on sealed ball
bearings ----- four in the 532, six on the 542. The bales produced by the
Ford are 14x18 inches. A tool box, bale counter, knotter or twister
cover, axle to bale chamber brace and deluxe screw tie jack were all
standard equipment. The picture shown here is from the 1975 Ford
Haying Equipment brochure that features round balers, square balers, mower
conditioners, rakes and forage harvesting equipment. If you like
blue this guide is a good buy at $10. |
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| Freeman balers will tackle the most
demanding haying jobs, profitably. Even the largest windrows are easily
baled into rows of neat, even-edged, tightly tied bales. Freeman bales are
easier to stack, transport, and feed, and therefore command higher
prices from buyers. Their rugged frame construction allows Freeman balers
to withstand demanding production schedules year after year. Freeman
products are simply the 'finest hay processing equipment in the world.'
Baling with a 200/330 Self Propelled baler puts the operator in command,
comfort and out of the weather. As with all Freeman Balers, the Self
Propelled Baler is built tough to stand up to demanding hay schedules.
Its rugged construction means less downtime, longer service life, and
lower maintenance costs. Freeman's synchronized feeding action assures
gentle handling of the hay. Hay is fed from pickup to bale chamber
without bunching, piling up, or damaging leaves. With leaves intact,
hay in the bale is richer and more nutritious. The 200 and 330 were first
offered in 1980. Freeman still offers similar self propelled balers today.
This 1980 brochure sells for $15 because Freeman is sold mostly in the
American Northwest and Southwest, so Freeman brochures tend to be on the
rare side. |
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May 2003 Page 11