look what followed me home

After lookiing for several years finally found this (hay press) baler very close to home. Its a IH with serial # 5056P Its in suprisingly good mechanical condition, and after cleanng up restoring wood parts and painting, plan to use it as demonstration at various tractor shows in the area. Does anyone know the years that this type baler was made? I also would like to see a diagram of the wood blocks that are put between the bales to slip the wire or twine through to tie the bales. I would like to make them as origional as possible.

Please post a picture.

How is the hay fed into this baler?

by hand with a pitchfork

Its a number 15 baling press introduced in 1937. Its found on page 38 of 150 years of International Harvester. It was available as a belt powered machine, or with a 3-5 HP single cylinder LB engine or a Continental Y-69 engine.
I have a baler like yours with the 3-5 HP LB engine. Mine is a 1946 model. Joe

As was said, the hay nwas fed in the bailer in the hole above the plunger setting atop the bailer. Usually by 2 or 3 people. If all the hay forks that the plunger had got hold of and broke could be counted and rebought, The price of their worth likely would buy you a new bailer of any make. Youll need you 2 for sure, maybe 3 wood blocks. These are made out of GOOD heavy boards of true 1 by. These blocks will fit on end smoothly in the rear where the bales come out. There will need to be 2 although one GOOD man could do it, and that is to tie the wire around the bales. Youll need to find a source for stationary bailing wire. I think its still available. It is straight, maybe 10ft long with a loop on one end. There should be a carrier device on the opposite side of the hole from the plunger that comes back out, and in over the hole. When ready to start a new bale, you insert a block into this device, and when the packer is raised, you rock it forward. The packer will take it on down into the plunger area, and the plunger will begin to move it out the end with the addition of more hay. You have a tyer on both sides. The blocks are made like a H. The middle comes up to within around 2in from the top and bottom. You put in a block when the bale has come to a predetermined place so that the bales remain consistant in size. Ive pitched to a JD bailer of of a straw sstack of threshed straw. The stack got further and further away from the bailer as we were pitching it in, and I suggested to the operator that we might relocate the bailer closer to the stack when the biggest bolt of lightening came straight down. He said, (Mebbie we wont have to).

That is a nice machine and I am glad it followed [u:f3779899e7][i:f3779899e7]you[/i:f3779899e7][/u:f3779899e7] home.
Mike

The JD that I saw in operation had a small (3 foot?) table that allowed you to pitch the straw on and then knock in into the plunger. Looked a lot less likely to grab a fork.