baling with hydrostatic drive

Hi all. I would value the knowledgeable opinions
of any who would care to weigh in on the idea of baling with a 45 HP deisel with hydrostatic transmission. This is a 4WD compact tractor (Bobcat brand CT445). I have a J.D.14T baler and the wagons we use hold about 120-130 small square bales. The tractor itself weighs about 4260 lbs. The PTO is rated 34HP. we bale about 15-16 acres twice a season. The south field is almost flat and the north one has small grade. My biggest concern is overheating and trashing the transmission. The thing has 3 ranges and the low range tops out at 3.9MPH. The baler is supposed to run at 3.5MPH. I realize this is an I.H. forum, but I read this forum the most and have a lot of respect for the collective wisdom here. Thanks for any responses.

Ground speed with any baler is determined by the windrow with a baler that has a plunger you need to count the plunger strokes in a bale to get nice even ones that dont look like a rainbow after they are tied . Thats how you get nice firm bales more slices of hay makes the best. Having a sharp knife sure is important.

Strange, there was a discussion on the green forum on this very topic on 2/15/13. The subject tractor there was JD 4410, weighing maybe 1,000 lbs less than the Bobcat you're thinking about. The consensus there was don't try to use that little tractor on a baler with wagon behind. The main concern was the tractor weight, not the hydro tranny. As I recall the plunger in a 14T moves from front to back, not sideways, so I'm wondering how the hydro might fare with that cyclic loading, even load reversals at times, of the plunger type baler.

A tractor that new should have a sensor in the transmission to warn you when it starts to get too hot.

I don't think you'll have a problem on flat land if it's hard and dry.

I bale hay with a Kubota 4330 and a New Holland Super 68 baler. The hydrastatic transmission works "great". I tell my driver just keep the baler full so we can speed up or slow down to accomodate the windrow. I have baled small squares for years and it is the best set up I have ever had. I don"t sense any problem with the transmission.

If the cyclic loading of the plunger moving back and forth were a problem, why have IH Hydro tractors long been considered some of the best tractors to bale hay with?

i sure dont see how you will be baling at 3.5 mph with that 14t, unless the windrows are so thin you can see the mice running around in them. when baling with my 24t , 1st gear is what i have to use with the 560.but that is heavy swaths.
to me hydrostatic would be the way to go since you can vary ground speed accordingly. and baling is no load for it either.

The big this is the size of the tractor , Figure on the weight of the baler then the weight of the wagon EMPTY and it out weighs the tractor then ya stack on a load . NOW on table top ground not somuch and issue but then ya add in a grade and things can turn ugly fast . For us over here with 99% of the fields with humps and bumps in them it is not such a good idea. As we found out one day with my S/H and a New Holland 68 baler and one 18 foot wagon with around that many bales on . The Super h has decent tires fair power and had four sets of 150 lb weights on with no fluid in the tires . while pulling up the one hill everything was going good till almost the top the ground was a little damp from the rain four days before and the S/H lost traction and started to paw a bit so i added a little left brake so the right wheel would dig a little and all of a sudden both tires broke loose and forward movement stopped and we started down the hill backwards . Eugene and Dusty jumped for it and how i kept every thing straight i have no idea , only slid back down the hill about a hundred feet or so but felt like a mile . That was the last day we used the S/H for that . When we moved up to the 336 J D baler the 706 got put on it and even with a 9000 lb tractor and a 2/3rds. load on the same wagon in the same field the 706 at times will paw , the 806 weighs in at close to 14000 and it has been shoved down a hill with close to a full load . It does not matter what your doing with a piece of equipment you can never let your guard down . Just like plowing , there is nothing more relaxing then plowing in the spring , love plowing in the evening in the spring vary relaxing BUT you still have to be on guard as i can not count the times i have hooked into something and had the tractor stand up even with a full rack or ft. weights on the nose . Or get shoved sideways on the headlands while planting corn or mowing hay , the latter is a every year occurrence on the one field. and that is with a heavy tractor with good tires and just pulling a 1219 J D haybine . Just remember the TAIL CAN WAG THE DOG.

The pickup on a 14T does not turn as fast as the later bailers. The 3.5mph speeds sounds about as fast as that pickup can handle (3rd gear on a 3020). 2.5 mph was a common bailing speed for our 14T (2nd gear). Your tractor's low range sounds ideal for baling.

With flat fields and only mild hills your tractor should be fine pulling the bailer and wagon. If you push it, a 14T bailer will take in enough hay to pull down a 34 HP tractor engine. I'd be more concerned about the tractor's engine overheating than the transmission. Watch the gauges and slow down if the tractor gets too warm.

My only concern would be at transport speeds. Slow down if you try to pull a full wagon behind the bailer at road speeds. The total weight could push the tractor and get squirrelly if you need to stop in a hurry.

Sounds like you have a good rig there.

As others have stated I would be more worried about the actual weight of the tractor then the power to do the work. I have baled a few times with a 350 farmall that weighs 5500# and when the wagon gets full it can get tricky. Then again I have some hills too deal with also. I run a 336 JD baler and usually pull it with a 656 hydro. That tractor weighs 8500# and it's a perfect match. Again, I would be worried about the tractor not weighing enough.

Casey in SD.