Case, IH, CaseIH Baler History Questions

In the beginning, IH designed and produced their own square balers. I assume that J.I. Case also designed and sold square balers.

Then the Tenneco buyout of both and we have CaseIH.

At some point, the CaseIH square balers became inline and then New Holland painted CaseIH colors.

Prior to CaseIH, did IH and Case make their own designed baler or begin to use someone else's baler, like Hesston or New Idea - as examples.

After the CaseIH merger, which model balers were offered until the inline balers from Hesston came on the scene?

What models prior or CaseIH were IH designed and manufactured and what models were J.I. Case designed/manufactured?

What, if any models were badged IH or Case before the merger - but were sourced from other manufacturers, like Hesston and New Holland?

Just curious.

Thanks!
Bill

Boy , there are a few questions there ! IH made the #47 balers in Hamilton Ont. Canada. I know that for sure , as I still have one in the shed. Unsure of what year they stopped building in Hamilton, but, I believe there 430 balers where just New Idea built balers badge IH. Don't think Tenco/Case ever offered a baler. Case IH first round balers where New Idea balers, ,then they switched to Hesston for small square and big round balers sometime around 89-90 . This is how I remember from life experience, not from any documented facts.

IH also built the B45, B46, B47 and 430/440 balers here in Doncaster, England. MJ

Not sure on the JI Case history for their balers, but on the IHC side of the aisle they manufactured their own balers, mowers, and rakes.
Then, when IHC was stuggling they sold their hay line to New Idea. NI manufactured the product and marketed it under the NI and IHC brands.
Then, New Idea became White New Idea. At about the same time, AGCO purchased Hesston and White New Idea and consolidated hay line manufacturing into Hesston.
When JI Case and IHC merged into CaseIH, they entered into an agreement with Hesston and marketed Hesston products with the CaseIH name.
After CaseIH merged with Ford New Holland to form CNH, they ended the arrangement Hesston and began selling the New Holland hay line.

To this day, you can still buy the IHC 1300 sickle mower, but now it it is owned and maufactured by a short line. It no longer says IHC, but still has the IHC on the castings.

Case did make a small square baler, circa 1960's. I remember seeing a few in our area, painted Case orange/desert sand. Could hardly give then away;NH was the biggest seller here by far.

Ben

(quoted from post at 07:47:55 07/01/15) IH also built the B45, B46, B47 and 430/440 balers here in Doncaster, England. MJ

Click to expand...

1000's of them every year - B-47 was the best baler in use over here.

(quoted from post at 08:11:07 07/01/15) Case did make a small square baler, circa 1960's. I remember seeing a few in our area, painted Case orange/desert sand. Could hardly give then away;NH was the biggest seller here by far.

Ben

Click to expand...

Case imported a few into Britain in mid-60's. They featured a unique arm with fingers which swept horizontally the hay off the pick-up reel into the chamber. Few if any were sold here.

Dad bought a new Case wire tie baler in 1946; it was the first baler in our area. It took a man on one side to feed wires through and a man on the other side to tie the wire together. It was tough job for the threader, who also had to reset the needles before the baler tripped for the next bale. Both positions were dirty and hot. Power was a V-4 air cooled Wisconsin engine that was hard to start after it warmed up. Baler also required a tractor driver and a guy to stack the bales on a wagon and a crew to stack the bales somewhere.

There was much demand for the baler, but only baled for those who would provide someone for the crew. Bales averaged 100 lbs. (some heavier). The summer I was 15 I rode the wagon all summer - now I probably couldn't lift one end of those bales.

When IH sold the hay and forage line off to New Idea the engineering for products such as the 400 series balers, mower conditioners, and forage harvesters had already been done by IH. Forage boxes came from Kasten. It was never a matter of IH needing outside design work. JICase had ceased building its own baler somewhere around 1970 a little ahead of the Tenneco purchase. Adirondack Case Guy can tell us to the last detail on that.

The New Idea 600 and 800 forage harvesters were the same as the CaseIH 782 and 882. Who made those,NI or CaseIH?

I remember those balers coming into the UK for a short period allong with the Case 600 combines. The dealer here in Newark Notts who sold Case Tractors in the 1940s tried to sell them. I kow of only one baler and one combine in presevation here in the UK. MJ.

I had read an article a few years back that when Hesston came with their straight through baler design, they had to get patent rights from MM as they had that design back in the mid to late 1950s. New Idea tried a straight through at one time also but theirs didn't pan out at all.

I was trying to look up the exact date of the sale to New Idea. Those were IH engineered and I think they were introduced around 1980. I think NI got involved about 1983 so that would mean the first few years were built in an IH factory then after that a NI factory until 1987 or so. Iv'e seen those choppers with the CaseIH logo on them. 1983 was the approximate NI became aggressive and sourced planters from Kinze. Concerning my statement on the Kasten wagons that was a financial decision about the IH designed wagons being no longer profitable to be built by IH. Back at that time there was a pride issue for companies such as Deere and IH being "full liners" so IH felt the need to have a wagon to sell so Kasten came in. I think that predated Archie McCardell's reign at IH although I have seen that decision chalked up to him. I used to have a couple of good sources on IH corporate but have lost contact and would not be surprised if they have passed on. The merger is going on its 30th anniversary this year.

I have a Case 230 baler and a Case 555 and 655 haybine, all '60s vintage. The baler is a Case design, the feed is slow but otherwise it is a good baler, still some around. Reliable knotter and packs a good bale, you just have to go slow or the feed will clog. The Haybines were made by Hesston and branded Case. The 555 is the same as a PT10. I understand that at one point, Case owned 40% of Hesston. When Case IH merged with NH, they sold the stake in Hesston and I understand now CaseIH and NH equipment is manufactured in the same plant, only the paint was changed to protect the innocent.

Just my recollection but I helped the neighbor bale in 1977 and they had A IH model 440 I believe. That baler could bury you on the wagon compared to our old IH model 40 something.

wOW, THIS IS REALLY INTERESTING FOR ME to read. When all this was going on in the 60s, 70s, and 80s we were running JD baler so I never paid any attention.

P.S. I am running a New Holland compact (65) now. Each year I get one year older so I'm starting to look for a sub-compact now.

I loaded bales behind an old twine tie Case baler for a neighbor in the 70's. The knotters were on the side of the chamber so the bales came out rotated 90degrees to the normal. Kind of a bear to stack because they curved sideways because of the chute. That said it was a reliable old baler, hardly ever miss tied. It had 2 cylinder Wisconsin on it that was easy to start, hot or cold. No idea what the model number was, but it probably was an adaptation of a hand tied wire baler. The earliest IHC baler I remember was a model 45, probably around 1954. Not the best baler I ever used, but lots better than loose hay. Not much capacity, would miss tie a lot if pushed.

I can help you a little on the early IH balers as Dad had a model 50T International baler that he bought in the late 1940's. It was a Twine Tie and they also made a model 50W wire tie at the same time. They were both equipped with a Farmall Cub engine. The next model was a 55T which you could get with a Farmall A engine or a PTO. Dad died in 1951 and I would think that he bought the 50T in about 47 or 48 as that was about the first production after the war ended. I traded the 50T for a PTO 55T in 1958 and did custom work with that baler till about the early 70"s when I bought the New Holland.The mergers took place after I was out of the baling business.

Case made probably the most disliked baler, the model NCM. My father owned one in the late 40s and through 1955. As shown the wire ties were hand made and the work was miserable. Sitting directly in the dust filled plunging zone while setting bale size by eye, and pushing needles through and hand twisting the 90 pounders. Each wire was hand fed from the tube shown into the needles. The bales were also on edge, making the bales harder to hook off of the chute. Jim

Some of you ask...did Case build a baler? YES! One of the first to do so and were often on the forefront of baler technology.
Case had bale presses going back as far as 1911 that I know of. Two sizes. 11X18 and 17X22. These were belt drive by steamer or horse drive with a sweep power.

By the early 30s, Case offered presses either belt powered, self-contained engine powered or tractor pto powered.

Not sure about the year but maybe around 1930 or 1931 Case introduced the first pickup baler. Offered with or without a 4 cylinder motor or pto drive. Now we follow the combine instead of bale off the thresher stack.

1936 N-T-P 14X18 and 17X22 pickup balers are mentioned in my sales brochure.

1940 or so Case offers the Ready Sliced bale with their Shear-Cut Plunger, Automatic Continuous Feed with 3 automatic bale dividers, (no blocks required). Also a 4 cylinder air cooled engine and a floating pickup.

1941 Case also offers the lightweight Trailer-Baler you can pull behind your car. This little stationary baler is always ready to go. Just pull up to the job, lift the hitch pin, lower the hitch and its ready! Has its own 1 cylinder air cooled engine.
The Case Trailer Baler has also been adapted to windrow pickup baling so that every farmer can have his own machine. Any small 1-2 plow capacity tractor can pull it with little effort.

1946 Case offers the NCM Slicer Baler. With this machine, baling is a simple, continuous field process which handles windrow after windrow at the same speed with which hay was mowed and raked. For the first time, uniform curing has become a practical farm accomplishment.

1949 brochure shows Case's Heavy Duty Balers. The NAM stationary with a Case 4 cylinder water cooled engine. And the NAPM pickup balers in either 14X18 or 17X22 inch bales. The 17X22 is a three wire baler with 9.00 X 24 -8 ply tires.

1950 brochure introduces the NCM-T baler. This automatic twine tie baler means baling wire is now used only for shoddy repairs since duct tape hasn't been invented yet. No longer must anyone ride on the baler to poke wire and twist knots.

1953 brochure shows the Case NT automatic slicer twine tie baler and the NL stationary baler.

1954 touts the Model 140 baler with the double plunger. One for slicing and one for compressing in a balanced motion.

1955 the 130 is introduced for the family sized farm.
1955 also announces, added to the highly satisfactory Model 140 twine tie baler, Case balers now include the 140-W. An automatic wire tie baler that produces a 14 X 18 inch bale and the Model 160-W. An automatic wire tie baler that produces a 16 X 18 inch bale.

1957 the new 133 Baler with new and improved everything including a 16 hp engine-optional.

1957/1958 brochures show 4 balers in the Case line-up.
The 133 twine tie baler for the family size farm.
The 140 big-tonnage baler makes 14 X 18 bales. Choice of twine or wire tie, engine or pto drive.
The 160 big bale model makes 16 X 18 bales. Twine or wire tie, engine or pto drive.
The NAP-3. This heavy duty brute makes 17 X 22 bales with 3 wire ties. Powered by Case-built 32 HP water-cooled engine. Fully equipped with electric starter and lights for day and night operation. Length: 22 feet. Width: 10 3/4. Weight: 7500 Lbs. Maximum capacity: 15 Tons/Hour!

1958 also introduces the 135 wire tie baler.

1959 brings the Model 200 Sweep Feed baler. This is the baler that looks like the modern balers we think of today. Light weight, only 1830 Lbs on the pto powered machine. Engine still optional. Simple power train, Compact design. Close-coupled. Priced competitively low. Big capacity in all crops. Bales up to 10 tons/hr of 14x18 inch 60 Lb bales.

By 1964 the 200 had dual wheels as an option as well as an optional 1000 rpm pto drive and a well-received bale thrower.

1965 the updated 220 has the Patented offset bill hook design. This bill hook will "borrow" more twine from the bale side during the initial part of the tying cycle - then "lends" this twine while the most critical part of the tying operation is completed. Users report 5000 and more bales tied without a miss! Twine knife slices twine - doesn't push - cuts the new plastic twine as well as sisal with ease.

1966. Three new balers from Case. The 230 family size and the deluxe model 330 in twine or wire tie. The 330 packs up to 25% more hay into each bale. Key to the 330's high capacity is its new feeding system that combines gentle Sweep Feed with a short 14 inch auger. This sure-feeding system provides high-density baling - maximum speed and efficiency for hard-to-handle crops such as millet, sudan, Johnson grass and slippery prairie hay. The 330 is built heavier throughout by 500 Lbs. including the longer hitch for bigger tractor clearance and the heavier rear hitch for bale wagons.

Sometime before 1970 Case offered a hydraulic accumulator for controlling bale tension. Shorty after this time Case exited the haying and harvesting market for a mere 15 years until the merger with IH put them back in the hay field. I don't know jack-squat what they offered in 1985 or after but I think most of it was made by Hesston until New Holland was throwed into the mix.

So to re-cap. Long story short is...don't let anybody tell you Case didn't make a baler. Over 60 years of baler production before the merger with IH and they did a darn good job of it. Not many people have fond memories of baling regardless the brand or model since most of it is done during the hottest, dirtiest, most humid time of the year so I'm sure any improvements over the years were well received. But the thing that gets me is the faster the balers baled and made heavier and tighter bales, the production went up but mans ability to keep up with the baler didn't change. Thank God for the round baler and loader tractor!

Case never had ownership in the Hesston company but they were involved in a joint venture consisting of the plant in Hesston, KS and the intellectual property of the products. Starting in 1987 the Hesston facility was called Hay & Forage Industries and was shared equally by CaseIH and Fiat although the Hesston brand name was still 100% Fiat. The joint venture produced hay equipment for both companies and technically the products were just as much CaseIH as they were Hesston. With very few exceptions (such as the different hydro handles in the SP windrowers) the products were identical under the paint and decals. In 1991 the Hesston brand was sold to AGCO but the HFI joint venture continued. After CaseIH and New Holland merged in 2000 they sold their 50% stake in Hay & Forage Industries to AGCO and at this point the HFI joint venture was dissolved leaving the facility 100% AGCO. Shortly after this occurred the New Idea products from Coldwater, OH and the Gleaner and MF combines from Independence, MO were moved to Hesston.