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haybine recommendations?

R

ridgeandvalley

Member
Hi,

First time post here. It's getting harder and harder to find neighbors who will do small squares of hay for me, and since I'm not really set up to work with round bales, it may be time for me to start to invest in a few pieces of equipment of my own. I was thinking of looking for a haybine this year, and perhaps adding a square baler next year. I do 2 cuttings of mostly grass hay off of about 10 acres each year, so I don't need anything big or fancy, but just something that is mechanically sound, and not too expensive.

I'm not really too familiar with farm equipment, but I've got an uncle who misses his days on the farm and loves to put those skills back to work, so he is excited about using his tractor for the work.

Does anyone have suggestions about what might be an older, inexpensive, yet fairly reliable model of haybine that I should look for? Is it realistic that I might be able to find something in the $1,000 range?

Thanks in advance for any advice...
 
Heston and NH haybines have been around a while. I have an old JD 1209 and I get along with it ok, but think there are better machines. One consideration is the HP tractor you have available. Disc bines are great but generally more expensive and take more power to operate. I had a jd hydroswing at one time and it seemed like the hydraulic pump ate up quite a bit of HP. You say that neighbors don't want to put up square bales for you, perhaps you might consider a baler instead of the swather if you can still get them to cut the hay for you. A farmer I knew who kept pretty good track of expenses told me that he could hire someone to swath his hay as cheaply as he could do it, the only advantage was getting it done when he wanted it done.
 
To start off it will help us help you if you tell us what tractors you may have since HP can play a major roll into what you can and cannot handle.
 

Sorry, I probably should have given a bit more information. My uncle has an older Case tractor. I'm not sure what the HP is, but it's a pretty big tractor, and he's used it for making hay in the past. He used to have all the haying equipment needed, but he sold his haybine a few years back. He still has a rake and a square baler that a neighbor borrows each year for a really small batch of hay. He did do my second cutting last year, but he lives almost 20 miles away, so it's kind of a pain to get all of his equipment up here and then take it back again, which is why I thought it might be easier if I could find some equipment of my own to keep here. I was looking at the haybine first because that's the one step of the process I still have to find a neighbor to do for me.

I'd like to keep it fairly small and simple, as I don't foresee ever doing more than 10 acres at a time.
 

Since your uncles tractor is fairly large it would probably handle a 9 ft. Moco. I Think that you would find probably three older nine footers around for every seven foot. The IH 990 is another candidate for you. I have one of those that I haven't used in 13 years. Actually I should say that it is here at my place. I have sold it twice but it hasn't left yet. It is a good machine and they seem to be highly thought of. I bought that 990 for $350.00 probably sixteen years ago, and sold it for $350 after about five years.
 
i think for the small scale you're talking about i'd look for a smaller conventional New holland haybine. lots of them around. i can't speak for parts for the older NH units but i would think with so many in use they should be easy to find.

others can tell you if there is a certain model(s) to stay away from or not.

>>since you have local neighbors that have done hay for you it would probably be easier to find one or 2 that would mow for you and then you can rake/bale your own hay with your small square baler (you buy) yourself.

I would also go with NH for the small square baler as well.
 
I will second the IH 990. Dad had two seven ft machines and we made 20,000 small squares per year for several years. They were trouble free machines. I have been told that the 1190 that replaced it was not as good. A new holland is a good machine but will cost a lot more money. Tom
 
I put up brome and I would never use a haybine. It seems getting more than two-three dry days in row is impossible in June. When I sickle mow it and let lay flat on a decent day the hay is usually dry in 24 hours - sometimes less. Rake and start baling. On Sunday one of my sons jumped the gun and raked some that had been down for about 17-18 hours - once in the windrow it was still tough after another 24 hours - even after we flipped it.


An old balanced head mower, a New Holland 56 or 256 rake and square baler of your choosing is a full line of hay equipment for a guy with 20 acres.
 
There are a lot of tractor that to many people are big but in fact not really all that big in the HP department. At one time I used a haybine to do my hay but have gone back to a sickle bar type mower. In the long run a sickle bar mower is cheaper to keep working and takes a lot less tractor to make them work and on only 10 acres will do the job just fine
 
On our farm we had a 7 foot NH haybine with the rubber rollers. Worked
great with quick dry times cause they crush 5he stalks really well
with a sideways sort of twistm make darn sure all of the bearings,
chains, universals, rubber on the rollers and the pitman bearings are
all in good order. Also that nice long belt to the reel. Those are all
of the surprises I can think of. They are a tough machine if you find
one that is not beat to a pulp. See if they guy will sell you the lift
cylinder too. They came in 7 and 9 foot sizes but the 7 is big enough
for you. Will do everything you need. Even has rear fold in flaps to
make narrow windrows. If you ever get a plug in this machine,
"usually from knocked down first cutting".......TURN THE DAMN TRACTOR
OFF !!!!! Where and how you will need to crawl around under there,
just do it !!! Also you want a brand new utility knife in your pocket.
Regular knife is almost worthless. Been there baby !!!
 

Pardon my ignorance, but I don't really have much experience in haying other than what I've seen others do. For the 15+ years that I've had neighbors cut my hay for me, they always used a haybine, so I just assumed that's what I'd need if I was going to try to do it myself.

I guess I kind of know what a sickle bar mower looks like, but I've never seen one used, and I just assumed that they weren't really used for hay anymore. I like the idea of something that has less mechanical parts that can go wrong, and if something like that could efficiently do the job on my small acreage, I'd like to look into it.

1.) I would assume that a sickle bar mower would be considerably less expensive than a haybine? Any idea of what I might expect to pay?
2.) My fields are mostly grass, but there's a little bit of alfalfa and red clover mixed in (haven't been replanted in more than 10 years). Will that cause any trouble?
3.) Does it require quite a bit more raking than with a haybine? Or is that something that is a pretty negligible factor>
4.) I think I've seen pictures of some that extend from near the middle of the tractor, and others that are behind the tractor. Any preference?

I'm off to YouTube to see what I can find out. I really appreciate all the input members here have offered so far. Once I get this piece figured out, I'll have to start poking around in the forums to see what I can find out about my old Ford 8n tractor. It's sat for a few years because the generator wasn't working, and I haven't gotten around to fixing it up. It was my dad's tractor, and the only tractor I used for brush hogging, mowing down pastures, etc... on my little hobby farm.
 
I bought a NH 461 for $175 at an auction in late fall 2010 and have used it ever since. It's a 9 foot cut and I have had to put $400 or so in parts into it over the years.
Zach
 
I don't know about that price range. You'll probably be buying more frustration than you want,but add a little to it and find a Hesston 1110 or 1120,or the CaseIH version of either of those.
$1000 New Holland might better be left in the fencerow that some dreamer pulled it out of.
 
First off a sickle bar mower in ANY kind of shape. Gooooood luck.
They are a wonderful machine but when mowing they lay the grass
perfectly flat. A haybine crushes, fluffs it up, and narrows it a
little into a windrow. Most of the time you don't need to rake it.
The mower if you choose, get a three point hitch. Belly mowers are a
real pain.
Mix of grass and clover not that big a deal. All my opinions.
 
side mount sickle mowers are hard to mount so they usually stayed on the tractor all summer. a rear mount is easier to
take on and off the john deere no. 8s were popular in their day. for grass a sickle mower would be ok . but with
alfalfa and clover you would be better off with something to condition for faster drying. i have run new holland for 45
years. mostly the 9 foot 479 489 492 and 1465. the hesston pt 10s were quite popular but they had some sickle issues as
mentioned below the IH 990 was good the IH 1190 broke springs before buying IH i would check on parts availability. one
thing to consider is tractor weight you need a heavy tractor on hilly ground with a haybine they can push you around.
we always used the 806 or the 856 to cut with because they were the only tractors with wide fronts. i have used an
oliver 77 ans a farmall M but they were dicey on hilly ground. an IH 574 with fluid would be the minimum i would use
around here.as for the case on a haybine i would recommend a big 400 or a 730.
 
I have an IH 990 I bought several years ago for $600. The reel broke in half year
one. I jacked the two ends into alignment and a good welder rejoined them. It does
a great job. For backup I have an IH 115 sickle mower. Cannot beat a midmount
sickle. No looking backward. Easier on the back.
 
I went from a New Holland mower to a well used haybine and never looked back. It is worlds ahead of the old sickle bar mower in cutting ability. Mine is a model 479 New Holland nine foot. I've tried the Cockshutt 40 on it and while it will run it, the 2090 Case is my choice as I can work in a climate controlled cab and avoid the hay fever induced by grass pollen.
Have a look at my video running the 479 haybine and see how it works. Parts availability no problem so far.
Haybine at work
 
If it's just grass and not alfalfa I would look for just a
plain disc mower. Low maintenance and takes up a
lot less shed space. Then try to find a wheel rake.
Have a vee rake now but spent a lot of years with
just a 4 wheel 3pt angle rake and was tickled to
death. You can pick up an older haybine for pretty
cheap going away for a sickle bar cutting edge was
the happiest time I can remember doing hay and
you can cut a lot faster. Just my opinion. Something
else might work better for you.
 
I agree 100%. Of course there is always a barn find. My Hesston 1110 is a very good machine. Ultra simple half swaybar sickle drive as is the rest of the machine. I did a rebuild on the half sway bar drive this year and a new knife and guards last year, including timing the rollers. I'd like to buy a discbine, but I've got this Hesston so dialed-in, I hate to spend the $$$$?s.

In addition to the simplicity of the 1110, 1120 and their CaseIH painted models, the rubber on steel rollers do an outstanding job of crimping the hay. IMHO, the Hesston rubber roller will not delaminate. Both rubber and steel rollers are also under sheet metal and don't see rain. In fact, I'd say the machine was designed with being parked outside in mind as just about everything is covered from the elements, I can't speak to older Hesstons like the PT models or 1071, etc, but Hesston had their ducks in a row when they made the 1110 and 1120.

Bill
 
A fairly good NH 469 can be bought for that kind of money and the common wear parts are available yet. I bought a JD 1219 for 1600 dollars a few years ago and get along pretty good with it.
 
I need to start shopping in your neck of the woods. A thousand dollars would not buy you a 488 parts unit around here and we are talking very rough condition. I've seen 469 haybines that should have been left for the scrapper go for 500-600 dollars. 460 and 461 you can buy all day long for 200-300 dollars that are usable but its been a while since I have seen either of those two in nice condition at a sale.
 
Have had a 488 New Holland for 25+ years. They are still made so parts are ready aviable. A 50
horse power tractor works well with them.
 
A sickle bar mower is one of the simplest machines made and are easy to keep going. I have built rebuilt and even fab my own sickle bar mowers from parts and pieces of 2 or 3 machines. You should be able to find a good 3 point sickle bar mower for well under that $1000 and have a good machine but finding a hay bine for that that is in good shape well you might get lucky like I did years ago. I picked up a NH460 years ago for $500 and t worked good for me up till last summer when it went belly up on me and to fix it well it would cost more then it is worth
 
Funny thing has happened in my neck of the woods . The guys that grow hay either grow a lot of hay and have switched over to disc-bines , and most everyone else has either gave up on farming or have what they need already . Large scale cash crop farmers are offering more in rent , then many small scale farmers could make working their guts out for a whole year, trying to raise some beef calves to market . The whole while using older equipment , and they can't justify buying new . There fore the market for older equipment like Haybines and small square balers has all but dried up . One thing that still sells well is small manure spreaders. New spreaders cost big $$ and every one with a few horses wants one . Guys that buy new spreaders only buy really big jobs , and a small timer won't have tractor enough to pull one.
Add that to the fact it is no problem to find some one to come in and custom work your hay crop for you. So lots of times older farm equipment like roller bar rakes , haybinds , small square balers , flat rack wagons and elevators have few buyers.
 
I have a Massey Ferguson 7' haybine that I would give you. It's a good machine but has some rust from sitting since I went to a drum mower and will not go back to the haybine. Drum mowers have fewer moving parts and do a great job even if it's raining when you're mowing. Keith
 
I guess that the difference here are the Mennonites and quite a few farm a small amount of acreage therefore needing tools that cost very little comparatively speaking. The competition at auctions given the few tools there drive prices up from scrap. There are still plenty of weekend warriors who have some acreage but can not justify new or close to new. Something has to be pretty bad condition to sell for scrap in a hay tool.
 
The older New Holland haybines are good - that being said, I've got an International 990 that I picked up for $600 7 years ago that I've had good luck with. It works well, and is a nice simple machine. A nice feature it has, is that when you raise it up the rollers separate, so you don't have to dig plugs out. I'd love to have a discbine, but $15k is hard to justify when you're only doing 10,000 small squares a year
Pete
 
As for price it depends. In my area a good sickle bar mower can go for $200 to $1000 depending on the auction and who is selling. I bought a nice balanced head semimount IH mower for $400 years back and it would still be a bargain at that price. Last spring I bought a mounted (2 point) that appeared mostly complete and thought I could either use it for parts are do a little work and have a second mower - $100 even. New Holland 456 sickle mowers always bring a good price $500 to $1000 in my area. I've never used one but they appear to be every bit as good or probably better than the IH balanced head mowers. The nice thing about sickle mowers is just about any tractor can power one - all you need is about 18 HP and you are set. A disc mower is huge step up in productivity but the HP requirements are also much higher - you aren't going to hook one up to an 8N.

I would always go with a rear mount - much easier to get on and off - some are tow behind (almost like the haybine with fewer parts) and other can mount with the 3 point.

You will have to rake an entire field if you use a sickle bar mower or a disc mower - I don't know how much you were raking with the haybine.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjzezWfceOo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFYhWyoYrBk
 
I do not know what is out there now but when we were making hay ending in 1981 we has a Case 555, same as a Heston PT-10, 9' machine and did good work and pulled it with a narrow front 1941 Farmall H of 27 PTO HP with no problems In alfalfa or mix. Ground was fairly level. I would have prefered a 7' machine instead of the 9' for smaller swaths for baler capacity and we always had the wings set to spread the hay as wide as possible. Here in this part of Ohio now yet that is how they handle the swath, only if to go in silage is things put in a narrow swath with the conditioner. No problems with the front wheels or rear wheels running on the swath. And with a bar mower if the hay is down from wind-rain the bar will just slide over the hay unless you are cutting one way into the direction the way the hay is laying. On a Haybine the real picks up the down hay to get a good cut. And I have never had the problems with a mower knife plugging or not cutting other posters are complaining about. I bought my first mower, a John Deere horse drawn in 1959 and have worked with several makes since and I am now 73. And where they complain about breaking pitmans I have never had one break, only ones ever to replace were bad from setting outside when I got them. On a older haybine or bar mower make sure good guards in adjustmemt with good wear plates and good sharp underserated knife sections as they came from factory with. The overserated were for cutting ripe wheat or simular crops. not hay.
 
Been there done that. NH488. I tend to research things to death as I am an Engineer so I offer this with confidence. I see others also made this recommendation. Obviously, that assumes you don't buy one that is all used up which can happen easily if you buy on price only.

Good Luck

Paul
 
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