Hay Press

Is there much demand for a Hay Press or Hay Press Parts? Do people collect them? I know alot of them were melted down for the WWII products. So I am sure there some left but not an over abundance of them.

I have a chance to buy one that has been sitting in the field for YEARS! I think it is a IH brand? I have enclosed a pic? Any info would be greatly appreciated. I am getting it for scrap prices so it isn"t a lot of money. I didn"t know how popular they were or if they are even worth messing with?

THanks,

LBH

I cut one up for a neighbor back in the '60s; he didn't have a torch.........been sorry ever since; personally, I hate to see something like that scrapped.

That type of machine was used in our area a lot. I was very young in the late 40's and 50's, the only thing I was able to do was poke wires. Someone needed to be on each side. One person would poke the wires through a blocker plate insereted between each bale. The person on the other side would tie the wires together. For some reason the plunger was called the chinaman. I think if you had the time it would be worth keeping. You just don't see them anymore. Stan

IH No. 15 Baler. Great demo at shows. Can run with flat belt and pulley off tractor or stationary engine mounted on baler. Buy it because they're not making them more.

I know of one in New Hampshire a fella found in a fallen down barn. All he did was oil and grease it and he bales with it at shows. And it don't look any different from what your picture shows.

If yours did turn out to need a bearing, they're all of a standard size and can be bought. And it's not like it's got knotters that need timing up.

I say belt her up and see what she does.

Thanks for the information. Is it IH then? If so, when roughly did they make this one? Any model information would be greatly appreciated so i can research it on the internet for parts and etc.

Thanks,

They have one at Brooks that they run during the steam-up, makes very nice bales but takes a lot of people to run it.
My wife when she was young was the kid who poked the wire back though in the 30s.
Walt

Like docgrt said, it's an IH Model 15.

There's not much to it for parts. Apart from those great, giant open gears, and the tension screws on the chute, there's very little to it for parts that aren't plain old angle iron and sheet metal. The few very few ratchets that might make for an adjustment or pawls that are on it, if they're needed at all, can be easily fabbed up from plain steel stock. Things of that sort might be a lever to trip the gizmo that loads the block that goes between bales into the stuffer on top, and drops it so that the plunger can push it ahead. After that, it's just bearings. Ebay always has surprises, but I doubt you'll find much for parts unique to the machine out there.

These things date from the days of threshing machines, and many of them were abandoned not because they were worn out, but because things like balers and combines that could be drawn behind a tractor came along. A lot of them just need a little lube and cleaning up to run.

For no more than you'd have in it at scrap prices, I'd get it and keep it and try it out. Apart from the bearings (which can be measured up for size if they need replacing), there are no parts that I would call precision on them. Marvellously simple machines.

Get hold of a belt, build three or four blocks to put between the bales, get you some wire, and give it a try.

I've got a similar one sitting out, every time scrap goes up, I say I am going to cut it up.. But I just can't make myself do it..

When I was a small kid, 2 old black men would come around to bale our hay, with a similar press. It had a Wisconsin engine with a flat belt. They would start it, then throw on the belt. Used to scare me a lot, that one of the men would get wrapped up and pulled into the belt..

I would love to get my hands on one of these old hay press"s. My dad used a Case press/trailer baler when he was a kid so I am looking for one out west.

Anyone knows of one in the Oregon area let me know. They have a Case at the Brooks Steam show that would be just right but dont know if it would be for sale.

Let me know, Gimpl