Re: AC roto baler

Posted by JR2 on May 01, 1998 at 12:56:55:

In Reply to: AC roto baler posted by Bob, IA on May 01, 1998 at 08:13:25:

: I would like to hear comments about this type baler- is it good bad or other? Also what are key items to look for in one of these old beasts before buying?

Mr. Bob, I guess I've baled thousands of bales with an Allis-Chalmers Roto Baler. I recommend it. I doubt it gives much more trouble, if any, than its square counterparts, plus the bale won't bust, and as noted by Mr. Jack, it is mostly unbothered by the weather since it's somewhat like a thatched roof. It has no knotter hence no trouble with one, the Roto Baler just winds around the bale with an extra turn or two on each end. There was a little hand tool provided with them for pushing the end of the twine into the bale but we never fooled with that. Raking was different as Mr. Jack noted, but I think better. The Roto Baler wants twin side by side windrows for even feeding into the rolls. It must be fed evenly otherwise the bale will look like an ice cream cone and will sometimes ball up the works and linkages. I've also seen uneven feeding break stuff on them. The stopping was worrisome to some but not to me particularly since we had live PTO on all we pulled them with. After the stop, however, you can haul the mail until the next stop so you got across the field about as fast as a square baler but had handled more hay since the windrow can be bigger. We tried the continuous version of the Roto Baler when they came out but it was soon discontinued and only the overdrive gearbox was retained which cut the stopping and tying time about in half resulting in baling capacities of ten bales a minute oft times. Let me caution you however, they are very dangerous! Our man tractor driver was killed in one. When the twine arm drops down to tie there has to be a little hay still coming to get it started between the feed rolls and around the hay. On the older models, if the twine didn't "catch," the arm just sat there causing a stop in the operation. There was a lever pulled by rope that would engage the conveyor back in gear momentarily or as long as you held it to provide a little hay to start the twine into the baler. However, some, including our man, would go back and either throw a little hay at the arm by hand or, God forbid, take the twine with his hands and start it. That's what got out man. Later Allis-Chalmers saw the light good enough to heavily shield the area around that arm in the down position making entry hard to obtain. Additionally, the continued operation of the twine tying arm did not depend upon the twine being "caught." So when the arm dropped, if the twine was not greeted by a little hay to get it started, the arm went through its cycle anyway before anybody had a chance to go back there and fool with it. The first clue was a bale out the back not tied but at least the human had not been given a chance to go with it. The trick is the have the conveyor drive and release set so that the twine tying arm drops just a little bit before the conveyor stops. I know all this sounds like a big deal but it's really not, just a caution. Any piece of machinery can be dangerous, but that Allis-Chalmers Roto Baler with that rubber press roll bearing down on those rubber belts like a big washing machine wringer was among one of the worst we thought. There ain't a whole lot to one and they are very good machines though. Contrary to the other post though, I have seen round bales, like other bales, put up too green as to be dangerous. We liked the round bales better and the machine that did 'em. Have a good day sir. John

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