Quoting Removed, click Modern View to see Can't remember what the knife set up looked like. Sorry too many moons have passed. LOL The biggest thing about a Rounder, is when starting a bale, is to start on one side and weave from side to side, trying to keep bale core even. Once bale forms and starts rolling good, you can slow down the weaving some.
- Hesston 530 Baler Operators Manual
- Hesston 5500 Baler Parts Diagram
- Hesston 565a Baler Operator Manual
Just remember to keep building the ends of the bale up and don't worry about the middle, it will take care of itself. If you let the ends get smaller than the center the outside belt will slip over the bale. Free dodge dakota manuals. Not good because then you have to kick bale out, unroll by hand, and rebale it.
Where you located? If close to me I could drop by and show ya how it's done. Don't know about the 5500, but I used to run a 5800 Rounder. It had the extra floor roller for baling corn stalks and such. It would make bales so tight, you could not get a center spear in them. Had to go buy a bale fork that picked them up from underneath. Wish I'd never sold that baler.
Here's a tip for anyone who runs belt type balers. These machines will build a static charge as the belts run over the rollers. This static will cause bearings to fail prematurely. The 5800 used to eat bearings like a kid does candy, until I welded a piece of chain to the frame and let it drag on the ground.
Once I done that, rarely lost a bearing then. My first roller was a Hesston and I don't remember the model. It rolled 5x6 bales and had fairly narrow belts when compared to JD balers of the same period and size. It had two tie arms that crossed over the center to snag the twine then they moved in tandem to the outside of the bale. I think the tie mechanism was mechanical. It was a $3k baler coming and going.
Hesston 530 Baler Operators Manual
What I liked about it was that you could see your twine wrappings on your bale (adequate space between the narrower belts that JD didn't have) ensuring that you had a good wrap before opening the gate. What I didn't like was that it was hard to get stemmy (sudan/sorghum) rolls to start.
I don't remember having any problems with it other than replacing some pick up fingers which wasn't all that much of a job once I decided I was going to do it. Good older lower capacity round baler. The narrow belts can be a pain in dry slick hay but you can learn the tricks to keep it going.
The biggest issue would be parts. AGCO is making many of the older parts out of gold now. Simple pins and things maybe $50 or more.
Hesston 5500 Baler Parts Diagram
I am finding that AGCO parts make JD look cheap at time. The real question is what you can buy it for.
I would say no more than $2000-2500 if it is sheded and looks good. Rough would be more like $1200-1500. As far as HP required?? Neighbor ran his for years with a JD 2440. Later traded up to a JD 2555 but had no trouble with either. I have a 5510 and am am asking the same question.
It is a light duty machine and is slower than most of my neighbors' balers. Some of this may because it is a single twine baler, I have had it for about 25 years and make about 150 bales per year, If I was making more than that amount I would look for something of a later model. I am interested in the other comments. The similar (same) machine bore the IHC and MF name, I pull mine with a IHC 986 but I am sure a much smaller tractor would work well. 986 has about 100 hp but think my 574 (50 hp) would be enough.
Hesston 565a Baler Operator Manual
Quoting Removed, click Modern View to see Can't remember what the knife set up looked like. Sorry too many moons have passed. LOL The biggest thing about a Rounder, is when starting a bale, is to start on one side and weave from side to side, trying to keep bale core even. Once bale forms and starts rolling good, you can slow down the weaving some. Just remember to keep building the ends of the bale up and don't worry about the middle, it will take care of itself. If you let the ends get smaller than the center the outside belt will slip over the bale. Not good because then you have to kick bale out, unroll by hand, and rebale it.
Where you located? If close to me I could drop by and show ya how it's done. Don't know about the 5500, but I used to run a 5800 Rounder.
It had the extra floor roller for baling corn stalks and such. It would make bales so tight, you could not get a center spear in them. Had to go buy a bale fork that picked them up from underneath.
Wish I'd never sold that baler. Here's a tip for anyone who runs belt type balers. These machines will build a static charge as the belts run over the rollers. This static will cause bearings to fail prematurely. The 5800 used to eat bearings like a kid does candy, until I welded a piece of chain to the frame and let it drag on the ground. Once I done that, rarely lost a bearing then.
My first roller was a Hesston and I don't remember the model. It rolled 5x6 bales and had fairly narrow belts when compared to JD balers of the same period and size. It had two tie arms that crossed over the center to snag the twine then they moved in tandem to the outside of the bale. I think the tie mechanism was mechanical. It was a $3k baler coming and going.
What I liked about it was that you could see your twine wrappings on your bale (adequate space between the narrower belts that JD didn't have) ensuring that you had a good wrap before opening the gate. What I didn't like was that it was hard to get stemmy (sudan/sorghum) rolls to start. I don't remember having any problems with it other than replacing some pick up fingers which wasn't all that much of a job once I decided I was going to do it. Good older lower capacity round baler.
The narrow belts can be a pain in dry slick hay but you can learn the tricks to keep it going. The biggest issue would be parts.
AGCO is making many of the older parts out of gold now. Simple pins and things maybe $50 or more.
I am finding that AGCO parts make JD look cheap at time. The real question is what you can buy it for.
I would say no more than $2000-2500 if it is sheded and looks good. Rough would be more like $1200-1500. As far as HP required??
Neighbor ran his for years with a JD 2440. Later traded up to a JD 2555 but had no trouble with either. I have a 5510 and am am asking the same question. It is a light duty machine and is slower than most of my neighbors' balers. Some of this may because it is a single twine baler, I have had it for about 25 years and make about 150 bales per year, If I was making more than that amount I would look for something of a later model. I am interested in the other comments. The similar (same) machine bore the IHC and MF name, I pull mine with a IHC 986 but I am sure a much smaller tractor would work well.
986 has about 100 hp but think my 574 (50 hp) would be enough.