Round balers

[Cal]

Stretch, young gun, I'm not sure I'd be real worried about dealer service as I would be about price. There's not likely to be much warranty work done with a rake, and likely none with a used baler. Both, however, are really pretty easy to fix yourself as long as parts are available.

I had a problem with the electric twine arm on one of our 567 balers the other day....believe it or not it was just one of the tractor batteries went bad, and I also squeezed the plug-in ends a little to make a tighter fit where it plugged into the tractor power source. Just wasn't getting enough volts.

Nikki, a baler that's new enough to have an electric monitor, so you have an accurate count of how many bales that have gone through it is a good idea. Check the belts out to make sure they're okay, as they get very expensive to replace, and inspect the PTO shaft closely as well (hook it up to a tractor and check for excessive free play and joint wear...shouldn't vibrate when it's running). A new driveshaft is close to $1200, and a total rebuild isn't a good option either. The oldest JD I'd consider is probably a 566, anything older is getting some serious age on it, and there have been design improvements.

[Kato]

We lived for years with a Vermeer 605C, until it finally exploded into a twisted hunk of metal due to metal fatigue. We affectionately referred to it as the "Baler from Hell" , but we couldn't afford a new one, so we lived with it. Sometimes Hubby had to go baling in the middle of the night, because it wouldn't start a bale unless there was just the right amount of moisture on the hay. Too dry or too wet, and you were SOL.

Then came the happy day that he pulled into the yard with the whole side of the baler bent back in half. I thought he'd been hit by a truck on the road, but he hadn't. He was closing the door after making a bale, and it just crumpled up into a ball. We did a happy dance, sold it to a neighbour for parts, and took out a loan on a New Idea. (aka Case).

We like the New Idea. It's soft core, but that's OK with us. It gives a little more wriggle room when the hay is just barely dry. You can get them pretty cheap now as well. We bought another one last year for two thousand dollars, and between the two of them we should be good for a while. We've already taken a three hundred dollar roller off the old one and used it.

[Silver]

We use a JD 566 now and think it's great. Capable of making bales so heavy you can hardly handle them.
One thing I really liked about the vermeer (and I assume that it's still the case) is that you don't have to go to the dealer for bearings, you can get them off the shelf at any bearing and drive store for a fraction of the price of the other balers. And they are easy to change. On the down side.... I hate turning belts back over Vermeer and NH both tend to roll a belt on occasion and it drives me nuts. JD doesnt.
Just a couple more things to consider.

[IL Rancher]

I have a new Vermeer.. M series I think, 605.. WE haven't used it on hay, only on corn stalk bales and we rolled a lot of flipping belts last year.. Finally found out why and was told by the JD guy who used to bale it that he had some different issues in that field too.. Somethinga bout the way the farmer tills the roound leaves little ridges.. On the vermeer it packs on on part of the pickup (Loose silty dirt) and builds a bump that in turn flips the belt.. Pain in the arse.. Besides that, the baler worked great.. WE got the big flotation tires and a big old pickup on it and it ate the 8 rows of shreaded, irrigated corn right up...

I now, hate netwrap however, lol. At least it burns.

[farmerD44]

We love our John Deere 467