The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Smallholding => Equipment => Topic started by: Fieldfare on July 15, 2013, 01:13:05 pm

Title: IHI Star balers? experience?
Post by: Fieldfare on July 15, 2013, 01:13:05 pm
Hi all- has anyone used IHI star balers? I am now thinking of getting one of these with a 1.35M drum mower and a Bamford Wuffler (or haybob) for the making of hay 3 acres with an MF135. I'm attracted by the small (1M square) footprint of the baler for storage. All should be well in the capacity of a 135. Any thoughts would be useful. Does anyone know of any other options in terms of small balers? Thanks.
 
 
Title: Re: IHI Star balers? experience?
Post by: lachlanandmarcus on July 15, 2013, 01:53:37 pm
I don't know the baker you mention but we use a New Holland 276 super liner small baler, there are a few of them around and a chap from the new holland place services and mends them for a hobby which is a great help. But it is bigger than 1m square, that's very impressive
Title: Re: IHI Star balers? experience?
Post by: gerpsych on July 15, 2013, 04:01:24 pm
Quote
Does anyone know of any other options in terms of small balers?

Well the option we use for 2 acres is to do it by hand and foot. We use a a large plastic water butt ( <1sq meter) and sisal baler twine. Once we are up to speed we manage about 1 lightweight bale every 2 minutes and it a pleasant day in the barn listening to the radio and jumping in and out of the giant bucket. ::)
Title: Re: IHI Star balers? experience?
Post by: Foobar on July 15, 2013, 04:13:40 pm
Yeah those are *very* expensive, so unless you have money to burn I would do it by hand, or get a bigger baler like lachlanandmarcus suggests.


An alternative to the jumping up and down method ;) is a box baler....
http://essmextension.tamu.edu/pinestraw/baling.html (http://essmextension.tamu.edu/pinestraw/baling.html)
Also:
http://www.caringforgodsacre.org.uk/images/uploads/fact_sheets/Hand%20Hay%20Baler%20Plans.pdf (http://www.caringforgodsacre.org.uk/images/uploads/fact_sheets/Hand%20Hay%20Baler%20Plans.pdf)
How to use a hand hay baler (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YC3afDTEdDI#)
http://oak-hill-homestead.blogspot.co.uk/2007/09/hay-baling.html (http://oak-hill-homestead.blogspot.co.uk/2007/09/hay-baling.html)


I made one this year, and it's brill :D
Title: Re: IHI Star balers? experience?
Post by: gerpsych on July 15, 2013, 04:30:33 pm
Quote
An alternative to the jumping up and down method ;) is a box baler....


That looks very posh. I am somewhat  jealous, my bucket now looks quite sad  :'(
Title: Re: IHI Star balers? experience?
Post by: Foobar on July 15, 2013, 04:36:48 pm
It was actually really easy to make too - took me about 1 day to make in total, and I'm a girl :).
It can be operated by a single person too which I needed, as I wasn't happy about jumping in and out of barrels on my own - that would have ended in tears! :)
Title: Re: IHI Star balers? experience?
Post by: shygirl on July 15, 2013, 07:11:20 pm
that looks fab  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: IHI Star balers? experience?
Post by: gerpsych on July 15, 2013, 07:15:29 pm
It was actually really easy to make too - took me about 1 day to make in total, and I'm a girl :).
It can be operated by a single person too which I needed, as I wasn't happy about jumping in and out of barrels on my own - that would have ended in tears! :)

Oh Yes, falling out is quite ungainly and can be quite risky. However, it does add a frisson on excitement to the procedings  :dunce:
Title: Re: IHI Star balers? experience?
Post by: stufe35 on July 15, 2013, 10:59:39 pm
I think , but am not sure that the 1.35m mower you mention is designed for a compact tractor, hence you need to check it will stick out of the side of your tractor when in th mowing position, otherwise you will be running over the grass you are about to cut.

Would go for hay bob rather than wuffler ......wuffler is 50s technology, haybob is 70s technology and still sold new today.

No experience of your little balers, they look great, but many people post warnings about Chinese compact tractors.  For the money you could buy a real good conventional baler and put a field shelter up just high enough to back it under, a few tall fence posts, and sheets of tin is all you need......might be better in the long term........I do like the look of those little balers though !

Title: Re: IHI Star balers? experience?
Post by: Old Empty Barn on July 16, 2013, 12:16:49 am
Hi Fieldfare, my mate & I made hay bales yesterday with a Star mini round baler ......... what a fantastic machine ! ..... we turned & raked the hay with a Star rotary rake, both bits of kit supplied by Siromer near Preston.
I was worried at first about the baler because of its Chinese origin but it turns out that all the parts are made in Japan to a very high standard & then shipped to China for assembly.
The baler is meant to be fixed to the tractor 3 point hitch, but we made up a towing drawbar so it can be towed like other balers ....... this is a really well made baler ........ if you PM me your mobile number I'll text you a pic of yesterdays baling operation !
Dave
Title: Re: IHI Star balers? experience?
Post by: Fieldfare on July 16, 2013, 11:54:54 am
Hi all- thanks again for the info. Dave- yes it would be great to see one in operation. They are expensive but the 1M square thing is really attractive. The mower is an offset. Dave- I'll send you a PM (with my email address as my 'phone won't accept pictures). cheers
Title: Re: IHI Star balers? experience?
Post by: Old Empty Barn on July 16, 2013, 03:31:01 pm
Let me know if you get the pics Fieldfare, feel free to post them here if you want ........ I'm not clever enough ! ........ we did the cutting with a 1.35m 2 drum mower on my Case 275 tractor & the inner drum was slightly behind the rear wheel but did not affect the cutting ....... the top steel panel on the mower will really have to be trimmed back a bit though to give more clearance for the tyre ....... an easy job !