Round Baler Built At Turn Of The Century

Round baler built at turn of the century AG WORLD Ag World 10-2-19 Most farmers think the round baler is a recent invention but Nebraska farmer Merrill Barnell, Sutton, Neb., has evidence that hay was rolled into bales 80 years ago. Barnell's photo shows his grandfather, Sumner Barnell, working with the Luebben Baler on a farm near Sutton, Neb. in 1909. Working with neighbors, the farmers fed hay onto a conveyor which carried it to the baler's processing unit which rolled and tied the bale and dropped it out the side. "It was invented by Hugo Luebben, a banker in Sutton, and manufactured in Beatrice, Neb. I'm not sure how many were manufactured but I've heard there are still a couple in Oregon. My grandpa, who passed away in 1956, took it around the country, going as far south as Texas. The machine was scrapped for metal in the early 1940's but we still have the wheels around the farm," says Merrill. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Merrill Barnell, Sutton, Neb. 68979 (ph 402 773-4633).

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