Business Is Booming For Mini Balers

Business Is Booming For Mini Balers BALERS Balers 22-1-21 An Oklahoma man says people can't get enough of the working mini balers he builds that are based on a full-size 1922 Case Hay Press. Two models built by Ron Schulz, of Enid, Okla., each make about 30 bales per hour. One model, a 1/3-scale baler, makes 5 by 7 by 14-in. bales and is powered by a 1/3 hp electric motor. The other is a 1/6-scale baler that makes 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 by 7-in. bales and is powered by a 1/5 hp electric motor. "They're big crowd pleasers," says Schulz. "I got interested in building them when I took early retirement in the late 1980s and started going to old engine shows. While attending a show in Oklahoma I saw a 1922 Case Hay Press that had been restored. I took a lot of photos and measurements, then started building the 1/3-scale model. It took about 360 hours to build. I took it to threshing shows where many people recalled operating a full-size Case Hay Press baler years ago. Some of them had tears in their eyes as they recalled all the hardships back in the Depression years and Dust Bowl era. "The 1/3-scale baler is 60 in. long and weighs about 160 lbs. After a year of hauling it around, I decided to make the 1/6-scale model. It's 30 in. long and weighs about 35 lbs. and can fit in a car trunk, allowing my wife and I to take it to shows much farther away. "I've built some 1/6 scale balers for other people. Some of my earlier customers have used their working models to make 3,000 to 5,000 bales. I had so much interest in my mini balers that I finally had detailed blueprints drawn up to offer for sale." Schulz also makes 1/16 and 1/8 scale hand-operated, portable antique balers that can make bales from lawn clippings, wood shavings, shredded paper, corn husks, wheat straw, alfalfa, etc. The balers have a wooden plunger and are operated by pushing on a wooden lever. Material is pushed into a hole on top of the chamber, then the lever is pushed forward. It takes about five "loads" of material to make a complete bale. The 1/16-scale baler makes 7/8 by 1 3/8 by 3-in. bales while the 1/8-scale baler makes 1 7/8 by 2 7/8 by 6-in. bales. The 1/3-scale baler sells for $2,400 plus S&H. The motor - electric or gas - sells for $200 extra. The 1/6 scale baler sells for $2,200 plus S&H. An electric motor kit sells for $200. The 1/16 scale baler sells for $100 plus S&H and the 1/8 scale baler sells for $125 plus S&H. "All balers are available in IH red, Deere green, Ford blue, and Case Flambeau red colors," says Schulz. He also makes custom built pedal tractors modeled after John Deere L, LA, and LI tractors. The body is made of fiberglass, with three layers of resin and two layers of fiber-glass matting. The seat and steering wheel are made of cast metal. The tractors sell for $795 plus S&H. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ron Schulz, 6000 Quail Lane, Enid, Okla. 73703 (ph 580 234-8485 or 541-1758).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.