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Paired-Up Balers Bale Two Windrows At Once
A custom operator has built a 2-bale baler that'll bale two 12-ft. windrows with little or no extra effort by the operator thanks to a complete set of remote operator controls.
Zillah, Wash., farmer Bob Stewart custom-baled about 21,000 bales last year using the two ganged-up Deere 346 balers. "It does twice as much work and you eliminate the need for a second tractor and operator. You can easily watch both balers at once because they're in line from the tractor seat. In fact bale consistency improves because you can compare the speed at which bales get ejected to determine if one or the other baler is baling too light or too heavy," explains Stewart.
The remote baler is powered by a VH4D Wisconsin 28-hp. engine that mounts on top of the baler frame. The engine belt-drives the baler flywheel (Stewart beefed up the flywheels on both Deere balers by "wrapping" each with a 100-lb. steel bar to increase power of the machines) and is activated by a hydraulic controlled idler clutch. All controls ù throttle, choke, ignition, and idler clutch ù can be controlled from the seat of the powering 95 hp. Deere 4020.
Key to success of the two-baler baler is the hydraulic tongue that gangs them together and allows them to "turn on a dime" at headlands. To swing into transport, one baler behind the other, you just pull two pins and move the tongue hydraulically. The rear baler can be unhooked from the front baler in less than a minute when needed to make a last round or to work in tight quarters.
Stewart says the rear baler with its direct-driven flywheel has nearly twice the power and output of the front baler due to it's direct-drive flywheel. He plans to convert his front baler to direct drive by mounting an old IH 55 baler gear box on the tongue of the baler and running the pto shaft through that to direct-drivo the front baler's flywheel. "It'll boost baler power and efficiency 100%," notes Stewart.
For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Bob Stewart, Rt. 2, Box 2552, Zillah, Wash. 98953 (ph 509 829-5783).


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1986 - Volume #10, Issue #2