Video of Allis-Chalmers Roto-Baler Baling Hay

In this video you can see where the baler isn't taking the hay in right so I stop it and pull a lever to reverse it for a bit then start it forward and the hay goes in ok then. When the string arm drops the hay going in should carry the string on in to wrap the bale, sometimes there is no hay to take the string on in and none on the conveyer in the right area to start it to carry the string on in. Toward the last of the video you see me get off the tractor and toss something into the baler, that was just a little hay to catch the string and pull it on in to the roll of hay so it could wrap it. After I throw the hay in you can start to see the string moving out of the string holder on the right going up to the top of the baler and in.

[@Hemihappy]

When you rake rake two windrows next to each other instead of on top of each other. The key to one of these things is patience. One of the biggest problems is the springs that are on the tying mechanism get weak. When these get weak they make the baler do all sorts of crazy things. We run 2 every summer as our primary balers. If you have any questions just ask me.

[@donvoll2580]

Good day from Ontario. Do u still use them Thanks

[@jamesbuck555]

VERY NICE Vidya.... They did waste alot of hay after the dump..

[@woodmosaics]

My son picked some up from one of the farm supply stores in town. Its either that or make a bigger box to hold what you can get.

[@Hemihappy]

You must rake tow windrows side by side or the bale will not tie correctly. We still run two of them every summer as our primary balers. When they run they are great, but when they don't look out!

[@nightlightabcd]

I was going to mention that.

[@brucek1531]

My father died in 1954, at the age of 36, on one of these balers in southern Saskatchewan, Canada. A neighbor had wanted to borrow the baler and my father said he would do it for him, delaying a planned holiday for our family. I was only 7 years old and saw the aftermath of the accident, so seeing this video is chilling to say the least. We moved to Regina, Saskatchewan after this happened so I grew up in a city. I hope that modern balers are safer than that crude and dangerous piece of equipment and am shocked to see it is still in use. Last February, I was contacted by the eldest son of the man on whose farm this happened, saying he was there when my father died and that we should talk. We met for coffee. It was a warm meeting and I found out that he and his father had suffered, too, as a result. He said he had never forgotten that day. I learned more about what happened, which explained some things I had wondered about for the last 66 years. He told me the twine on the Allis Chalmers baler would frequently tear and the only way to get it working again was to leave the baler running while you threw the twine onto the bed in order for it to be drawn into the mechanism. Some farmers would wrap it around a piece of straw before they threw it. He said my father had been having problems with the baler and the twine tearing all day long. He and his father were raking the straw in rows (with a machine I assume) and when they hadn't heard the tractor for about a half hour, his father said they should see if my father needed help. That's when they found him. The tractor had stalled because of what happened; his clothes must have caught on the bed of hooks, which operated like a conveyor belt, and his arm had been drawn into the baler mechanism. That I knew, because I saw the aftermath, but I never understood why it happened; why he had left the machine running. I recently searched for information online about this baler and discovered that many farmers were maimed or killed by that machine and they eventually stopped making it. I can imagine my father must have been tired and frustrated and maybe wasn't careful enough when the accident happened. At least now I finally have a better understanding of what happened. I don't remember what they did before he and my maternal grandfather bought that baler, however I do recall seeing many men stooking grain in the fields and processing it through a threshing machine so I suppose the remaining straw was just placed in a haystack near the barn.

[@speedwagon7562]

.. . I’m sorry to hear of your dad, I’ve been wondering for decades, how/what, made the machine dangerous…, I assumed it had something to do with standing in the rear, as it somehow kicks out the bale… I imagined that somehow, stored energy, could make the ejection happen, when you were behind the baler, and it ejected somehow, while not running… thanks for your explanation… all brands of balers in the past, had dangerous aspects… one adult female cousin of mine, lost half her head of hair, as it caught up in the heavy balance wheel on a JD baler…myself, driving tractor, @8 yrs old, our late 1940s New Holland baler, with a canvas apron, and it’s own engine, while my dad was on the wagon, stacking long bales, I accidentally baled up my favorite cat… it was targeting mice as they left the hay row, and got pulled in… it was a bad day for me, my dad praised me, said I was trying hard, and the baled cat was put in a hedge row, and my sisters were never to know…

[@Geezuznotcomingforu]

Was telling my son in law about a family in our community that lost their father/husband in similar circumstances with this baler model. I’m 66 and was very young when it happened. I understand one of more of his 3 sons discovered him.

[@dougshrader7721]

Helped Dad bale many hundreds of acres of hay with one of these, he had a custom hay baling business and we were swamped every summer. When the big round balers hit market within 2 years no one wanted small bales anymore so he sold his.

[@hairymanonetwo]

I thought these balers produced a larger bale....like a foot and a half bale and much firmer. Or..is it the operator ??

[@mhoff5777]

Brings back memories of putting up hay on the farm back in the 50-60's. The baler was a good machine but could be trouble sum in heavy alfalfa hay. Worked better in grassy hay..

[@melvintroyer4534]

M Hoff.

[@dropdeadhandsome]

When I was young we had one of these shipped to us - it arrived with assembly instructions in German, and did a fine service for years at Low Middleton Farm. The bales were rain resistant, but it did have a habit of occasionally throwing out the bands as well as the hay, which made for an,occasionally welcome, break in the proceedings. All of this in Northern England in the early 60s to 70s

[@woodmosaics]

This year I cut a couple belts off the spare 1 and had splices put on to replace 1 belt that had got down to 1 ply where most of the others were 3 ply. I think my son priced all new belts this year at $500.00 in town. I couldn't tell you whether they were rough or not. I don't have a barn to put them in so have been wrapping a tarp around them to try and shield the belts from the sun and rain, as I thought the sun might harden the belts. I thank you for all the information you have given me.

[@dropdeadhandsome]

When I was young we had one of these shipped to us - it arrived with assembly instructions in German, and did a fine service for years at Low Middleton Farm. The bales were rain resistant, but it did have a habit of occasionally throwing out the bands as well as the hay, which made for an,occasionally welcome, break in the proceedings.

[@wgberg]

My father had one of these. I liked the small squares better for stacking in the barn but like so many farmers, had to get a job in town and these could sit outside longer. It went slow but there are not that many things to go wrong so it usually worked. You may have better luck raking at least two windrow's side by side to fill the bale evenly. This makes the best bales. My Father had me do the raking starting at 10 years old. After a while, I was very good at it and the bales are even.

[@bill65264]

I used to bale 800 to 1000 a day with one of these. We had ours adjusted to make bales as big and as heavy as we could get away with. Usually well over 50 lbs.

[@kernal1042]

I ran this type baler on farm growing up for 20 years. My dad did not like to bale with it but he loved the round bales

[@woodmosaics]

Here I was thinking the belts should be shiny. 4 years ago my son got 2 balers that had been in a barn for 15 or 20 years, 1 for spare parts. Paid, I think it was $100.00 for the 2 of them. Both have shinny belts. I had never even been up to one before that. I worked on one of them for about 3 days before I got it to do more than spit it right on out the back. So when I finally got it to roll a bale I thought that was great. It was a lot better than picking it up with a pitchfork as I was doing.

[@stihlthebest]

My Dad and brothers used to run 2 or 3 of these back in the 60s and 70s. Its a miracle they all didn't commit suicide!!

[@millman26]

I used to pick up alot of them little round bales I got a friend whos about 90 yrs old and he still does 80 acres every year . ya just gotta know how to run them and there awsome!

[@stihlthebest]

I see theres a lake in the back ground, that would be the perfect storage area for this baler!!!!!!!

[@nightlightabcd]

Wrong!!

[@tonycoupland6281]

Remember my grandpa baling hay with AC round baler!! Always have wonder why AC never got into the big round balers?

[@charlesmordaunt2182]

3000 bales per day only stopping every time for twine and eject bale endless belts make your own endless belts using belt joiner use plastic twine using a bigger drum to store twine steel intake roller or no10 roto baler none stop work differ size pulley for twine on bale 6 wraps or 12 wraps and plenty of dust great past time in 1970s

[@mhoff5777]

I baled lots of hay and alfalfa with a Roto- Baler pulled with a M Farmall. You can adjust the two long springs in back to make the bales larger or smaller.

[@PennsylvaniaFarming]

Head of its time

[@timpatrickhanna]

I remember this baler along with some long days in the field. Close to the end of it's life it was missing some parts and you had to reach in and pull the arm to get it to drop the bale.

[@shitbox7413]

Thank god round balers evolved from this...

[@dennismoody8140]

If anyone is Interested in one of these baliers please let me know as soon as you can A friend has one and some old rakes that needs to be gone by the end of July they are in the Central Maine area....

[@richarderickson5965]

Got 2 of these bakers, one is the last model that AC made. Don't use them. They are a man killer. I got neighbor that lost a arm and can't use his other very good to this thing. All my AC friends won't restore one of them.

[@877lodge]

Richard Erickson David. Brown Albion

[@nightlightabcd]

I spent a good part of my young life working around these and never had a accident of any kind.

[@billsmith661]

I have a friend with one arm because of these

[@hairymanonetwo]

@@billsmith661 Sorry... yah shouldnt put your hands and arms where they dont belong ! Same with the old style ear corn pickers. Keep hands out !

[@woodmosaics]

Nah, its cheap and a challenge to run, you like a challenge dont you?

[@Mackeson3]

@stihlthebest I ran a Howard Bigbaler for about 11 years and I don't know to this day why I did not suffer a nervous breakdown! Nirvana was 3 perfect knots!

[@woodmosaics]

You are probably right on the string not getting caught, but then I have the problem of the hay bunching up as you see at the first part of this video and not going in between the rollers. I spray on belt dressing which seems to help some. I feel I'm lucky to keep it working at all.

[@kylekenan2321]

Wouldn't they want the bales a bit bigger?

[@woodmosaics]

How big of a bale do you want to pick up by hand????

[@nightlightabcd]

They were made this size for people to handle if they needed to.

[@darthgraggus2690]

Ummo F. Lueban.... remember that name...SERIOUSLY.

[@d.j.paulson2058]

don paulson l am 77 remebering stacking them and feeding them good keepers from rain used home made bale hook by dad could stack 3 than 4 than 5 high but only hauled 50 per load quit around 1000 bales per day

[@defuse56]

I'm new to these Roto-balers, never knew they existed before. From reading the comments here and elsewhere I can see there's a learning curve like anything else. Just a question: if you sell your hay, do the customers like the way it handles in the barn? Or don't they care as long as it's good hay?

[@woodmosaics]

I never sell it as my goats like to eat and scatter it by themselves.

[@defuse56]

Ah, okay, not a problem then. Thanks for showing me something new!

[@richarderickson5965]

defuse56 Do not get on of them. They are a man killer. I have 2 of this type but on the right side of the tractor.

[@robertowaltercordonnaspi2480]

tengo una para la venta

[@ssmurk55]

Aw man! We had one of these when I was a kid. You had to stop for every bail, kick the H out of gear to finish the bail. Watch that string feeder go across. Some time (I dont remember why) roller would kick out and all the belts would be all over the place. Then putting the bails on the wagon. I was the wagon stacker.. Stacking round bails in NEPA's hilly farm. 3 high 2 wide and 2 high going down the center to lock it in. Then all winter taking the string off. Tough.. Thanks for the memory's.

[@loisgustafson4522]

ssmurk55 my Dad always had his baling done by custom balers. One year a neighbor got a new AC roto-baler and my Dad hired him for the first baling (you had to be hospitable, right?) It was the one and only time that baler put tire tracks on our property! Remember how easy it was to pull square bales apart by slabs for feeding!! Enough said.

[@bencarter2334]

My grandfather had one in the uk in the 60s. My father hated it and still talks about how terrible it was. And how he would look at all the neighbours baling their hay with ease.

[@19mg94]

fast ant they

[@labryan55]

I bought an AC roto baler last week and am ancious to try it out next summer. Where do you get the twine from? Nice video and I learn a lot from these comments as well.

[@richarderickson5965]

labryan55 I got 2 of them but the pickup is on the right side. Don't use it, they are a man killer. Myself and my Neighbors that used one or still have one wouldn't use them at all anymore. Not safe.

[@duanedean3256]

Man killer? Really? More like not knowing what to do when one gets into trouble and should not be working on them. Its a round baler, yes, it will rip your arm off. Just like the big ones and any other piece of equipment. It does not care if its hay or flesh, it will keep running. The same goes for a PTO. Man killer....uggh

[@darthgraggus2690]

Forget John Deer on this people... because it it just cool. Enough said.

[@thegreenerthemeaner]

Windrows are a little light.

[@woodmosaics]

Very light. I learned, and made them a lot bigger.

[@dougshrader7721]

You actually want to take the hay so you have two smaller windows side by side rather than folding them together into one big window, feeds in much easier.