[J3 Driver]

Neighbor has a nice old JD 50 for sale. It's a later one with factory power steering. I'm thinking about trying to buy it from him as the sheet metal is extremely straight and the tractor runs well. My question is could this tractor run a baler reasonably well. I thinking 24T or 336 etc. I used to bale hay with my uncle's 620 and 14T and at times it seemed it was all the old girl could do. Of coarse our wind rows were huge which didn't help.

We are looking for some a nice little plot of land to keep a coulomb of horses on and for me to play with some old JD equipment.

Thanks in advance

 

[56FordGuy]

Will it run a baler? Yes. Will it run a 14T or a 336? Maybe.

I'm not familiar with the 50, but a bit of research brought up one concern; not all 50s were equipped with a rear PTO. I guess the one you're looking at has one?

Worse case scenario, you could always find a baler with it's own engine. A lot of older square balers had Wisconsin air cooled engines on them, all the tractor had to do was move it across the field.

 

[barkerwc4362]

Used a B for our 14T

I learned to "drive" for the baler with a 1952 B. The hand clutch was easier for me to operate as a young boy (8 or 9). This was in east central Iowa. The baler was John Deere 14T, purchased in the early 60's. The B worked fine, just had to manage your speed, so as not overload the B.

Bill

 

[Scotty370]

Will it run a baler? Yes. Will it run a 14T or a 336? Maybe.

I'm not familiar with the 50, but a bit of research brought up one concern; not all 50s were equipped with a rear PTO. I guess the one you're looking at has one?

Worse case scenario, you could always find a baler with it's own engine. A lot of older square balers had Wisconsin air cooled engines on them, all the tractor had to do was move it across the field.

God '56! Are there that many of us around that remember the self-powered bailers with the Wisconsin's? And the 'Hand wheel' starting? ~S

 

[DRobinson]

I am another one who well remembers balers and forage harvesters with Wisconsin engines. I feel like a dinosaur. Hoiwever, I am thankful that I can still remember.

Baling with a JD 50 shouldn't be a power problem. I would be more concerned with the weight of the tractor holding the baler on hills, pulling a wagon behind the baler. A baler doesn't take a lot of power to run as evidended by the power of a Winconsin 2 cylinder engine. If I remember correctly, the horsepower rating of the TFD or THD is somewhere around 15 or 16. But, when you have the baler and load of hay on a wagon, the weight of the wagon can give you a pretty good push on a hill.

Don

 

[56FordGuy]

God '56! Are there that many of us around that remember the self-powered bailers with the Wisconsin's? And the 'Hand wheel' starting? ~S

Remember? Heck, some of us still use the Wisconsins! I've got two pieces of equipment here with TJDs in them, neither are balers though.

 

[robpm]

I remember the bailers with the wisconsin engines as well. Ours didn't have one. My dad had an old IH and it ran off the PTO. I remember one time trying to get the hay baled and in before it rained and we had to borrow a friends new much larger tractor to get it finished because it was heavy and thick and our IH 330 utility was unable to handle it.

Sorry for off topic.

 

[J3 Driver]

Thanks for the info guys. Where I woul be used is flat ground and since I'll be doing most of the work myself if I can make this happen it will be bale the hay and let the bales drop and then pick them up and set it on the wagon. So weight shouldn't be an issue.

My uncle was always a JD guy whiled grandfather was always a IH guy. Talking about baling with old IH equipment brings back memories of the old number 48 baler. When it worked it worked but when it didn't well let's just say I learned a lot of new words. Then the New Holland 565 came to live with us. I was in heaven.

I'll keep you posted on the tractor. Here is a pic.

 

[JDGuy630]

Overall, I would be a bit weary of a 336, but a 24T would be good. But wieght would be an issue like mentioned above so you may want to be careful to that.

 

[grnspot110]

Never used a 50 much, but put a lot of hours on a styled "B", 60 & 720D, many of them with the 720 in front of a 14T baler.

Your 50 will handle the baler OK, if you use common sense about hills & windrow size! ~~ Lowell

 

[Longmeadow]

It was long time ago, but my Dad used his 1956 JD 50 to pull a PTO powered 14T with category 1 kicker..wagon behind. He did it dairy farming in the Catskill Mountains of New York State. I would expect that a 24T would be ok as well, especially if you don't have the hills we had.