Market Still Hot For Rebuilt Bale Wagons

Market Still Hot For Rebuilt Bale Wagons HAY & FORAGE HARVESTING Bale Handling 5 Reconditioned New Holland bale wagons have been a hot item for years and the market shows no signs of cooling off Lonnie Haack’s Sod Buster Sales is as likely to send a bale wagon to South America or the Middle East as they are down the road in Montana The company maintains sales agents in both Turkey and Chile Haack knows New Holland bale wagons inside out having worked on them for more than 50 years He’s been buying and selling them and the parts and manuals to make them work for almost that long having started his business in 1980 While he has sold thousands of the machines including every model he has his favorites and a couple less favorite “They are all good machines but I tend to stay away from the 1002 and the 1012 ” he says “A good entry model is the 1033 for short bales and the 1032 for 4-ft bales ” Midsummer he listed 13 pull-type bale wagons A 1032 was listed at $14 000 and a 1033 at $16 500 Others ran as high as $36 500 A half dozen self-propelled models were priced as high as $98 000 including a 1981 8500 for $75 000 Haack’s inventory runs low by midsummer Over the fall and winter he rebuilds picking up bale wagons and rebuilding them as needed “Let us know if you have one not being used ” he says “We are always looking All too often they end up in the fencerow ” When a machine needs to be rebuilt he tears it down completely This is especially the case for pull-types “A pull-type rebuild can take 50 to 100 hrs ” says Haack “We don’t go through that many self-propelled machines When we do rebuilding the engine and all can take 300 hrs With them there are so many more things to look for ” Parts are a big share of Sod Buster’s business Many that are hard to find or no longer available from the factory are fabricated specifically by Sod Buster Haack also makes lower cost versions of OEM parts still available “Having our own metal fabrication department lets us pass savings on to our customers ” he says Although he maintains a web page listing parts he prefers customers call him up to order He says it will take less time and ensure they get the right part “A person may think they know the part needed but sometimes after we talk they find out it’s not ” says Haack “It saves time and time can be a tighter commodity than money With the right part you can get back in the field fast ” Operator and parts manuals are another important share of Sod Busters’ business Haack offers manuals for every model New Holland bale wagon He says they are a must for any bale wagon owner “Bale wagons are complicated machines with lots of moving parts ” says Haack “If it isn’t properly adjusted it can cost you thousands of dollars in time and frustration The manuals give you instructions for each adjustment and explains how the bale wagon operates ” He encourages calling to discuss your operation and the best bale wagon for it That goes for bale wagons found locally as well as those he has for sale “Just give me a call if you find one locally ” he says “Send me pictures and I can tell you what to look for Each model has its strengths and weaknesses ” While the Sod Buster website is mostly dedicated to New Holland bale wagons other items from tractors to grain carts and even an occasional TMR mixer may be listed Likewise the company also sells parts for hay-making equipment from a wide variety of brands Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Sod Buster Sales 33505 Gingras Springs Rd Polson Mont 59860 ph 406 883-2118; mobile 406 249-8565; toll free 877 735-2108; lonnie@sodbustersales com; www sodbustersales com

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