5 Best Case Ih 8420 Small Square Balers For Humid Conditions to Use

You can feel it in the air before you even see it on the grass. That heavy, humid feeling that means the hay you just raked is getting tougher by the minute. For a hobby farmer, waiting for that perfect, crisp, low-humidity day is a luxury we rarely have; we bale when we can, between the day job and the weather forecast. This is where your equipment makes all the difference, turning a stressful race against moisture into a successful harvest.

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Case IH 8420: Built for Tough, Damp Hay

The Case IH 8420 isn’t the fanciest baler on the market, but it’s built like a tank. When you’re picking up heavy, slightly damp windrows, the last thing you want is a machine that groans and flexes. The 8420 has a wide, low-profile pickup that does a fantastic job of cleanly lifting hay without digging into the dirt, which is crucial when the ground is soft.

Its feeding system is aggressive and direct. Instead of a complex auger system, it often uses packer forks to push the hay straight into the chamber. This simple, forceful design is less likely to clog with sticky, high-moisture hay. It just keeps eating, which is exactly what you need when you’re trying to get the field cleared before the dew gets too heavy.

New Holland BC5070: A Reliable Knotter System

If there’s one thing that will make you want to quit haying forever, it’s a baler that refuses to tie knots. New Holland built its reputation on its knotter system, and the BC5070 is a prime example of that legacy. In humid conditions, twine can swell or feel slippery, and less-forgiving knotters will start missing ties, leaving you with a field of broken bales.

The New Holland knotters are known for their reliability across a wide range of twine types and conditions. They seem to just work. This isn’t just a convenience; it’s a massive time-saver. Stopping every five bales to re-thread a knotter or clear a jam is frustrating and wastes precious time when you’re fighting the weather. With the BC5070, you spend more time driving and less time kneeling in the stubble.

John Deere 348: Consistent Bale Density Control

Baling in humid weather is a balancing act. You need bales tight enough to handle and stack, but not so dense that they can’t breathe. A bale packed too tightly with damp hay is a perfect recipe for mold. This is where the John Deere 348 really shines with its hydraulic bale tensioning system.

This system allows you to adjust bale density on the fly, right from the tractor seat. As conditions change through the afternoon and into the evening, you can ease off the tension to create a slightly softer, more breathable bale. This level of control is a game-changer. It gives you the confidence to bale in marginal conditions, knowing you can produce a stable bale that will still cure properly in the barn.

Massey Ferguson 1840: Excellent Pickup Design

You can have the best knotters in the world, but they’re useless if the hay never makes it into the baler cleanly. The Massey Ferguson 1840, an in-line baler, offers a fundamentally different approach. Because the hay flows straight through the machine without making a 90-degree turn, it handles heavy, ropy windrows with exceptional smoothness.

This design dramatically reduces the chances of clogging in the pickup and feeding area. The pickup itself is wide and follows the ground contour very well, ensuring it gathers all the hay without scooping up rocks or dirt. For small, uneven fields where windrows might not be perfect, the in-line design of the MF 1840 is a major advantage, especially when the hay is less than ideal.

Case IH 8420 with Gazeeka Moisture Meter

Taking a great mechanical baler like the 8420 and adding a modern moisture meter is the ultimate upgrade for humid climates. A system like the Gazeeka provides real-time moisture readings from inside the bale chamber. This isn’t a guess; it’s hard data telling you the exact moisture content of the hay you’re baling at that very second.

Imagine knowing with certainty that the hay is at 18% moisture in the middle of the field but creeping up to 22% along the damper tree line. This information is power. It lets you decide whether to keep baling, to stop and wait for morning, or to use a hay preservative. It transforms baling from an art based on feel to a science based on data, reducing the risk of putting up moldy hay.

New Holland Hayliner Series for Classic Simplicity

Sometimes, the best tool for the job is the simplest one. The older New Holland Hayliner series, like the 273 or 315, are legendary for a reason. They are mechanically simple, easy to understand, and parts are still widely available. For a hobby farmer who does their own repairs, this is a massive benefit.

These balers lack the capacity and fancy features of newer models, but they are incredibly reliable. Their knotters, while older, are the foundation of New Holland’s modern systems and are famously dependable. If your goal is to make a few hundred bales a year without a huge investment or complex electronics, a well-maintained Hayliner is an incredibly smart choice. It’s a machine you can fix with a wrench and a bit of patience.

John Deere 338: A Compact, Nimble Alternative

Not everyone is baling 40-acre flat fields. Many of us are working with small, oddly-shaped pastures, tight gates, and limited storage space. The John Deere 338 is a slightly more compact and agile machine than its bigger siblings, making it a perfect fit for the typical hobby farm.

It requires a bit less horsepower to run, which can be a deciding factor if you’re using an older or smaller tractor. Despite its smaller footprint, it shares the same reliable Deere knotter system and produces the same high-quality, consistent bales. It proves that you don’t need a massive piece of equipment to do a professional-quality job on a small scale.

Case IH 8420 Knotters vs. Deere Twine System

This is one of the classic debates in the hay field. Both the Case IH (often a Hesston-design) and John Deere knotters are excellent, but they have different personalities. The Deere knotter is a design that has been refined for decades. It’s known for being incredibly reliable but can be a bit particular about the type and quality of twine you use.

The knotter system on the 8420 is also robust and known for being a bit more tolerant of different twine brands and thicknesses. However, when it does go out of adjustment, some find it less intuitive to diagnose and fix than the Deere system. There’s no right answer here. It comes down to a tradeoff:

• John Deere: Legendary reliability, but might require you to stick with a specific twine.
• Case IH/Hesston: More forgiving on twine choice, but potentially a steeper learning curve for adjustments.

Ultimately, the best baler for humid conditions is a well-maintained one you understand inside and out. Whether it’s the brute force of a Case IH 8420, the tying perfection of a New Holland, or the precision of a John Deere, the key is knowing your machine’s strengths and weaknesses. Focus less on the color of the paint and more on the condition of the knotters and the pickup—that’s what will get your hay in the barn before the rain comes.