Towing a round baler on the highway

KSHAYGUY · Sep 19, 2023

I'm looking at a used baler that is about 375 miles away. I have towed balers and other equipment 30-40-50 miles but never this far. I do have a flatbed gooseneck trailer that would make the hauling much easier. However, I'm concerned about getting it loaded onto the trailer. I don't see a good way to back the baler up the ramps without catching the bale kicker (RBX563).

Should I just plan on towing it home or figure out how to get it loaded on the trailer?

If I tow...
- Stay under 50mph?
- Pull wheel bearing caps and grease up?
- Find a spare tire or two, just in case?

Any advice

Hawkins2015 · Sep 19, 2023

I wouldn't try and pull it home. If you stay below 35 MPH like your supposed to, that means over 10 hours on the road.

I debated the same thing, but my snag was width of baler tires vs deck width of trailer.

If you can swing it, I'd load it on your gooseneck.

PaulN · Sep 19, 2023

Is it a big job to remove the bale kicker?

KSHAYGUY · Sep 19, 2023

Not sure what it takes to remove the bale kicker.

chevytaHOE5674 · Sep 19, 2023

I hauled one of my balers home 300+ miles at 55-65mph. Greased the wheel bearings, checked the tire pressure then hit the road.

KSHAYGUY · Sep 19, 2023

How big of a baler was it?
Were the wheel bearings greasable or did you pop the cap open and add some grease?
Did you stop and check the wheel bearings from time to time for heat buildup?

chevytaHOE5674 · Sep 19, 2023

A New Holland BR7070 Crop Cutter. 4x6 baler.

I quick jacked it up and check the wheel bearings for play then added some grease under the cap and hit the road. Stopped for diesel and lunch along the way And gave them a quick touch to make sure they weren't too hot. They use tapered roller bearings just like every trailer on the market.

I used magnetic tow lights for the ride. Also ratchet strapped the pickup in the UP position, and ratchet strapped the bale kicker to keep it from bounching.

swmnhay · Sep 19, 2023

Grease wheel bearings,spare tire,jack,electric impact and pull it home

magntic flashers be good idea going that far!

I pull mine about 50 mph

Use a decent horse in front of it.3/4 ton or bigger diesel be my choice

KSHAYGUY · Sep 19, 2023

Thanks - I have a 2500HD w/ Duramax and Allison for towing it.

bool · Sep 19, 2023

I towed a NH 1012 bale wagon 400 miles home 3 weeks ago, with no issues. I had 4 spare wheels with me (I had them so I took them all) and put one ob before I even started but did not need any others. I removed the wheels are greased them (I don't think anyone else had seen the wheel bearings since the factory!). Bale wagons have high tongue weight like a round baler. I towed it behind my Mazda utility. Average speed about 75 km/h (not quite 50 mph).

So don't be afraid of towing it. But if you want to load it, maybe find a bank to back the trailer into to make loading easier.

Roger

Gearclash · Sep 20, 2023

I’ve loaded and hauled as well as towed the NH equivalent of the RBX563. It’s about a toss up as to which way to go. I don’t see how the bale ramp is going to hinder loading; I’ve backed them up a trailer ramp without the baler ramp hitting. Downsides of trailering a baler like that -- getting the baler backed on the trailer (tires hang about 1/3 off the deck on each side); keeping it tied down solidly; top heavy load - make sure the baler is at least 90% over the trailer axles, not ahead and putting much weight on the trailer hitch. Downsides of towing -- no brakes on the load; going to be slower and rougher. The simpler solution is going to be towing. First baler I bought I hauled 400 miles. Towing would have been a pain since I would have had to avoid cities and Interstate highways. There was not a straight shot on secondary roads. I left the wheels on that one, but every baler I’ve had hauled since then I’ve taken them off once they were on the trailer. Whatever you do, tie the side doors shut.

seventyfourci · Sep 21, 2023

I hauled a 530 years ago but modified the ramps and loaded it sideways tied the doors shut with nylon straps and came on to the house. I have hauled several swathers that way but I pulled the tongues off of them.

calico190xt · Sep 22, 2023

I tied up the pickup with a ratchet strap so the tines wouldn't drag on the ground, had a chevy 3500 dually and drove 100 miles went 45 miles an hour on back highways. No problem but you can feel a JD 467 on the back when you hit bumps. I think loading them can be precarious due to their width. Dealers have big forklifts but i don't.

Ihclaasman34 · Sep 24, 2023

I used to haul equipment for a dealership I towed stuff all over behind the truck round balers would pull behind the truck no problem 60-65 mph check wheel bearings for play maybe add a little grease and you’re good to go I would recommend having a solid truck hitch not the chincy hollow ones like most especially hauling something that far make sure your pin fit’s pretty snug to reduce shuck. Stick a bolt and nut in the next hole after the fully closed hole on your tongue adjustment just in case pull the outer pto and wagon tongue off . Spare tires are never a bad thing make sure lug nuts are tight,I lost the center out of a rim once on an old used baler we figured due to the lugs not being tight enough. Other than that happy trails!!

Markpnw · Sep 26, 2023

I hauled mine 45 miles on the interstate with no problem. A baler I had bought in MT we hauled on our flatbed. It wasn’t bad at all. Longer distance I’d put on flatbed.

RockmartGA · Sep 30, 2023

A few thoughts:

Are you purchasing from an equipment dealer? If so, ask about the cost of them delivering. Heck, even a private seller may be willing to deliver for a fee.
Check with equipment haulers in your area as well as the sellers area.
Barring the above options, I'd haul it instead of towing it. Too many variables when it comes to towing a piece of equipment that distance. The most obvious is tires and bearings. Also, that's a lot of weight behind your vehicle with no brakes. Trying to stop on a patch of gravel could send you out of control.
A winch on a gooseneck really helps with loading equipment such as this.

dvcochran · Oct 16, 2023

What I do is use a tractor/loader or skid steer with a hole in the bucket to put a pin through and back the baler on. That way you can keep the baler geometry at whatever angle you need.

bool · Oct 16, 2023

The only time I ever loaded a round baler there was nothing to back it on with and no ramp anyway, so I paid a local bloke with a mobile crane $100 cash to lift it on. Drawbar to the back so I could tow it off!

Roger

KSHAYGUY · Feb 14, 2024

Update for everyone.......
I bought a CaseIH RBX563 round baler and decided to tow it home. I covered the SMV sign on back because I've heard you can get pulled over if you are exceeding 25mph and have a SMV visible. I added a set of magnetic trailer lights and plugged them into the trailer lights plug (Chevrolet 2500HD Duramax). Tied all of the side panels shut to prevent them from flying open. Wheel bearings are not greased and caps were on REALLY tight so I didn't do anything with them. I placed 6-7 big washers on the bottom side of the hitch to keep the baler tongue from bouncing up/down.
I towed that bad boy 350 miles on rural highways and interstate (Even drove through the middle of Omaha, NE). Passed police and State troopers with zero issues.
I checked tires and wheel bearings after 15-miles, again 30 miles later and again after about 150 total miles. It rained the first couple hours and that kept the tires nice and cool. After the rain passed, I had to keep my speed around 50 mph to keep the tires from heating up. The tires where warm but cool enough that you could hold your hand on them for more than 15-seconds and not feel like you were getting hot or burned. I would have no concern pulling this baler 800-1000 miles under those conditions. Condition of tires, speed, ambient temp and wheel bearings would all be controlling variables. No weight station stops, no hazard flashers, no wide load sign, no red flags on sides.

IH 1586 · Feb 14, 2024

KSHAYGUY said:
Update for everyone.......
I bought a CaseIH RBX563 round baler and decided to tow it home. I covered the SMV sign on back because I've heard you can get pulled over if you are exceeding 25mph and have a SMV visible. I added a set of magnetic trailer lights and plugged them into the trailer lights plug (Chevrolet 2500HD Duramax). Tied all of the side panels shut to prevent them from flying open. Wheel bearings are not greased and caps were on REALLY tight so I didn't do anything with them. I placed 6-7 big washers on the bottom side of the hitch to keep the baler tongue from bouncing up/down.
I towed that bad boy 350 miles on rural highways and interstate (Even drove through the middle of Omaha, NE). Passed police and State troopers with zero issues.
I checked tires and wheel bearings after 15-miles, again 30 miles later and again after about 150 total miles. It rained the first couple hours and that kept the tires nice and cool. After the rain passed, I had to keep my speed around 50 mph to keep the tires from heating up. The tires where warm but cool enough that you could hold your hand on them for more than 15-seconds and not feel like you were getting hot or burned. I would have no concern pulling this baler 800-1000 miles under those conditions. Condition of tires, speed, ambient temp and wheel bearings would all be controlling variables. No weight station stops, no hazard flashers, no wide load sign, no red flags on sides.

I would say your brave to run the interstate between the speeds and because it is a farm implement. I personally would not have worried about the SMV though again you were on an interstate so would have confused them idiot drivers. I have an adapter so I can run my implement lights with the truck. No matter what speed I'm towing I run the flashers just because the item I'm towing is wider than the truck and just want motorists to be aware. I would highly doubt you would have gotten any bounce on the tongue. About the only thing I see that would have helped you for that distance was to over inflate the tires some. Your comment on heating up makes me think they were flexing more than they needed to. Glad your trip went well.

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Towing a round baler on the highway

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