New Holland #77 baler

[electra225]

Grandpa had one of these, his pride and joy. He used it to bale alfalfa only. IT made the prettiest 65 pound bales you could hope for. As you can tell with the Wisconsin VF4 engine and those big pulleys and the flywheel with their total weight on the hitch, this baler was a killer on the hitch of a tractor. There was a 7.00-20 tire on the "flywheel" (engine) end of the baler that supported most of the weight. If you dropped that wheel off in a groundhog or gopher hole, kiss your tractor hitch, and possibly the final drive housing, goodbye. The 77-A came out later and it had PTO drive. The model 76 was almost the same baler, just slightly smaller and newer. We pulled the old NH 77 with a 1941 Massey-Harris Super 101 with Twin Power. The hitch and final drive housing on the Super 101 were massive, and it was light in the front end. IF you dropped that big baler wheel in a hole, instead of breaking the hitch, it would just spin the front end of the tractor around. Scary, but it didn't usually break anything. I have spent many an afternoon and got many good suntans running that old rig. The baler and the tractor were built the same year.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lmXpN3eDpW4

The cast-iron, air cooled Wisconsin engines were simply workhorses. They would run forever if you prevented them from overheating. Chaff and dust were the enemy. Also, if you shut them off, or killed one when it was hot, good luck getting it to start until it had cooled down completely. They got a bad rap as being hard to start. Grandpa's old baler had a magneto and crank start. It was notorious for being impossible to start when it was warm. Grandpa's friend, Morris, LOVED Wisconsin engines. LOVED them. Thought they were a gift from the Almighty. He also "had them figured out". He found that the valves wouldn't seat properly when the engine was warm. Two reasons for this. One, cheap, crappy valves that would expand when they got hot and, two, the recommended valve lash was too tight. Morris used Stellite valve seats with exhaust valve rotators. Then he set the valve lash so loose, you could hear the valves tick when it idled. He converted grandpa's baler from mag to 12-volt distributor ignition, used a hot Mallory coil, opened the plug gap, spun the 6-volt starter on 12 volts, then put an electric "pusher" fuel pump to help overcome vapor lock. It had more power and started almost instantly, hot or cold. I loved hearing a V-4 Wisconsin in full song, about 2400 rpm. Great little engines. 18 horses out of 107 cubic inches.....

[TC Chris]

Not sure a baler counts as a "toy"....

Over on the Tacoma forum under the "Car Porn" thread, there were recent photos of Lamborghini and Porsche tractors. Not the first brands that come to mind when you think of farm equipment.

Chris Campbell

[danrclem]

This brings back memories of pitching hay. When you're up in the top part of the barn on a hot day it's really hot. When your bare back accidentally touches the tin roof it'll make you jump really quick.

[electra225]

I used to walk on hay stubble in bare feet pitching hay bales. I would ride on the tractor baling hay in just enough clothes not to be indecent. Grandma would cut off jeans so short the pockets were below where my legs went thru. Barefooted. The platform of that old Massey would get so warm I would need to put my feet up on the pedals to keep from burning the soles of my feet. I did the mowing, my brother did the raking, then I ran the baler. Grandpa and Uncle Fort would sell alfalfa hay to the rich guys in "The City" for $2.50 a bale, unheard of money for farmers around where we lived. You could buy broam hay for 25 cents a bale. We had a big maple tree and a pitcher pump on a deep well that provided nice cool shade and cool water for thirsty, sweaty hay hands. Grandma would bring fried chicken and potato salad out and we'd all have a picnic for lunch.