by Jake Pippin, Litchfield, IL 

When looking at a new round baler for your farm or custom operation, there are a few things that you should consider.   In this blog post, we will look at the different sizes, configurations, and attachments for the John Deere 9 series round baler. When looking at Deere balers, the first two numbers indicate the bale size and the last number is the series.  So for instance, a 569 round baler makes a 5 ft by 6 ft bale and the series is 9.

John Deere 459E Round Baler

I’ll start with the 459E.  If you only put up 100 bales or so a year and don’t want the expense of bigger baler, this is the route to go since it still has a lot of the features of the 9 series baler except in a smaller package.  The 459E still has the diamond chains and heavier bearings and shafts in the #9 and #11 rolls.   It can still achieve a max bale weight of 1000lbs, and you will still be able to conserve room in your shed.  This baler still uses the BaleTrak Pro monitor for simple use.  You can also get the optional edge to edge net wrap system, as well as the standard twine. The 459E also comes with a shear bolt on the PTO rather than the slip clutch style found on the other models.  You can rear more about the 459E on deere.com by clicking here.

John Deere 459 Round Baler

The 459 standard is the baler in the 9 series and it produces the same bale size as the 459E (4×5) except with a few more available options.  One option on the 459 are 96-inch high flotation tires.  These are nice, especially if you do a lot of traveling on rough roads or if you just need the extra flotation in the field.  You can also get it with the standard pickup or the Megawide Plus pick up. The Megawide is beneficial with bigger windrows allowing you to pick them all up at once.  It also comes with the diamond tough belts and the Mato belt splices that are found on the larger 5×6 balers.  You can read more about 459 balers on deere.com by clicking here.

John Deere 469 Round Baler

The John Deere 469 round baler makes a 4×6 foot bale with a maximum silage bale weight of 2200lbs. This baler is perfect if you ship bales that need to be narrow for transport on a trailer, but still need to max out your tonnage per trip. The high flotation tires come standard on this baler.  The 469 also comes standard with the Megawide pickup for those larger windrows.  It also has the diamond tough belts and Mato splices, but net-wrap is optional.  The minimum horsepower requirement does jump up to 65 horsepower on the 469, and the proper tractor size will depend on ballast as well as operating conditions.  You can read what John Deere has to say about this baler by clicking here.

John Deere 559 Round Baler

The next baler in the lineup is a 559, which is a 5×5 baler. It has all the of options of the 469, but with the option of the standard pickup or the Megawide plus pickup.  If you’re looking to get more hay into a bale, but still keep a low profile this is the route to go. The max silage bale weight is 1750lbs. This one like the 459E and the 459 only requires 55hp.  You can read more specifications by clicking here.

John Deere 569 Round Baler

The 569 round baler has a max silage bale weight of 2400lbs and is standard with the high flotation 112inch tires like those found on the 469.  You also have the option of the standard pickup, megatooth, and the Megawide pickup. It is standard with twine and also optional Coveredge net wrap system.  This is our best selling round baler and you can read more details from John Deere by clicking here.  Sloan Implement also has a large inventory of used 569 balers that you can see by clicking here.

John Deere 569 Silage Special Baler

Now the 459, 469, 559, and 569 balers are all available in Silage Special models.  What you see at first glance is the black screen in the front of the baler. That is because the starter roll on the silage special models has an auger to keep crop buildup down.  It also comes standard with the starter roll knife.  This will keep crop from wrapping the starter roll and causing problems.  The last feature is the auxiliary take-up roll.  This is found on the top of the belt and its purpose is to keep the belts turning as the gate is opened.  The reason for this is that when baling silage, the belts will become wet and tacky this helps to keep them from wrapping a roll or even flipping on hillsides.  You can read more about the 559 Silage Special by clicking here.  If the 569 Silage Special interests you, you can learn more at deere.com by clicking here.

John Deere 854 Silage Baler

There is also another baler often overlooked in the silage category the 854.  This baler is manufactured in Arc Le Grey. It is the only round baler that comes equipped with a precutter. It comes with the standard pickup and does not use the diamond tough belts, but instead it uses 3-ply nylon polyester belts.  The 854 uses the same Baletrak Plus monitor and requires 70hp to run. It has a hydraulic drop floor so that if you plug the baler, you can drop the floor and feed the plug through without ever leaving the cab.  You can learn more about the 854 by clicking here.

John Deere 569 Premium Round Baler

John Deere 469 Premium Round Baler

The next options for Deere round balers are the premium 469 and 569.  These are the top of the line balers in the Deere lineup. They come with all the features of the 469 and 569 standard balers and a lot more.  They have gull-wing doors making it more convenient to do daily baler maintenance. The Megawide pickup is even better since it includes bigger cams, bearings, and reel spiders. This means less downtime for repairs as well as more peace of mind.  The chains got beefed up as well from 80 to 80H  and there’s a new output shaft with u-joints.  This helps with alignment as well as stronger and more reliable parts.  There is a grease bank on either side of the baler to keep you from searching for grease points and a cam clutch on the PTO that is maintenance free.   You can also have the option of tractor baler automation with the premium balers.  And finally, why not beef up the warranty as well since it comes with a 2 year or 12000 bale warranty.

With all of these options, you’re sure to find the baler that fits your needs and budget as well.  If a new baler is not in the budgets, you can see our complete inventory of used round balers by clicking here.  If you have any questions on balers, feel free to call me in Litchfield at 217 324 5955 and ask for Jake.

Sloan Support is written by the product support team at Sloan Implement, a 20 location John Deere dealer in Illinois and Wisconsin.   Learn more at www.sloans.com