1/3-Scale Baler Powered By Mini John Deere

1/3-Scale Baler Powered By Mini John Deere HAY & FORAGE HARVESTING Balers (6) 19-6-19 When he was growing up on a farm near Tekama, Neb., Lloyd Cox learned first-hand about stationary balers. Now, Cox travels to county fairs and threshing contests with his own stationary baler and tractor, cranking out perfectly formed square bales like clockwork. The only difference between what he's doing now and what his dad did is that Cox's baler and tractor are 1/3 scale models of the originals. "I learned from my dad how the baler and tractor worked and that helped me build my models," Cox says. Cox spent about a year building his replica of a 1923 Case stationary baler and 1926 Deere 1 1/2 hp gas engine to power it. The machinery's main gears are out of an old pump jack and its flywheels come from various places. Cox fabricated all other parts out of metal he bought for the project. Cox says the baler will produce a maxi-mum of 20 bales per hour when working wide open. He sells the 5 by 7 by 12-in. bales for $3 apiece as a novelty Cox built a 3-ft. wide by 5-ft. long hay rack, which holds about 100 bales, to go along with the baler and tractor. He also built a single-axle, oak-floored 12 by 8-ft. trailer to haul the model from show to show. Cox has about $4,500 invested in his mini baler and tractor. Contact: Lloyd Cox, Box 293, Dakota City, Neb. 68731 (ph 402 987-3695).

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