He’s Still Fixing Balers At 91

He’s Still Fixing Balers At 91 At 91 years old Lewis Hintz has earned a reputation throughout eastern Wisconsin for his mechanical skills He’s one of the few people in the region who knows how to fix small square balers Hintz started working with balers back in 1955 when he used a Deere 70 tractor pulling a 14T square baler “I baled hay all over the neighborhood back then ” says Hintz “Using this equipment took a lot of fixing The more I fixed the more I learned ” He started receiving requests from others to fix their balers in the 1960’s Word quickly got out about Hintz’s skills and he was soon traveling in about a 50-mile radius to perform repairs These days small balers have fallen out of fashion in favor of industrial-scale equipment But Hintz stays busy every summer and estimates he averages two repairs per week over the farming season All his tools stay packed in his car so he’s ready to go whenever a request comes As Hintz has gotten older he’s less eager to crawl under the balers himself Now he frequently brings a friend along to help with the repair or explains the fixing process as the owner completes the steps themselves This serves a second purpose - it helps ensure the baler owner learns how to maintain their equipment Says Hintz “A lot of places I go I don’t ever have to go again because they learned how to do it themselves ” At his age fixing these balers has become more of a passion project than a business Says Hintz “I have lots of friends and relatives whom I don’t charge They always pay me back somehow even if it’s not with money ” Looking forward Hintz hopes to continue working on farm equipment for as long as he is able “I enjoy what I’m doing I’ve loved my life as a farmer and love to help others whenever I can ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Lewis Hintz 8604 Liberty School Road Omro Wisc 54963 ptreu1963@gmail com

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