USED MACHINERY: At first glance, McHale F550 balers might appear to have changed little over their product life cycle — from their launch in 2005 to the 2011 season, when the final machines were built. Under the skin, however, the balers saw significant development for the 2008 model year, with the occasional nip and tuck in between.
It’s fairly easy to spot the difference between McHale’s new F5500 and its predecessor F550 round balers, because the modern-looking F5500 was treated to a striking appearance makeover at launch.
Similarly, it will probably come as no surprise to learn that under those snazzy panels the new F5500 still has much in common with the outgoing F550, which is certainly no bad thing. The F550, after all, has earned a reputation for rugged simplicity, combined with the capability to keep on working with minimal user attention. In fact, you could argue it would have made far more sense for McHale to have changed the F550’s model number in some way for the 2008 season. Why? Because the 2008 and-on F550 baler benefits from a host of
significant developments that might impact on your choice when it comes to deciding just that the later machines might prove more adept at rolling up drier crops such as hay and straw.
This is down to one notable spec addition — the move from 17 up to 18 rollers in the bale chamber for the 2008 model year. The extra roll was installed to help overcome some issues when baling dry, brittle straw and possibly stemmy hay. In certain conditions, particularly on hot days, the 17-roll balers could find it difficult to rotate the material in the bale chamber. Performance in grass for silage/haylage, however, shouldn’t be a problem for the older 17-roll machines, so bear this in mind when
considering a used buy.
