EP-9YF-1700 Square Baler — Entry-Level Trailed Hay Baler with the Widest Power Range
Der EP-9YF-1700 Square Baler (also known as a compact trailed square hay baler, small-farm rectangular straw baler, or automatic rope square baler) is a lightweight, tractor-trailed baler engineered for wheat straw, rice straw, cotton straw, corn stover, and forage grass on small farms, family operations, and cooperatives with limited tractor power. With a power range of 29.5–73.5 kW (40–100 hp) — the widest in the EP square baler lineup — the 9YF-1700 pairs with virtually any utility tractor in service worldwide. At only 1,750 kg and a transport width of just 2,500 mm, it is the most compact and accessible machine in the range, purpose-built for paddy fields, small plots, narrow field lanes, and operations where larger balers simply cannot work.
🐄 Animal Husbandry
🔥 Biomass and Fuel
🌿 Straw Recycling
🏗 Cooperatives and Paddy Fields
Why Choose the EP-9YF-1700 Square Baler?
- 1,700 mm spring-tooth pickup — ideal for narrow windrows and tight field headlands
- Widest power range in the lineup: 29.5–73.5 kW (40–100 hp) — pairs with almost any tractor
- Lightest weight: 1,750 kg — lowest soil compaction, easiest to manoeuvre
- Narrowest transport: 2,500 mm — fits any farm lane or rural road without special permits
- Fully automatic D-type rope baling — zero manual tying required
- 460 x 360 mm high-density bale cross-section — same format as larger EP models
- Fork feeding mechanism for consistent charge and uniform bale density
Technical Parameters — Model 9YF-1700 Square Baler
| NEIN. | Parameter | Einheit | Spezifikation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Modellname | — | 9YF-1700 Square Baler |
| 2 | Hitching Method | — | Towed-type |
| 3 | Picking Width | mm | 1,700 |
| 4 | Feeding Inlet Width | mm | — |
| 5 | Picker Structure | — | Federzahntyp |
| 6 | Feeder Structure | — | Fork Feeding Mechanism |
| 7 | Knotter Type | — | D Type |
| 8 | Number of Knotters | pc | 2 |
| 9 | Compression Chamber Section (W x H) | mm | 460 x 360 |
| 10 | Ballenpressverfahren | — | Automatic Rope Baling |
| 11 | Passender Leistungsbereich | kW | 29.5–73.5 (40–100 hp) |
| 12 | Overall Dimension (L x W x H) | mm | 4,965 x 2,500 x 1,750 |
| 13 | Machine Weight | kg | 1,750 |
How the EP-9YF-1700 Square Baler Works
Driven entirely by the tractor PTO, the EP-9YF-1700 powers all working groups — pickup, fork feeding, plunger compression, D-type knotting, and bale ejection — from a single input shaft through a compact gearbox and flywheel. The intentionally simple driveline reduces part count, lowers maintenance cost, and speeds up field-side diagnosis, making it the ideal first baler for farmers upgrading from manual straw collection or older equipment.
- Pickup: The 1,700 mm spring-tooth reel lifts windrowed crop cleanly from the ground. Hardened 65Mn tines are dimensioned for standard narrow-to-medium windrows common in small-field wheat and rice production, with cam-follower retraction ensuring clean crop transfer at the top of the arc.
- Fork Feeding: A reciprocating fork mechanism meters consistent crop charges into the compression chamber, maintaining uniform bale density regardless of forward speed variations as the operator navigates tight headlands and irregular field edges.
- Plunger Compression: The reciprocating plunger compresses each crop charge against the growing bale inside the 460 x 360 mm chamber. Bale density is controlled by forward speed and plunger stroke rate, adjustable to suit the end-use requirement — loose for livestock bedding, firm for transport and export.
- D-Type Knotter Tying: At the preset bale length, two D-type knotters simultaneously wrap, knot, and cut twine within a single plunger stroke. No cab exit, no manual tying — baling continues without interruption.
- Bale Ejection: Completed bales exit via the rear discharge chute onto the field surface, ready for collection, manual stacking, or loader pickup.
⚙ One PTO input drives everything — fewer parts, lower costs, faster fixes in the field.
🔩 PTO Shaft — Connecting the 9YF-1700 to Your Tractor
Because the 9YF-1700 accepts a wide 29.5–73.5 kW power range, shaft selection must cover the full torque spread. Confirm these points before ordering a shaft:
- Torque rating: Rate the shaft to the upper end of your tractor range. A friction or shear-bolt torque limiter is essential to protect the driveline from crop-jam shock loads.
- PTO speed and spline: Confirm 540 rpm (6-spline) or 1,000 rpm (21-spline) — this determines the baler input ratio and shaft end fitting.
- Shaft length and telescoping range: Measure minimum and maximum hitch-to-input distances across all turning angles. The shaft must neither bottom out nor separate at any articulation point.
- Operating angle: Keep all universal joint angles below 15 degrees to prevent vibration and premature cross-kit wear.
- CE-rated safety guard: Mandatory in most export markets — a full plastic guard prevents operator entanglement during operation and daily servicing.
Our preferred partner supplies CE-certified, torque-rated square-baler driveline solutions. Their Zapfwelle range for square balers provides a reliable dimensional and torque-rating reference for selecting the correct driveline for your EP-9YF-1700 setup.
Core Advantages of the EP-9YF-1700 Square Baler
40–100 hp — Widest Tractor Compatibility
The 29.5–73.5 kW power range is the broadest in the EP baler range. It pairs with even the smallest 40 hp utility tractors commonly owned by family farms and village cooperatives in Asia, Africa, and Central Asia — no tractor upgrade required.
Lightest and Most Compact in the Range
At 1,750 kg and 2,500 mm transport width, the 9YF-1700 is the lightest and narrowest EP square baler. It manoeuvres easily in tight headlands and small irregular-shaped plots, causes the least soil compaction in sensitive paddy soils, and passes through any standard farm gate or rural road lane.
Fully Automatic D-Type Knotting
Two D-type knotters tie every bale automatically. The operator stays in the cab from field entry to field exit — no stops, no manual tying, no lost time walking behind the machine.
Spring-Tooth Low-Loss Pickup
Hardened 65Mn spring-steel tines gently lift crop without excessive ground disturbance. The 1,700 mm pickup width matches standard narrow windrow widths left by small-farm combine harvesters, eliminating the need for a separate swath-merging pass.
Standard 460 x 360 mm Bale Format
Produces the same 460 x 360 mm bale cross-section as the larger 9YF-1900, 9YF-2200, and 9YFS-2.2 models. Bales are accepted by feed dealers, straw processors, and export logistics operators worldwide without any size-mismatch issues.
Lowest Entry Cost in the EP Lineup
Factory-direct pricing, a single-input driveline with minimal part count, and a comprehensive global spare-parts export programme give the 9YF-1700 the lowest purchase price and total cost of ownership in the EP square baler range.
Structure Design and Material Engineering
Main Frame: Q355B high-tensile structural steel, robotic MIG welded at all load-bearing joints. Multi-pass shot-blasting (Sa 2.5) plus epoxy primer and polyurethane topcoat delivers long-term corrosion resistance across humid paddy-field and arid dry-land environments.
Pickup Reel: 1,700 mm working width with hardened 65Mn spring-steel tines (44–48 HRC). Cam-follower tine-retraction ensures clean crop release at the pickup arc apex, feeding the fork mechanism consistently.
Compression Chamber and Plunger: The 460 x 360 mm chamber carries hardened wear plates on all plunger contact surfaces. Close-tolerance plunger-to-wall fit maintains consistent bale face geometry and reliable knotter trigger timing. Bronze pivot bushings extend service intervals.
D-Type Knotter: Two knotters in high-grade grey iron with induction-hardened, precision-ground billhook faces. Dual arrangement provides two twine wraps per bale end for secure bale integrity during stacking and transport.
Gearbox and Overload Protection: EN-GJL-250 grey iron gearbox, DIN 3 class helical gear pairs for efficient, low-noise power transfer. Cast-iron flywheel smooths plunger load peaks. Shear-bolt safety clutch on the flywheel input shaft protects the entire driveline from crop-jam shock loads.
Typical Application Scenarios
🌾 Small-Farm Wheat and Rice Straw Recovery
The 9YF-1700 is specifically designed for the small-plot grain farming that dominates rice and wheat production across Asia and Africa. Its 1,700 mm pickup matches the narrow windrows left by small-farm combine harvesters, and its compact width allows it to turn cleanly at the end of short field rows.
🐄 Livestock Feed and Animal Bedding
Dense 460 x 360 mm bales are a universal livestock feed and bedding format for cattle, sheep, and goat operations. The compact bale size suits small-farm storage and is easily handled without mechanical loaders, making it ideal for farms that bale and feed from the same location.
🔥 Biomass and Rural Fuel Supply
Cotton stalks, corn stover, and other residues baled by the 9YF-1700 are used as fuel in rural household stoves, small-scale biogas plants, and pellet mills. The machine pairs with 40 hp tractors widely available in rural biomass production areas where larger equipment is impractical.
🏗 Village Cooperative Baling Services
Village and township cooperatives providing multi-farm baling services choose the 9YF-1700 for its ability to pair with whatever tractor is available — from a 40 hp two-wheel-drive utility up to a 100 hp four-wheel-drive machine. The 2,500 mm transport width passes through any standard village laneway without special permits or road preparations.
Selection Guide — How the 9YF-1700 Compares with the Full EP Square Baler Range
All four EP square balers share the same 460 x 360 mm bale cross-section. Choose the model that matches your field size, tractor power, and daily throughput target:
| Spezifikation | 9YF-1700 | 9YF-1900 | 9YF-2200 | 9YFS-2.2 (Dual) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pickup-Breite | 1,700 mm | 1,900 mm | 2,200 mm | 2,200 mm |
| Chambers | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Power Range | 40–100 hp | 50–100 hp | 50+ hp | 70+ hp |
| Machine Weight | 1,750 kg | 1,850 kg | 1,950 kg | 3,115 kg |
| Transport Width | 2,500 mm | 2,640 mm | 2,800 mm | 2,780 mm |
| Best For | Small farms, 40 hp tractors, tight fields | Small-medium farms, mixed fleets | Medium-large farms | High-volume commercial ops |
EP-9YF-1700 vs. Comparable Market Benchmarks — Objective Comparison
| Artikel | EP-9YF-1700 | Vermeer 504 / Kuhn VB 2160 (Reference) |
|---|---|---|
| Pickup-Breite | 1,700 mm | approx. 1,700–1,900 mm |
| Power Range | 40–100 hp (broadest in class) | 50–80 hp typical minimum |
| Machine Weight | 1,750 kg | approx. 2,000–2,500 kg |
| Transport Width | 2,500 mm — narrowest in class | approx. 2,400–2,700 mm |
| Purchase Price | Significantly lower — factory direct | USD 20,000–45,000+ (dealer price) |
| Spare Parts | Direct export, 48 h dispatch | Dealer network, lead times vary |
| Warranty | 24-month direct manufacturer | 12-month dealer warranty typical |
| Best Suited For | Small farms, low-power tractors, emerging markets | Western markets with established dealer service |
Frequently Asked Questions — EP-9YF-1700 Square Baler
Q1: What is the minimum tractor power required for the 9YF-1700?
The EP-9YF-1700 requires a minimum PTO output of 29.5 kW (approximately 40 hp), making it the lowest entry-power square baler in the EP lineup. This means it pairs with the most common small-farm utility tractors — two-wheel-drive 40 hp machines widely owned by family farms and village cooperatives across Asia, Africa, and Central Asia — without any tractor upgrade.
Q2: How does the 9YF-1700 differ from the 9YF-1900?
The 9YF-1700 has a narrower 1,700 mm pickup (vs 1,900 mm), is 100 kg lighter (1,750 vs 1,850 kg), and has a 140 mm narrower transport width (2,500 vs 2,640 mm). Its power range also extends lower — down to 29.5 kW (40 hp) vs 36.8 kW (50 hp) for the 9YF-1900. The 9YF-1700 is the better choice for small fields, tight headlands, and operations using low-power tractors. The 9YF-1900 suits medium fields and slightly higher daily throughput targets.
Q3: Can the 9YF-1700 operate in paddy fields?
Yes. The machine is designed for paddy field operation on flat, drained ground that can support tractor wheel traffic. Spring-tooth pickup handles damp post-harvest rice straw effectively. The 9YF-1700 has the lightest weight in the EP range (1,750 kg), which minimises soil compaction and tractor sinkage risk on recently drained paddy soils compared with heavier baler models. Flooded or waterlogged conditions are not suitable.
Q4: What twine types are compatible with the D-type knotter?
The D-type knotter accepts natural sisal twine and UV-stabilised polypropylene twine at a minimum 130 kg breaking strength. Both twisted and fibrillated PP types work correctly. Net wrap is not supported on this model. For export-grade alfalfa bales requiring high holding strength during containerised shipping, we recommend minimum 160 kg PP twine.
Q5: Does the 9YF-1700 require a road-transport wide-load permit?
No. At 2,500 mm transport width, the 9YF-1700 is the narrowest EP square baler and falls comfortably below the 3,000 mm wide-load permit threshold in all major markets globally. It also passes through standard farm gates (typically 3,000–3,500 mm wide) and village laneways without requiring special road preparation or escort vehicles.
Q6: What warranty and after-sales support does the 9YF-1700 include?
The EP-9YF-1700 carries a 24-month manufacturer warranty on the main frame and gearbox, and a 12-month warranty on knotters and wear parts. Support is handled directly by our factory team — no dealer intermediary required. All fast-wear parts (pickup tines, knotter billhooks, twine discs, chain sets) are stocked for export and dispatched globally within 48 hours. Video-based remote diagnosis is available for all warranty assessments worldwide.
Get a Factory-Direct Quote for the EP-9YF-1700 Square Baler
We supply EP-9YF-1700 Square Balers factory-direct to importers, dealers, cooperatives, and farms worldwide. Browse our full range of square balers and round balers — from the compact 9YF-1700 up to the dual-chamber 9YFS-2.2 — and find the right machine for your tractor power, field size, and throughput target.