New doesn’t mean best – and when it comes to farming machinery, the old does the trick for contractor Bill Webb of Bill Webb Feed Solutions.

He has purchased a 214T John Deere baler made between 1957 and 1964 and it’s pulling its weight – during a summer re-baling job, the 214T made 1550 conventional hay bales in one day’s work in Maketu.

“It goes extremely well,” says Bill.

“I’m a John Deere freak, and this has made me even more so.”

The 214T has its own motor, which is what convinced Bill to click the ‘Buy Now’ button on TradeMe.

“This year we wanted to break down straw bales into conventional bales in summer ready for winter, because they’re really popular with the lifestyle block owners and gardeners.

“During this time of year the big tractors are busy feeding out, so it’s good to have a baler with its own motor as a substitute because it can pretty much be pulled by anything.”

Bill has owned a newer baler with its own engine in the past that “went really well”, but he’s impressed with how the 214T stacks up at 56 to 63 years old.

“As my old man used to say: ‘many a good tune played on an old fiddle.’”