Tractors
Hay and Forage
Balers
Mowers
Rakes & Tedders
MF Self-Propelled Windrower
MF Self-Propelled Windrower
Put high-quality hay within reach.
Machine Highlight
Designed to tackle the challenges of modern commercial hay production, the Hesston by Massey Ferguson SB.1436DB is the first double small square baler of its kind, delivering two perfectly formed rows of bales per field pass, helping commercial hay producers achieve better efficiency with greater f ield performance, unmatched bale consistency and industry-leading uptime. The SB.1436DB delivers bales with uniform density, shape and size, a hallmark of Hesston small square balers, and sets a new standard for hay marketability.
Hay is brought into a single 14-by-36-inch chamber and separated via an advanced splitting knife to create individual 14-by-18-inch bales. From there, it passes through a common density system that ensures consistent compression. Independent knotter trips on either side of the baling chamber allow for precise bale lengths, even in variable windrow conditions. Completed bales are dropped through the bale chute into independent rows, simplifying handling and transport
SimplEbale®, available for all Hesston by Massey Ferguson small square balers, comes standard on the SB.1436DB and enhances baling by automating critical processes to ensure consistent bale size, shape and density, optimizing efficiency, reducing manual input and delivering precise bales every time. The monitoring system provides small square balers with features normally only found on large square balers such as flake count, bale length, hydraulic control, moisture sensing and bale weight measurement to the small square baler platform.
In the Spotlight: JB Miller (Miller Farms Custom LLC, Valley City, Ohio)
Miller Farms Custom, LLC in Valley City, Ohio is a leading commercial hay producer in North America. After returning to the hay business in 2019, JB Miller and his parents, Jeff and Robin, chose Hesston by Massey Ferguson small square balers for their reliable bale consistency and square shape, addressing issues they had with other brands. Starting with several 1840s, they later expanded their fleet in 2023 by adding two higher-capacity 1842S balers.
When asked about moving from the 1840 to the 1842S, Miller commented, “The 42S is a game changer in larger windrows. Our problem was often with enormous windrows, and the rakes just couldn’t make the crop into smaller ones. So that would slow us down in the 1840. We can easily get a 10–12 stroke bale and never plug the 42S. We’re not necessarily getting more bales per hour, but we’re not getting the breakdowns. The throughput in the heavy spots in the field is very nice with 42S. We never break down in the 42S.”
After adding the Hesston by Massey Ferguson SB.1436DB in summer 2025, Miller Farms saw a significant boost in efficiency, producing up to 1,100 uniform bales per hour. Miller reported no customer complaints, found the system easy to operate, even for less experienced operators, and noted bale consistency matched their other Hesston balers.
The biggest challenge with integrating the SB.1436DB was learning to operate the bundling system, which required adjusting how they ran their Bale Barons and maintaining maximum rake width to suit the bundler. Miller concluded, “With tight weather windows, our operation is at the whims of being able to operate when we can. So, we really appreciate the reliability of all the Massey products we have and the service we get from Lowe and Young is so crucial to allowing us to be an efficient operation. By Massey Ferguson going headfirst into improving efficiency, it helps the future of operations like ours look bright.”
Miller Farms Custom, LLC plans to stick with the one SB.1436DB for a few more seasons before continuing to expand their operation to include more in the future. Follow JB Miller and Miller Farms Custom LLC on their YouTube channel ‘Farming Insider’ and on Facebook at Miller Farms Custom, LLC.
The Team Behind the Machine:
Rapid Redesign, Field Validation, and Teamwork Behind the SB.1436DB
Engineering and validation team leaders Kelly Booton, Tracy Jahay, Patrick Cherney and Dallas Grothusen out of the AGCO manufacturing plant in Hesston, Kansas led the charge in the design and validation of the SB.1436DB.
During field validation, the team faced challenges with bale shape and integrity. They tested and refined solutions like hay restrictors, chamber wedges and feeding system adjustments, ultimately achieving consistently high-quality, dense, stackable bales.
The team’s success stemmed from strong teamwork, open communication and quick problem-solving, allowing them to efficiently address challenges and seize opportunities.
In April 2023, the team responded to customer feedback by quickly redesigning the baler with an independent knotter system in just 45 days, validating its performance with over 70,000 bales across the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Careful planning, new training for manufacturing teams and ongoing adjustments ensured consistent incorporation of advanced features, maintaining Hesston by Massey Ferguson’s legacy of bale consistency.
So far since it has come onto the market, the product has generated significant customer interest and engagement, clearly validating the impact of the redesign. The SB.1436DB stands out from competitors with its high capacity, consistent performance, wide pickup, double fork stuffer and gentle handling of alfalfa, ensuring reliable results for customers.
The Hesston by Massey Ferguson SB.1436DB won the AE50 Award for Outstanding Innovation in Product or Systems Technology at the 2026 American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers Conference. The AE50 Award winners include machines, systems, components, software and services ranked highest in innovation, significant engineering advancement and impact for the markets they serve
How the MF SB.1436DB Helps Farmers Achieve Better Efficiency
Greater Performance
2x In Efficiency Over a Standard Small Square Baler
The 105" pick-up width, combined with the 90 strokes/mi. and split 14"x36" bale chamber, allows for greater throughput and capacity during baling, producing two 14"x18" small square bales from one machine.
SUPERIOR BALE CONSISTENCY
Produce More Marketable and Reliable Product
The independent knotter trip systems create a consistent length in bales, regardless of windrow and crop feeding consistency into the pre-forming chamber. SimplEbale monitoring system allows for consistent flake count and flake thickness, along with bale weight and density.
INDUSTRY-LEADING UPTIME
Reduce Time Spent Ensuring Your Baler is Ready
Easily accessible, heavy-duty components lend to ease of serviceability. Twine capacity 2x of standard, single small square balers and auto knotter lube allows for twice as many bales baled before the need to refill twine.
Updates from the Massey Ferguson Hay Team
2025 brought the Massey Ferguson North America hay team some exciting product launches. In February 2025, we launched the SB.1436DB – the industry’s first OEM manufactured double small square baler – as well as a triple-mounted mower line-up with steel-on-steel conditioning rolls. Both products will launch the industry forward with increased efficiency and productivity, as well as improve forage quality and hay marketability. Check out our new products on: www.masseyferguson.com.
For the first time since 2020, the hay team will host Hesston VIP in Hesston, Kansas where Massey Ferguson hay machine dealers have the opportunity to bring customer and sales personnel to the manufacturing plant. The event will take place the first week of March 2026 and is a first come, first served registration. Machine highlights will include: 1 Series round baler, LB.2200 large square baler, WR Series windrower, SB.1436DB small square double baler, and triple-mounted mowers.
Beginning February 1, 2026, AGCO North America has restructured its Sales and Marketing division to better serve you!
AGCO North America has combined its branded Sales and Marketing forces to create a more unified, customer focused structure across both Massey Ferguson and Fendt. With this alignment, our team of Account Managers and industry leading Field Product Specialists now work seamlessly across brands, providing consistent expertise and faster support. Because these field teams are geographically based, dealers and customers will experience quicker response times, more face-to-face engagement, and a deeper understanding of local market needs.
This integrated structure also promotes better collaboration across product categories. For example, our seeding and tillage, combine harvesting, and application groups now share common leadership, ensuring that each segment benefits from shared insights, coordinated planning, and a comprehensive approach to serving the industry. This allows us to stay aligned with customer expectations while improving overall service quality.
In addition, our AGCO Field Product Specialists are equipped to support your local AGCO dealer with on-farm demonstrations, helping you evaluate equipment in real-world conditions. Their expertise ensures that you can experience the performance, efficiency, and value of our machines firsthand. If you’re considering new equipment or looking to optimize your current operation, reach out to your dealer to schedule a demonstration and take advantage of this enhanced support structure.
Improving Your Hay From the Inside Out
Small square bale marketability is the name of the game in hay production. Dense, uniform bales improve the salability which, in turn, improves the market value of your hay. Whether your goal is ten flakes or seven flakes per bale, or 45 pounds or 70 pounds per bale, hitting the target for your market demands is what drives your ability to stay relevant in a volatile industry.
The Hesston by Massey Ferguson brand is legendary in its small square baler design, featuring our exclusive in-line design, creating every small bale produced for easier handling, stacking and feeding. Our bales are also denser, with more consistent bale flakes and less leaf loss. The 1800 Series is now available with the revolutionary SimplEbale, so you can monitor bale formation to create the perfect bales on-the-fly—without ever leaving your seat.
Our Hesston by Massey Ferguson 1800 Series has an industryleading standard for bale consistency in shape, appearance and weight. But can the new SB.1436DB stack-up to our industryleading 1800 Series?
Field Trial
In September of 2025, we visited Miller Farms in Valley City, Ohio to compare the SB.1436DB to the 1840 and 1842S. The objectives of the trial were to determine flake count, bale weight and bale length differences and variabilities across all Massey Ferguson 14"x18" small square balers.
Results
Bale Weight Variability
The 1840 had 4-pound variability in weight, while the 1842S had 3-pound variability, and the 1436DB had two pounds variability on average across the trial (Figure 1). So, across the same field conditions in the same environment, the double baler had less variability in average bale weights compared to the 1840 and 1842S.
Bale Length Variability
Across all three small square baler models, less than .11" of variability on average was found (Figure 2). This boasts the uniformity and consistency of Hesston by Massey Ferguson small square balers. The 1842S had the least amount of variability, followed by the 1840 and the 1436DB, which only differed by .01", not statistically significant and within the margin of error.
Flake Count Variability
The 1840 had the greatest variability across the three models of small square balers, with three flakes variability on average (Figure 3). The 1840 and 1436DB had two flakes on average variability, meaning if the target flake count was 10, the bales resulted were 9–11 flakes. This is another trademark of our testimony of consistency and reliability.
Conclusions
The Massey Ferguson SB.1436DB proves to be consistent in flake count, bale weight and bale length, adding to the legendary lineup of Hesston by Massey Ferguson 14"x18" small square balers that customers can rely on to improve ROI on their operations!
Share