In the last issue (#160) of The Old Machinery Magazine, Craig Pink and Ron Simpkin wrote of the self propelled, farm engineered balers built by Beeac hay contractor, Jack Simpkin. Jack was probably the first to build, and use, such machines in Australia. Although the evidence for this is hearsay and anecdotal, it is sufficiently corroborated to confidently contend that he baled with his first machine in the spring of 1937, some three months before the Parris brothers had their first machine going, in December, 1937. 

A production model of a self propelled pick-up baler didn’t come to Australia until early 1959, when New Holland demonstrated a 178 Haycruiser here. The first model to then be sold in any number was the New Holland 1280. It was only very slightly different to the 178, and was first available here in 1964. Credit for the manufacture of the first production self propelled pick-up balers in the world, is shared by two European companies, Jones Balers of Mold, Wales, UK, and R. Rousseau of Orléans, France. Their balers were on the market in 1949.