baling hay

ed mikeworth · #1 10/31/10, 08:26 AM

does anyone have experience with a john deere 14T baler ? the problem i am having is the bales were too loose , so we cranked them down . then the bales came out curved . i'm used to my IH 46 and haved never had this problem . thanks

catahoula · #2 10/31/10, 08:44 AM

It's important that both sides are cranked down exactly the same. Curved bales can also be caused by not keeping the baler full.

ksfarmer · #3 10/31/10, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catahoula

It's important that both sides are cranked down exactly the same. Curved bales can also be caused by not keeping the baler full.

Catahoula says it. Count the threads on the tension cranks and make sure both sides are equal.
Another thought: which way is the bale curving? If you are baling onto the ground , the bale can curve down before it drops. Usually short grass hay has this problem. Make sure to lower the chute extension so it smoothly slides out. Usually a tighter bale will help this also.
I used a 14T for years and never noticed that this was a problem. Now I use a 24T, pretty much the same baler.

sammyd · #4 10/31/10, 10:00 AM

curved bales are caused by improper feeding not the tensioners.
The tensioners only affect the density of the bale and even though there is a crank on each side, the device that packs the bale rides in the center .....
Short hay, small windrows, slow ground speed (basically not filling the chamber fully with each plunger stroke) will cause the bales to become misshapen.

kinda funny, all the JD guys will tell you New Holland makes the banana bales and vice versa.....

oneokie · #5 10/31/10, 10:43 AM

The long side of the bale is getting the most hay. You need to adjust the timing or stroke of the feeder forks.

rambler · #6 10/31/10, 12:28 PM

I'n a New Holland guy, but the same basic principle as others say - the way your hay is feeding into the bale chamber it is putting more hay on one side than the other. There are often adjustments in the feeding mechanism; feeding a bigger windrow will be better than a real thin, dry windrow; there are typically guides & tensioners in the bale chamber & even just holding the twine tension that can add to a problem.

Most of your problem should be in the way the windrow is made; and how it is feeding from the pickup into the bale chamber.

--->Paul

FarmboyBill · #7 10/31/10, 01:59 PM

Me , my bro and mom and I picked up corn one winter so we could buy dad a bailer. I wanted to get a 45 T IHC bailer, but bro wanted to get a NH. We got the NH. One side never tied, Dad had a machanic come out one day and he couldnt get it to tie. It had a wadboard, and if one was going around the bailer while it was running he could get cole cocked by that board, as the shield had fallen off.

I tried my 1960 140 W case bailer out yesterday. I had put on a new table belt as the origional had rotted apart. The origional was endless, this one has to be put together. This belt is made out of belting and I think is slick. The bailer has an auger above the belt, but still the hay got bunched in front. Also , I had bought a new/old, and the last in captivity drive belt from flywheel to engine. While I was looking at the knotters to see why the bales wernt tying, the flywheel stopped and the engine pulley burnt up nearly the new/old bailer belt. The knotters , the wire got twisted on the bill hooks. There attached to rods around 5/8ths dia and arround 8in long. Where the bill hooks are attached, there is grooves worn by a 1/2 century of bailing. I cant figure how to get those rods off, and either replace them, or have the grooves welded over. Finally, the wire is over 20yrs old and rusty. I imagine the knotters work better if the wire is new and smooth. I had had the needles crash 3yrs ago, and had put a new/old set on, and retimed it then, and saw it running SLOW. I had to replace that table belt, and a V belt, and clean out the carb, but I saw it run and tie (sorda), so I believe now I just got to make a new drive belt, which I think I will make out of 4in flatbelt with grooves on the inside, and coat the table belt with a abrasive coating to help drag the hay into the chamber, and to find a way to replace or rewield those rods on the bill hooks. AND replace the wire.

ed mikeworth · #8 11/01/10, 04:00 PM

the curve is down sounds like , i need bigger windrows . never had this problem with my IH 46. thanks

G3farms · #9 11/01/10, 04:49 PM

If the bale is curved left to right or right to left then it is a feeding problem. There should be an adjustment on the packing forks for the timing to put more hay on the left side or the right side of the bale.

If the bale is curved top to bottom (but is packed evenly and the stings are tight) i would say it is drop shock. The bale chute is too high off of the ground and when the bale drops off it quickly compresses the bale letting it distort.

Loose bales can be caused by twine tension or bale tension.
Loose twine tension will let the bale be plunged and bring slack between the twine box and needles, when the knotters trip it results in a loose bale.
Loose bale tension will of course result in light weight or low density bales, the tension springs should be equal on both sides of the bale (as said before count the number of threads on the threaded rod).

ksfarmer · #10 11/01/10, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ksfarmer

.
Another thought: which way is the bale curving? If you are baling onto the ground , the bale can curve down before it drops. Usually short grass hay has this problem. Make sure to lower the chute extension so it smoothly slides out. Usually a tighter bale will help this also.
a 24T, pretty much the same baler.

Still the same answer.

**Ross** · #11 11/01/10, 07:01 PM

Quote:

It had a wadboard, and if one was going around the bailer while it was running he could get cole cocked by that board, as the shield had fallen off.

Huh?

Some grasses do not bale well, in any baler. You probably need to get some wedges in the chamber so you can tighten the bales while slackening the tension. Check the hay dogs, they could be seized up out of the chamber.

Lazy J · #12 11/01/10, 07:14 PM

Nine times out of ten crappy bales are caused by crappy windrows. Get a nice sized windrow and you should have a decent bale. The theory that tightening one side of the tensioner to make that side shorter is an Old Wive's Tale.

catahoula · #13 11/02/10, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lazy J

Nine times out of ten crappy bales are caused by crappy windrows. Get a nice sized windrow and you should have a decent bale. The theory that tightening one side of the tensioner to make that side shorter is an Old Wive's Tale.

I'll agree that a baler produces its' best bales when you keep it full via large windrows, adjusting PTO speed, or increasing ground speed. The tension setting determines the weight and "tightness" of a bale, but if you don't have your tension set evenly you will not get a uniform bale, it just isn't going to happen.