14 T Bailer Knotting Problem

[tlangdon]

Hello everyone I am hoping to get some help with my knotter problem.

I purchased this bailer from a farmer and it had set in a field for years. I have the service manual and have repaired the unit and followed the service manual settings for setting up the unit. I have had to adjust/replace the main chain and replaced the bill hooks, rake rollers and other parts. I have sharpened the blade and I went thru setting the tension of the discs and twine tension.

I have baled thousands of bales and have always had a random miss on the inside knotter usually 1 in 3 or 4 hundred. I have checked the needles and according to the book there fine. There is the proper depth coming up and the right tension against the knotter unit. The fingers seem to be fine. The disc tension is proper. I have used a fish scale as shown in the manual. And it's always been a simple knot over the bail that's there, the end from the knotter is left dragging on top of the next bale.

This was ok with me but then last cut the baler choose to miss every other knot when bailing heavy grass but not a miss one on any of my alfalfa fields. Any help would be great. Thanks

 

[jd110]

How are the hay dogs and springs in the chamber? If the dogs are not working properly, the hay can spring back too far and push the twine back too far. Grass hay is springier than alfalfa. Also check carefully that the twine is threaded properly.

 

[RogerH]

I am digging deep back to my childhood on this one. My dad had a 14T. When it was having knotting problems, it usually was either a bent needle or bad twine (Anybody remember Eastman Kodak twine? It didn't work in our baler.) My dad usually used the same twine, but now and then a roll seemed to have different characteristics and would cause knotting issues.

A bill hook broke once, but that would be obvious.

 

[dan_d]

... either a bent needle or bad twine ...

+1 on the bad twine. My 14T sat unused in a field for 15+ years before I got it up and running again. I'm not expert repariman, and it still misses about 1 every 100-200 bales but it works well enough for my needs, and definitely has a taste for certain twine; one time I bought from the wrong store and it started missing like one every 10!


Dan