Baled some hay

[RJKeith]

Since Case balers are more or less orphans in the eyes of CNH, is there any literature out there being reprinted like maybe Jensales?

I was able to get a manual a few years ago. The manual has a good knotter trouble shooting chart that goes through all knotter adjustments. CIH has them for about $20.00.

 

[Don Rudolph]

Since Case balers are more or less orphans in the eyes of CNH, is there any literature out there being reprinted like maybe Jensales?

Sure would like to hear what you find out the problem is.

 

[Marshal51]

UPDATE: Thank you everyone for the help and suggestions. Baled some brome grass this weekend and got it working a lot better. I sharpened the knotter knifes as they were dull and that made a big difference. I got it to where I was making 5-6 in a row then break 3 in a row. Always that same knotter. The biggest thing that helped was I realized you have to feed these balers just right as far inside of the pickup as you can as if it won’t feed into the bale chamber evenly. So I swung my drawbar over to move the baler over farther and then it was working perfect. Didn’t break one after that. The things you don’t think of until you start running something and get the kinks worked out.

 

[DanielW]

UPDATE: Thank you everyone for the help and suggestions. Baled some brome grass this weekend and got it working a lot better. I sharpened the knotter knifes as they were dull and that made a big difference. I got it to where I was making 5-6 in a row then break 3 in a row. Always that same knotter. The biggest thing that helped was I realized you have to feed these balers just right as far inside of the pickup as you can as if it won’t feed into the bale chamber evenly. So I swung my drawbar over to move the baler over farther and then it was working perfect. Didn’t break one after that. The things you don’t think of until you start running something and get the kinks worked out.

Thanks for the update: Always nice to hear the end result of a problem. I might add a couple more thoughts: Make sure your stripper arms are tweaked to be nice and close to the billhooks. This is one of the most common issues I see with old balers: Back in the day when they were running thicker sisal twine, the stripper arm would still generally be able to push the twine off the hook even when it was a little worn with more clearance. With modern plastic twine that's a little thinner and a lot more slippery, the strippers always need to be tweaked back to just scrub the hook with minimal clearance. Bill hook tension is the second most common thing I see, and causes the opposite problem: Sisal twine had more friction and would get clamped in the jaws more firmly. Plastic twine often slips out of the jaws too easily. A smidge more bilhook tension is often required.

I may also add: It is important to feed the baler perfectly. But the condition of the hay dogs and toothed-plate in the chamber (and feeder timing) make even more of a difference in how you feed it. If some dog springs are broken (a common problem), if the toothed-plate is rusted away so it has no more 'gription' to it, or if the feeder forks aren't timed correctly, the baler will be a lot more picky about exactly where you feed the windrow to the pickup.