NH 269 haybine - wobble box questions

[ridgeandvalley]

I cut my second cutting of hay a week ago off my 2 small hayfields in Southern Wisconsin. My NH 269 haybine had a couple of problems. First the reel drive belt broke. I got a new one and fought a battle, but got the haybine working to nearly finish the cutting. I had one partial strip to finish cutting when all of the sudden my sickle stopped cutting. It was already getting pretty dusky, so I just gave up on that tiny strip and parked it. I tried to run it the next morning, and when I tried to engage the PTO, it bogged down and wanted to kill the tractor. I just replaced a twisted PTO shaft this spring, so I didn't want to push it. I looked around the field and found a piece of metal (first picture) where the haybine stopped cutting. I also took a look at the wobble box and it looks like it is in contact with the pulley in picture # 2. I wouldn't think that's a good thing.

Does it sound like the wobble box is dead? I know that new ones are ridiculously expensive (I paid $1000 for the haybine 3 or 4 years ago), so I'm not ready to put a lot of money into this machine, but I did have a couple of questions...

1.) How specific are the wobble boxes to individual models? For instance, do some of the other NH haybines like the 279, etc... use the same wobble box?
2.) What are the odds that I might be able to salvage an inexpensive box from a parts machine? And... if I can find one at a half way reasonable price, how big of a job is it to replace?

I'd love to get a few more years out of this machine, but it's not in good enough shape that I'd invest too much into it at this point. Thanks for any advice.

 

[SVcummins]

Depending on how bad the wobble shaft got beat
up you can probably just stick new bearings in it

 

[Jim.ME]

No doubt you have problems in the box and only a teardown will tell if it can be saved. The bearing race you posted looks a bit odd to me as far as it just coming out of your wobble box. In the photo it looks like a torch cut in it, heavy rust, and I would expect some wet grease or bright metal from a current failure. Just saying what that piece in your photo looks like to me.

 

[300guy]

Rouse Rakes in Burwell NE make the wobble boxes and can repair them if you need help with it.

 

[ridgeandvalley]

Yeah, honestly as I was searching around the haybine I found this piece lodged on a little ledge of the haybine itself (near the wobble box). I figured it must have something to do with the breakdown, but you're right... it does look too dry and rusted to have come out of the freshly greased wobble box, so it may have been there for who knows how long? Good catch. I still haven't had time to actually try to remove the wobble box to look inside. Never done it before... not sure how big of a job it will be.

 

[ridgeandvalley]

(quoted from post at 21:13:24 09/01/19) Depending on how bad the wobble shaft got beat
up you can probably just stick new bearings in it

That would be great. I'll cross my fingers. Haven't had time to take it off and look at it. Not a job I'm familiar with.

 

[Northvale PA]

Do you mean a 469 haybine?

 

[ridgeandvalley]

(quoted from post at 19:04:57 09/02/19) Do you mean a 469 haybine?

doh! Yep, that would be it Still wondering how interchangeable the wobble boxes are between the various early forms and sizes of the NH haybines in case mine is a lost cause.

 

[jaoneill]

From the picture I would be inclined to think it is the bearing(s) in the wobble mechanism itself. Pop the dust cap off the end and see what you find......

 

[ridgeandvalley]

(quoted from post at 09:16:43 09/05/19)
From the picture I would be inclined to think it is the bearing(s) in the wobble mechanism itself. Pop the dust cap off the end and see what you find......

So, if it is the bearings, I'm assuming that would be fixable (at a reasonable cost-- don't want to put a lot of money into this machine that is showing its age at this point)? I know so little about these sort of parts... I would be able to pop something off to see inside without removing the whole wobble box?

 

[jaoneill]

I'm not familiar with that particlar set-up but it looks as though there is a dust cap at the end of the wobble shaft; similar to what you would find on a wagon or trailer hub. The belt pulley appears to be aligned, which doesn't guaranty that the bearings within the box are A-ok, but might at least rule out catastrophic failure in the box itself.

If it were me, the first thing I would do is disconnect the cutter bar, and loosen the belt, that will free up any tension on the wobble and allow you to get a much better idea where the problem lies. Next would be to remove the "arch" that is over the shaft. Only one bolt on each side. There is likely an "inner" and an "outer" bearing on that shaft, I would guess that the inner (closest to the belt pulley) is defunct.

 

[ridgeandvalley]

(quoted from post at 14:55:38 09/05/19) I'm not familiar with that particlar set-up but it looks as though there is a dust cap at the end of the wobble shaft; similar to what you would find on a wagon or trailer hub. The belt pulley appears to be aligned, which doesn't guaranty that the bearings within the box are A-ok, but might at least rule out catastrophic failure in the box itself.

If it were me, the first thing I would do is disconnect the cutter bar, and loosen the belt, that will free up any tension on the wobble and allow you to get a much better idea where the problem lies. Next would be to remove the "arch" that is over the shaft. Only one bolt on each side. There is likely an "inner" and an "outer" bearing on that shaft, I would guess that the inner (closest to the belt pulley) is defunct.

Thank you so much. That really gives me a good idea of where to start.

 

[SVcummins]

Another way to think about it is if you were to put a
thousand dollars into it would run then rest of your
life with little problem other than routine
maintenance?

 

[Jim.ME]

Here is a link to the parts catalog on the New Holland site to give you an idea of what's there.

https://partstore.agriculture.newholland.com/us/parts-search.html#epc::mr60598ar132187

 

[jaoneill]

R&V, this parts page shows you exactly what you are getting into; study it and refer to it as you proceed!

JIM

 

[ridgeandvalley]

(quoted from post at 21:37:14 09/05/19) Another way to think about it is if you were to put a
thousand dollars into it would run then rest of your
life with little problem other than routine
maintenance?

Rollers are starting to get a little patchy. Mostly grass hay, so the crimping isn't such a crucial element at the moment.

Someone told me that a brand new wobble box was over $1,000, and since that was what I paid for the whole haybine a few years ago, I figured it didn't make sense to put that kind of money into it. However, if it turns out to be just a matter of tearing into it and replacing certain parts, I'd certainly be willing to give it a go. I wouldn't mind sticking a few hundred $ into it.

 

[Jim.ME]

As has been said before: A journey starts with the first step. It doesn't run now, open it up and find out what it needs, Then you can figure out a true cost to repair. It might not be much.