NH269 Square Baler with Hay Basket

[HobbyFarm71]

I have a NH269 baler that I use to bale roughly 30 acres per year. I use a hay basket with this baler and am having issues with bale density.

I can adjust the baler so it is putting out 50-55lb bales on the ground. When I hook up the hay basket, those bales become 75-80lbs. This makes my helpers (daughters) very unhappy.

I have tried removing some of the bale wedges from the chamber. This did not seem to have any effect.

Has anyone used this baler with a hay basket? Does anyone have any suggestions for solving this issue? I asked the dealer and got the deer in headlights look. I am sure this is due to the baler being older than the mechanics at this point.

Thanks in advance

 

[Absent Minded Farmer]

Are you running any tension on the cranks at the back of the chamber? Most people set those as light as possible, if they put any tension on them at
all. The bales usually have enough pressure on them going through that first kink in the chute on the basket. Suppose you can travel slower over the
windrows if that is an option. Just a thought. I don't have any bale baskets, but I've heard enough about them through the years to have heard the
same issue you are having & little to no chamber tension was usually what helped.

Mike

 

[paul]

By lowering the tension Ive made normal weight bales with my 270 and a bale basket.

Paul

 

[MJMJ]

Adding the basket increases the back pressure on the bales vs dropping/lifting them straight out if the chute. Basically does the same thing as the baler adjustments, so you have to back the baler adjustments off when using the basket.

If you have already done this, that makes things more difficult.

 

[Jim.ME]

We use a basket and the tension on the cranks is much less than if the bales are dropping on the ground, or just up an open chute for stacking on a trailer.

You mention wedges, but don't say if you have changed the bale tension setting with the cranks when going from dropping them to using the basket. You have to adjust the bale tension cranks with the basket hooked up and the basket's chute full to the top. As posted the basket chute is making back pressure (which is what the tension cranks do) increasing bale density/weight; if you don't back off the cranks. You will need to adjust them looser for the basket and tighter when dropping on the ground or chuting on to a trailer. Its not a one time set it and forget it adjustment.

 

[Ken Macfarlane]

I've run baskets on 4 different balers now, in first cut they run nearly 0 tension on the springs. In lighter cuts, you need about half the tension of baling onto the ground. I've never removed the resistor plates.

Its been the same for all the balers.

The biggest difference is if your windrow gets damper, because the weight of the bales in the chute increases as well, your bale density climbs fast. So keep a close eye on outside windows.

 

[showcrop]

It is just the nature of the beast, BUT, as Ken said moisture will play a much larger role when using a basket. In the northeast our soils tend to retain moisture. There have been times when I have had to stop baling and jump on the rake and turn the windrows because of moisture coming up out of the ground. I am a one man show, and every time I start a new wagon I throw thirty bales into it then stop and stack them in order to get a better load and also check on my bale weight. You could shout out to Bret 4237. He uses bale wagons in northern NY.

 

[Bret4207]

(quoted from post at 01:03:15 03/09/21) I have a NH269 baler that I use to bale roughly 30 acres per year. I use a hay basket with this baler and am having issues with bale density.

I can adjust the baler so it is putting out 50-55lb bales on the ground. When I hook up the hay basket, those bales become 75-80lbs. This makes my helpers (daughters) very unhappy.

I have tried removing some of the bale wedges from the chamber. This did not seem to have any effect.

Has anyone used this baler with a hay basket? Does anyone have any suggestions for solving this issue? I asked the dealer and got the deer in headlights look. I am sure this is due to the baler being older than the mechanics at this point.

Thanks in advance

I run an EZ Trail 100 bale basket behind a NH 68. Once the chute is full you back off the tension significantly. If you still can't get the weight down where she wants it, then shorten the bale a little. As others have said, the effort of pushing the bales up the chute does all the tensioning you'll probably need. The bale chamber wedges help with forming consistent bales. The basket helps with that too.

 

[HobbyFarm71]

(quoted from post at 23:03:15 03/08/21) I have a NH269 baler that I use to bale roughly 30 acres per year. I use a hay basket with this baler and am having issues with bale density.

I can adjust the baler so it is putting out 50-55lb bales on the ground. When I hook up the hay basket, those bales become 75-80lbs. This makes my helpers (daughters) very unhappy.

I have tried removing some of the bale wedges from the chamber. This did not seem to have any effect.

Has anyone used this baler with a hay basket? Does anyone have any suggestions for solving this issue? I asked the dealer and got the deer in headlights look. I am sure this is due to the baler being older than the mechanics at this point.

Thanks in advance

Hello All,

I really appreciate all the helpful comments. I will try backing off on the tension significantly. I had tried reducing tension but from the sounds of it, I did not go far enough.

I was previously using a JD 24T baler and did not have this issue. I guess my approach was based off that machine and what I had to do with it. The JD went to the great equipment yard in the sky as it was completely shot out.

Thanks again to all that have replied with helpful advise. You guys are golden.