Possible twine problem/solution on my 268 NH Baler

[34Case]

When I bought it, and when the NH dealer supposedly worked on it, it had blue plastic twine in it. I, thinking as old as the baler was, that it might work better with sisal twine in it, so I bought 2 rolls of 9000# twine. Whats your thoughts on my buying plastic twine and trying it?

 

[lastcowboy32]

(quoted from post at 07:06:31 06/27/22) When I bought it, and when the NH dealer supposedly worked on it, it had blue plastic twine in it. I, thinking as old as the baler was, that it might work better with sisal twine in it, so I bought 2 rolls of 9000# twine. Whats your thoughts on my buying plastic twine and trying it?

Ask 5 people, get 8 different answers.

Well tuned knotters should work with any uniform twine. Plastic, sisal, 7200, 9000, etc.

But, as the knotters wear, and get out of adjustment, sometimes you'll find a type and length(really diameter) that works for your knotter.

This is what I've found.

If your twine discs are a little worn, sisal has more friction as it wraps around the bale being made, and it generally pulls harder, especially if you have some water or dew on the hay. You can shorten your bales and use plastic. Or you can replace your twine discs.

If your wiper arm isn't wiping the knot off the billhook, you can try 7200 sisal. It's thick and will get wiped off. Or you can adjust your billhook.

Plastic is generally more uniform, and cheaper.

9000 foot sisal, nowadays, will often vary from ball to ball. You may find thin spots that either break outright, or don't make a knot big enough for the wiper arm to wipe off the billhook.

7200 sisal is the most expensive option. Even the thin spots are generally thick enough work. The only problem with 7200 sisal that I've run into is MY knots. I'm running 7200 sisal right now, we have done 27 loads (about 3200 bales) without a missed knot by the knotter... BUT... the knots that I make to splice the balls together are causing trouble almost every time. I get about 400 bales per bale of twine (2 balls)... and I can expect a broken bale almost every time that my knot pulls through the system. It's a BIG knot, no matter how hard I pull it to tighten it and how closely I cut the tails with my jackknife.

I'm using sisal again because the plastic does not rot...ever. We tilled up a field that we baled for about seven years with plastic twine for a large garden, and you can actually see some of the knot tails in the tilled soil. Seven years of those little one inch tails coming off of every knot and falling on the ground... and you can actually see them.

 

[lastcowboy32]

I mentioned about how hard the twine pulls around the bale being made above.

Plastic pulls easier than sisal...it is also more slick in the twine discs. The deciding factor here is the hay itself. Sisal has more friction with the hay, especially if there is a little dampness.

Generally, plastic is more forgiving, as far as worn twine discs being able to hold it.

You can also help this issue by putting wedges in the chamber. Using wedges can help you bale tighter bales with less tension on the twine.

But again, these are all adjustments that we make to account for wear. Brand new, unworn, well tuned knotters should just work, regardless of the twine.

 

[sparkiefarmer]

I gave up on sisal twine due to poor twine quality. Plastic is very consistent. You will need more tension on the twine disks for plastic, if the dealer set it up with plastic and you switched without adjusting the twine disks that could be a source of grief. Twine knife needs to be perfect so it cuts clean, no tearing. Also as stated the wiper arm could struggle to clear the billhook. Could be bad bushings in the wiper arm, or if thats not the case, no joke, a good solid THUD with a 2lb sledge in just the right spot is the answer.

 

[paul]

A problem with plastic is that many people hate it. At the hay auctions locally you just dont see plastic twine on
small squares. I think it discounts the price.

As mentioned, worn knotters get conditioned to work a little better with one type of string, so trying something
different could work for you, yes.

Paul

 

[lastcowboy32]

(quoted from post at 10:30:32 06/27/22) I gave up on sisal twine due to poor twine quality. Plastic is very consistent. You will need more tension on the twine disks for plastic, if the dealer set it up with plastic and you switched without adjusting the twine disks that could be a source of grief. Twine knife needs to be perfect so it cuts clean, no tearing. Also as stated the wiper arm could struggle to clear the billhook. Could be bad bushings in the wiper arm, or if thats not the case, no joke, a good solid THUD with a 2lb sledge in just the right spot is the answer.

Just gave one of my wiper arms a few whacks with the 3lb engineer's hammer, as part of my knotter check and setup. It hasn't left a knot on the billhook in 3200 bales.

 

[Leroy]

Sounds like you are using a square knot. It has been 42 years since we baled but we had that problem with the New Holland 66 baler every time it would change balls. Dad riding wagon loading and I driving tractor he could spot the open balls and get my atention and I would stop, he would get off wagon and tie bale while still under tension and go on. When we got the BcCormick 46 baler it had a thrower on (This was after 3 of us got heat stroke that summer baleing) so you did not know it missed the bale untill an open bale started flying into the wagon. Dad found out somewhere, I don't know where, about a different type of knot and tried it and no more missed bales. I will try to explain. You twisted the ends like for a first part of a square knot then you took the ends from old and new ball and fraied them out so all the little pieces were seperated, then you took both fraid ends and pushed them together for whar was probably a little over an inch and would try to push those twisted fraid ends togethe working the fraid ends to get a nice smooth joint and them pull together like that square knot and you could not pull the joint apart by hand and you could hardly see the knot. Started using that knot and no more open bales thrown into the wagon when it changed balls untill we quit baling when the dairy heard left in fall of 1980. I think it probably was in a magazine like Hoards dairyman or Farm Jurnel that he found out how to do that new to us style knot. Just take some scrap twind and try it and practice it and I think your open bales will be past. I have not tried making that knot for years now. At that time all baler twine was the 7200 ft with plastic just comming on the market and it would not work in the NH 66 baler and did not like it. The what I think is the 9000 foot was probably what was known as binder twine and also used in the AC Roto Baler. Same methout should work on the smaller diameter twine.

 

[tomturkey]

LeRoy, I read your post and went to the shop to give your knot explanation a try. Wow, worked first time with a much smaller knot. In fact the knot ends up the same diameter as the 9000 sisal. Maybe, just maybe I will not have an issue with losing bales when the baler changes from one ball to the next. Thanks for the explanation. gobble

 

[lastcowboy32]

(quoted from post at 09:25:58 06/28/22) Sounds like you are using a square knot. It has been 42 years since we baled but we had that problem with the New Holland 66 baler every time it would change balls. Dad riding wagon loading and I driving tractor he could spot the open balls and get my atention and I would stop, he would get off wagon and tie bale while still under tension and go on. When we got the BcCormick 46 baler it had a thrower on (This was after 3 of us got heat stroke that summer baleing) so you did not know it missed the bale untill an open bale started flying into the wagon. Dad found out somewhere, I don't know where, about a different type of knot and tried it and no more missed bales. I will try to explain. You twisted the ends like for a first part of a square knot then you took the ends from old and new ball and fraied them out so all the little pieces were seperated, then you took both fraid ends and pushed them together for whar was probably a little over an inch and would try to push those twisted fraid ends togethe working the fraid ends to get a nice smooth joint and them pull together like that square knot and you could not pull the joint apart by hand and you could hardly see the knot. Started using that knot and no more open bales thrown into the wagon when it changed balls untill we quit baling when the dairy heard left in fall of 1980. I think it probably was in a magazine like Hoards dairyman or Farm Jurnel that he found out how to do that new to us style knot. Just take some scrap twind and try it and practice it and I think your open bales will be past. I have not tried making that knot for years now. At that time all baler twine was the 7200 ft with plastic just comming on the market and it would not work in the NH 66 baler and did not like it. The what I think is the 9000 foot was probably what was known as binder twine and also used in the AC Roto Baler. Same methout should work on the smaller diameter twine.

That is interesting. Thanks!

I know my twine discs are worn too. I need to keep the chamber tension and feed rate in a "Goldilocks Zone". I can easily start popping bales, if I really crank down the tension. I can also have problems, if I really push the feed rate, so I'm getting down to around five plunger strokes per bale, when the baler takes in a fat part of the windrow... both problems that I had last night, pushing to get some loads before a storm.

But... I thought about an old saying "The hurrier you go, the behinder you get."... Why would my baler, that has made perfect knots for 27 loads break four bales on one load? The problem was the tractor, specifically the nut holding the steering wheel.

I set my tension back to a reasonable level. Set my ground speed back to a minimum of eight strokes per bale... no more broken bales for three wagons, and the rain held off.

Small square balers, and their knotters will teach you a lesson in patience and understanding, whether you want it or ..."knot"...

 

[Leroy]

I try to help if I think I can.