Vermeer 604L

[jakeia]

This spring I bought a 2002 Vermeer 604L. I know little to nothing about them and certainly learning quickly about what makes them tick. My tension on my old JD was spring and this unit has air pressure and hydraulic pressure for bale density. As I was finishing up the last few bales of hay this fall bales would all of a sudden become become very lopsided and out of round to the point I had to eject the bales. THis happened each time the bale would get to about 2-3 ft in diameter. I can't seem to locate anything wrong with the baler not do I know what I should be looking for. I tried to bale cornstalks last night and I was able to make 5' bales, but are all somewhat noticeably lopsided. Creates a lot of virbration and shaking. I have made no changes to pressures on this machine and they current are set where the manufacture recommends (in the blue range of the gauge). If I stop the baler from feeding material for more than a few seconds the bale will get worst and worst until it will completely stop. Need help from someone as to what I can look for, try, or attempt to correct in eliminating this problem.

Thanks for the help. Really desperate to find a solution.

 

[MirageFlatter]

Hay Dr is the Vermeer baler guru on here, so perhaps he will see your post, and be able to set you straight. I don't have any experience with your model with both air and hydraulic tension control, but I've been running a 504F with hydraulic tension for over twenty years. It sounds to me like you're just not keeping your baler full enough. Mine will occasionally start a lop sided core, if I happen to start a bale in a lighter section of windrow, but straightens right up when the baler runs full. Try slowing down your PTO and baler speed, but keep your ground speed up, to keep a more even and full flow of material into the baler. I never run my baler at rated (540) PTO speed, but try to match the ground speed and baler speed as exactly as possible, so that the material just flows into the baler, and rolls up in a steady, continual motion. And I do know, from seeing them at Husker Harvest Days, that the Vermeer balers that are made for baling corn stalks, have much heavier duty rollers, bearings, etc., so if your baler is not corn stalk or bale haylage rated, you may want to decrease your tension settings, to allow for the increased loads. I hope this helps!! :wink:

 

[Hay Dr]

You need to increase the air-bag pressure. You could have a gauge that is not showing the proper pressure. If you are starting within 2 colors of the hydraulic pressure then it is likely a bad gauge. What is happening is the hydraulic pressure is kicking in an the core is collapsing. Start the airbag at the beginning of one color away from the hydraulic pressure when the baler is empty and see if that takes care of it. If not replace the airbag gauge.

 

[Larry B 1486]

I am usually on the IH site but look at this one every now and then. I have run vermeer balers for close to thirty years. I have had a 605L and 605XL and now run a 605 super M. First check your air setting. I use to run my starting air pressure, can't remember the color but the needle was at 10 oclock and it should rise to about 12 oclock when the baler reaches a six foot bale. The hyd. pressure kicks in when the bale reaches 30 inches. It sounds like you have no air pressure at all. One other thing, check your starter (spiral) roller bearings and make sure the spiral roller is not bent. I would check the air system out real good first and try adding more air and see if that helps.

 

[jakeia]

Thanks to all of your for your replies. They are all remedies that I will check out later today. Air pressures that I currently run are at the top of the blue levels (factory settings) and just barely into the next color yellow as the bale develops. I think the lopsidedness begins once the hydraulics kick in. Could I have the hydraulics to high? I think my air pressure gauges are ok, but will chek that also. Spiral shaft appears to be straight.

Thanks for all the help. Like I said I learn more each day and I appreciate all of you for that.

 

[Hay Dr]

90% of the time the air pressure gauge is faulty. We have had customers fight us & say a bad gauge would not register but when a new gauge was installed and the pressure was properly set the problem magically went away.

You set your air bag pressure first and adjust you hydraulic pressure to your air pressure.

 

[jakeia]

I will order a new gauge today and get it replaced and go from there. I wish there was some data to match the gauge to air pressure readings and then one would know if gauge was off. GBS Tue, Nov 17, 2009 again.