John Deere 24t - any difference in years/models?

   / John Deere 24t - any difference in years/models? #1  

rtimgray

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I picked up an old John Deere 24t baler this weekend and am hunting a manual for it. I've seen several for sale on ebay and different websites, and some of them reference old models and new models. Does anyone know if there is a significant difference among the years that they were made (if I understand correctly, the model was produced from somewhere in the 60's to maybe the late 70's or early 80's, but I don't know that to be a fact either).

Anyway, I'm looking for a manual for it, but want to get the right one, just in case there is a difference. The Serial number is 053315 E if that matters. Also, just curious if there is anything in general to be aware of regarding these balers. We have always square baled but had a custom baler do the baling for us. Due to reliability and scheduling problems, I've decided to take on doing this myself. I bought a small New Idea roller to do most of the hay, but want to do some square bales as well, so I just need a relatively easy to use (relative for a square baler being the key) to do a couple hundred each year and I plan on rolling the rest.

The unit itself seems to be in good shape. It has been shed-kept and baled hay last year. The seller showed me the hay it baled, and it looked like pretty good bales. I plan on giving it a try in the next few weeks, after I get a manual and go through all the set-up and PMs and make sure things are in time and don't crash into each other.

Any information anybody has and is willing to share would be appreciated.

Good luck and take care.
 
   / John Deere 24t - any difference in years/models? #2  
I doubt that there is any significant difference to the different years. The 14t balers made prior to the 24t have very similar mechanisms. They are very good balers and highly sought after.

There is a million and one grease fittings on them. I like to grease them after 600 or so bales. On the knotters there are some fittings tucked down under the tieing gears, on the feed auger there is a hole that when turned to proper position lines up with the fitting and where the connecting rod and the wrist pin meet at the plunger there is one in there that is quite commonly missed and causes major issues if it goes to long without grease. The rest of the fittings should be quite obvious.

And remember is a 50 year old baler and doesn't have the capacity of the newer ones. Slow and steady wins the race. A extra half hour in the field is better then 2 hours in the shop fixing a broken baler.
 
   / John Deere 24t - any difference in years/models?
  • Thread Starter
#3  
Thanks for the comments. I've still got a few weeks before I will try to use it in production, and I may even just bust some old bales and try to pick them up to check out the function of everything.

I've gone ahead and ordered a manual and we'll see how close it fits to my machine. I've also watched a couple of videos on Youtube, so I think now I qualify as an expert!! (Just in case someone can't tell, I am kidding).

I know that I was surprised at how small the baler was compared to some of the newer units that I have been around, so I was assuming it is smaller capacity. I'm only planning on 200-300 bales at a time, and maybe only once a year at that. My plan is to get the hay ready to go and try to square bale first, and if that doesn't work out, I'll roll it with my little roller. Given that I'm only wanting to do a little amount of square bales, I plan on taking it slow. I'd much rather spend an extra hour on the tractor running slower than two or three hours in the barn from trying to run faster!

Basically, I'm just trying to get some equipment so that I can do hay when I'm ready to do hay rather than waiting on someone else's schedule. It will take several years to even pay back this minor investment, but hopefully the convenience factor will help to even that out.

Thanks for the comments. Any input is appreciated.

Good luck and take care.
 
   / John Deere 24t - any difference in years/models? #4  
RT,
Those old balers usually had a sweet spot / RPM range where they ran the best. On the ones I have been around it was usually a little slower than the 540 RPM PTO speed. Like Mike R stated, look for million and one grease fittings and grease them all before use. We used to run around 10,000 bales a year through ours so 200 or 300 bales should be a short days work.
 
   / John Deere 24t - any difference in years/models? #5  
My 14T seems to like 380-400 RPM.... sounds better.... runs smoother.... and if that makes it last longer, I'm all for it.....
 
   / John Deere 24t - any difference in years/models?
  • Thread Starter
#6  
I plan on working with the baler some in the next week. The first thing I want to do is give it a good once-over cleaning and greasing then cycle it by hand to make sure nothing's hitting something it shouldn't. After that, I plan on busting a few bales and trying to re-bale them. If that goes well, I'll probably cut a little section and try to bale. Running it at 400 RPM vs. 540 shouldn't make too much difference in time just due to the small amount of hay I plan on square baling. And I'm definately a fan of going slow and smooth vs. fast and rough.

Once again, I really appreciate all the comments. I'll update the post after I take a swing at baling (or if I run into other problems while getting ready to bale.)
 
   / John Deere 24t - any difference in years/models? #7  
The most important thing to check is the safety dog spring.(Part# E10086) If the dog is stuck,or spring is bad and anything happens,the plunger can hit the needles and bust up everything.
 
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   / John Deere 24t - any difference in years/models? #8  
Regarding PTO speed, I run my 24t based on strokes per minute of the plunger head. Saw somewhere that the baler is supposed to run at like 63 strokes per minute so started adjusting throttle based on that. I count with the plunger as I worked down a windrow........one one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand and set the throttle where the plunger head makes a stroke about the same as my estimate of a second. Somewhere around 60/minute. She seems happy, not to busy, and makes a pretty bale. Tach on my Ford 641 says the PTO is turning significantly less than 540.
 
   / John Deere 24t - any difference in years/models?
  • Thread Starter
#9  
The most important thing to check is the safety dog spring.(Part# E10086) If the dog is stuck,or spring is bad and anything happens,the plunger can hit the needles and bust up everything.

I don't have my parts manual yet - is this the spring/rod gizmo that is underneath the chamber back by the needles? Do you check it by pulling the rod and making sure it snaps back quickly? What you have mentioned is my greatest fear - having parts crash into each other that ought not to do it.
 
   / John Deere 24t - any difference in years/models? #10  
A good operating PH stop is a must have to protect the needles.
 

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