336 square baler issues *pics!*

   / 336 square baler issues *pics!* #1  

Banshee365

New member
Joined
Sep 29, 2010
Messages
8
Tractor
John Deere 990
Hey guy's. First post here. I've been lurking for a while on this forum and TBN seems to be up on top for knowledge and activity. I'm starting my first baling season soon and recenty aquired a JD 336 baler. The previous owner has used it for years and said he hasn't hardly had any issues out of it. It is really solid compared to some that I have seem. There is surface rust but hardly any rust through in any area of the baler. It has alway's been barn kept and never sprayed with water to clean, just shot with compressed air. It has also never had hay left in it so the baler chamber is pretty solid. The plunger is solid as well. I decided to run over the baler before we start using it here in the next couple of weeks.

I removed the plunger and the pitman arm to inspect the parts. I wanted to inspect the rollers, wear plates, and wear blocks. The rollers are actually in excellent condition with no play. The rear thick wear block was actually lose. I think this was causing the plunger to shift a little as it was running. Once I had the plunger and pitman arm out I noticed alot of play with the arm at the plunger end. The crank end has a slightly bent bolt but that bearing feels great. I decided to remove the pin and replace the bushings as I was sure they were worn away with the ammount of slop. After removing everything I was suprised how far gone the bushings were and how worn the pin was. I've posted some pics below of the parts. The bushings and pin are self explanatory. I'm a little concerned about the arm end but I think it may be okay. The metal is a little disformed from the play as you can see on the left side of the pitman arm hole. For the bushings and pin I'm looking at $100. The pitman arm is $350+ so I'm hoping it's okay to use new bushings with. There was plenty of grease around the area but I think the hole lining up with the zerk got displaced and the grease wasn't getting to the right spots. Looking forward to getting some insite on this and hearing from others with this series of baler. Thanks!

-Kelly
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   / 336 square baler issues *pics!* #2  
Use some shim stock to round out the 2 piece bearings when the new pin is fitted. If there is some slop there, it will aggravate the out of round condition. As a result it will only last another 100,000 bales instead of 500,000 bales.
 
   / 336 square baler issues *pics!*
  • Thread Starter
#3  
Are you saying to use shim stock to fill the gap of the worn rod end so that the new bushings fit snug in a round hold instead of an oval one? I guess the old pin will make a good paper weight huh? It looks like the rod end took a bit of a beating when the plunger was a little catty-wampus as it cycles since you can clearly see the curled metal thats mushed out around the edge on the left in the pics.
 
   / 336 square baler issues *pics!* #4  
Replace the pin and bushing. If the bushing is still a press fit in the connecting rod and you don't think it will rotate in the bore, run it 5,000 bales or so and check it. If you feel the bushing may rotate in the rod bore, pay strict attention to whether grease is getting where it needs to be. Trying to shim the outside of the bushing to the conrod is a waste of time.
 
   / 336 square baler issues *pics!*
  • Thread Starter
#5  
Replace the pin and bushing. If the bushing is still a press fit in the connecting rod and you don't think it will rotate in the bore, run it 5,000 bales or so and check it. If you feel the bushing may rotate in the rod bore, pay strict attention to whether grease is getting where it needs to be. Trying to shim the outside of the bushing to the conrod is a waste of time.

Thanks Rick. Do you think if the bushings doesn't quite fit like a press fit in the bore that it still wouldn't be worth using some shim material to get the bushings to fit tight so that they don't turn?
 
   / 336 square baler issues *pics!* #6  
You will probably have to have the new bushing in your hand before you can really make a decision on what to do. If they are really loose, you might have to have the sleeve bored out just enough to make it round again and have new bushings made specific for it so you can have a press fit and still fit the new pin. Hopefully they will be like RickB says. I think I might try some Loctite 609 retaining compound too. Loctite claims a maximum fill of .12mm(.004724395 inches...gotta love Convert for Windows | Josh Madison :D) so if there was enough wear that the bushings were loose and the gap was marginal, that might be a more economic fix. Might not be "forever" but it would last a long, long time, just keep an eye on it.
 
   / 336 square baler issues *pics!*
  • Thread Starter
#7  
I've got the new parts. Being the first parts I've got for this baler I was impressed with the quality. The bushings are great quality with little dimples inside to hold grease. They fit really tight in the pitman arm but I bet the middle near the grease fitting is a little looser. We're cutting and baling tomorrow and the next day and I've called around all day looking for Loctite 609. No one has it so I'm thinking about just using red loctite as that is what the shop forman at my local JD dealer said he would do in my situation. Being that the bushings already fit nice and tight I'm hoping it will last a long time without the 609. However, after doing some research on the 609 it looks like a great product for installing things like gun sights and such.

I pulled some more panels off the baler today to hit the zerks before we work it this week. I was glad to see that it is pretty sold under the skin as well. I'm not sure on the year of this baler but I know it's pretty old. I've posted some pics I took with the plunger out today to gauge the condition of it compared to what would be considered normal for this model of baler with it's age. The wear block on the bottom of the plunger for a couple of rain drops on it and of course it's rusted like a brake disc in a day or so but it show's fairly little wear considering the notch that's already milled into it. I'm hoping to get several years of use out of this baler and it doesn't look like it's going to take much to get it all tightened up and ready for nothing else but paint. Thanks for the opinions and advice in advance.

P.S. I've also heard that the manual tells you the wrong way to time the baler and if you follow that book you'll have problems. Is this the case with the 336 or am I good to follow the OM to check the timing. Thanks guy's!

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