Knifes for a IH-47 baler

[funny farmer]

I started to do a little maintainence on my old IH-47 baler, some of the things that I've been neglecting for a couple of years like the knives. I took both of them out to find that I can turn them around to have a brand new edge on them. My questions is, there's a little bit of a bevel on the edge of the blade, should I grind it flat or use a file and just touch it up a bit using the same angle? The old side had it ground off of course over years of sharpening, so the edge is flat instead of having that bevel in it. I don't know how else to explain it, if I took a picture I think the detail will be to minute to show what I'm talking about, suppose I could draw a picture some how.

 

[zzvyb6]

According to the Rule of Thumb, "The bevel width on the knives should be between two and three times the knife thickness; that is, between the angles of 27ｰ and 18ｰ. Bevels of 2 to 2.5 times the knife thickness provide a better 'draw' on the hay and keep their edge better."

 

[funny farmer]

I suppose when people don't take the knives out to sharpen them, they get filed straight across. It sounds like the bevel is there to help pull the hay apart as it's cutting. It was cutting pretty good last year, but why not fix it up so its at it's maximum performance level, I may be surprised how much better it works. If anything, the baler won't have to work so hard in it's last dying days. Thanks for the fast response.

 

[funny farmer]

Now when I put the knives back in there hitting. So I took the back one out and turned it around so the old side is being used, and it still hits. I can push on the plunger while rotating it and they clear, but barely. When I pull the plunger towards me they hit again. I think I'm going to take the front one back out and sharpen the old side and use it again. And make sure I have an actual shear bolt in the flywheel and not a regular bolt. Sure would have been nice if I could've put the manual someplace where I could find it when I need it.