336 baler pushing me over the edge, HELP

[montana]

I just got a 336 and it has Knotter problems. The knotters look to be in good shape, and in fact the drivers side unit has been replaced. Here is the problem... Some times the baler will not miss a bale for several hundred bales, but most of the time it misses about 1/3 of the time. The bale forms great and looks great right up to the point that it is tied. The knot looks great the vast majority of the time, but about an inch AFTER the knot it breaks the twine. Many times the broken string will be tied to the next bale that forms. In addition I have even had extra strings attached between bales and it simply pulls both bales out of the shute. I have tried different brands and weights of twines and round baler 130 lb seems to work the best, but that is not supposed to be what one should use in this baler. I can see no reason for it to do what it is doing so I am assuming it must be an adjustment issue. HELP I am getting tired of seeing the same parts of the fields over and over again. Thanks /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[jd110]

Does it always miss on the same side, or is it both sides? If the twine breaks an inch from the knot, it usually indicates bad twine. Since you have tried different types, hopefully that is not the case. There could be a sharp edge or rust build-up on the needle, billhook or wiper arm that is damaging the twine. Clean up all surfaces that twine contacts with sandpaper or emery cloth. Also be sure the twine is threaded properly. One mistake I see frequently is the twine is threaded through the needle wrong. Be sure the twine goes over the top of the roller in the eye of the needle. If you don't have one, I recommend getting an operators manual. There are lots of picture and instructions about adjusting the knotters. If you could send pictures of the bad knots and the knotters, I might be able to make other suggestions. One more thing, check to see how much tension is on the twine as it is pulled through the tensioner at the twine box. There should be about 5 pounds of resistance. I am not sure what type of twine you are using, but I find that plastic twine is more consistent than sisal and easier to get adjusted for consistent operation. Round baler twine is usually too thin to work well in a square baler.

 

[montana]

It can be either side but most of the time it is the drivers side. I looked at the bill hook and the wiper arm and could find no sharp edges and I ordered a operators manual this morning. I will take a look at the needle in the morning. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[slowzuki]

Once you get that manual study it well, see if you can borrow a NH manual as well, they have almost the same knotters and a different angle on the trouble shooting.

Our 336 had problems too when we got it but a few days looking over the manual and reading and searching www.ytmag.com fixed it right up.

They are complicated but you can roll them over slow and watch what happens. Ours still has the twine disc timing way out but will still tie fine. Misses one in 1000 very regularly. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

The inch away seems to indicate twine is getting nicked in the twine disc when it is held but it the disc itself isn't likely the problem.

Basic stuff, are your knifes honed up really sharp? Needles set to the right clearance? One of our needles was set too wide and the disc would only pick up one of the two strings sometimes and the knot would tie two bales together.

 

[montana]

I will take a hard look at what you have suggested. Yeaterday I baled 450 without missing a single bale, then when the baler switched to the next two rolls of NEW twine it started all over again and I was rebaling half the field. I still have not recieved the owners manual yet so I will do as you suggest just as soon as I get it. Thanks for your input.