Blue, #3 is out too...they were all functioning fine so it has to be #4 unless it's a drive key.
Sorry, I didn't shoot a pic. It's the longest chain that runs up to the top roller, then all the way back down and we noticed it already has two master links in it next to each other, so some other poor sap has repaired this same chain. I swear I kept feeling a "drag" on the tractor that was new, so I suspect that there is a roller bearing frozen or almost frozen somewhere.
Pacer, the door latch on the starboard side had some hay stuck in it and it was not latching. I fixed that before heading out to the field. I also sharpened the scraper/cutter knife on the central idler roller...looked like that had never been done.Yep, 3 chains and a belt on the 530.
I think I am just going to sit back and let these guys cut our hay the rest of this year. After we get the house re-financed in a few months I am going NEW 4x4 Baler shopping. I think I want a soft core...New Idea or Krone. I know I will never get my money out of a new baler, but I refuse to scurry around on the ground in the heat, covered in grass/seeds/grease cussing like a sailor trying to keep a 25 year old baler functioning...life is way too short.
Anyway, I just went out and set the bales in rows....the 11-ish ac turned out 76 4x4 bales....not bad eh?
Are you saying your baler is a 530?
Not quite a 4x4 if so, but what the hay:laughing:... They are 39" wide by a maximum of 54" diameter. That's about 51 cu'
A 4'x4'x4' volume is 64 cu' which is about 1.25 bigger than the 530 can make.
The 530 bale is estimated to be 550 pds maximum.
That's what really makes them nice for horse folks that don't have tractors with spears or FEL that buy hay. They can roll them pretty easy off a pick up to where they want them in their horse barns and stand them up on a pallet for unwrapping and feeding with no more loss than rectangular bales.
I'm not sure, but I think Blue River is doing 1,000 or even 2,000 pound average bales primarily for cattle.
The long chain you are talking about drives the forming belts so they are not running anymore when you engage the PTO, right?
Usually if one of the idler rollers for them gets frozen the belts keep on turning
but squeal, not break the chain.
There are a couple pins that hang back at the ejection door. If you raise the door all the way up there is a hole on each side that you can put the pins in and then lower the back door. That takes all the tension off the forming belts so you can replace a torn belt or lace. It also lets you hand turn all the idler rollers to see if they are stuck.
I'm saying this from memory, so check your book for details.
When you were watching the chains before the long one broke was there a lot of slop in it, so it looked like it wanted to jump ahead of one of the sprockets? I can't imagine that chain breaking from a stuck idler roller under the forming belts. Sometimes 2 master links are used to make the length come out right when they were manufactured.
When you have the tension off the belts you might take a piece of board and
try to wiggle the big drive shaft across the top and check the bearing on the other side at the same time.
It would be a shame to buy a new baler ( wait till you see the prices ) if you can fix this one for a few bucks or even a few hundred. It will probably outlast the newer ones. Unless you have your heart set on a new baler
Ron
I will get photos of the place with grasshopper on it,this weekend.
