OP
Draagyn
Silver Member
Yes. Lack of quality forage and overrun with wild flowers and weeds. I have yet to see it for myself though.
First Time Haying
- Thread starter Draagyn
- Start date
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bjr
Veteran Member
I'm thinking this will be a multi season project just to get something worth the effort to bale. I'm still tryin' to make a old NH 269 twine baler put out a bale. I've just about rebuilt the old machine from front to back. Now I'm in the process of rebearing and replacing the knifes on the plunger. I'm hoping you have better luck than me with old balers. They're time consuming and expensive. If you have to rebuild and repair the thing shop around and you'll save. I'm on year two of getting something to bale and I've only 1-1/4 acres. Just some thoughts from a fellow small timer. bjr
coondle
Bronze Member
The brass rollers are attached to the knife arm.
The function of the knife arm is twofold
1. The knife cuts the twine brought up by the needle and then held in the twine holder. This separates the twine on the bale (after the knot is tied) from the twine coming from the ball of twine in the baler.
2. The knife arm also has a half-moon shaped stripper flange (also known as the wiper)that as the arm continues its path strips or wipes the formed knot from the bill hook.
The rollers are retained on the Knife arm by an allen keyed stud.
Usually if the rollers are worn out the stripper flange may have little life in it and the knife itself may also need replacement.
The knife arm is of malleable cast steel and the stripper flange can be rebuilt.
The knife for original manufacture is riveted to the arm and can be removed by carefully grinding the rivets off and punching out. NH usually supply small lock-nut equipped bolts to hold the knife on or sometimes the replacement knife comes with small rivets to replace those ground out.
Older balers were designed for use with sisal, the principal difference in the knotter is in the billhook design. Sisal billhooks are plain whereas the plastic twine billhook has a narrower opening between the billhook and the billhook tongue, and can be further identified by a notch in the bottom of the groove on the billhook where the tongue engages it. This groove permits the billhook tongue to grasp the twine more tightly (it needs to because the plastic twine is slipperier than sisal.
There are rollers on the billhook and these can be replaced along with the billhook tongue by punching out the swivel pin in the billhook assembly. A new pin is also needed and should be gently riveted into place using a small ball peen hammer.
Billhooks should be smooth, if not file gently and finish to a polish with emery cloth.
The function of the knife arm is twofold
1. The knife cuts the twine brought up by the needle and then held in the twine holder. This separates the twine on the bale (after the knot is tied) from the twine coming from the ball of twine in the baler.
2. The knife arm also has a half-moon shaped stripper flange (also known as the wiper)that as the arm continues its path strips or wipes the formed knot from the bill hook.
The rollers are retained on the Knife arm by an allen keyed stud.
Usually if the rollers are worn out the stripper flange may have little life in it and the knife itself may also need replacement.
The knife arm is of malleable cast steel and the stripper flange can be rebuilt.
The knife for original manufacture is riveted to the arm and can be removed by carefully grinding the rivets off and punching out. NH usually supply small lock-nut equipped bolts to hold the knife on or sometimes the replacement knife comes with small rivets to replace those ground out.
Older balers were designed for use with sisal, the principal difference in the knotter is in the billhook design. Sisal billhooks are plain whereas the plastic twine billhook has a narrower opening between the billhook and the billhook tongue, and can be further identified by a notch in the bottom of the groove on the billhook where the tongue engages it. This groove permits the billhook tongue to grasp the twine more tightly (it needs to because the plastic twine is slipperier than sisal.
There are rollers on the billhook and these can be replaced along with the billhook tongue by punching out the swivel pin in the billhook assembly. A new pin is also needed and should be gently riveted into place using a small ball peen hammer.
Billhooks should be smooth, if not file gently and finish to a polish with emery cloth.
OP
Draagyn
Silver Member
The field has always been baled so as bad as the locals say it is, it's probably not all that bad. It hasn't been fertilized in years and would be better than nothing. I'm slowly splitting the field up into sections so I can rotate turning, seeding, pasture, and production. That way evey year I will at least have some yield. This year it will be two 20ac fields and within the next few it will be four 10ac fields. Thanks for the support and info on the balers, hopefully it all comes together well for me
tessiers
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Sep 22, 2007
- Messages
- 727
- Location
- Central Maine
- Tractor
- 05' JD 790 - 53' Ford NAA - 70' Massey Fergusen 135 diesel - 67' John Deere 3020 deisel - 77' John Deere 2130 - 1950 John Deere MC
I been doing that for years, don't expect good hay right off but I bale it all, my beef grow just as well on that wild hay as they did when I bought the good stuff, maybe they waste more, I don't care. I also use the mulch stuff for bedding, I run it through an old straw chopper so it doesn't mat up like long hay and it makes great bedding. Turn, till and seed whatever you can afford per year and before you know it you will have decent fields.
OP
Draagyn
Silver Member
When is too late to be driving over the field to fertilize? I've hit a few speed bumps and things are really starting grow
tessiers
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Sep 22, 2007
- Messages
- 727
- Location
- Central Maine
- Tractor
- 05' JD 790 - 53' Ford NAA - 70' Massey Fergusen 135 diesel - 67' John Deere 3020 deisel - 77' John Deere 2130 - 1950 John Deere MC
depends what the fertilizer is, you don't want to pick it up in the hay, I spread manure under 6" grass or after mowing. might be able to do lime and such a little later but I would make sure you have enough time for it to get out of the grass before you make hay. depends too on weather, rain will "wash" the grass quicker than dry weather.
OP
Draagyn
Silver Member
The grass is maybe only a few inches tall now and will only be harvested once in late July or August. My plan was to use a standard dry NPK fertilizer. Hasn't been done in years, something's gotta be better than nothing. I'm just worried now that driving over grass to fertilize would be more damaging than useful
biker4jc
Bronze Member
Don't let anyone tell you the field's no good. A few years ago I started on a field, my first, it was mostly weeds, but I cut and baled it thinking the horses have a lot more time to sort it than I do. Second cut looked a lot better, and third was short but almost pure grass not much weeds. Second year it was mostly grass with some clover and a few weeds. THe neighbor puts chicken manure on right after first cut, and right after third cut in the fall ......... alfalfa's about 18" or so right now.
