Looking for some help! The needles on my 14T broke the other day and was able to find a set from a tractor graveyard about an hour away from me. They were off of a 14T as well, and look great, but when I installed them and then tried to manually advance them to adjust, they don't seem to lineup through the knotter. I can't get the 1/32" clearance called for in the manual. They are way too tight! Are there different size needles for different year 14T's? Or am I missing something?
Help! John Deere 14T baler needles
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Tx Jim
New Member
I'll bet when your old needles go broken the needle frame that needles attach to got bent. There was only one type needle used on a 14T PN AM2931T.
CAUTION: be sure to get plunger head stop operational before attempting to bale any hay.
CAUTION: be sure to get plunger head stop operational before attempting to bale any hay.
Tx Jim
New Member
Bend in needle frame is difficult to see as it only takes a little for needles not to line up.
2 possibilities:
The needles you bought are actually from a 24T (yes they are different). I have a spare 24T and it is shorter than my 14T needles.
Most likely: the needle frame has not completely returned to home position because of the crash. The needle clearance to the tucker fingers is the one you are quoting. The needle should actually glide on the frame (touch) as it passes up through mechanism.
Do a side by side overlay comparison of the broken and new needles. They should have some degree of comparison even though the broken ones may also be bent.
If the needle frame has not returned to home position, its possible the needle lift link pins are sheared and the parts are out of position.
I suppose the 'new' needles could also be bent and that's why they were in the junk yard.
Pictures are a good addition if you need more help.
The needles you bought are actually from a 24T (yes they are different). I have a spare 24T and it is shorter than my 14T needles.
Most likely: the needle frame has not completely returned to home position because of the crash. The needle clearance to the tucker fingers is the one you are quoting. The needle should actually glide on the frame (touch) as it passes up through mechanism.
Do a side by side overlay comparison of the broken and new needles. They should have some degree of comparison even though the broken ones may also be bent.
If the needle frame has not returned to home position, its possible the needle lift link pins are sheared and the parts are out of position.
I suppose the 'new' needles could also be bent and that's why they were in the junk yard.
Pictures are a good addition if you need more help.
rankrank1
Platinum Member
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I am not real familiar with a JD 14T or a 24T since I run New Holland. That said, I also a broke a knotter frame and a needle (in hindsight totally my fault but I know more now than I did then).
Another possibility is that whatever the needle pivot attaches too is greatly weakened due to severe metal rusting away (which can easily happen on a 60 year old machine). This was the problem on my New Holland and I knew I had lots of metal rusted away at the rear of the bale chamber but I never gave it any thought about how that affected the strength of the needle pivot point until after I broke my needle frame (lesson learned). Basically I had so much metal rusted away that things could flex in all the wrong places and then my slight interference fit at the needle and knotter frame rubbing became a severe interference catasrophe when everything flexed due to missing metal.
I welded in a bunch of new metal to revive everything back to close to factory original specs from a strength perspective and all is good now.
Another possibility is that whatever the needle pivot attaches too is greatly weakened due to severe metal rusting away (which can easily happen on a 60 year old machine). This was the problem on my New Holland and I knew I had lots of metal rusted away at the rear of the bale chamber but I never gave it any thought about how that affected the strength of the needle pivot point until after I broke my needle frame (lesson learned). Basically I had so much metal rusted away that things could flex in all the wrong places and then my slight interference fit at the needle and knotter frame rubbing became a severe interference catasrophe when everything flexed due to missing metal.
I welded in a bunch of new metal to revive everything back to close to factory original specs from a strength perspective and all is good now.
Tx Jim
New Member
Please explain which direction needles are missing knotter. Do needles have a casting #?
