Help Timing NH 271 Baler

[Banjo]

Hi,
I'm putting new chains on my NH271 baler, as the old (original?) ones are stretched so far that they're mighty sloppy even with the adjusters at the max.

I got the Feeder Drive chain, and the pickup drive chain on OK. Now am doing to the Needle/Knotter drive chain. I'd appreciate any pointers here.

With the baler rotated to the "TDC" position, the two timing marks on what I think is the knotter drive clutch are about 2" apart. The operator manual says they should be withing 1/2 an inch.

However, I'm having a hard time understanding these statments in the timing insturctions:

Step 3: "Make certain that the knotter cluch pawl is resting against the knotter stop and remove the backlash in the knotter cluctch by pulling upward on the needle yoke rod at the point where it is atached to the knotter arm."

If I rotate the drive gear, it does seem to come up against a "stop", but it's a long ways away from the current position. Second, I can pull up on the needle yoke rod, should it be slipping against the clutch, as if I pull it hard enough it will (but this doesn't selem right either).

So I'd appreciate any thoughts, and experience here. Going to be putting it back together one way or another in the morning, so I can finally bale a bit of my second cut (the Indian Summer was late coming here, just rained and rained all through September, following a drought in August where the grass went backwards). Should mention that generally the baler was working OK before this, so I don't think there's too much too far out of whack. It would miss the odd tie now and then (which I'm trying to eliminate by slowly addressing worn parts and the like).

I've attached (I hope) a couple of reference pics in case that helps.

Thanks in advance,
Andrew

 

[HammerFour]

I would go to the implement board on Antique Tractors - Yesterday's Tractors : Antique Tractor Headquarters and use the search feature, if you don't find anything post on there...there are a lot of folks with experience with the NH balers that post there.

 

[RonR]

Can't help you with the timing, but when you get it "right", spin the flywheel over slowly by hand while tripping the knotters. That way you can see if everything clears like it should.

Not familiar with NH, but JD balers have a plunger stop that comes into the bale chamber when the needles go up, so as to keep the plunger from shearing the needles off.

Make sure all that stuff looks right before you do it under power.

My 2 cents.

ron

 

[Banjo]

Thanks for the suggestions. A bit of surfing, and some more re-re-reading the operators manual and I had another shot. Started just setting it where it was, then adjusted a bit to get the needles to come in at the right spot with the plunger. The two timing marks are now about 1.5" apart, instead of the 2" that they used to be. Not quite sure why I was having troubles before??

Seems to work OK, just baled 120 bales without a miss. So at least now I've managed to get a bit of second cut done .

It does seem to run (sound) smoother with the new chains. Have one more to put on, on the other side, think it's the sweeper drive chain.

thanks, Andrew