more 336 questions

Do all 336 balers have dogs by the slip clutch?

Also can hear a banging metal/ clinking sound from by the flywheel, more noticeable when hay is not being feed in it.

Any other normal wear items that need attention?
Want to check thing before they cause down time.

Thanks

If you got klunking at the flywheel,you gots a problem....They should be quiet.There some drive 'dogs' in the ORC(over running clutch),but they should be quiet,except when you shut it down.Then you hear them clacking/'ratcheting' as it coasts to a stop..That is normal.Are you sure the noise isnt comming from somewhere else-'radiateing' out ti the flywheel?There hay dogs in the bale chamber that clack during operation. From this and the other post,it sounds like your baler is a 'hi-milage' machine.Possibly worn out. Next thing: Do you have an owners/operators manual? If not,GET ONE!

On banging noise check the plungerhead safety stop(parts key 1) to see if it's clipping the crankshaft arm. Over time the lever(parts key 12) angle can stretch allowing stop to hit crankshaft arm as it pushes PH. If lever*parts key 12) stretches too much it can bind on attaching bolt rendering PH stop inoperable.


Dogs in ORC are parts key 17

This i think was bought new. We only bale about 1000 bales a year max. And is greased regulary.
Cant see it being worn out.
Thanks for any info.

It could be 45 years old and could have 45,000 bales thru it or MORE.

Just 'cause you grease it doesnt mean squat.Things still wear out and get grooved after years and years of use....

How hard is it to replace the rollers on the plunger?

Can the crank arm be unbolted and slide unit out the back?

I think we have a operator manual, not sure on the repair manual.

Yes crank arm can be unbolted from brg,loosen the hay tension cranks on the rear,block up bale case extension,remove any hay resisters that's bolted to the inside of bale case,block hay dogs out of chamber then slide PH out of bale case.

We had a clunking sound out of our 336 years ago that turned out to be the bushing/pin that connects the plunger arm to the plunger. Check for extra backlash between the plunger arm and plunger by working the flywheel back and forth by hand. If the crank arm is moving a lot without moving the plunger, it's time to pull the plunger out the back and replace bearings/bushings.

With ours, the pin in the plunger (which is supposed to be fixed with a cotter pin and bolt so that the plunger arm is rotates around it) was loose. Since both the pin and plunger arm were both rotating, the pin wore the holes in the plunger frame and caused a lot of play between the plunger arm and the plunger. We were lucky to have a neighbor that was able to weld up the holes and get them fixed.

Another spot to check would be the hole where the shear bolt goes through the flywheel. Any wear there will cause some noise and probably cause shear bolts to break prematurely.

Don't have a 336, but did have 2 24T's and now are using a 327 and a 328. I expect the 336 is similar. One of the noise possibilities, especially when the chamber is empty is the wear guides on the tail of the plunger head. They can be shimmed up to reduce the up-down movement or sideways movement of the plunger head. When the chamber is full, there is little or no noise, but when it is empty it sounds off pretty well as a banging sound. I think the 336 uses steel wear plates and they can be noisey. I think the newer balers use a high density plastic wear plate so it does not make much noise.

Keep the knives sharp to reduce the impact wear on the plunger head. Dull knives push the PH towards the left side.

Don't worry about the 1,000 bales per year. That is just enough to keep all the parts moving and wear the bale chamber rust smooth. We make 20 -25,000 bales per year with the 328 doing about 15,000 per year. Both balers have probably done more than 200,000 bales in their lifetimes. there are some wear parts and some metal fatigue failure (like the axle shafts) and bale case cracks.

Our most serious problem was last year when the idler sprocket bearing on the front drive chain began to fail and let the main chain jump up on a tooth of the drive sprocket. The chain broke and the feeder fork and the plunger head crashed into each other, bending up a lot of stuff including part of the bale case where the feeder fork enters. Luckily it failed at low RPM and we were able to save the bailer. It made another 10,000 bales for us this hay season and is working fine.

Follow the other guy's suggestions as well, they have given good advice. Good luck!

Paul in MN

Paul in MN
I was unaware that JD utilized any plastic PH wear guides in their later model sq baler bale chambers and failed to find mention of plastic guides in the 328 or 348 parts catalog

Tx Jim,

It could be the old memory is a bit fading. I thought I was correct, but did not check parts books. But on some of the parts we have received, I know they are plastic on these balers. For sure, the feeder fork "bearing" (2 piece) is plastic. I doubt the parts book tells what material it is made of. They can get pretty sloppy loose from wear. I have shaved a bit of plastic off the flat mating surfaces with a carbide blade on the table saw to tighten up the sloppyness. If I was wrong on the rub blocks on the PH tail, I offer up my apologies.

My memory has been dulled by over 30 days of hospitalization with many drugs and probably 12 full anesthesias since May 8 this spring and summer. All of this caused by a total medical screw up with a robotic surgery machine. I am just very glad to be able to get back in my shop and the hay fields. My oldest son was saddled by the need to finish putting the crashed bailer back together and do or hire some less experienced help with the field work of 1st cutting.

Paul in MN

Paul
No apologies required. Yes the feeder fork brgs are plastic but I've never seen any factory plastic PH guide parts.