Avg # of bales in the life of belts on a JD rd baler?

Tx Jim · Oct 10, 2014

What's the average number of rd bales on JD rd baler to require new belts? My baler is beginning to experience bale starting problems in grass hay. There's only a very few teeth missing from pickup attachment.
Thanks,Jim

Tech 7 · Oct 10, 2014

Tx Jim with a question?? This is unusual!
They (Mother Deere) would say that when you get down to the last step in the diamond tread of the belt that most of the life of that belt is gone. However I think that as long as the belt is not full of holes or splices and its starting a bale OK drive on.I had a customer with a 467 a few years back that was having issues starting a bale in very late hay. This guy has made TOUSANDS of bales and knows a lot of tricks to running a baler. That being said we changed out the two longer belts and that was enough to get him going again. The baler at that time had over 34,000 bales through it. (Mainly dry hay, possibly 10% silage)

Roger in Iowa · Oct 10, 2014

Jim, I don't know the average # of bales, but when belts get worn down to the third step in the belts, you will have problems, especially in grass.

Tx Jim · Oct 10, 2014

Thanks for the replies. I think my belts are worn down to the last step but my eyesight isn't the best.

Tx Jim · Oct 10, 2014

(quoted from post at 15:29:03 10/10/14) Tx Jim with a question?? This is unusual!

Why not ask if I can't remember. You live long enough and you'll get forgetful too!!!!!!! :wink:

Tech 7 · Oct 10, 2014

What was it you asked? I can't remember.

Roger in Iowa · Oct 10, 2014

Jim, just run your hand on the belts long ways and you should feel some bite to them. When slick they are getting worn out.

Tx Jim · Oct 10, 2014

Roger
My hands/fingers have nerve damage with very little feeling but I'll ask my helper to see what he can detect. IIRC JD rd balers belts shrink in length with use don't they?
Thanks,Jim

Roger in Iowa · Oct 10, 2014

Jim, some say they stretch and some say shrink.

Take one out and measure it. Lengths are given in PC. Then WE will know. If the belt has not been re-spliced.

Roger

Tx Jim · Oct 10, 2014

I'll measure one when I replace them with new belts.

notjustair · Oct 10, 2014

I'll tell you one thing that may help. I've always used the 4440
to bale. A few times a year it would slug up when starting a
bale, especially in slew grass. This year I had a new (to me)
7800 to bale with. The drawbar is a couple of inches higher.
Never once slugged the baler this year. I even tried to see if I
could do it. It worked so much better with a taller drawbar. You
maybe should flip your drawbar over after you get those new
belts.

Tx Jim · Oct 11, 2014

The angle of the pickup can be altered by raising/lowering baler spindles also. I'm not arguing with you but if PU teeth remain the same distance from ground when you raise tractor drawbar one is increasing the distance between the pickup teeth and the starter roller & belts which "shouldn't favor easier starting cores".

JD Seller · Oct 12, 2014

Jim around here baling a lot of corn stalk bales the belts are usually shot at around 12-15 thousand bales.

Also opening the throat up WILL actually help start bales and give you more capacity. We always set our balers up with the axles in the HIGH position. That really opens the throat up when you have a good tall drawbar on the tractor.

I think in your case the grass would wear the belts just about as fast as the stalks. You have pretty dry hay down there to bale.

If the belts are worn down to the fist step on the diamonds than they will not start dry slick hay as well. Really dry grass hay is one of the toughest things to get started. In the drought year of 1988 it was really hard to get some balers to start the bale.

Tx Jim · Oct 12, 2014

(quoted from post at 11:23:46 10/12/14)

Also opening the throat up WILL actually help start bales and give you more capacity. We always set our balers up with the axles in the HIGH position. That really opens the throat up when you have a good tall drawbar on the tractor.

JD Seller
IIRC operators manual states if having bale starting problems be sure one runs pickup as high as possible. PS: my OM is in tractor behind seat.

JD Seller · Oct 12, 2014

I know what the manual says but I have found that the opposite seems to work in my crops and field conditions. Just my personal experience. Yours may differ but this works for us.

I also do not let the belt get completely worn out. That seems to cause a lot of the bale starting issues.

Just finish sending the bills for baling out. At this point we have baled 23680 bales since April 1st, 2014. There will be another 10K of stalk bales to go.

There was a lot more hay bales this summer than the last few years. Most was not good hay but a lot of grass hay. Guys thought hay was going to be in short supply with all the grain acres. Good alfalfa mixed hay is in tight supply but plain old common grass hay is kind of a surplus right now.

How has your baling going this year??? I know you had someone hired to help out last year. Did you do that again this year???

Tx Jim · Oct 13, 2014

(quoted from post at 19:44:53 10/12/14)

How has your baling going this year??? I know you had someone hired to help out last year. Did you do that again this year???

Because of my nerve damage all I do anymore is supervise. My hay baling crew consists of my retired neighbors wanting something to do. All I bale anymore is some long time close to my home customers. Because of the extended drought hay production per acre is down. I'll give you credit 30,000 bales per yr is a lot of bales to bale in one year.
Jim

RodinNS · Oct 13, 2014

Just out of curiosity... how many balers are you using to chug that many bales through in a season?

Rod

Avg # of bales in the life of belts on a JD rd baler?

Tx Jim

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