Square baler do I tie a knot to add extra twine roll?

Shealray

Member
When my string is starting to run out picture on baler cabinet shows to add extra twine by tying a knot.
Will this knot catch in the knotter?

I hate to have to start twine all over again.

Their has to be a trick to this.

All comments welcome.

Thanks
 
The SMALLER & TIGHTER you make the SQUARE KNOT the better it will feed thru the KNOTTER, game of chance. There is no other way to feed in next BALL!
 
(quoted from post at 06:50:24 08/12/15) The SMALLER & TIGHTER you make the SQUARE KNOT the better it will feed thru the KNOTTER, game of chance. There is no other way to feed in next BALL!

What if:

I watch closely when twine is making last bale tie new twine 3 feet from where twine holder has it. I say 3 feet because my bales are small and take 6 feet of twine per side ( I measured.) This would make the knot in the middle of the bale.

You think this is possible?
 
Possible, but I think unnecessary. Your baler should handle a knot between twine balls with no issues. If it does mess up, just re thread it, going through the eye of the appropriate needle, and tie it off on the frame somewhere and it should pick it up on the next bale.
 
I can't even begin to do the math on the possibility of it hitting the knotter. It only has to pass through the hole in the needle. For a little knot in a 4500 foot ball to go in to the twine disc or billhook,the odds would be astronomical. Like's been said,a square knot,pull hard so it's good and tight,then trim the ends off so it's as small as possible.
 
Not worth the hassle.

Tie a square knot with very short ends as mentioned, be sure you sit the twine ball the right way with top up and get the right ends together
outside of old ball, center of new ball.,

When the ball changes, you have about 5-6 feet of time, it will mess up if that splice knot happens to be on the 4 inches or so where the baler
makes a knot, otherwise it will pass through fine. Watch your bales as you normally do coming out the baler for missed knots, tend to pay
attention a bit more when you know its changing twine balls, and all is good.

I would not hassle around trying to make the splice some special place, just tie a good knot end to end and bale. It works out most of the time,
easy to fix the few times it doesn't.

Sure not worth the hassle to do anything special.

Paul
 
You're over thinking this. Just tie it on, and forget it. I tie 100's of balls of twine on every year, and just stick them in and use a sheet bend knot. Sometimes I'll use a square knot, and it doesn't seem to matter either way. I have almost zero failures, and I don't trim the ends, or try to make them small. Sometimes the tails will be 3-4" long, and it doesn't cause any trouble.

David
 
In the 30 plus years I have been baling hay on my place I have NEVER had a problem with tieing a knot in the twine so the next bale of twine gets pulled out and used. Just tie the twine and be done with it and forget about it.
 
No trick at all....like paul says, draw from the center of the next ball. I always tied a square knot, never had any trouble. That"s why balers have room for multiple balls- fill the box and run with it.
 
Just tie a square knot.I like to leave 2 to 6" 'tail' to assure it doesnt pull apart before it goes through the baler.I make
several thousand bales yearly.Cant remember the last time the 'splice' went through the knotter.
 
That's what JD recommends in their Owner's/Operator's Manuals and I use. Never had one hang up nor slip where I have had squares and granny's slip on the slick rounder baler twine.............when I was using scraps for other things, non baler related.
 
(quoted from post at 07:52:54 08/12/15) You're over thinking this. Just tie it on, and forget it. I tie 100's of balls of twine on every year, and just stick them in and use a sheet bend knot. Sometimes I'll use a square knot, and it doesn't seem to matter either way. I have almost zero failures, and I don't trim the ends, or try to make them small. Sometimes the tails will be 3-4" long, and it doesn't cause any trouble.

David

OK guys I will go for it and tie per all instructions given.

THANKS
For the help
Hope everyone is doing well with the hay this year.
 
When I tie the 2 together I make the knot just like the one a baler would make on a bale
 
Shealray,

Here's one more observation. I, too, use a tightly pulled square knot on the ends of the twine to join the old roll to the new roll. However, about
25% of the time, my knot gets hung up in the knotter and causes a tangle around the billhook. I use a long-bladed pocket knife to cut the tangle
loose and clear out the mess. Then, I have to restring the twine through the needle just as I would if there were no twine in the baler.

Good luck. Maybe your knots will go through with no problem.

Tom in TN
 
(quoted from post at 14:19:41 08/12/15) Shealray,

Here's one more observation. I, too, use a tightly pulled square knot on the ends of the twine to join the old roll to the new roll. However, about
25% of the time, my knot gets hung up in the knotter and causes a tangle around the billhook. I use a long-bladed pocket knife to cut the tangle
loose and clear out the mess. Then, I have to restring the twine through the needle just as I would if there were no twine in the baler.

Good luck. Maybe your knots will go through with no problem.

Tom in TN


Yup. Second that. My brother bales about 30,000 small squares per year. That's at least 60 twine changes per year. His knotters are well tuned, and his baler misses very few bales. He always connects new spools by tying the outside tail of the old spool to the inside (center) tail of the new spool with a square knot trimmed to look just like the knot that the baler makes. Even so, when his knotters do have a problem, a high percentage of them happen at changeover to the new ball of twine.

-Every once in a while, his knot catches on the billhook, as described above.

-He always uses natural (sisal) twine, and some years he gets spools that pull hard out of the center. (He has now developed a habit of pulling a foot or two out of the new spools to test how hard it pulls. If it doesn't pull out smoothly, he'll pull five or ten feet out of the spool until it does pull smoothly.)

-There is a little spring-loaded clamp that the twine feeds through on the side of the twine box of the baler. Every once in a while, a knot will catch there. (this can be adjusted, if you feel that it's too tight)

All of those things just fall under "stuff happens" there's "knot" much you can do about it.

One tip that could save you from pain, especially true on New Holland balers: If you ever have to undo the bolt on the rear of the knotter to rotate them up in order to clear a jam or for any other repair...WATCH YOUR HANDS! The act of rotating the knotter moves the wiper arm, which has the little knife blade on it that cuts off the twine after the knot is made. If your fingers are in the wrong spot when you rotate the knotter assembly....you'll get a nasty cut, or pinch. No fun.
 
Yes! You can tie two bundles together. I consider it a great accomplishment if it goes through the baler and continues to bale... ;)
a198226.jpg
 
(quoted from post at 00:05:43 08/13/15)
(quoted from post at 14:19:41 08/12/15) Shealray,

Here's one more observation. I, too, use a tightly pulled square knot on the ends of the twine to join the old roll to the new roll. However, about
25% of the time, my knot gets hung up in the knotter and causes a tangle around the billhook. I use a long-bladed pocket knife to cut the tangle
loose and clear out the mess. Then, I have to restring the twine through the needle just as I would if there were no twine in the baler.

Good luck. Maybe your knots will go through with no problem.

Tom in TN


Yup. Second that. My brother bales about 30,000 small squares per year. That's at least 60 twine changes per year. His knotters are well tuned, and his baler misses very few bales. He always connects new spools by tying the outside tail of the old spool to the inside (center) tail of the new spool with a square knot trimmed to look just like the knot that the baler makes. Even so, when his knotters do have a problem, a high percentage of them happen at changeover to the new ball of twine.

-Every once in a while, his knot catches on the billhook, as described above.

-He always uses natural (sisal) twine, and some years he gets spools that pull hard out of the center. (He has now developed a habit of pulling a foot or two out of the new spools to test how hard it pulls. If it doesn't pull out smoothly, he'll pull five or ten feet out of the spool until it does pull smoothly.)

-There is a little spring-loaded clamp that the twine feeds through on the side of the twine box of the baler. Every once in a while, a knot will catch there. (this can be adjusted, if you feel that it's too tight)

All of those things just fall under "stuff happens" there's "knot" much you can do about it.

One tip that could save you from pain, especially true on New Holland balers: If you ever have to undo the bolt on the rear of the knotter to rotate them up in order to clear a jam or for any other repair...WATCH YOUR HANDS! The act of rotating the knotter moves the wiper arm, which has the little knife blade on it that cuts off the twine after the knot is made. If your fingers are in the wrong spot when you rotate the knotter assembly....you'll get a nasty cut, or pinch. No fun.

Already pinched myself on the wiper arm no fun.

thanks for the tips.
 
Yup I think I have about 50% success on this and to make it more fun
the knots from each ball of twine never go through at the same time on
my baler....
 
No trick - simple square knot as others have said. Just be sure it's an actual square knot - there's a 50/50
chance you'll do it wrong - google square knot if you're unsure. And then be sure to pull it very tight.

Don't think in terms of this process "failing" -

Instead look at is a quick ATTEMPT to get out of restringing your new roll.

Usually you get lucky and it works, saving you the restringing effort. Sometimes it doesn't and you just end
up having to do it the hard way.
 
(quoted from post at 10:38:22 08/14/15) No trick - simple square knot as others have said. Just be sure it's an actual square knot - there's a 50/50
chance you'll do it wrong - google square knot if you're unsure. And then be sure to pull it very tight.

Don't think in terms of this process "failing" -

Instead look at is a quick ATTEMPT to get out of restringing your new roll.

Usually you get lucky and it works, saving you the restringing effort. Sometimes it doesn't and you just end
up having to do it the hard way.

No such thing as failure just another way to learn. I like the way you think.
 
The chances of your knot coming out in the actual area of the knotter are slim. In the area of about 3 inches on about 7 feet. As long as your knot will feed through the spring loaded clamp at the side of twine chamber, the insulators on the needle carrage, and the eye of the needles you should be good to go. As the bale fills the twine is dragged around the bale. Twine is never fed through the knotter. Only the ends of the twine where the twine is tied ever contact the knotter. I have rarely if ever had my knot interfere with the knotting process. My bigger problem is the twine at the end and beginning of the ball are often of poor quality which can lead to problems. Tie as guys say below, and go for it!
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top