after 16 years with this 1209 still learning..

Quick version is replaced 1209 with all new guards sickle blades, holddowns, the works. Started it up and have developed a leak in a seal between the slip clutch and main gear box that powers everything.. THing is you have to take apart a bunch of other drive stuff to get to that seal. Everything went back great EXCEPT the part about phasing the crimpers.. I had them lined up..(I thought) until I tightened the belt up from gear box to sickle.. didnt relize it moved the crimpers lol..do now.. guess in 16 years of replacing belt 2 times I must of got lucky..always something

I also have a 1209. I can't see where the belt from gearbox to sickle should affect alignment of crimp rollers. I thought all of that was done on the end of rollers. I think that bewlt just powers the sickle bar. Maybe rollers were slightly off and you didn't notice until you put power to it. A couple years ago the universal joints on the back end of gearbox went bad on mine and I had to change over to later sn shafts. When I put mine back together I read the operator's manual again, found that the main gearbox is supposed to use cornhead grease, not regular oil.

You know i read that also.. but my main gear box has holes that allows it to share oil with the front (three gear) area.. I could not fill mine with corn even if I wanted to.. It also doesnt have its own drain plug shown in manual..my serial# E01209x393408 which I kinda figure is a 1990's model..

On mine there is a label under the hood that says after adjusting the belt to the 1/2 movement, suppose to then adjust the bottom/back crimper with three screws and a moving plate which is between the bottom universal drive and the crimper..

WHen I set the phase on rollers they were perfect.. after I tighten the belt they leaned to one side so I used the plates to move them center again.. to be honest since I didnt know they ran fine before so once in place that little bit one way or other isnt critical but I wanted it as centered as I could..

THanks for replying nice to learn from others with same equipment..

Is your sickle a pain in the rear to remove and put back?? without loosing guards, etc.

I got to thinking after I wrote the reply, forgot that you adjust the belt by moving the main gear box(actually both of them) so I suppose that even if it is connected to the rollers with universal joints it could affect the timing. My rollers are pretty worn so I have set them more open. They really don't crimp the hay just toss it through but takes a little less power that way. Mine is an early sn model. Several years ago I needed a new sickle head and sickle but to get a complet sickle with head I had to update the drive from gearbox to later style. I could however buy the old style sickle head and sickle back strap so I made one up. Siilar problem when u joints on concitioner drive broke. I couldn't just replace the one end but had to buy complet shaft of later style, as they went to a splined shaft instead of square hex(I believe) like mine. I found a complete shaft off of a 1219 I think from add on YT tractor and pieced the other end together. I have trouble getting sickle out also. I use the "no plug" guards with adjustable JD tops like used on later machines. I put those on every other guard and seems to work well. My hay is sometimes quite fine and hard to cut with regular guards. I think the center of my header is bent up a bit making it harder to get sickle out. I have also had some issues getting the inner end to cut clean. The outer guard does not line up quite right. Last guard on far end I had to work with also. Cut a double guard in two pieces to make it. I think the main issue with my swather is that it is old and has seen lots of hay. I replaced sickle drive belt a couple years ago and the reel drive belt last year. I had to replace the inner spring on left side spring set up a year or so ago. I have trouble getting it light enough on the float and still getting it to ride on the ground. Othe issue with 1209 is that when you adjust float on header you tighten conditioner rolls.

I went through the gear box on my 1207 last winter. I replaced all the seals and one bearing. The rolls should be timed with the belt tightened. You should check the roll timing any time you adjust the wobbler belt. Reason is the gear case moves up or down and the roll drive shafts are on different angles so they don't change the same amount.

Early ones needed cornhead grease in the bevel gear case. Later got 85-140 GL shared with the roll drives.

I have a scanned tech manual for the 1207/1217 and 1209/1219. If anybody wants it send me an email through this site and I'll send it along.