JD 336 Baler Chain

UP Oliver

Member
I am trying to time my baler, and I have to disconnect the chain to do this. All I did was take off the tension wheel and kind of roll the chain off the smaller gear. It seems like it isn't too hard on things, but I was just wondering if there is an easier way anybody can pass on? I do not have the special tool needed to push the pins out of the chain if that can even be done with this chain.

Thanks.
 

Both frt drive & fedder finger chains have coupler links. What are you attempting to time feeder forks &/or needles to plungerhead?? Either one can normally be timed without disconnecting a chain. One can move bevel gear on shaft far enough to disengage other bevel gear to time needles to PH.

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Thank your for the reply sir.

I am trying to time both. I was rolling along and broke a shear bolt in the flywheel, would be able to go along for awhile then I would break another. I don't bale much, maybe 1000 bales a year but I have not broke a shear bolt for a few years. I thought I was feeding in hay to quick, but when I broke a bolt and went along slowly and broke another after 5 bales I decided I better take a look. From what I can tell so far my feeder forks were way out of whack.

I have not disconnected a chain yet, just took off the tension wheel and rolled it off the smaller gear. Like I did when I was a kid with my bicycle, just a lot smaller chain. Is that what you are describing? Moving the gear so when you rotate the flywheel the chain comes off the gear but is still one continuous chain?

Also, where is the gear in the diagram? I can't seem to find anything that looks like that.

Thank you again for the help.
 
Feeder forks typically will not break a flywheel shearbolt. You have other problems. If you do not have a book to make the correct timings of things, you are going to get expensive repairs required very shortly!
 
Thanks for the reply. I have a manual, and according to it my forks were off from where they should be. I never said that caused the shear bolt to break. Basically all I wanted to know is if I should actually disconnect the chain or slack it as much as possible to slip it off a gear.
 
By your description the very first thing I would look at is the plunger stop!!!!!! It may be extending fully or slightly so check it closely for extension or signs that it's partially extending and hitting the crank. If either sign exists, then look at the needle yolk, needle brake and the plunger stop activation lever on the yolk. If the needle brake is bad it will allow the needles to partially extend, thus the activation lever will move allowing the stop to activate. Those activation levers are also known to split through their pivot bolt hole and you have to look very closely to find it. When it does that, the lever spreads and the stop will again partially activate. If all of that checks out fine, THEN I might look at the timing. Those balers are pretty resilient to timing issues so it would not be the top of my list, although not impossible. Make sure you are turning the baler in it's normal direction of rotation when timing it... Beyond that I've never had a chain off of mine so I'd have to look in the ops manual to time it, the same as you should...

Rod
 
(quoted from post at 09:22:29 07/24/17) Basically all I wanted to know is if I should actually disconnect the chain or slack it as much as possible to slip it off a gear.

To time feeder forks I never disconnect the chain but loosen idler & roll chain over teeth until I get feeder forks set correctly to PH.

I agree with Rod that you need to check condition of needle brake & operation of PH stop.
 
Thanks for the reply, and to everyone else also. I really don't know what I would do where I live to get this baler fixed and back into operation without this website. I am very thankful for all responses.

Got it disconnected at the master link. Never done that before. Very easy. I am on the feeder chain right now and noticed the little clip is broke at the master link, only holds one peg. I would assume I could get another one at Tractor Supply maybe?

To respond to other comments, the first thing I noticed when I had problems was the plungerhead stop. According to my manual I need to take care of the neeedle to plungerhead timing before adjusting the crank safety stop. When I go to that part of my manual it is titled "Timing the Baler." So that is where I am. First thing it says there is to work on the feeder teeth/plungerhead situation. Now that I have my chain apart I hope I can do that correctly, and I will move on to the next step in the manual taking into consideration the advice I have been given here.

Thanks.
 
You will have to excuse me here Tx Jim, but I don't know what the idler is. Is that the tensioner? Or the gear connected to the forks?

Thanks.
 
Thanks. I saw something in my manual after I posted that and had my answer a little late.

Here is another question. I got my feeder forks timed properly, I think. They are supposed to be 9 and half to 11 and a half inches away from the left edge of the front tooth slot when the plungerhead is in the middle of the front slot. I tested it and it alternates between 10 inches away and then 11, and then 10 and then 11. The average there is 10 and a half but why does it do that? Is there too much slop in another part of the baler?
 
Yes... generally you would do as the book suggests. If you have the time for that, go ahead. My view... is that generally unless you have a broken or severely stretched chain that jumped time, I would not bother with that if the baler had been working fine.
My comments are mostly directed to the fact that with those Deere balers, needle brake and actuator lever issues are the first go-to for the problems you describe. By experience you can generally skip the first steps and get right to the meat and potatoes...

Rod
 

Following what you state your balers feeder fingers should be fine. I would think feeder fingers should measure the same setting every cycle of PH but I've never measured the distance more than once per service call.
 
Thanks. I took care of that, moved the pin to all three settings on the feeder forks and put the baler through complete cycles with success. I went to the needles, and they are off also. I could not put the baler through a complete cycle, it is like the needles get stuck up in the knotter area. But I was not surprised, I did break the knotter/needle shear bolt somehow the last time in the field. I didn't know it until I found the bolt piece on the ground. So I got some problems. Going to address that today.

I cannot understand how all this happened. Any idea?

Thanks again for your help.
 

My 1st guess is hay being pressed by plungerhead during tying cycle has pushed needles rearward possibly bending needles or needle frame causing needles to hit knotter frame.
 
(quoted from post at 06:49:30 07/25/17) Thanks. I took care of that, moved the pin to all three settings on the feeder forks and put the baler through complete cycles with success. I went to the needles, and they are off also. I could not put the baler through a complete cycle, it is like the needles get stuck up in the knotter area. But I was not surprised, I did break the knotter/needle shear bolt somehow the last time in the field. I didn't know it until I found the bolt piece on the ground. So I got some problems. Going to address that today.

I cannot understand how all this happened. Any idea?

Thanks again for your help.
What does the manual say?
 
Even though the other guys may pull the master link on the chain, I have found that the main drive chain (near PTO shaft) can be slipped on the lower sprocket by backing off the idle (tension) sprocket all the way and then the chain can jump a tooth or 2 on the lower (drive) sprocket. However, with the age of your baler, you are probably in need of a new drive chain. The JD parts book will tell what size chain (maybe a #50??) and how many links you need. This chain will stretch and the sprocket teeth will wear to an unusual shape. Check the idle (tension) sprocket for wiggle. I had a bearing in that small sprocket fail, the chain broke and the plunger head crashed into the feeder fork (no shear pin protection for that failure). That crash occurred at a slow idle speed (just engaging PTO in tractor), and bent the feeder forks, the plunger head, the top of the bale case. I straightened a lot of metal with the help of the torch, and restored the baler to good working condition. But if the crash would have happened at normal 540 PTO, it would have become a pile of junk with one loud bang and a cloud of dust. Lesson learned: Check the main drive chain, its lower drive sprocket and the idler sprocket for wear and stretch. Replacements are cheap compared to crashing the baler.

Paul in MN
 
A couple of weeks ago, I retimed our 328 baler, and the service manual said to put the fork in the lowest set of holes (3 positions possible). My son had not paid attention to that direction, and found the rest of the timing to be impossible. I have never timed a 336, so I don't know if this is important for that model. Variations in fork to PH are probably due to wear on the main drive chain (by PTO) and the feeder fork chain. As these chains wear, they stretch and the positions of the fork and PH become a bit random.

Paul in MN
 

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