Knotter will not stop cycling (NH 65)

I have a new Holland model 65 baler that has been used only slightly. I make about 1,000 bales per year. With a field full of windrows, this afternoon, the knotter just suddenly started cycling constantly. The needles going up every time. Everything was greased before we went to the field. I oiled the chains again this morning. The metering arm can be up or down, it doesn't matter. I looked at the parts diagram and can't figure out what causes the knotter to cycle only when the metering arm is triggered. I probably spent two hours this afternoon digging balls of knotted twine of the bill hooks. No matter what I have tried the knotters keep cycling.

On the diagram, I saw there is some little spring and a set screw between the Hub and the disc, but I can't figure out what they are supposed to do.

HELP?

It's been a long time since I have looked at that vintage baler but there is not a dog hung up on the knotter? I don't think that every working part on the knotter has a grease fitting.

I suggest you remove the drive sprocket etc and I'll be surprised if you don't find something amiss in the clutch which is actuated by the trip arm. I wonder if perhaps the actuating arm which stops the knotter continuously cycling is missing the adjustable stop so is permenately engaged. Check fo anything seized or broken in that clutch assembly. The little spring pulls the pawl into engagement with the body of the clutch driven by the chain sprocket.Ifit is missing knotters don't work

Check out the clutch pawl (dog) part number 11530 if you are looking at a diagram. It hinges on a pin and that pin could be dry and rusty or the spring has gotten weak. I had a weak spring issue on a radiator fan drive on a JD combine that caused the fan to slow enough to allow elevated operating temperature. Everything "looked" fine then I got looking at the tensioner and saw despite the fan turning it was not placing full tension on the belt. Replaced the spring and cleaned plus lubed the mounting pin and have been good since.

That happened to me on my JD 24 only the hub broke before I could shut it off (engine drive). Where the end of the metering arm hits the hub is critical. New Holland must be similar.

When my 277 did that I had a small broken spring at the outer end of the knotter. Probly 15 years ago and I just bent a hook on the end and never replaced the old spring.

My guess is mechanism that is intended to disengage trip dog is not contacting trip dog. I'm not very familiar with NH but repair JD sq balers. I think you need to look in area of red arrow in photo.

This happened to my NH 276 a couple of years ago. On the 276, there is a little dog...pawl...whatever you want to call it just below the main sprocket that runs the knotter. It looks sort of like a tiny brake pedal.

This dog is supposed to hold the knotter "off" while the bale is being made. When the starwheel goes far enough and the lever trips, this dog will let go, and the knotter will activate.

If you look at my picture, there is an adjustment that can be made. (look at the slotted hole and the nut a little to the right).

Mine fell out of adjustment, and it wasn't making contact. I was getting a bunch of single slab bales. (Nice for goats...)

Anyway, I adjusted the dog to make better contact...and no more tiny bales.

Well the clutch pawl was not making contact with the metering arm and that is why the thing was acting up. However, unlike the adjustment in lostcowboys picture, mine has no adjustment. It is a single piece of metal with an "L" bent on the end. The "L" part seems to be about flush with the bottom of the pawl arm so it does not stop the pawl and therefore does not stop the cycling. I can't for the life of me figure out how to adjust the thing. The local NH dealer wants $225 for the little 10 0z part. I think I am going to just rivet a 1/8 inch piece of metal on the back of the metering arm dog The thickness should not hurt and by fastening it higher, I can stop the pawl and cycling. What a PIA.

But thank you everyone! As usual the answer shall be revealed here.

I have a NH65 as well. Love my baler and mine was a junkpile special. Thing was only made a few years from 1960 to 1965 so looking at a unit that is 67 years old. Luckily many of the the parts do interchange with NH bigger brothers that are more common

While $225 sounds steep for the new piece you need at least it is still available. I likely would build my old worn piece up with weld and reshape for wear.

I bolted a postage stamp sized piece of 1/8 inch metal to the dog on the metering arm. It works great. While I was at it, i stripped down and cleaned everything in the
knotter. And then the knotter refused to work. I put it back together with the original spring and on about the third bale the spring broke, so the twine finger would
not rotate. When I figured that out, it dew was starting to settle on the field, so I quit for the day. BTW, I only paid $235 for the baler 10 years ago. So far, put
about $300 in parts in it.

There is an amish guy about 20 miles south of her that totally strips down and repaints and rebuilds balers for folks. New bearings, etc. Been meaning to send this
baler to him for a winter re do.

Have you ever gone through the annual maintenance in your owner's manual, and reset everything?

What I wonder now is: Did your original lever get bent; because the knotters were either hard to activate or hard to stop from activating.

Showcrop has a good point as far as just doing a once over to see if everything is at least in adjustment, alignment, timing and such; before you dig in further.

This youtube video is from New Holland themselves.

Whenever I have trouble with my knotter, I sit down and watch this video. It takes twelve minutes...but it can save a lot more time than that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoB_1meRa9A

If everything is adjusted, timed, etc...then perhaps some of the comments above about the activation clutch itself could be relevant.

If you're really stuck....pull the hay out of the chamber.
Cut the twine and pull it out of the needles.

Turn the plunger over a few cycles by hand by turning the flywheel (by hand). On my 276...the direction is counterclockwise looking at the front of the baler.

Then go back and pull your knotter activation arm up at the metering wheel; so that the knotters want to activate.

Then go and turn the flywheel by hand again

The knotters should try to activate.

If knotter activation makes the flywheel really hard or impossible to turn...then you have something making the knotters hard to activate...a stuck clutch...something.

If you can activate them by turning the flywheel by hand...get a strong and patient friend to do this for you

Then go back and watch a couple of cycles...you'd be amazed what you can see just by watching the knotters work this slowly.