NH 851 baler hyd hood lock

Earlier this summer I posted a question about the Hyd hood lock. It was creeping open, the bale become elongated or oval, and if I didn't catch it with the tractor laboring more, it would bust the shear pins and I couldn't wrap the bale. I had rebuilt the unit, that helped for maybe 50 bales or so and then it would start again. It didn't matter which tractor I was using. The normal unit I use to turn the baler is a Case 1070. What I eventually found out was interesting, and because I had so many responses, also a lot of similar problems with guys, I thought I'd share. The drive shaft for the floor or apron chains is in the lower rear and chain driven. It feeds the grass and then reverses the chains to eject the bale. The bearing, on the left side behind the drive sprocket had failed. Big time, and apparently had been that way for a long time. The shaft was spinning on the outer race, with no internals. You can't really see the bearing housing because the sprocket is close to it, unless you really look. I'd felt a vibration back there with the pto engaged and the engine idling, while I was lubing the chains. Reving up a bit, it as quite noticeable, standing by the baler. That was the cause of the hyd lock not being able to hold the hood. Simple vibration, once the bearing was changed, it made over 500 bales this summer with no issue. So much of the time it's a very simple solution

The floor chains do not reverse when you eject the bale they turn the same way all of the time.There is no lock on the 851 balers like on the smaller NH balers such as the 847.(I have an
847 and several 851 balers) The cylinders hold the door shut.I cannot see how the bearing being bad would have any effect on the door staying closed or not.Those bearings do go bad pretty often as I have replaced the same bearing on all 4 of the 851 balers I run.

You got 1 or both cylinders leaking hydraulic fluid by. Rebuild both cylinders, I had to do the same thing on mine.