Hesston 1070 haybine. How the heck do I fix this sprocket?

lastcowboy32

Well-known Member
The reel stopped turning in the middle of mowing.

I figured it was the reel drive chain. No biggie. I had put a new chain on a couple of weeks ago, and figured that it had probably undergone its initial stretch and needed the tension adjusted.

Took off the shield and found that the little sprocket on the end of the conditioning roll, that drives the reel mechanism, was sheared off of its shaft. It appears to be sheared all of the way back to the bearing that holds the shaft in the housing.


What I did notice before was that the sprocket had a little wobble to it, as if someone had replaced it before and performed some re-engineering. Looked like there was something like a mangled cotter key behind it.

So now I pay for not pulling everything off and setting it straight. I did manage to get my first cut done, though.

My main question is: Does the sprocket indeed ride on the end of the conditioning roll drive shaft? Or, is the end of the shaft that the sprocket rides on somehow threaded into the conditioning roll?

If it's really the conditioning roll drive shaft that broke, then I'm stuck with trying to figure out how to weld on a new shaft end for the sprocket. Or looking into replacing everything all of the way to the conditioning roll (assuming that the drive shaft is some kind of spindle assembly that bolts onto the end of the roll).

Any tips, tricks or co-miserations? I'm off to work, I'll probably call the local Hesston dealer as well.

Thanks
 
I also know a friend that has a 1090 for parts.

Is the drive shaft part of a spindle assembly that bolts onto the conditioning roll? If it is, is the 1090's spindle assembly the same?

Going to his place and paying him for a scavenged spindle/sprocket might be a good way out of this, if it all fits.


 
Can you drill about a 3/8ths hole through the piece,then drill a smaller hole in the end of the roll and thread it? Then use a grade 8 bolt to bolt the piece back on. I wonder if the chain jumped off and caught,breaking the end off.
 
(quoted from post at 04:52:29 08/28/15) Can you drill about a 3/8ths hole through the piece,then drill a smaller hole in the end of the roll and thread it? Then use a grade 8 bolt to bolt the piece back on. I wonder if the chain jumped off and caught,breaking the end off.

It could possibly have jumped. It's a very long chain (10 feet exactly), and there is a very long stretch from the rear idler sprocket to the reel drive sprocket. Couple that with a tooth height of perhaps 3/8" on the sprockets, and there's a pretty good recipe for a jump.

If I'm going to use the old piece and sprocket, I'll have to search a little for them. The good thing is, I know exactly where it happened in the field, since it immediately stopped turning the reel.


Drilling, threading and bolting would at least hold everything in place for the weld, though.
 
You can view all the parts diagrams and zoomable schematics for the Hesston 1070 and the Hesston 1090 at AGCO Parts as a guest user for free.

Those pics and part #s should let you know what will interchange as well as maybe provide a better picture of how things should be.
 
(quoted from post at 06:20:32 08/28/15) You can view all the parts diagrams and zoomable schematics for the Hesston 1070 and the Hesston 1090 at AGCO Parts as a guest user for free.

Those pics and part #s should let you know what will interchange as well as maybe provide a better picture of how things should be.

I ordered the shop manual. It won't be here for a few days. In the mean time, I was able to login as a guest at www.agcoparts.com. Between the exploded views of the "Hay Conditioner" and the "Header Drive Assembly", I have some idea of what this is supposed to look like.

The "Hay Conditioner" page shows the end of the shaft coming out of the bottom conditioning roll. It looks as though the end of it is notched or keyed (on its end, perpendicular to its axis)...which might mean that the sprocket/bearing assembly has a mating key to drive it. If so, that would make my life a little better, as it seems that this extension is what sheared, as opposed to the part of the shaft that is integral with the conditioning roll.

Also found some serial number references that show what serial numbers of 1070 and 1090 use the same parts.

As always, the part of the drawing that I'm most interested is also the most unclear, so I'll still need to dismantle things and try to talk to someone that's familiar with this assembly to come to a final solution.
 
(quoted from post at 04:52:29 08/28/15) Can you drill about a 3/8ths hole through the piece,then drill a smaller hole in the end of the roll and thread it? Then use a grade 8 bolt to bolt the piece back on. I wonder if the chain jumped off and caught,breaking the end off.

Just talked to the dealer. He has a sprocket. Said the price would scare me, but 42 bucks isn't as scary as repairing the end of the shaft to mate with it.

The sprocket and shaft have keys cut in them to mate. I'll need to recreate the one in the shaft.

I'm thinking of a plan like this:

I go buy the sprocket and stop at a hardware store on the way home.

I use the sprocket to size up a pipe nipple with the same internal diameter as the sprocket (there's a little hope/prayer here) I'll put a micrometer on it tomorrow, but I'm hoping that the shaft is a standard size like 3/4" or 1"

I also buy a bolt with the same size shank as the shaft.

When I get home, I remove the bearing to expose more of the remaining shaft.

I grind a "window" in the pipe nipple

I cut off a piece of the bolt shank long enough to go through the sprocket. I taper the end of it with the grinder.

I grind a matching taper on the shaft end.

I slide the pipe nipple over the shaft end.

I put the piece of bolt shank in the pipe so that its taper meets the taper on the shaft end.

Hopefully, the pipe nipple will hold the repair piece somewhat coaxially with the shaft and the window in the pipe will allow me to weld the shaft and repair piece where their tapers meet. I would tac weld one side...maybe gently grind to ensure that it can rotate in the pipe...repeat the process every 90 degrees around the shaft by rotating the pipe nipple; so that its "window" is at the new tac weld locations.

Then take off the pipe nipple and complete the weld all of the way around and grind flush.

Then I can grind/file the mating notch and drill/tap the bolt hole for the bolt that holds the sprocket on.

If I can't find a pipe/bolt of the same size...I'm a little screwed and will have to improvise.

Has anybody else done this?
 
Sounds like you have a reasonable plan for repair on the welding to me.

That all said, if your 1070 is anything like my Hesston 1120 mower conditioner then it uses gib keys (I think they are called to hold the sprockets on most of the shafts. In other words there are no retaining nuts or anything like that. Is it possible that your existing shaft is okay and maybe it just lost the gib key which allowed the old sprocket to fall off? Food for thought before you start welding.
 

I definitely could be ahead of myself.

Quite a bit of this is all hinged on what the new sprocket looks like and what I find when I go over to take another look at the haybine tomorrow morning.

It's not at home; because I took it over to a neighbor's field of standing hay that I bought. I went over this morning to do what I thought would be a simple re-string of the reel-drive chain, only to find the missing sprocket.

Once I saw that, I realized that it wouldn't be easy...so I left everything alone, came home, posted this question on the forum, cleaned up and left for work...and made a few phone calls to the Hesston dealer and looked up some parts diagrams.

Tomorrow, first thing is to look at the mower and take some shaft measurements...take a quick walk up to the spot in the field where it happened to see if I can find the pieces...then go get the part...then...based on all of what I know/see at that point...figure out what to do. That whole plan above is just a "what if" scenario that could definitely end up being adjusted.

Heck...during my commute home, I was thinking that, if I DO need to add a piece to the end of the shaft, I might be better off using the pipe for alignment as I said above...but first drill through the new piece into the existing shaft and then lock it in place with a bolt or dowel to hold the alignment...

Thanks for the input.
 
I actually found the old sprocket laying in the field. (See first picture below).

It seems that all of the shaft is there, but the two rectangular mating tangs on the end had sheared, along with the retaining bolt with the sprocket.

I went and bought a new sprocket from the dealer. He said that I could extract the 5/8" retaining bolt and then make new mating tangs by beading up some weld and grinding/filing to shape on the end of the shaft.

Getting the old bolt out proved to be a fruitless endeavor. I drilled it and put my biggest screw extractor in there. The only thing that I got out of that was two ruined 10mm 12 point sockets (why the HELL do they make screw extractor heads square...and not a common size...wtf?)

After a while, I said to heck with it and cleaned up the end of the shaft with a grinder. I put my welding clamp on the new sprocket, centered it by eye, and welded it around its periphery to the shaft.

Put a little red spray paint on it while it was hot to help with corrosion.

Know what? The new sprocket is a 12 tooth "speed up" (old was 10) and I was able to center/align it better by welding than the old sprocket. When I ran the new one, it had less wobble and the sped up reel gives me even better mowing performance.

Already put a couple hours on it, and I like how it works. OK...so next time I have to replace the sprocket or bearings, I need a grinder, but I'm hoping that's a long time from now.

26781.jpg
26782.jpg
 
Looks like a viable repair to me. By the time that sprocket wears out again the machine may be ready for scrapper anyhow. As you pointed out though it will not be a big deal to cut it off with a cut off wheel and weld on another if the need ever arises.

A welder is an awesome tool...I rarely build much of anything from scratch as I am not much of a fabricator. I do use use it extensively for repairs like that and building up worn parts, sloppy holes, stress cracks etc.
 
You need to keep that chain good and tight and check it often before
you use it. It is so long if it gets a little loose it will jump off and mangle
the sprocket. We used to sell a lot of those and always told the guys to
keep the chain tight and the sprocket changed if it gets worn.
 
that sprocket should have had a bolt going thru it to hold it on,, you sure that isint the broken end of bolt?
 
(quoted from post at 10:11:40 08/31/15) that sprocket should have had a bolt going thru it to hold it on,, you sure that isint the broken end of bolt?

It was the broken end of a bolt, but I had absolutely no luck getting it out, and, to add insult to injury, I needed a 17/32 drill bit to drill out and re-tap. Guess what size was about the only size not available in the cobalt bits at my hardware store?

With 5 days of good weather coming, I gave up on trying to extract the bolt and welded the new sprocket on.

It does raise the stakes of a chain jump; so I'll keep a better eye on the tension. In the end though, a welded sprocket probably means a mangled chain instead of a mangled sprocket. I can buy a ten foot length of #40 roller chain for 22 dollars at Tractor Supply about ten minutes from home, seven days a week. A new sprocket is 42 dollars at the nearest Hesston dealer a half hour away and only open 'til noon on Saturday.

As added insurance, I kept the old sprocket. In a pinch, I could use a cutoff wheel to remove this sprocket and weld the old one back on.

It's all about getting dry hay in the haybarn. I'm not averse to a little improvisation to get things done. :)
 
The other lesson that I've learned from this is to store the proper sized drill bit with my screw extractors and taps. It doesn't make sense to have a tap or screw extractor, only to find that I don't have the correct size bit ready to go when I need it.

I was able to find all of the correct size cobalt bits for my five screw extractors when I went for parts Saturday.

The 17/32" was the only one that I couldn't get, and I needed it for my 5/8" tap, if I was going to re-tap the mounting bolt.


Lesson #2? I love quite a few things about this little old haybine, but right now, I'm really missing the belt drive reel system from New Holland. The belt doubles as a slip clutch, and it's pretty easy to keep a spare belt stocked in the garage. Don't know if I've ever seen a belt mangle a pulley, requiring this kind of repair...
 
(quoted from post at 11:29:59 08/31/15) The other lesson that I've learned from this is to store the proper sized drill bit with my screw extractors and taps. It doesn't make sense to have a tap or screw extractor, only to find that I don't have the correct size bit ready to go when I need it.

I was able to find all of the correct size cobalt bits for my five screw extractors when I went for parts Saturday.

The 17/32" was the only one that I couldn't get, and I needed it for my 5/8" tap, if I was going to re-tap the mounting bolt.


Lesson #2? I love quite a few things about this little old haybine, but right now, I'm really missing the belt drive reel system from New Holland. The belt doubles as a slip clutch, and it's pretty easy to keep a spare belt stocked in the garage. Don't know if I've ever seen a belt mangle a pulley, requiring this kind of repair...

Wondering how this has held up over time? Had the lower conditioner keyway & sprocket come off. It spun on the shaft long enough to score it badly & reduce the diameter. Installing the sprocket back on would have a lot of slop & probably be more of a cam-type sprocket than turning true around the center of the shaft.

I wonder if welding it up would work?
Or how hard is it to remove the lower conditioner roll & have the shaft turned down & a sleeve added to bring the diameter back up to 1.5 inch?
Or any other repair ideas?

I'm new to posting on the forum (although I've been reading it for years). I'll try to post up a picture.

Thanks!
 
(quoted from post at 11:29:59 08/31/15) The other lesson that I've learned from this is to store the proper sized drill bit with my screw extractors and taps. It doesn't make sense to have a tap or screw extractor, only to find that I don't have the correct size bit ready to go when I need it.

I was able to find all of the correct size cobalt bits for my five screw extractors when I went for parts Saturday.

The 17/32" was the only one that I couldn't get, and I needed it for my 5/8" tap, if I was going to re-tap the mounting bolt.


Lesson #2? I love quite a few things about this little old haybine, but right now, I'm really missing the belt drive reel system from New Holland. The belt doubles as a slip clutch, and it's pretty easy to keep a spare belt stocked in the garage. Don't know if I've ever seen a belt mangle a pulley, requiring this kind of repair...

Wondering how this has held up over time? Had the lower conditioner keyway & sprocket come off. It spun on the shaft long enough to score it badly & reduce the diameter. Installing the sprocket back on would have a lot of slop & probably be more of a cam-type sprocket than turning true around the center of the shaft.

I wonder if welding it up would work?
Or how hard is it to remove the lower conditioner roll & have the shaft turned down & a sleeve added to bring the diameter back up to 1.5 inch?
Or any other repair ideas?

I'm new to posting on the forum (although I've been reading it for years). I'll try to post up a picture.

Thanks!
 
(quoted from post at 08:24:19 10/02/18)

Wondering how this has held up over time? Had the lower conditioner keyway & sprocket come off. It spun on the shaft long enough to score it badly & reduce the diameter. Installing the sprocket back on would have a lot of slop & probably be more of a cam-type sprocket than turning true around the center of the shaft.

I wonder if welding it up would work?
Or how hard is it to remove the lower conditioner roll & have the shaft turned down & a sleeve added to bring the diameter back up to 1.5 inch?
Or any other repair ideas?

I'm new to posting on the forum (although I've been reading it for years). I'll try to post up a picture.

Thanks!

I guess I have a video of it and no pictures. I'll have to go take a new picture.

Also it is a Hesston 1120, not a 1070.
 

I did measure the shaft with calipers. 1.500
Scored/spun/worn area is only about 1.350 ????

Also wondering if it's hard to remove the roll? That way I could bring it to a machine shop...
 
What did you end up doing? I have the same issue with a Hesston 1070 that I have. It looks like McMaster-Carr has a 1.5" keyway shaft in 1045 carbon steel #8488T144 that is 12" long that could replace this one however I am not sure if a machine shop can weld this or not. It looks like all of the stress is on the lower conditioner because that power is transferred with this shaft to the other side of the haybine to run the reel assembly.

This post was edited by TJ200 on 05/27/2021 at 11:22 am.
 
(quoted from post at 11:21:13 05/27/21) What did you end up doing? I have the same issue with a Hesston 1070 that I have. It looks like McMaster-Carr has a 1.5" keyway shaft in 1045 carbon steel #8488T144 that is 12" long that could replace this one however I am not sure if a machine shop can weld this or not. It looks like all of the stress is on the lower conditioner because that power is transferred with this shaft to the other side of the haybine to run the reel assembly.

This post was edited by TJ200 on 05/27/2021 at 11:22 am.

Ended up welding the new gear into the worn shaft. Make sure the 2 rollers are "in time" with each other so they are not fighting each other and wearing out.
 
(quoted from post at 11:12:35 08/19/22)
(quoted from post at 11:21:13 05/27/21) What did you end up doing? I have the same issue with a Hesston 1070 that I have. It looks like McMaster-Carr has a 1.5" keyway shaft in 1045 carbon steel #8488T144 that is 12" long that could replace this one however I am not sure if a machine shop can weld this or not. It looks like all of the stress is on the lower conditioner because that power is transferred with this shaft to the other side of the haybine to run the reel assembly.

This post was edited by TJ200 on 05/27/2021 at 11:22 am.

Ended up welding the new gear into the worn shaft. Make sure the 2 rollers are "in time" with each other so they are not fighting each other and wearing out.

I never saw these questions on my original post.

To answer. My weld fix on lasted about 5 years, until I had to do it again... about 20,000 small square bales, give or take. I'm still running the haybine.

In that time, I've had way more problems with the reel drive mechanism than I should...as in the little stub shaft that is spot welded into the end of the reel broke its spot welds about six years ago.

I replaced the spot welds with a welded on PTO yoke and a 3/4 inch bolt going through the reel. It has worked since. but this summer, the other end of the reel tore its stub shaft out. Actually have that on deck for repairs.

In the meantime, I picked up another of the same mower for scrap value (300 bucks), it was going for scrap, because the stub shaft tore out of the drive end of the reel (sound familiar???) Anyway, since I had figured out how to fix that... I took on the challenge. That haybine has been running about a year now, since I got it. It's been handy.

Some days, we go out with two haybines and both run... and we get done in half the time.

Some days we go out with two haybines... and one breaks... and we still get done.

We haven't had a day where both haybines have broken... (yet)
 

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