Odd IH 37 knotter problem

I got a better brand of twine, heavier and more consistent. At the same time I replaced the old twine knives with the new type having little replaceable razor blade, because the old ones were sharpened to death.

I got the new knives adjusted so that they cut the thicker twine (needed some spacers since the new ones were a tad longer), but the inside knotter suddenly has a new problem. With the thicker twine, the short (newly cut) twine end doesn"t quite get captured behind the bump on the billhook jaw, so that it just pulls out when the knot strips. The outer knotter works fine.

The twine disk and knife timing measures the same on both knotters, and I can"t see anything obviously different about the billhooks. On the inner knotter it looks a little like the twine (it is 9000 sisal) is so thick the inner strand (held tail) prevents the outer strand (cut tail) from seating deep enough into the hook to get caught behind the jaw bump. But both strands seat fine in the outer knotter jaw, and the twine is just as thick.

I tried wiggling the billhooks on each knotter when they are in the home position to get an idea of the "slop" on the drive pinion. They were the same and seemed pretty tight.

OK, I"m thinking maybe the jaw isn"t opening far enough so the twine can"t seat as far back. Maybe the little roller on the back of the jaw is worn, but it"s so hard to tell. Can I replace just the moving jaw, and is it as simple as driving out the hinge pin (hope hope)?

And can anyone tell me how to remove the knotters for repair? If I remove the outside endplate (big pain), what holds up the shaft so it doesn"t break something in the gearbox? Does the trip clutch come apart unexpectedly & lose lots of irreplaceable bits onto the ground? I already replaced the inner knotter twine disk drive pinion (mates to the big gear) with the knotter on the machine, and it was not fun.

It has been a good machine so far, and if I can get it happy with the thicker twine then the occasional pullout miss and twine breakage should be a thing of the past.

I replaced the bill hook jaw on the inner knotter this morning, and now it makes NICE knots. I also used a little grinder tool to smooth out some small twine wear grooves in the billhook housing, but I don"t think that was the problem, they were pretty minor. The little roller on the back of the old jaw could be wiggled a bit, but there was no play on the new one. And yes, you just drive out the hinge pin (whew! thank goodness for small favors LOL). A little penetrating oil helps get those old pins out.

The outer knotter needs a good bit more closing pressure to make a good knot, while the inner one now needs only the handbook pressure. So I"ll replace that jaw, too, when I get a chance.

If anyone can give me some tips on removing the knotters without destroying something irreplaceable I"d be appreciative. Some day I"m sure I"ll need to replace something that can"t be done on the machine.

Bye ..... .. Tony in MO

I'm not too knowledgable about knotters, but I can tell you something just aint quite right. By running it through by hand it should stand out a little better.

Donovan from Wisconsin