update on 530 ford baler pic included

I gave 50$ for a Ford 530 bailer. In the last 60 days I completely rebuilt it including new needles. It didn't have any when I got it. WOOF...almost 400$ each! But I now have a new bailer for a total of $1500 ( not including my labor) and ran 250 bales of fertilized bermuda thru it to finish off the hay season. My horses can't tell if the hay came from it or a new 18K bailer.

I pulled it with my 8N Ford I had restored in 1992. I set the power on the 8N to deliver 60 strokes per minute and had no problem at all. The manual list no more than 79 strokes per minute and I opted for a few less. I ran in second gear and in the heavy rows, first gear to give the bailer more time.

I answered almost every question I had about it in tearing it down and rebuilding it except one.

My bailer is a wire tie and the knotter is simplier that a string tie. My question is...In what position should the wire fingers be in at rest. mine were pointed straight back. This caused the wire to rest against the finger and the flat metal angled guide on it's way to the roller below. It bailed perfectly like this but the fingers were taking a lot of strain because the held wire was riding on them instead of only on the roller below.

I have since reposioned the fingers to point to the left making a free path from the knives where the wire is held, down to the rollers. It still bales perfectly and there is no tension on the fingers from the wire as the bale is formed.

I just wondered if anybody knew what the true position of the fingers is supposed to be normally?

Thanks,
Thu