New holland 268 troubles

Hey all. Trying to use my new holland 268 for the first time. I do have a manual but it is packed away in storage that I can?t get to at the moment. When I tried to look up how to thread the twine I thought I had it figured out. I ran it through the two holes and then through the single insulator to the insulator at the tip of the needles. Then I found mixed answers. Do I run the twine above the the bottom piece of metal of the bale chamber and then to the round bar that supports the needles? I have only been able to get one twine (the right side) to successfully tie a knot and not break. One person said to thread the twine and then trip the knitters. Well I thought I had done that and all that did was break my shear bolt! I am clueless on balers and I have hay on the ground that has been rained on once and might rain again on Sunday.
 
My NH271 has a picture on the twine box lid that shows how to run the twine and your should also unless it has been removed
 
Run one years ago. Sounds like you have it threaded right. I always after running the twin thru the end of the needles tied off the loose ends to something that didn't move on the baler Like the guard that protected the needles then make it tie.

As for the shear pin, when the needles start to move there is a safety stop that rotates out in the path of the plunger arm. Raise the hood right behind the flywheele and you can see it. This stop stays out until the needles are in there "parked" position. In your threading of the needles and making it tie you may have caused it to start a tie at the wrong time.

This shear pin is at the flywheel.
 
If my NH271 wasn't buried in a bunch of black berry vines I'd go out and take a picture for you
 
If your shear pin is breaking prob out of time you need dig that manual out plunger stop is in the bale chamber protecting your needles
 
I am struggling with the timing because of rust. I can not see timing marks for the plunger. Does anyone have some sort of a measurement?
 
First start by making sure the plunger stop is out of the way before you try anything. The plunger stop is on the bottom of the frame directly under the plunger crank arm. The plunger has or had a rubber cushion block bolted to it that takes the hit of the plunger stop. If the needles are not all the way in the parked position you can put them there by pulling up on the bracket that the needles are mounted on. I've seen the needles fail to be in the correct place a few times over the years. It's rare but happens.

As for timing. Slow the baler down to about idle and with the trip arm that rides up the star wheel make it tie just as the plunger is all the way back packing hay. I know this may not be in the book but that's the way I've always done it. The first time I timed one I was alone with a brand new 268 baler pulled with a Case DC3 tractor first trip around the field. I was on my last shear pin. I was 15 years old.
 
The crank arm must be straight up at '12:00'. Get out your wire brush and scrub the area. You will find two notches. the arm goes between the notches.
 
1. make sure the needles are pulled all the way back as far as they can go. 2. make sure the plunger arm is pointing straight up at 12 oclock. If you cant fiund the marks stamped on the baler its not the end of the world. It s pretty easy to eyeball if the plunger arm is straight north south. 3. This step is where you do need to see timing marks! Look on the knotter clutch. There are "marks" or stamped dots on it. Make sure those are lined up. If they dont line up, you will need to take the knotter drive chain off, line up the marks, and then re-install the knotter drive chain. Now baler is timed.
 
When my NH 268 becomes un-threaded, I pull the twine from the twine box down to toward the needles, through the porcelain twine holders then through the eyes of the respective needles and pull a bit bit extra at that point. Then I go on top of the bale chamber, near the hay dogs and just in front of the knotter assembly, taking a 1/2 x 5/8 boxed end wrench, with a piece of used baler twine on one end for me to hold, drop the wrench down through the slot where one needle is supposed to run in the tying process, put the loose end of the twine from the needle below in the bottom end of that boxed end wrench, pull it all back up, then taking that loose end of the twine out of the wrench, put it so it lays in the slot of the twine holder near the bill hook of the knotter and tie it off to the shaft of the star wheel a little farther back behind the knotter assembly. (If both sides of the twine have come unthreaded, repeat for the other side.) Then, get a little more hay in the chamber, trip the knotter, and things should be set toward making a bale after that. When such happens, I tend to make 2 or 3 short bales to make sure the knotter is working okay.
I helped a neighbor two weeks ago with a new to him 315 baler that was breaking the shear pin right after it knotted. Opened the cover behind the flywheel over the plunger, only to find the plunger stop cable was loose. Tightened that up to the proper, out of the way position, and we soon had a field of baled hay.
 

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