Good afternoon: I own an engine-driven NH Super 66 baler, with Wisconsin TFD engine. Last week I baled 115 bales and broke the flywheel shear bolt. I re-timed the baler and then I baled only 60 or so bales before it broke again. Then 15. Now it will break on the first bale.
With the baler in the shed and rotating things by hand, it is clear that the knotter shaft is not driving the needle yoke to the "home" position. Both the manual and the various pictures I have looked at online show the knotter shaft arm and needle yoke rod in nearly a straight line when the yoke is home. If anything, the knotter shaft arm should be a little past "bottom dead center" between knotter cycles. I can manually move mine to this position, and it "clicks" into this position when I pull back on the needle yoke rod by hand. Please see the pictures: the first is where my knotter arm stops (around 5:30 o'clock), and the second is where it clicks "home" (around 4:30 or so). The knotter arm rotates counter-closkwise in operation, so 5:30 is just before the arm/rod combination reach "bottom center," and 4:30 is just a little bit after.
The above photo shows where my knotter arm stops.
The above photo shows where my knotter arm "clicks" home. This is where it should stop.
I have removed the needle yoke rod, blocked the needle yoke into the "home" position, and just watched the knotter shaft while rotating things by hand. Even with the needle yoke disconnected, when I trip the knotter clutch, the knotter shaft does not make a full 360 degree rotation--rather, it only turns 350 degrees or so, and stops at the 5:30 position--unchanged from when the needle yoke is connected, which makes me think the problem is in the knotter clutch. Further, during operation (with engine or by hand), I can watch the knotter shaft pulse or "quiver" as described by Ron Lines in the thread with the link provided (post of Wed, Sep 7, 2016 4:17 PM). Mine does the same thing, and watching videos of operable balers on line shows that the knotter shaft should not do this. It is as if the knotter clutch is trying to turn the knotter shaft the last 10 degrees or so with each revolution of the knotter shaft sprocket, but cannot. If I manually bring the needle yoke rod home, this pulsing goes away.
So I am thinking that the knotter clutch is not bringing the knotter shaft all the way around, which keeps the needle yoke just enough from home so that a slight bump or other disruption causes the needle yoke to shift, and the plunger safety stop steps in to do its job.
However, I have opened up the knotter clutch and everything is in order--or so it seems. Is there a check or a measurement I can make here for worn parts? The knotter clutch woodruff key is intact and the baler is timed properly, and even remains in time after breaking shear bolts, so it is not skipping links on the knotter drive chain. I can post more pictures if desired.
Thanks in advance for any insight. Dave
Ron Lines question about baler
With the baler in the shed and rotating things by hand, it is clear that the knotter shaft is not driving the needle yoke to the "home" position. Both the manual and the various pictures I have looked at online show the knotter shaft arm and needle yoke rod in nearly a straight line when the yoke is home. If anything, the knotter shaft arm should be a little past "bottom dead center" between knotter cycles. I can manually move mine to this position, and it "clicks" into this position when I pull back on the needle yoke rod by hand. Please see the pictures: the first is where my knotter arm stops (around 5:30 o'clock), and the second is where it clicks "home" (around 4:30 or so). The knotter arm rotates counter-closkwise in operation, so 5:30 is just before the arm/rod combination reach "bottom center," and 4:30 is just a little bit after.
The above photo shows where my knotter arm stops.
The above photo shows where my knotter arm "clicks" home. This is where it should stop.
I have removed the needle yoke rod, blocked the needle yoke into the "home" position, and just watched the knotter shaft while rotating things by hand. Even with the needle yoke disconnected, when I trip the knotter clutch, the knotter shaft does not make a full 360 degree rotation--rather, it only turns 350 degrees or so, and stops at the 5:30 position--unchanged from when the needle yoke is connected, which makes me think the problem is in the knotter clutch. Further, during operation (with engine or by hand), I can watch the knotter shaft pulse or "quiver" as described by Ron Lines in the thread with the link provided (post of Wed, Sep 7, 2016 4:17 PM). Mine does the same thing, and watching videos of operable balers on line shows that the knotter shaft should not do this. It is as if the knotter clutch is trying to turn the knotter shaft the last 10 degrees or so with each revolution of the knotter shaft sprocket, but cannot. If I manually bring the needle yoke rod home, this pulsing goes away.
So I am thinking that the knotter clutch is not bringing the knotter shaft all the way around, which keeps the needle yoke just enough from home so that a slight bump or other disruption causes the needle yoke to shift, and the plunger safety stop steps in to do its job.
However, I have opened up the knotter clutch and everything is in order--or so it seems. Is there a check or a measurement I can make here for worn parts? The knotter clutch woodruff key is intact and the baler is timed properly, and even remains in time after breaking shear bolts, so it is not skipping links on the knotter drive chain. I can post more pictures if desired.
Thanks in advance for any insight. Dave
Ron Lines question about baler