NH 268 Needle Safety Latch problems

Had the small "control lever" on the (#8 on parts list) Needle Safety latch break off while baling. Need to have it re-welded. How do I get Pin (#18 on parts list) out? I have found two grease fittings on the outside of the latch. Does the base of the grease fitting screw into a groove on the pin and thereby hold it in? (I never knew those grease fittings were there until today!) When I was checking, I didn't have tools with me to remove the grease fittings. I couldn't feel a cotter key or snap ring or any thing else that I thought would be holding that pin (#18) in place, but need to remove it in order to take the latch to a welding shop for re-attaching the "control lever". Looks like there is a hole in the metal above that pin to insert a punch to drive out the pin if necessary. Otherwise, very little access to the pin. Help will be appreciated!
 
Does pin #12 go into it, or what fits in the little hole I see on the top of pin #18?

Paul
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Thanks for both replies so far! In trying to check out the situation this morning, I tried to feel around the area of the top of pin #18, but didn't think I felt anything like a cotter pin. I'll need to try again, when I'm not laying on the ground in the mid-day sun! Hot, plus a bit blinding too! I think pin #12 goes into lever #7 rather than in the hole in pin #18. I stopped by the local CNH dealer and the mechanic also mentioned a cotter key that would need to come out. (The parts listing had also called for such. I just haven't found it yet!) Other helpful replies welcome.
 
I parked my NH 273 for a couple of years and also didn't realize those zerks were there. On mine are kind of a bugger to get too. My safety froze up and and I chopped my needles. So after fixing that problem I had to remove your #18 "pin" and it was a fight. Used a punch. The "pin" was rusty and pitted. Cleaned it up with emery cloth in a lathe. I grease that thing religiously as I never want to have to do that job again. Always double check it to make sure it swings/retracts easily. Sorry I do not remember if mine had a cotter key or what. I only remember a little grease would of eliminated having to do all that work. My spare NH 275 has grease lines going where needed and the zerk fittings are much more accessible. Very important to have working properly hindsight being 20/20 for all of us. On mine #18 was really a bugger to get out and cleaned up but it is doable and necessary. Would not run mine without it functioning properly. I feel your pain but if you didn't wreck your needles you are lucky it isn't that bad yet. You really want that safety working. I sheared a bolt last week on mine which seldom happens. The safety had kicked on when I blew a belt on the thrower during a knot. The safety saved me from more serious damage. Good luck. Regards, John.
 
Got under the baler inside the shed/out of the sun today. Took the two grease zerks out, but that didn't help anything now - if I had known they were there and had greased them regularly, the solution might be easier now!! I tried greasing them today, but they wouldn't take any grease. Found where the cotter pin went and removed the sparse remains of it. It was on the bottom of mine through a collar welded to the latch - different diagrams show the hole through the pin differently - some on bottom, some on top!! The needle safety latch has rusted firm to that pin that I need to remove! The hole through the frame that I thought would be right above the pin isn't right above it. So, I'm thinking that I need to thorough clean out any hay or residue from near that area, maybe pull the grease zerks again and apply some Liquid Wrench or something like that, then drill a hole directly above the pin so that I might get a good hard blow downward on the pin with a long punch. Maybe apply some heat - that's reason to clear away any hay!! Plus have a fire extinguisher and water hose handy! Any other suggestions welcome!
 
(quoted from post at 19:51:35 07/01/20) Got under the baler inside the shed/out of the sun today. Took the two grease zerks out, but that didn't help anything now - if I had known they were there and had greased them regularly, the solution might be easier now!! I tried greasing them today, but they wouldn't take any grease. Found where the cotter pin went and removed the sparse remains of it. It was on the bottom of mine through a collar welded to the latch - different diagrams show the hole through the pin differently - some on bottom, some on top!! The needle safety latch has rusted firm to that pin that I need to remove! The hole through the frame that I thought would be right above the pin isn't right above it. So, I'm thinking that I need to thorough clean out any hay or residue from near that area, maybe pull the grease zerks again and apply some Liquid Wrench or something like that, then drill a hole directly above the pin so that I might get a good hard blow downward on the pin with a long punch. Maybe apply some heat - that's reason to clear away any hay!! Plus have a fire extinguisher and water hose handy! Any other suggestions welcome!

It has been a few years since I had to do the same repair on mine but I probably used heat {rose bud} to try and loosen things up enough to get out. I remember {I think} that it wasn't the most clear shot to get that pin out and I had to work at it hence using the heat to help things along. You just have to keep at it till you find the right hammer/punch combination. Rust is an amazing welding or glueing component. Just a little rust in the right place will stick better than a lot of welds. Recently had a PTO shaft stuck and it too was a bugger to get loose. That is what I get for taking it off and putting it in a shed for 20 years.

Go ahead and try without heat and maybe you'll get lucky. Mine fought me the whole way till I got it out. To grease my safety I have to remove the spring that goes on the outside. I have never replaced the zerks and put on the "grease lines" like my 275 has. Every time I grease the baler up I wonder "why not".

This brings up a subject to me about manuals for your machinery. We often leave it up to chance that we found all the grease fittings on this old machinery. I only find them after a bearing burns up. I had two grease fittings on my water pump on Farmall H. It was dark and gooey in there so I never saw them. 25 years later I burned up the water pump. Had an very old Gehl haybine which is now in a small room in hell, that the bottom roller drive end bearing had burned completely up. The bearing housing was drilled and tapped for grease fitting but had a plug in it. You couldn't see it was missing. The previous owner probably burned it up. The point is having the manual for your machines can tell you what is supposed to have a zerk fitting and you can then find them or replace if needed. Rather obvious acknowledgment but it can save a lot of skinned knuckles later on. These old machines can keep on producing but a little TLC can make our jobs easier. I try and find manuals for most of my machines, especially air compressors. Again good luck. John.
 

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