NH68 right side pickup jamming

New to me via auction NH68 baler. I got the manual, lubed and went over everything. Everything works except the pickup gets jammed full of hay on the right side, and just to clarify, opposite side of the plunger.

The aluminum teeth do great if the hay can get to it. The red steel teeth seem pretty much useless. Also a lot of the hay doesn't even seem like it can make it to where the teeth can grab it, it's getting jammed in-between the guards for the pickup tines and getting jammed between the tine guard and the metal shelf that leads into the bale chamber.

I'm thinking step 1 is to replace all the pickup tines, maybe they're too short now? Anything else to consider? I did try removing the windguard, seemed to help a little. I initially tried raising the windguard just using what tools I had in the field. Maybe the spring is worn out or I need something to grab and twist it with to apply extra tension but the windguard would just fall back down.

If that has the end tines that are round and can rotate on shaft, make sure spring on top on it is there to pull it back. Pickup teeth can make a difference especiallif a bunch are broken or missing. Also you can move tines on tine bar, may need to get longer tines just make sure they clear going over plunger.

Yeah it's got the two aluminum teeth that push into the chamber and the round steel teeth that are supposed to pull from the right side. The spring is there.

Another thing, probably not related. It seems like the roller bearings near the steel teeth are slamming into the track stop at the end of each stroke.

I checked the timing and it appears I'm within the timing marks but justified to the far right. Wondering if I should move it over one chain link to put it inbetween the timing marks. I'd probably also have to readjust the aluminum teeth position if I did this.

It looks like you could move ahead one tooth on that drive chain. If your other timing is correct I would try moving only that chain. I am not familiar with the 68 but I don't know what you are talking about "track stop". The roller bearings on the other end of bar, right side, are adjustable in and out with set screw. They should be snug in track. If you move them be sure to check them on entire tract to make sure it is even. You can add or remove shims to make track straight but that is another can of worms. Do the teeth show signs they are rubbing on the back or front of case? I have shorter aluminum teeth on the left and longer ones on the right.

There's these rollers on the bar that the forks ride back and forth on.



They sound like they're hitting the stop at the end of this rail.

First of, looks like you got quite a clean and tidy 68 there - so well done. Agree with the comment about the tine bar drive chain - move it one tooth over - that should prevent the rollers hitting the end of the channel. Do check them to see if there is much play since they do wear over the years but that will only make the bar run smoother and more quietly, not change the position. Can just see the end of the tine bar spring in one of the images, but check it is pulling the red tines back firmly enough. Just to query, do you have the curved plate at the left hand end (looking from the front) of the tine chamber which should push the incoming hay over towards the plunger a little?

I've been running a 68 (and then my own S68) for the last two years (just bought another one as a donor for parts!!). I have experienced exactly the same problem as you with hay getting jammed in on the far left of the pick up chamber. After some time observing I came to the following conclusions:

The pickup tines do pick up the hay from the ground, but actually retreat downwards at the back edge of the guards BEFORE they push hay into the path of the aluminium and red tines.
The windguard seems to actually hold the hay then just at the front edge of the tine chamber.
It is actually the pressure of the next batch of hay delivered by the pickups that pushes the hay held by the windguard into the path of the tines, before itself getting held by the windguard.

Basically the system works fine with a constant flow of hay onto the pickups, and spread evenly across the width but as soon as you hit a thin patch or slow down to see what is going on the volume of hay falls and the system no longer works effectively. The hay itself is an integral and essential part of the machine! Basically, the loading of hay is a dynamic process and as soon as you slow down then it stops and looks as though it isn't working! Makes it a bugger to fault find, but it may be that there is nothing significantly wrong with your baler.

Some have suggested mounting something like a GoPro camera to monitor various action points (especially the knotters)to see exactly what is happening when you slow the video down. Of course this is a VERY high tech way to fault find on a machine that was 40 years old before digital cameras arrived but that's progress I guess. Of course, if you can find an elderly expert they will look at and listen to the baler and tell you exactly where to hit it with a hammer to make everything right!!!!

The spring for the red tines seems pretty weak. It pulls it back home but doesn't have much force to it. It does have the little triangular spring loaded plate, is there another one? When I first got it the tine arm was hitting the rod it rides on, where it has the 90 degree bends. Tightening the chain to get rid of the slop fixed that.