I started trying to get my JD 214WS baler (wire tie) ready to use last weekend. It hasn't been used in about 5 years, most of which it was stored in a dry barn, with the last year under my shed, but still dry. Our country here is very dry - about 7" of rain a year - so there really isn't a rust problem, but could be problems with dried out grease.The previous owner used it for wheat straw exclusively and it still has the remains of the last two bales in it. He is trustworthy, and since he says it ran fine with no problems, I can believe him. I've started by scraping hardened grease/dirt off around shafts and grease fittings, and looking over the operator's and parts manuals to familiarize myself. I have ordered a replacement split bearing for the pitman and will replace that when it comes in. My questions have to do with what all I should do before hitching up and trying it for the first time? I am planning on pulling the grease zirks and cleaning them as I suspect the grease is hardened and it would be better to clean them rather than try to force new grease in on top of the old. What about those two old bales of straw still in the baler - should I try to clean those out, or am I better off leaving them in to kind of prime it and provide something to push against, and to avoid having to re-thread wire? Or, is it best to clear them and start fresh - rethreading the wire from scratch? There is a litle light surface rust in the chamber due to the straw absorbing a little moisture, and I know from what I can see that the wire itself is rusted, at least on top. One of my main concerns is the various slip clutches. As far as I can see from the manual, parts manual and the baler itself, there are no less than four slip clutches, and I may even be missing others. There is the large flywheel slip clutch, one on the main drive shaft, one on the pickup shaft, and one other that I'm forgetting. Since it's been some time since the baler was run, my intuition is that I should disassemble them and clean them, then reassemble and adjust the tension. However, it wouldn't take much convincing by somebody who knows better to just go for it and use the machine without that additional time and effort. I'm afraid that after all that time without use, the clutches might be frozen, or at least sticky or otherwise tighter than spec so as to not slip at a low enough torque, and thus not provide the protection they were intended to provide. Being new to haying, but fairly competent mechanically, I'd sure appreciate whatever advice and tips somebody with a lot more experience can provide. Any suggestions regarding other service that I should perform before trying the baler for the first time would be helpful. Incidentally, I will be baling grass hay. Since the baler was set up for wheat straw, I am guessing that settings used for the straw would be a safe enough for a first try, then adjust from there. The grass hay is very light and fluffy in the windrow - not at all like alfalfa, but more like straw. Is that a good assumption. Thanks very much for your help!
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