Wire tie JD 214WS Baler - one side won't grip

Checked other trouble shooting points in the manual - no solution.

Suggestions?

Thanks!
Chuck, WA

Chuck, WA

Anyhow, no major discoveries there, so re-assembled and tried...no luck. But, in watching it carefully, I found that indeed, the needle wasn't taking the wire high enough to enter the gripper enough to grip. I readjusted the needle and it worked.

We started baling and it was working on maybe 2 out of 3 or 3 out of 4 bales, with the rest failing to grip. Since we only have about 3-1/2 acres, we rebaled the broken bales and finished about 3/4 of it at which point we were only getting one good bale of every 2 or 3, so gave it up until I can get back to it today and try readjusting. At that point, both sides were failing, so I'm guessing I need to clean, lube and readjust. Will try it this evening.

I'm a fairly new hobby farmer, and this is the first time baling hay for me. We figured that if we didn't get anything off, it was OK because it was a learning experience. Looks like we're getting there slowly but surely. It was a very satisfying experience to see any bales, and my horse owning neighbors assure me that it's top quality hay.

Thanks for your help.

Chuck,WA

Good point on the lube...I did, but will clean it out. I'll try shimming, but will look into new springs.

I've adjusted needles, but haven't watched carefully to see if the wire is being placed correctly. I'll try hand-cranking and seeing what it does compared to the one that's working since as a newbie, other than comparing, I wouldn't know what to look for.

The tie hook on the side that wasn't working was not adjusted right - was off one bevel gear tooth, and as mentioned, the spring on the side not gripping was frozen, so those are corrected. Have an acquaintance that is a retired JD mechanic and knows the baler, so talked to him last night and he suggested making sure the bolts were tight. He mentioned a couple of set screws that had to be tight, but I don't see them in the exploded view in the parts manual, and won't get back to it till tonight, so will try that asw well.

Thanks again!
Chuck, WA