TRACTOR PARTS Allis Chalmers Case & David Brown Farmall & International Ferguson Ford & New Holland John Deere Massey Ferguson Massey Harris Minneapolis Moline Oliver & Cockshutt Kubota / Yanmar

TRACTOR MANUALS

Allis Chalmers	Case	Farmall IH	Ford 8N,9N,2N	Ford
Ferguson	John Deere	Massey Ferguson	Minn. Moline	Oliver

Attention Forum Users: On the 28th of December 2023 at 9:00am Central Time, we will be taking the forums down for maintenance while we prepare the new forums for your use. Please click here for more information.

Implement Alley Discussion Forum

NH 269 banana bales

Welcome Guest, Log in or Register

Author

Chick

09-13-2005 23:47:59

Report to Moderator

The left side of the bale, as viewed from the back of the baler looking forward, from my 269, is longer than the right side. I have the adjustment for the feeder tines, adjusted as mush as it will go. I removed on of the front feeder tines, and removed 2 of the wedges on the right side of bale chamber. The bales have gotten better, but still not square. Anyone else have this problem with a NH 269 twine baler?

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

BobHnwOh

09-15-2005 14:04:03

Report to Moderator

Re: NH 269 banana bales in reply to Chick, 09-13-2005 23:47:59

Chick,dorset farmer has got it right,that"s how I fixed my NH 268 baler,now makes perfect straight solid bales HTH,Bob.

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

chick

09-15-2005 17:20:53

Report to Moderator

Re: NH 269 banana bales in reply to BobHnwOh, 09-15-2005 14:04:03

What dorsetfarmer describes, is the correct procedure in the service manual, and I have done that. Thnaks for the info and interest!

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

Doug in Il.

09-15-2005 08:15:17

Report to Moderator

Re: NH 269 banana bales in reply to Chick, 09-13-2005 23:47:59

It looks like you have tried about everything I remember doing when I had this problem. What about your tine bar timing? I remember that it is timed with the tine bar drive chain. You have to remove the chain to time it. I think there was a dimension, in inches, the first tine bar is supposed to be at in relation to the position of the plunger. If this baler has been apart or suffered a tine bar wreck, this could be your problem. My 276 ran the plunger into the tine bar on two different occasions. After I repaired it the second time, I traded it off! It messes things up pretty good! These older New Holland balers rely on intertwined chain drives instead of gears, making it somewhat easier for timing problems to occur. I think the owners manual should provide tine bar timing specifics.

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

Chick

09-15-2005 17:19:18

Report to Moderator

Re: NH 269 banana bales in reply to Doug in Il., 09-15-2005 08:15:17

I have not checked the tine bar timing, other than to make sure that the plunger would not hit it. And in operation, the plunger does not hit. Of course, the tines could be off a small amount and never hit. I will be checking this out!

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

Doug in IL

09-16-2005 04:40:07

Report to Moderator

Re: NH 269 banana bales in reply to Chick, 09-15-2005 17:19:18

Chick, a little more on that tine bar timing. I figured your tine bar was not hitting anything. That timing dimension is set, I think, to allow enough time on each baler stroke for the tine bar to load the bale chamber with enough hay before the plunger comes too far back. I do remember that if the timing is set too "close", the bales would not be uniformly filled and cause a problem like you are experiencing. As to why my 276 got out of time and crashed the tine bar and plunger together, I'm not sure. One poster here said that you can't run them too fast. I usually ran mine at 540 pto speed. I do remember that one of the times the roller chain on the left side of the baler let go. The second time that chain was ok. I never did really see why it crashed the second time. However, I ran a lot of bales thru that machine before the first crash and between the two crashes. I am NOT saying that a tine bar crash is a common thing. I don't think it is. I was just thinking that the timing of the feeding of the hay could be some of the problem with your machine.

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

Chick

09-17-2005 09:58:51

Report to Moderator

Re: NH 269 banana bales in reply to Doug in IL, 09-16-2005 04:40:07

I was looking over the Baler some more last night, and I found that the are 3 hay dogs on top, but only 2 on bottom. The 2 on the bottom were not centered. There is one dead center, but the other one was on the side of the feeder tines, and nothing on the far side of the chamber, on the bottom. This could be allowing the hay to spring back, thus making the bale longer on this side. I am looking at adding another dog at this point.

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

thejdman01

09-14-2005 13:35:41

Report to Moderator

Re: NH 269 banana bales in reply to Chick, 09-13-2005 23:47:59

i am not familiar with the nh 269 model but i will comment that its not the color of the paint and its not "new hollands do that" i guarentee that they ddindt make a baler that did that from the factory. i am a die hard jd and chevy fan however some have more problems then others but all have downfalls. some have alot of quirks to them but if all maintained and SET properly should work well.

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

Joe(TX)

09-14-2005 09:33:21

Report to Moderator

Re: NH 269 banana bales in reply to Chick, 09-13-2005 23:47:59

Adjust the tine closed to the plunger away from the plunger and the outside one closer. Do it in about 3 in. increments until things get better. Its the opposite of what you would think.

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

dorset farmer

09-14-2005 08:23:46

Report to Moderator

Re: NH 269 banana bales in reply to Chick, 09-13-2005 23:47:59

I've had a 269 for about 25 years, and have some of the same problem. One can minimize this problem by adjusting the travel of the feeder system. Facing the front of the baler, lift the cover over the drive for the plunger, rotate the flywheel till the feeder arm is as far forward as possible. After loosening the nut on this assembly, one can shorten/lengthen the travel by the adjusting the length of the bolt below. Best to get a manual. This is clearly described. Also, make sure the hay dogs (2 on top & 1 one the bottom) of the chamber ar not broken. I've also been told that "crowding" the baler, by having more hay per flake will help, but I'm not sure this is a major factor. You might want to replace the things you removed. Hope this helps. Mike

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

RayP(MI)

09-14-2005 12:19:49

Report to Moderator

Re: NH 269 banana bales in reply to dorset farmer, 09-14-2005 08:23:46

Also want to check and replace any bent or worn tines on the feeder rack unit. when I got my 268 baler, very used, tines were bent and broken. replaced broken ones, turned bent ones 180 degrees to put bend toward right, and point of tine toward plunger chamber. They haven't straightened out, and may well replace bent tines next spring, before starting baling. Tines are made of aluminum, can get replacements made up at most any metal/blacksmith. Just cut to length, and bevel cut on bottom of tine to about 60 degrees. They will grow smooth and round pointed very quickly. Be sure to measure diameter of tines carefully, as not all are same dia. Also be sure to use aluminum, if one breaks and goes thru the plunger knife, it will do minimum damage.

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

Doug in IL

09-14-2005 08:22:32

Report to Moderator

Re: NH 269 banana bales in reply to Chick, 09-13-2005 23:47:59

I really think this is just more of a New Holland problem. The ultimate solution is a Deere baler. Or the newer model New Holland's with a packer fork. We have owned several of both brands. The Deere's just seem to bale better for us.

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

Hayman

09-15-2005 22:38:01

Report to Moderator

Packer Fork in reply to Doug in IL, 09-14-2005 08:22:32

The old NH system uses forks on the feed rack already. So they don't need the packer fork.

Thats what I like about them is they can make a decent bale in a light swath. Feed any baler and nice big fluffy windrow and it will make a nice bale.

I do agree the older NH's require more maintance with that feed rack system. Also you can't run them too fast of RPM's or else "crash". I have 2 NH278's as well as a NH320. I picked 27,000 bales the past couple months behind them just fine! If it ever stops raining we'll make another 10 or 15,000 bales this fall.

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

Yeoman

09-14-2005 11:20:29

Report to Moderator

Re: NH 269 banana bales in reply to Doug in IL, 09-14-2005 08:22:32

Sorry!, It is not the color of the paint! The New Holland will make as good a bale as any other baler. It is all about adjustment and OPERATION; ie, too fast or too slow. BTW I have both and they both are good machines, as are others. I am sorry but Ford and Chevy arguements are mostly infantile. best, Phil

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

Doug in Il

09-14-2005 19:44:11

Report to Moderator

Re: NH 269 banana bales in reply to Yeoman, 09-14-2005 11:20:29

With years of experience with many balers and I'll stand by what I said. Look at all the other posts on this subject. They are all having to fiddle with the NH's. I have never had to mess with a JD baler to get a square bale. Any of them. Old or new. I've got a 346 and a 24ws right now. I have owned 14T's, 24T's, a 336 and 2 338 balers. Even owned a Massey Ferguson once. And a Allis Chalmers. I had a NH 273, a NH 276 and experienced the banana bale problem, now and then, with both of them. And the problem usually stems from what kind of hay you are baling and the moisture content of the hay. The "springier" the hay, the more problems with banana bales. Now to address the "infantile" comment. I am guessing you are just too young, dumb, or stupid (see, I can do name calling too!) to realize that not all manufactured products are built to a equal standard. You probably don't know that products are designed with a specific "design life" and are, in fact, built of various grades of material and varying degrees of workmanship. There are actually poorly designed products being sold everyday. There are many different grades of products that are marketed to perform the same general function. But, not all of them do equally as well at the task to be performed. Do the names Rolls Royce and Yugo mean anything to you?

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

Yeoman

09-15-2005 06:42:43

Report to Moderator

Re: NH 269 banana bales in reply to Doug in Il, 09-14-2005 19:44:11

Dougy! Don't get your nightie all knotted up; calm down. I beg your royal forgiveness. Thanks for calling me "too young, dumb, or stupid". After being here over a half century, and doing over a million bales worth of hay; I yield to your great wisdom and experience. Your post asserts ownership of about a dozen different balers. Maybe if you had a respectable PM program that number would be appropriately less. Additionally, I appreciate your validating my observation about operation. "And the problem usually stems from what kind of hay you are baling and the moisture content of the hay". Probably a correct note. How does this relate the brand, or color, of a baler? What you call "design life" is oft called planned obsolesence. Good care and use can drastically alter the manufactured intent of most products. The original post asked for help with a specific problem concerning a gentleman's NH baler. Might you be "too young, dumb, or stupid" to be helpful, or just snotty and uncaring? Others have posted helpful advice without the sarcastic, John Deere, Peterbilt, Harley Davidson, etc, etc, attitude. In Re: Ford and Chevys; a point which your remarks have well confirmed, IBID. Best, Phil

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

Doug in IL

09-15-2005 07:38:22

Report to Moderator

Re: NH 269 banana bales in reply to Yeoman, 09-15-2005 06:42:43

Ok buddy, believe what you want to. But I suggest you search the archives on this site. How do you do that? At the top of this very page, type "banana bales" in the "Search For" box. Then click on the "Go" icon. Read to your hearts content. You will find that I am not alone in my belief that a NH baler is known for making bad bales. I'm not going to comment to you any further. Grandfather was right! He said it's impossible to communicate with a fence post. You have proved that to be true once again.

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

Yeoman

09-15-2005 09:31:32

Report to Moderator

Re: NH 269 banana bales in reply to Doug in IL, 09-15-2005 07:38:22

Dougy:

It may not have occurred to you while you were polishing and "lusting" over your JD baler, but one of the reasons there are many "problems" with the NH balers is because there are so many of them. At one point they had over half of the entire market. Like you, I prefer the green baler, admittedly a difficult concession, given all of the care and charm you have exhibited. That having been said, there is nothing wrong with the NH baler. Too bad your your grandfather did not impart more social grace; or are you just toooo incompetant to run a red baler? Later Woody. best, Phil

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

Hayman

09-15-2005 23:03:30

Report to Moderator

baler market in reply to Yeoman, 09-15-2005 09:31:32

Yeoman I agree about market share at least here. In that era mid to late 70's around here half or more of the square balers were NH's. Could be just a local thing I don't know.

If guys don't like them old vintage NH's fine by me I like the job the do just fine. The 278/320 got a bad name because of the feed rack crashing.

A guy I got to bale this year helps another friend of his bale with a different make of baler. I put him on a 100hp tractor pulling the old NH320 and let him go to it. After baling the first day he commented he had never seen a baler with that kind of capacity where you could just stuff it full and punch out the bales!

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

Doug in IL

09-15-2005 16:10:59

Report to Moderator

Re: NH 269 banana bales in reply to Yeoman, 09-15-2005 09:31:32

Ok, OK, one more post. I don't know if I am too incompetent to run a NH baler or not. Maybe I am. But I don't care. When I get my baler out, the objective is to bale hay. Not to fiddle with the baler in an effort to make square bales. In my experience, I can basically hook onto a JD baler, grease it up, and go to work. As I said in my original post, the best solution for me has been to use a machine that works. And that works without having to constantly fight it. And contrary to your assumptions, I really don't care about color. I think New Holland has, in many cases, the best mower conditioners. My present moco is a Case IH. The next one will most probably be a NH. More for dealer parts availability, close to my location, than any other reason. The Case IH has not been a bad machine. I like my New Holland bale wagons. And I drive a Dodge truck, mainly for the Cummins engine. Not the much more popular Ford or Chevy. I use 3 different colors of tractors. And, yes, one of those colors is green. My whole point in all of this is basically this: That it causes a lot less headaches to use the best designed machine for the job. You have to admit that the older NH hay feeding system is far from the best design in the world. It always seemed a little bit Rube Goldberg to me. But, you are right about one thing! That polished green paint just looks soooo nice! Just kidding about the green paint, ok?

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

our farmer

09-14-2005 05:54:54

Report to Moderator

Re: NH 269 banana bales in reply to Chick, 09-13-2005 23:47:59

The one thing I learned this season about my NH 68 is that adjusting the feeder tines all the way in one direction isn't the path to a square bale. On my machine, it's a combination of finding the right spot for the right and left tines. Use both sets of tines, and start off at the original setting, usually identified where the paint is missing on the tine bar. Make a few bales, then adjust the right hand tine bar as viewed from behind the machine as necessary to make a square bale. Move it to the right for more hay in the chamber, to the left for less.I set my left tine bare so that it comes as close as it can to the bale chamber without hitting the edge. Just my experience. Good luck.

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

Chick

09-14-2005 15:56:09

Report to Moderator

Re: NH 269 banana bales in reply to our farmer, 09-14-2005 05:54:54

I have allready adjusted the feeder tines all the way out, by the adjustment on the baler. There are 3 sets of feeder tines, from the factory, they have a slight bend to them. I have worked with bending and straightening, trying to adjust this. There is simple too much hay being moved to the far side of the bale chamber. This is why I welded 2" flat bar on the wedges, on the far side of the bale chamber. I did this to 2 of them, trying to increase tension on that side of bale. Conversely, I took 2 of the wedges out of the near side (right side as looking forward, while standing in the back of the baler). All of the hay dogs and springs are good. The last thing I did, was to take one of the feeder tines, completely out, trying to minimize how much hay is being fed to the far side of the bale chamber. Everything I have done, has made the bale a little better, but it is still not consistantly square. Having worked at a Massey Ferguson dealer years ago, and bales hay for myself for years, I have worked on or been in the hay field with many types of balers. I have seen this problem on every type of baler out there. The New Holland baler is the most consistant. I just picked this baler up, and been working on it, to get it to work better. I know there are people who have been through this, and found some tricks to make it work better. I appreciate all the input and suggestions.

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

Joe(TX)

09-15-2005 09:20:31

Report to Moderator

Re: NH 269 banana bales in reply to Chick, 09-14-2005 15:56:09

When you adjust the feeders you don't move them them both the same direction. when you move one in move the other out. Read what the manual has to say, it works.

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

Chick

09-15-2005 17:15:41

Report to Moderator

Re: NH 269 banana bales in reply to Joe(TX), 09-15-2005 09:20:31

The different feeder times, on the NH 269, do not move separately as other models do. You can move the whole rack, for more or less penetration into the bale chamber.

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

devildawg(tx)

09-14-2005 23:54:01

Report to Moderator

Re: NH 269 banana bales in reply to Chick, 09-14-2005 15:56:09

Have you tried to increase twine tension coming out of the twine box. If it's too loose on one side or the other, the twine on that side will be longer. Just a thought.

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

Chick

09-15-2005 00:50:55

Report to Moderator

Re: NH 269 banana bales in reply to devildawg(tx), 09-14-2005 23:54:01

Yes, I had tightened it when I had twine coming out of the needles due to not enough tension. I now have 4 to 5 lbs tension, which is a little more than reccommended.

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

John Marengo

09-14-2005 19:37:44

Report to Moderator

Re: NH 269 banana bales in reply to Chick, 09-14-2005 15:56:09

Just a thought--check the bale tension sometimes you have to play with them to get a better bale.

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

Chick

09-14-2005 22:50:06

Report to Moderator

Re: NH 269 banana bales in reply to John Marengo, 09-14-2005 19:37:44

You are right. the tension will do it, and I have adjusted it until the weight is about right. Heavier or lighter hasn't made much difference, except when it it too light, it really gets fouled up.

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

TimS

09-15-2005 07:57:16

Report to Moderator

Re: NH 269 banana bales in reply to Chick, 09-14-2005 22:50:06

One thing I have found on our JD 14T is that windrow size makes a big difference, if the windrow is to small then we start getting banana bales. When we would get to a section of the windrow where the hay was thicker, the bales would square up. I think the feeder fork was stuffing all the hay to the left side of the bale chamber which left the right side not packed as densely.

So...maybe try raking a bigger windrow and try it?

[Log in to Reply] [No Email]

[Options] [Printer Friendly] [Posting Help] [Return to Forum] [Log in to Reply]

TRACTOR PARTS	TRACTOR MANUALS

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]

Home | Forums

Copyright © 1997-2023 Yesterday's Tractor Co.
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy

TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.

Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters

Website Accessibility Policy