Baler Billhooks Out Of Time?

Is it normal for billhooks on a small square baler to "fire" at different times? I'm working on a 565 NH and the left billhook is firmly locked open while the right one is closed.

I have a feeling this is wrong, but the dealer who last "fixed" this thing claims it was "field ready" when picked up.

The issue I'm trying to solve is the knotting, the right side ties perfectly every time, the left side rarely if ever. Help is always appreciated. I would guess everything on both knotters is supposed to function at the exact same time. Does one side "go" before the other's turn? If this is incorrect, how do I fix this?

Thanks in advance guys..

they both must be in time with each other

Great, that's what I had figured. So, how does this even happen?

Something not lining up between the knotters when they were assembled? Parts installed in the wrong sequence? Its really gonna suck to take all this apart and figure out how it goes back together...

The billhooks have a roller ball inside the trip gear, look for it, most likely its worn away, or came off.

If the owner has the operators manual. Some of them had the timing sequence, in them for timing them. Yes it all has to happen at the same time or it does what you're saying it does.

Do you have the book? If not, let me know.

like others said get a owners manual this is not something you can do free hand BUT look the knoter over very close and compare it with the other one something is broke or missing on the one that is out of time it all runs on a common shaft

Yeah, if the right one is tying then timing is not the issue, it's the left one having a worn, broken, or missing part.

I have seen where a rollpin is broken and then it will catch 180 degrees off. Something to look at.

The roll pin in the bill hook shaft is probably broken. The pin goes thru the gear and shaft at the top.

They should both be doing their thing at exactly the same time. Get someone to turn the flywheel by hand very slowly, while you watch what's happening. Note when the left one starts going astray, stop the process, and figure out what's happening. As others have said, I think you have a broken part in the billhook, likely the little shaft that holds the two parts together.

You can change a billhook in a few minutes once you know how to do it, assuming the intermittent gear isn't solidly rusted to its shaft.

Drive out the cotter pin that holds the intermittent gear against the gears of the knotter frame. The intermittent gear is the big gear on the shaft that drives all the gears on the knotter. Push aside the washers that were between the cotter pin and gear, but keep them together in a group separate from the other washers on the shaft.

Unless the intermittent gear is anxious to slide away from the knotter frame, squirt it with penetrant from both sides. Tap it with a good size hammer from both sides. Repeat squirt. Repeat taps. Repeat. The gear is pretty robust, but don't tap against teeth or machined surfaces. Remove the small bolt that secures the knotter frame to the bale case and keeps it from rotating. If the intermittent gear will slide aside, you should be pretty easily able to drive out the pin that holds the billhook gear to the billhook. If the intermittent gear doesn't want to slide, you should still be able to drive out the pin by tripping the knotter and manually rotating the baler flywheel until everything is in the right position. It's harder, though.

If you need a new billhook and try to buy one, you will find it insanely expensive. Believe it or not, a billhook from a baler of another model or make, if you have one handy, will sometimes fit. AFAIK, almost any JD billhook will fit. Well worth the time it takes to find out, IMHO, but then, my time isn't worth anything.There are also at least two different billhooks for different diameters of twine, but getting an exact match to the other billhook may not be that critical if you can get the billhook reasonably enough.

Get the intermittent gear up snug to the frame when you slide it back, if you can sneak another washer in without the mechanism binding, so much the better. This is very important.

Zeke B.

don't make this a big deal, its a piece of machinery. if you gone own this stuff what you going through is all part of ownership and daily life. you have piece shear more than likely, watch when it turns compared to other side ad it should show up as its all driven by one shaft.

Sounds like the key in the cam gear is sheared look at both cam gears and they should be lined up or possibly the dealer put the billhook in 180 degrees off