Old tractor and baler still gettin it done. Good finds. I'm still in recovery mode on my open heart bypass surgery. Each day a little better and a set back or two every now and again. BORED like never before. PLaying with Harley's within my limitations but seriously BORED.Might be able to go to my farm next week and at least look at my tractors.....
Pleased it’s going so well for you, the old bailer seems to exceed expectations which is good. Hope you have a successful bailing season. Regards from Down Under.
That baler has some potential to be a great one relative to $ invested. I believe an adjustable gauge wheel would be a good addition to the pick up head like other manufacturers used so it would float on that wheel as compared to cramming the pick-up fingers into the ground and only then attempting to float. Excess wear on the pick-up slip mechanism has likely been happening for 50 years on anything short of perfectly flat ground without that wheel. KY not really known for its flat ground. I believe that wheel was often an option though as compared to standard equipment back at new time purchase. Sadly we know how some farmers were in regards to adding any options. Hope that slip mechanism design is a simple one and does not require weld/braze build up of worn parts along with backyard grinding and shaping of the worn parts to make the mechanism work like it should again. I just went thru this type of backyard repair on the main PTO over run clutch at the flywheel ramps on my New Holland 65 during the middle of first cutting this year as it would no longer spin the entire baler without slipping. Stressful it was with lots of hay on the ground but I had it working again in about 45 minutes . Even though my repair method was not textbook as I built up the ramps with a flux core wire feeder on cast which is usually not recommended it worked as originally designed when done. Did you happen to save anything from the 3 balers you scrapped? Might be a free gauge wheel in that pile? Some valuable knotter parts also.
I have a 444 and there is a shear pin on the end of the shaft that runs the pick up on the right side. There is a gear and shear pin goes through the gear, it has broke on me before. I would say your slip clutch needs adjusted but wanted to mention the pin as well.
On light windrows you might try a little more ground speed, because it looked like to me the pickup was just throwing the hay forward, and balers ain't set up to turn left especially with the power take off in gear.
I was told by the previous owner this one liked going slow. So I tried slow. I determined it will take an average windrow at 5mph. You are correct that I was going to slow for it. This one prefers left turns. I was off on my left and right this day. Turning right makes the driveline chatter.
