JD 435 Baler hard to start a bale

[cowsrus]

This is a good baler , but I,ve always had trouble starting a bale I ride the clutch slowly while starting until i,m convinced it has started rolling. Once it starts its ok. If I relax and don,t turn around and watch the hay feed in and start the bale thats when it clogs. It is a real s.o.b. if you know what I mean. I have tried raising the pickup. All the teeth are there & the pickup belt is good and tight. I,m going to bale again tommorrow & i,m going to try a lower gear starting a bale and then shifting higher. It,s wrenching my back to keep turned around while baling. Maybe a better rear view mirrow would help. Any 435 owners who have had the same problem?

 

[flaboy?]

I have an old Ford 4x4 baler that I used to bale horse hay with. It finally got to where it wouldn't start a bale. There are some bale starting rollers in there that can be adjusted closer together to help get the bale started. I adjusted mine closer but it did not help. I finally just put it in the shed and used the 5x6 baler. I see it setting there but I never have any hay on the ground to play with. When I have hay on the ground I pick it up with the big unit as quick as I can.

I would look at those bale starting rollers and see if there isn't an adjustment in your manual where you move a couple bolts to make the rollers closer.

 

[poorboy]

How's the tightness of the bales? If they are looser than normal it is a hydro valve.

 

[cowsrus]

Bales are tight, but not overly tight.
There is only one starter roller and no adjustment on it, however it is worn down some and i,ve heard that on later models they replaced it with spiral roller.

 

[cowtrek]

I have an old Ford 4x4 baler that I used to bale horse hay with. It finally got to where it wouldn't start a bale. There are some bale starting rollers in there that can be adjusted closer together to help get the bale started. I adjusted mine closer but it did not help. I finally just put it in the shed and used the 5x6 baler. I see it setting there but I never have any hay on the ground to play with. When I have hay on the ground I pick it up with the big unit as quick as I can.

I would look at those bale starting rollers and see if there isn't an adjustment in your manual where you move a couple bolts to make the rollers closer.

We've got a Ford 552 (same as a Gehl 1450? I think) that was doing the same thing a few years back. It has a packing roller running right behind the pickup that pinches the hay between it and the platform belt drive roller and force feed the hay into the chamber for starting the bale. That roller got really smooth and slick and would just flat lose grip. I finally took it to the house and blew the machine off real good, hosed it down and then welded 6 beads straight across that roller about 60 degrees apart with a 6013 rod to leave a tall 'grip' bead across the roller. Worked like a champ. I've used those 6013's to weld a 'diamond plate' pattern on flat steel for steps and stuff too, works really well.

One other thing, I've had it plug a time or two since and it turned out that the springs that pull that roller down against the platform belt had broken. They're behind the doors on the side of the baler near the chains and drive belts near the bottom. Those springs will break a hook off and just be hanging there and allow the roller to ride up too much and lose traction on the hay, allowing it to plug. I bought one spring from NH and it was painted Gehl red with a Gehl part number on it and was pricey. Next one failed on Saturday after hours so I went to the shop and looked around forlornly for something to patch it with; ended up prying the hood spring off a pickup my brother was restoring and popped that on the baler with a bit of spare link chain to get the length and preload right and it worked like a champ. When the new one on the other side broke a couple years later I swiped his other hood spring. No since buying a high dollar part that would break after a couple years anyway!

Now for an open throat baler (not sure if the Deere is or not) your best bet would be to check the operator's manual first for suggestions. After you'd checked/tried everything in there and made sure it's ok, I'd check 1) if it has a feed roller (open throat balers don't) see if it's slick and 'rough it up' with weld beads if you have to to get traction. 2) If it's open throat then check the stripper roller and see if it's slick, maybe weld beads on it if you have to to get traction, depending on the baler design. 3) check the pretension. Balers usually start off with very specific pressure on the belts and rollers when starting a new bale. You want enough pressure that the belts can get a grip on the hay and start it turning in the chamber to form a core, but not so much that the hay just rams in and plugs before it can start turning. Some balers have mechanical springs, some use air pressure, some use hydraulic pressure, some use a combination of any or all. Read the manual for your specific model.

I've also heard that John Deere balers can get to where they don't want to start a bale when the belts get worn down too much to grip the hay as it comes in to the chamber to start the bale. If your belts are pretty old or getting slick or getting kinda hard and checked from the rubber getting old that might be a problem too. Good luck! OL JR

 

[poorboy]

I have a 335 and it drove me crazy. The bales seemed fairly tight but everything had to be just right to bale with it. Starting the bales I had to ease into it or it would plug up or not begin at all. Also when I was finishing a bale it would back off and stop rolling. I packed arms and various other things but couldn't figure it out until the JD repairman put a set of gauges on it. turns out that there was a valve that was attached to the splitter went out. Seventy five dollar part and a $150 call and all has been right for the past five years. Almost like reliving a nightmare just typing this. What I'm trying to say is keep trying to figure it out and don't settle on that's what you have to live with like I did for 3 years. Bad for the blood pressure when it's hot

 

[flaboy?]

cowtrek, I know exactly what you are talking about. I put some welds on the roller you are talking about but nothing. The manual said closed the spaced between the rollers and nothing. I need to get someone in the seat so I can watch it or SELL it.

 

[hurleyjd]

This is a good baler , but I,ve always had trouble starting a bale I ride the clutch slowly while starting until i,m convinced it has started rolling. Once it starts its ok. If I relax and don,t turn around and watch the hay feed in and start the bale thats when it clogs. It is a real s.o.b. if you know what I mean. I have tried raising the pickup. All the teeth are there & the pickup belt is good and tight. I,m going to bale again tommorrow & i,m going to try a lower gear starting a bale and then shifting higher. It,s wrenching my back to keep turned around while baling. Maybe a better rear view mirrow would help. Any 435 owners who have had the same problem?

I have just reviewed a manual on a 435. Try raising the compressor rack. Check to see if the wheel spindles are in a position that has the baler as high as possible off of the ground. Also check and see if the belts are routed correctly. We used a 435 for many years. There will always be some problem with rolling hay that is just the way it is. Also try lowering the rpms to about 480 to 500 and see if that helps.

 

[cowtrek]

cowtrek, I know exactly what you are talking about. I put some welds on the roller you are talking about but nothing. The manual said closed the spaced between the rollers and nothing. I need to get someone in the seat so I can watch it or SELL it.

Did you check those springs on the side?? The are on the frame right in front of the tires. If they're busted it'll plug up a lot. One other thing peculiar to the Ford/Gehls is that they have a set of starter fingers and a roller mounted inside the bale chamber right behind that compression roller. It's spring loaded and adjustable and has to be set right and working right for it to form a bale. The starter fingers keep the hay trapped behind the compression roller so it doesn't wrap around it as the core forms, then they retract when the growing core contacts the roller and pushes it up and forward out of the way. I haven't had any trouble with that (knock on wood) but if it ain't right it won't work right.

They're a pretty good pretty simple old baler but I wish I could afford to move up into at least the late twentieth century... LOL OL JR

 

[gfd_703]

I know this is not what you want to hear but it is probably the belts. As they get old they get hard and slick. I had a customer with the same problem a couple of months back. He tried everything but what I told him until he gave up. I told him to put in new belts and if it did not fix the problem I would take them back, it worked and he paid for a set of belts. You can try replacing all the short belts or all the long belts instead of the whole set. Another way to get a little more life out of the belts is to go to the local race shop and get some tire soft and spray on the belts, it will soften them and might buy you some time before replacement.

 

[ironpeddler]

This is a good baler , but I,ve always had trouble starting a bale I ride the clutch slowly while starting until i,m convinced it has started rolling. Once it starts its ok. If I relax and don,t turn around and watch the hay feed in and start the bale thats when it clogs. It is a real s.o.b. if you know what I mean. I have tried raising the pickup. All the teeth are there & the pickup belt is good and tight. I,m going to bale again tommorrow & i,m going to try a lower gear starting a bale and then shifting higher. It,s wrenching my back to keep turned around while baling. Maybe a better rear view mirrow would help. Any 435 owners who have had the same problem?

If you are in dry conditions and have moderately worn belts on your baler you are going to have this problem. The traction has worn down on the belts and you ability to form the core has been diminished. You can bale in the morning or evening with a little moisture in the hay and it will help you start a bale. You can also decrease you PTO speed and increase your ground speed when starting a bale so your belts will not have as much time to pulverize the hay and will form a core. If your belts are indeed worn you can take them out and change the direction of travel and you might get more traction on the hay. In the end you likely will have to replace the belts.
Now if you have new belts and have hard starting then you starting belt tension needs adjusting.

 

[cowsrus]

I went over to the local John Deere dealer today and he said the starter roller was getting worn slick was probably the problem. He said to build it up with welding rod. He said they had to do that with one that someone had brought in. The same thing as a couple of you guys suggested. I kind of figured it was between the belts and the starter roller. I,m going to start with trying to build up the roller so it get more grip.Belts are about $1200. dollars. At least now I have some ideas. I,m also going to try the lower rpm idea to. Thanks everyone. I wonder if there is anything you could spray on the roller to give it more grip. Something that stay on awhile.

 

[Cabo]

I went over to the local John Deere dealer today and he said the starter roller was getting worn slick was probably the problem. He said to build it up with welding rod. He said they had to do that with one that someone had brought in. The same thing as a couple of you guys suggested. I kind of figured it was between the belts and the starter roller. I,m going to start with trying to build up the roller so it get more grip.Belts are about $1200. dollars. At least now I have some ideas. I,m also going to try the lower rpm idea to. Thanks everyone. I wonder if there is anything you could spray on the roller to give it more grip. Something that stay on awhile.

I had a 435 that did the same thing. Welded a bead on the trailing side of the small bars on the starter roller and it did wonders for starting a bale.

 

[hurleyjd]

I went over to the local John Deere dealer today and he said the starter roller was getting worn slick was probably the problem. He said to build it up with welding rod. He said they had to do that with one that someone had brought in. The same thing as a couple of you guys suggested. I kind of figured it was between the belts and the starter roller. I,m going to start with trying to build up the roller so it get more grip.Belts are about $1200. dollars. At least now I have some ideas. I,m also going to try the lower rpm idea to. Thanks everyone. I wonder if there is anything you could spray on the roller to give it more grip. Something that stay on awhile.

Some of the people in my area has had the starter roll coated with the line-x that is sprayed in pickup beds. I do not know if it has helped or not. I do not know any of them. The lin-ex dealer was telling me about it.

 

[cowtrek]

I went over to the local John Deere dealer today and he said the starter roller was getting worn slick was probably the problem. He said to build it up with welding rod. He said they had to do that with one that someone had brought in. The same thing as a couple of you guys suggested. I kind of figured it was between the belts and the starter roller. I,m going to start with trying to build up the roller so it get more grip.Belts are about $1200. dollars. At least now I have some ideas. I,m also going to try the lower rpm idea to. Thanks everyone. I wonder if there is anything you could spray on the roller to give it more grip. Something that stay on awhile.

If you do need belts check with Hammond Equipment in Faunsdale AL before you buy at the dealer. I saved about $500 and got better quality belts than the dealer had... I posted all the info on another post where a guy was asking about another source of baler belts on here. If you need more info just ask me and I can look it up again OL JR

 

[Family Tradition]

I had same problem out of a Hessston 4x4 baler I bought at the start of the season. Sarter roller worn slick wouldn't start a roll so welded 1" channel iron on 2 sides and does great now. Just my thought.

 

[cowsrus]

I welded a half a-- bead on the starter roll today, enough to rough it up and ran the baler and I think it did some good. I never had a plug from not starting the core. I was in kind of a hurry today, but later on i,m going to really do some work on that starter roll. I,m convinced that,s my main problem.

 

[ALX.]

I kind of figured it was between the belts and the starter roller. I,m going to start with trying to build up the roller so it get more grip.Belts are about $1200. dollars.

Are the belts worn?????????

Dick around as much as you want with a hundred other things but the machine won't roll a bale if the .....

If they are you may not need to replace them all at once. A belt or 2 a year ain't much to ask to keep her up depending on how much you bale.

ALX

 

[cowsrus]

The belts are still in pretty good shape as far as wear goes. there is still plenty of diamond tread left.. I,m sure new belts would make a big difference though.