Deere 346 knotters stuck

riveroadrat

Well-known Member
This baler has been sitting outside for quite a while. I finally got the plunger moving almost all the way through a cycle but theres a point where it stops. I think the knotters are stuck from being in the rain for a while. I would like to know what you would use to free them. I dont really want to disassemble if I can free them up with heat or blaster. I might blast them and leave them in the hot Florida sun for a while. I dont know if it would take the casting strength out with torch heat. Did they make any of these balers with a curved feeder back?
 
What do you mean stuck? I've seen balers that have been sitting for 30 yrs. And knotters are not stuck. I would spray entire baler down with diesel fuel in the hand sprayer and then trip the knotters and run it through by hand.
 
I had to use a pipe in the flywheel to get the plunger to travel freely but it stops when its close to the end of its travel. I think thats when the knotters are starting to move, I dont want to break anything by forcing it. Ive seen rust stop a lot of things from moving.
 
I use a spray called FLUID FILM it's a super penetrater and rust buster, I would spray all the moving parts down good, leave sit a day or 2 to penetrate and then just keep rolling by hand and spraying more as needed.
 

Did you trip the knotters? The knotters shouldn't try to move; unless you actually activated (tripped) them.


That and... maybe I'm wrong here, but the first thing the really moves when the knotter engages is the needles...right?



So...from a thousand miles away, and without having seen your baler...from reading what you posted, I wonder about two things:


1. Is the knotter even trying to activate? They shouldn't; unless you activated them...or unless the knotter clutch is frozen so it can't free-wheel.


2. If you are certain that the knotters have been activated, and that they should be trying to move...then I would wonder about the needles. Are they free to move? Did you lubricate their pivoting joints and such.


Actually, this gets me thinking about freeing up the knotter. Before taking a drastic measure like disassembly or soaking everything in diesel fuel...did you try to grease the knotters? Did all of the fittings take grease? It would seem that any fitting that doesn't take grease would help you to pinpoint possible sticking points.
 

Was old hay left in chamber while baler was stored outside?

I agree with lastcowboy32 that the knotters shouldn't be engaged unless you manually tripped them. If plungerhead is that difficult to move I think you won't will be able to bale hay until you get PH adjusted correctly. My guess is rust build up between bale chamber & PH guides is causing PH to be too tight in bale chamber
 
I would check the needle safety stop. Make sure the needles are up and latched, then make sure the safety stop isn't in the wrong position for some reason.
 
Needles were tripped when I first saw it, safety latch works, needs a plunger arm bearing. No hay left in it. I know how to reset NH273 knotters. I havent figured out how to reset the Deere knotters as Im not quite sure how they function. If I took the bolt out of the needle yoke and tied them up would it be okay to turn it through a cycle? I might have to crawl in the chute and look at the stop point of the plunger to see what the binding point is.
 

To reset needles to home position all one needs to do is turn flywheel backwards(CW) from compression stroke then just pull needle frame rearward to home position. One may need to loosen knotter shaft brake tension(see photo below) to be able to move needle frame by hand.

On subject of PH having tight spot there are shims under upper wear pads that one can remove by loosening pad retaining bolts & sliding shims out.

mvphoto19794.png
 
(quoted from post at 06:13:12 07/15/18) Needles were tripped when I first saw it, safety latch works, needs a plunger arm bearing. No hay left in it. I know how to reset NH273 knotters. I havent figured out how to reset the Deere knotters as Im not quite sure how they function. If I took the bolt out of the needle yoke and tied them up would it be okay to turn it through a cycle? I might have to crawl in the chute and look at the stop point of the plunger to see what the binding point is.

Rat, you plunger head is getting stopped by lack of room for it due to rust under the rails that it runs on. When you retract it all the way and unbolt them you can pull them out and beat the rust out with your slag hammer.
 
(quoted from post at 14:40:20 07/15/18)

Rat, you plunger head is getting stopped by lack of room for it due to rust under the rails that it runs on. When you retract it all the way and unbolt them you can pull them out and beat the rust out with your slag hammer.

showcrop
IMHO to remove plungerhead guides one needs to remove PH from baler because PH is in contact with guides no matter which end of the stroke it's at.
 
(quoted from post at 03:08:41 07/16/18)
(quoted from post at 14:40:20 07/15/18)

Rat, you plunger head is getting stopped by lack of room for it due to rust under the rails that it runs on. When you retract it all the way and unbolt them you can pull them out and beat the rust out with your slag hammer.

showcrop
IMHO to remove plungerhead guides one needs to remove PH from baler because PH is in contact with guides no matter which end of the stroke it's at.

Just sayin' it is how I did it. Yes they are in contact but I was able to slide them out from under. There was no rust at the front so I was able to lift the PH up just enough. The rust had expanded to probably 3/8 of an inch thick, like we all know rust will do.
 
(quoted from post at 08:52:27 07/16/18)

Just sayin' it is how I did it. Yes they are in contact but I was able to slide them out from under. There was no rust at the front so I was able to lift the PH up just enough. The rust had expanded to probably 3/8 of an inch thick, like we all know rust will do.

I'll bet sliding guide rail back under PH then lining up the holes then installing bolts would be a bit frustrating. Seeing how it only takes about 10 minutes to get PH out of bale chamber I'd remove PH then remover guides
 
(quoted from post at 06:23:29 07/16/18)
(quoted from post at 08:52:27 07/16/18)

Just sayin' it is how I did it. Yes they are in contact but I was able to slide them out from under. There was no rust at the front so I was able to lift the PH up just enough. The rust had expanded to probably 3/8 of an inch thick, like we all know rust will do.

I'll bet sliding guide rail back under PH then lining up the holes then installing bolts would be a bit frustrating. Seeing how it only takes about 10 minutes to get PH out of bale chamber I'd remove PH then remover guides

I suppose either way. Just sayin' it worked well for me.
 

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.

Back
Top