Twister Mechanism Troubleshooting

NOTE: Some of the following "Symptoms" refer to illustrations labeled with a letter. See TWISTER MECHANISM TROUBLESHOOTING ILLUSTRATIONS in this section to view each specific symptom.

Symptom Problem Solution

"Tails": One end cut and other end twisted off.
(Refer to Illustration A.)

Radius on top of twister hook too sharp.

Polish throat of twister hook.

Install new twister hook. (See ADJUSTING TWISTER HOOKS in Service section.)

Retard twister hook to specified range. (See ADJUSTING TWISTER HOOKS in Service section.)

Excessive wire tension between bale and wire coil during first stage of the tying cycle.

Check all wire pulleys. Pulleys must spin freely. (See THREADING NEEDLES-WIRE BALER in Preparing the Baler section.)

Check wire threading.

All of the knockout disk must be removed from the front of wire carton.

Check for wire catching.

Check front side of needle for groove or build-up of foreign material that would retard wire flow.

Check for rough or uneven wire.

Check top wire guide for grooves deep enough to allow wire to wedge.

Wire cannot feed down twister hook slots because of rough twister shafts.

Polish or replace shaft.

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Symptom Problem Solution

Knot consists of one wire twisted around the other.
(Refer to Illustration B.)

Excessive wire tension between bale and wire coil.

Check all wire pulleys. Pulleys must spin freely. (See THREADING NEEDLES-WIRE BALER in Preparing the Baler section and ADJUSTING WIRE GUIDES in Service section.)

Check for correct wire threading. (See THREADING NEEDLES-WIRE BALER in Preparing the Baler section.)

All of knockout disk must be removed from the front of wire carton.

Check for wire catching.

Check front side of needle for groove of buildup or foreign material that would retard wire flow.

Check for rough and uneven wire.

Check top wire guide for grooves deep enough to allow wire to wedge.

Oil wire coils (light oil).

Gripper does not apply equal pressure on each side.

Check for loose cap screw in entire twister assembly.

Clean out gripping parts including gripper drive tube.

With gripper to the tight side, loosen cap screw that hold the shear plates to the twister assembly and realign the plates. (See ADJUSTING GRIPPERS in Service section.)

DO NOT add washers or coins to the spring in the gripper drive tube.

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Symptom Problem Solution

DO NOT grind material from the cutting edges of the shear blade or plate.

Twister hook catches needle wire on second revolution instead of first.

Adjust needle closer to gripper. (See ADJUSTING NEEDLES-WIRE BALER in Service section.)

Check timing. (See TIMING THE BALER in Service section.)

Replace bent needle.

Make sure plungerhead extensions are in place.

Hay dogs not holding end of bale.

Free frozen hay dogs.

Reduce feeding rate.

Replace broken hay dog springs.

Make sure plungerhead extensions are in place.

"Horse Shoes": short pieces of wire with both ends cut because wire is caught over nose of the gripper.
(Refer to Illustration C.)

Needle adjusted too far sideways.

Adjust the needle. (See ADJUSTING NEEDLES-WIRE BALER in Service section.)

Replace needle if damaged.

Grooves or extreme roughness on nose of gripper.

Grind nose of gripper.

Replace gripper. (See ADJUSTING GRIPPERS in Service section.)

Tension break on top of bale.
(Refer to Illustration D.)

Force required to feed wire around bale exceeds the strength of the wire.

Reduce bale density (may be necessary to remove side hay resisters). (See ADJUSTING BALE WEIGHT in Operating the Baler section.)

Oil wire coils (light oil).

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Symptom Problem Solution

Adjust feeder fingers to put less hay on side where wire is breaking. (See ADJUSTING FEEDER FINGERS in Operating the Baler section.)

Use 14-1/2 gauge wire.

Change wire coils. (See LOADING WIRE BOX [348] in Preparing the Baler section.)

Too much force required to pull wire from wire cartons.

Check all wire pulleys. Pulleys must spin freely. (See THREADING NEEDLES-WIRE BALER in Preparing the Baler section.)

Check wire threading. (See THREADING NEEDLES-WIRE BALER in Preparing the Baler section.)

All of knockout disk must be removed from the front of wire cartons.

Check for any indication where wire has been catching.

Check front side of needle for groove or buildup of foreign material that would retard wire flow.

Check for rough or uneven wire.

Check top wire guide for grooves deep enough to allow wire to wedge.

Tension break on front end of bale.

Wire catches in wire pulleys.

Check wire pulleys and any other place where wire could catch. (See THREADING NEEDLES-WIRE BALER in Preparing the Baler section.)

Wire breaks at base of knot.
(Refer to Illustration E.)

Repeated bending of wire after tying cycle because no hay is entering baler.

Stop baler when no hay is fed into baler.

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Symptom Problem Solution

Plan windrows to avoid traveling in areas without hay.

Rake heavier windrows.

Increase ground speed. (See STARTING AND OPERATING THE BALER in Operating the Baler section.)

Tension breaks.

See "Tension break on top of bale," this section.

Two successive bales not tied. One long piece of wire with each end twisted, but not twisted together.

Bottom strand of wire was missed by the needle.

Remove excessive side movement of needle frame. (See ADJUSTING NEEDLE-WIRE BALER in Service section.)

Check shape of needle tip. Replace if necessary. (See ADJUSTING NEEDLE-WIRE BALER in Service section.)

Adjust needle. (See ADJUSTING NEEDLE-WIRE BALER in Service section.)

Adjust lower center wire guide. (See ADJUSTING NEEDLE-WIRE BALER in Service section.)

Wire not cutting clean.

Worn or broken parts.

Replace worn or broken parts.

Gripper and shear blade assembly not adjusted correctly.

Place shims between top of gripper arm and mounting plate. (See ADJUSTING GRIPPERS in Service section.)

Wires not twisted together.

Foreign material in twister assembly.

Clean out twister assembly.

Needles not adjusted correctly.

Adjust needles. (See ADJUSTING NEEDLES-Wire Baler in Service section.)

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Symptom Problem Solution

Spring frozen in gripper drive tube assembly.

Clean out gripper drive tube.

Excessive wear on indexing surfaces of intermittent gear and pinion.

Twister hooks retarded beyond maximum limits.

Advance twister hooks. (See ADJUSTING TWISTER HOOKS in Service section.)

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