Why Do Bales Tie Badly?

Name the problem correctly first

In the field everything gets called "it is not tying", but there are four distinct situations and each sends you to a different place: the bale comes out loose, the bale comes out misshapen, the knot is never made, or the twine breaks.

Separating them saves half the time. Below, each is traced to the group and the spring responsible.

Loose bales — the pad pressure group

Bale density is set by the pad pressure group that presses the chamber side walls inward. When a spring in this group fatigues, chamber resistance falls, the crop is tied before it is properly compressed and the bale comes out loose.

If tightening the adjustment lever does not restore density, the problem is not the setting but the spring: having lost free length, the lever can no longer generate enough force.

• Upper pad pressure spring3.5 mm in our catalogue. Sets the pressure of the upper chamber wall.
• Cradle pad pressure spring4 mm. Sets the pressure of the lower/cradle group; the two work together.
• CheckCompare the free lengths of the springs on both sides. Where they differ, the shorter one has fatigued and the bale is compressing unevenly.

Misshapen bales — feeding and fork group

The commonest cause of a misshapen bale is crop not being fed evenly into the chamber. If the feeder fork mechanism under-feeds one side, the bale stays short there and comes out lopsided.

Two springs work in this group: the one driving the fork and the one holding the adjustment lever in position. When the second fatigues, the setting drifts under vibration — if the machine ties well in the morning and badly in the afternoon, this is the first suspect.

• Feeder fork spring8 mm in our catalogue. Carries the movement of the feeder fork.
• Fork adjustment lever spring2.5 mm. Holds the lever in position; when force drops, the setting drifts.
• Gallignani type adjustment lever springProduced as a separate item for these machines.
• Rake ratchet pressure spring6 mm. Keeps the flow from pickup to chamber regular; irregular feeding is the other cause of misshapen bales.

No knot — the knotter group

The knotter makes a full stroke on every bale and is the most finely adjusted part of the machine. A loss of spring force here means the twine is not gripped and the knot is not tied.

When the pressure spring that grips the twine in the knotter group fatigues, the twine is not caught at the moment it should be. The symptom is clear: no knot is made, or the knot that is made comes undone at once.

Adjustment values in this group vary from machine to machine; follow the figures in your own manual. If you suspect the spring, check free length and permanent set first — an adjustment made with a fatigued spring will not hold.

• Conical knotter springA separate item in our catalogue. The conical form gives a long stroke in a shallow installation gap.
• Cam latch springHolds the latch of the tying mechanism in position.
• Bale retaining latch pressure springKeeps the bale in place at the moment of tying.

Twine breaking — tension and safety

Broken twine is not always the twine. A sudden rise in load at the moment of tying can also come from a spring not doing its job: if the bale is over-compressed or the knotter movement is delayed, the twine sees more than it can carry.

That is exactly why the safety group exists. The shear key spring and the safety pad spring let the mechanism protect itself under excess load; when they fatigue, the safety either trips far too early or not at all.

• Shear key springLets the safety element act under excess load.
• 6 mm safety pad springWorks on the safety side of the pad group.
• Piston safety latch extension springHolds the safety latch of the piston group in position.

Symptom to spring — quick table

• Loose baleUpper and cradle pad pressure springs — compare free lengths.
• Misshapen baleFeeder fork spring, fork adjustment lever spring, rake ratchet pressure spring.
• Fine in the morning, poor by afternoonAdjustment lever spring — lost force lets the setting drift under vibration.
• No knot / knot comes undoneConical knotter spring, cam latch spring.
• Twine breakingCheck bale density first, then the shear key and safety pad springs.
• Bale not releasing / jammingBale release spring, bale retaining latch pressure spring.

Setting, or spring?

There is a practical test for the distinction: a problem that adjustment fixes is a setting problem; a problem that returns shortly after adjustment is a spring problem. A fatigued spring cannot hold a setting — you tighten the lever and a few hours later it is back where it was.

Adjustment values in the tying group vary by make and model; use your own manual. The criteria for springs are the same on every machine: if free length has shortened, if the body has taken a permanent set, or if corrosion pitting has formed on the surface, the spring should be replaced.