adjust the baler

When people say 'adjust the baler', many people immediately think of spring tension or roll clearance. But in reality it is often a matter of balance - between the moisture content of the mass, the speed of the tractor and how the belt or cameras perform on a given day. Too tight and the press wears out, too loose and the bale falls apart when unloading. The most common mistake is to try to set everything according to the manual once and for all, without looking at the field.

Where problems usually start

Usually everything pops up when the bales turn out to be loose or, conversely, compressed to the point of becoming a monolith. The first thing they look at is the pressure in the chamber - but it is important to remember that different crops and humidity require different values. For example, for alfalfa with a humidity above 18%, the pressure should be reduced, otherwise the tape will not cope with squeezing out the juice. But for dry straw, you can add it, but be careful not to overload the chain drive.

The point of adjusting the feeder is often missed. If it is clogged or incorrectly adjusted in height, the mass enters the chamber unevenly. As a result, it presses in jerks, resulting in a bale with “constrictions.” This is especially critical on older models, where there is no automatic compression of the upper chamber. You literally have to set the gap by eye, then make a control bale, look at the cut, and adjust again.

Another nuance is setting up the harness. This does not seem to apply to the bale, but if the twine or netting is misaligned, the bale may lose its shape when dropped. Especially on uneven ground. Here the adjustment occurs as you work: first you set the tension, then you watch how the bale behaves as it leaves the chamber. Sometimes you have to sacrifice ideal density in order to prevent the binding from tearing.

Experience with 'Jiujia' equipment

Last season we worked with a baler fromHulunbuir Jiujia Machinery Manufacturing Company. The model was from the roll line, with a variable chamber. The first thing that caught my eye was that the density adjustment was made not through a purely mechanical screw, but through hydraulics with a pressure gauge. In theory, it’s convenient and can be changed on the go. In practice, it turned out that the pressure gauge becomes capricious when vibrating, and the readings dance. I had to get used to setting it “by the feeling” of the load on the PTO and the sound of the engine.

Specifically for this model, information about which can be found athttps://www.cn-fascar.ru, there was a peculiarity in the pick-up - the working width was adjusted not discretely, but smoothly. This is a plus for fields with uneven windrows, but it took time to understand how this width affected chamber filling. If you set it too wide and the tractor speed is high, a plug will form in the neck. I had to develop my own rule: first set the minimum width, make a couple of bales, then gradually expand until you find a point where the feed goes smoothly.

As for the service, thenJiujia company, which positions itself as a modern integrated enterprise, actually sent a specialist who showed fine adjustment of the twine weaving control sensors. But his recommendations were too “bookish” - according to the manual, for ideal conditions. In reality, we had to knock down these settings and adjust them to our sometimes torn straw.

Little things that make all the difference

Adjustment is often about little things. For example, the condition of the teeth in the pick-up. If they are worn out or bent, the mass enters the chamber with gaps. And no amount of adjustment of the main pressing mechanism will help - the bale will have voids. Therefore, before the season, I make sure to run the entire path of the mass: from the teeth to the pressing chamber. Sometimes the problem is solved not by tightening the nodes, but by simply replacing a pair of rollers on the conveyor.

Friction. They rarely pay attention to it until it starts to smell like burnt rubber or metal. All the guide belts, the sides of the chamber - you need to not just lubricate them, but watch how the mass flows along them. If it sticks, it means that somewhere the gap is small or, conversely, large, and the tape is “walking.” This is especially true after replacing the belt or shafts. A new belt often requires its own adjustment of the tension drums, different from the old one.

And of course, the weather. In the morning, with dew, the mass flows differently than at noon. Adjusting the baler to 'average' humidity is useless. You have to make an adjustment: in the morning, slightly loosen the pressure in the chamber so that there is no overload, and in the evening, tighten it up. This, of course, is not according to the textbook, but the bales are intact.

When adjustments don't help

It happens that you turn all the screws, but the result is zero. This is usually a signal that the problem is deeper. For example, wear of the crank mechanism on old presses. The play in the hinges will not allow the force to be transmitted evenly, and the bale density will “float” regardless of the settings. Or a stretched drive chain for pressing rollers - its adjustment has a limit, after which only replacement is required.

Once I encountered the fact that the bale did not hold its shape due to... incorrect setting of the strapping frequency. It would seem, what does this have to do with it? But it turned out that if the harness is turned on late, the already formed bale segment has time to unravel a little before it is fixed. And as a result, the overall density drops. The adjustment here was not mechanical, but through the control unit - I had to understand the menu, which is also a kind of 'setting'.

Another case is when all the parameters are normal, but the bales fall apart during unloading. They blamed the adjustment on the back of the camera. And the reason was that the tractor driver, trying to finish faster, gave too high a speed in the last meters of bale formation. The press simply did not have time to 'compact' the mass at the end of the cycle. Here it was not necessary to regulate the equipment, but to explain the technological process to the person.

Instead of a conclusion: a personal algorithm

Now my approach is toadjust baler, looks like this. First, diagnostics in the parking lot: checking all play, tension of chains and belts, condition of cutting and feeding elements. Then - the first trip to the field with minimal load. I make one bale, stop, disassemble it by hand, and look at the distribution of density across the cross-section.

Then I start turning: first the feed setting, then the pressure in the chamber, and at the very end - the piping unit. After each adjustment - a control bale. Yes, it takes a long time, but then during the shift you hardly bother with adjustments. The main thing is to remember what the conditions were (humidity, culture) and under what settings the press worked smoothly. I got myself a notebook for such notes - it helps a lot.

And one last thing. Not a single manual, even from a good manufacturer like'Jiujia', will not replace your eyes and hands. Equipment, even intelligent equipment, operates in real, not laboratory conditions. Therefore, the best adjustment is an understanding of what is happening inside the car at that particular moment. And sometimes it’s better not to trust the pressure gauge scale, but to listen to the sound of the motor and look at the bend of the twine - they will tell you more.