help....broken needles

Hi there....new to farming. We broke the needles off our John Deere 336 square baler last summer. I ordered new needles, but they don't match the arc of the broken ones. Wondered if perhaps the old ones were bent before we broke them?

Hi, check the yoke for being twisted. We broke
needles on IH 46 baler a couple times and had to
straighten the yoke to get the needles in alignment.

JimB

You can confirm they are the correct part # by looking up the 336 parts catalog at www.jdparts.com.

And, yes, they probably got mangled from several previous encounters.

I hope you have the Operator"s Manual for the baler, as it will have directions on properly setting up the new needles and timing the baler.

DO NOT operate the baler unless you have a good understanding of installing and setting the needles, timing the baler and how the needle brake and plungerhead stop work and that they are set properly and in good condition.

I"m NOT sure of the exact setup on the 336, but if there are any roller chains involved in the parts that are timed, they need to be in GOOD condition (not worn out/stretched) and properly tensioned.

Bottom line is, if the things I mentioned check out it would be VERY unusual to break the $$$ needles.

Thanks....yes we have a "specialist" coming out to have a good going over to make sure all is in working order...I have heard it's unusual to break those needles (however I am VERY lucky and just today found two older T14 balers sitting in a retired farmers field, which I understand use the same size needles) and I windered if we were simply going too fast for the baler because of imminent rain, or if there was something off with the timing. ALL advice is appreciated, thank you =)

So I checked the model number against the one on the receipt and they don't match....but I got the part out of the states and I am in canada, wonder if that matters?

No. going "too fast" wont break needles.'Bad' timing,'jumped' timing caused by worn chains,nonworking needle brake,improperly adjusted needles.........Cause breakage.Read your book! If you dont have one,get one!Reading and 'abiding' by the book can save several hundred dollars in damages.Quite possibly even your current problem.......

thought I had one, but a search through all the manuals reveals I don't....will order right now....from where?

The JD 336 was the first baler I bought new in 1975. The first needle I bought for it was $65.
Those days are gone.
Bob is right. You need a manual and if you could find somebody to help you that has worked on balers. I think all balers have the McCormick style knotter.
Something you might want to check is a spring that holds the interlock the prevents the plunger from hitting the needles at the wrong time. It sounds like this spring located on the
back right side when you lift the door to the plunger arm is broke or missing.
Another thing the baler could be out of time. There is a chain up by the flywheel that might have jumped a few teeth on the gear. We used to keep that chain tight.
Thare is also a chain that drives the feed to the plunger. Should check that, but it is not related to this problem.
Some guys have tried bending the needles back to shape. I never had any luck.
Again get a book thru Johndeerepartsonline, your JD Dealer, or google the phone number.
We wore out and rebuilt 2 336s. They are an excellent baler. If you are willing to do the work and bale chamber is not worn thin, I do not see why you can't bring it to new specs. You wou should have a good baler guy look at it. They can also be a money pit.

Well, if you broke your needles, there is likely
something else wrong that you need to make sure
you fix before you cycle the needles or you could
wind up right back where you are with another set
of broken or bent needles.

The plunger brake should trip and shear your shear
bolt at the flywheel if the needles are still in
the bale chamber when the plunger is moving back
into the chamber. This mechanism is there to
prevent exactly what you are now having to do now,
which is replace the needles in the event that
they do not properly exit the bale chamber in
time- a shear bolt is a lot quicker and cheaper
than a set of needles. I would check the plunger
break to make sure that it is clean of debris,
properly greased and actionable in the event that
it needs to trip.

That being said, there is also the question of why
your needles were still in the chamber in the
first place. Like the others have side, the
timing is critical. Check the timing chain, the
tucker finger chain, and the entire plunger
mechanism.

Once your new needles are installed, I would cycle
the needles (turn the flywheel slowly by hand and
trip the knotters) slowly and watch what is going
on in the chamber that may have caused the needles
to bend in the first place. If you find an issue,
you will have to work back from there.

The needles can get bogged down with heavy
windrows or wet hay. I"ve been baling towards
dusk and had the dew set in and that has shorn a
few bolts for the same reason. In that event,
backing the tension off (using the tensioning
screws at the back of the 336) solved my issue.

I have also had an issue before with the needle
brake. This is the disc above the knotters that
keeps the needles in the home position after the
knotter cycle is complete. This needs to be
properly tensioned (the manual has the correct
foot/pound requirement, I think it is around 60)
to keep the needles in the home position. If this
is not correct, the needles can bounce into the
bale chamber in rough terrain or on a downhill
grade (I learned that going uphill with a bad
needle brake doesn"t shear your shear bolts but
going downhill will do it almost every time
because of gravity).

Regardless, as others have said, an operator"s
manual is critical. The 336 is an excellent baler
in my opinion. However, I"ve spent a lot of time
learning about my machine the hard way through
trial and error. If you can, find someone near
you that has run the equipment before and they
hopefully can walk you through what to look for
and do.

I"d also make sure everything is clean and well
greased (not over greased as all that chaff will
stick to any exposed grease the second you get in
the field.)

I would recommend the Baler Man for parts and
reference. Here is his website:
http://www.bestbalerparts.com/336_337_346_347.html
I"ve ordered a lot of parts from him and have been
very happy with their service and knowledge.
Their business is based in Pennsylvania but I"m
sure you can get shipping to Canada. They know
their older John Deere balers and have been very
helpful with me.

Well, sorry for the long post. I hope you guys
get your baler fixed and your hay up.

Thanks,
Jameson

You can check, but I do not think they interchange. Too long ago to remember. Check the 14T number and if it is the same as the 336 I would think it would sub to a 336 needle number

Delta Red, going too fast broke two needles and bent the arm one time for us. We wee finishing up baling a 35 acre field of straw. It really looked like rain and my brother kicked it up a notch or two. Hit a big woodchuck hole and rock just as needles fired. Both needles broke and the needle frame bent badly.

Likely, the needle brake wasn"t set tight enough.

Or maybe the rock rolled through under the bale chamber and actually whacked the needle frame.

Be sure and check the operation of needle brake & PH stop plus check the PH rod connecting pin as they have sheared off the cotter key that secures them and slide out to contact the needle.

AM2931E needle for a 14T subs to the following PN's


This is the needle listed for a 336
AFH202537 NEEDLE 2 (TWINE) (SUB FOR AE15136 OR AE36262)

It has been a few years so I don't remember very specifically, but there is a part on the needle lock or brake linkage on the left side of the 336 that bears regular inspection in order to keep the needles out of the chamber when the plunger is in there.

showcrop
I think you're referring to the lever(parts key 12) that can stretch over time and bind on bushing(parts key 9) causing PH stop to be inoperable.

(quoted from post at 05:21:37 06/11/14)
showcrop
I think you're referring to the lever(parts key 12) that can stretch over time and bind on bushing(parts key 9) causing PH stop to be inoperable.

Click to expand...

Part #24 is very important in the drawing.

How about your JohnDeere dealer for starters?Or
Jensales;Ebay

Great help

Parts book avaible on line from Deere for free would anser that question.