Great points.

You're welcome.

Thank you. It takes a lot of time to create and post any video. Glad that you find it to be useful.

Yes, that's possible. But a chain that has stretched will not fit the sprockets correctly, therefore the sprockets will wear faster. If the sprockets are worn enough, they can cause the chain to slip. You don't want to have to change the sprockets and chains.

As I mentioned in the video, the bale tension system uses hydraulics, and is "closed" - meaning that it does not connect to your tractor. You may not need all of the details, but I will cover them here. First you connect that system to your tractor. I found a coupling behind the baler front pressure gauge (7:36). I purchased a special-sized coupling to match that connector, then made up a hydraulic hose with that special coupling and plugged the hose into my tractor SCV. From the tractor, I pressurized the baler's system, then released that pressure. Repeated that until I was certain there was no air left in the baler's hydraulics. I disconnected the special coupling. At this point, the system is ready to use. The valve in the rear of the baler (7:48) is used to control hydraulic pressure, thus control density. The more the valve is closed, the higher the hydraulic pressure. That pressure is shown by the front pressure gauge. It must never be completely closed. When the rear gate is opened (normal operating process via the tractor SCV), the pressure gauge shows the pressure setting, even when no bale is present.

My wrap is only on the outside. Are you saying that your wrap starts before the hay gathering completes? My bale monitor inside the tractor signals to me when the bale size is complete. It is up to ME to stop the tractor so no more hay is added. After the signal, the monitor waits something like 5 seconds before it instructs the baler to start the wrap process. IF I have stopped, this is enough time for the baler to finish up packing the hay, then the wrap starts. If I fail to stop at the signal, or coast, or continue driving, the wrap process starts even if the baler is still picking up hay. P.S. even if you stop, if there is material sitting in the baler pickup area but unfed into the bale, sometimes that unfed material is caught and added even though wrapping has started.

There is a delay for net to start binding. When I set up a baler for a customer I always adjust this to the operators reaction times to stop net getting baled into the bale. Usually set to 3 seconds. This adjustment is in the monitor.

Good question. Bad bearings would feel rough when turned, give off noise, or create heat. The first two symptoms would not be detectable on a running unit. I highly recommend an "infrared thermometer" gun. Harbor Freight sells them for $25. Run the baler for at least 15 minutes, then take the gun and point it at all of the bearings, looking for one that is warmer than the rest. A very common occurrence with balers is that they burn up in the field. For that, the cause is a bearing that has failed and gets so hot (red hot) that it ignites nearby hay dust or hay. Therefore a gun is a perfect tool to review bearing temperatures when stopped for a break or at the end of the day. I found a bad bearing by accident when I was brushing hay away from the chains and chain sprockets with my bare hand, therefore I could feel that one area was warmer than the rest.

Replace it probably? Coons wrecked ours on our corn chopper.

You're right. If replaced each time it is/would be damaged, I'd be replacing it a few times each year ... at $130+ each time. Instead, I avoid being in the area when it is turning.

@@rancher9625 Guess I'm just lucky I've never wrecked pto yet but have a great day thanks your reply

I think you just said 10, 000

I do not know the difference. When I look for specs, both are 1994-1998 models, and the specs suggest more power to run the 654, but pickup width and bale size appear to be the same. Sometimes balers have an option for slicing - maybe that's the difference?

644 is 4x5 and 654 baler makes a 4x6 ft bale