# New Holland 664 , starting a bale



## ubadawg (Sep 25, 2011)

I usually never have any issues starting a bale on this 664 net wrap. However , if I'm a small roll of hay starting a bale I sometimes have issues with it grabbing the hay from the pick-up reel. This baler loves a lot of hay fed to it . Love the baler , just hate going to a small field of hay. Question is , is it a belt issue or a roller issue?


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## r82230 (Mar 1, 2016)

My two cents, lack of hay issue. Some folks that do custom hay here on HT, do their own raking BEFORE they will bale a customer's field.

I think RB are designed to run at 75-80% capacity or above, not 10-25% capacity or below. My experience is only with 2 RB. One was an antique (chain baler), neither of them seemed to like light/thin windrows.

This is partly why I got rid of my JD24t, it was a good baler, but with large windrows that I could either SS bale or RB, not so good of a baler. Doing both RB and SS bales in same field/cutting, is more challenging for this reason (IMHO), if you are using a small capacity SS baler.

Larry


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## farmer85 (Jul 2, 2014)

My 654 did the same thing. I learned to slow the rpm’s down to about 1/2 speed and drive into the windrow. You have to give it enough so the stuffer helps you out and it will suck it right up. Then I just slap the throttle up and go. I got used to throttling back while I was closing the tailgate and this helps from slamming it. Overly dry hay was worse with mine.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Only issues I ever had with either my 644 or BR740A is starting the bale like you mentioned, once the core is formed it helps in pulling the hay off the stuffer.

I've never had to throttle down except in real fine, short and overly dry crops or in cornstalks if they were shredded too fine.

Standard operating procedure with both balers was to start the core in Under till either the pressure gauge starts to read or the bale shape indicators move up then shift up to Over and cram it in.

I'm not sure if welding key stock to the bottom roller would help at all.


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## farmer85 (Jul 2, 2014)

My bottom big drum roller had bar stock welded. It was fairly wore but didn’t help. GOOD pickup teeth helped more than anything on mine. Next time your having trouble when you fill the pickup and it’s right on the verge of plugging starting a bale throttle back and it helped on mine. Sometimes even when I would plug I would kick it back to an idle and it would suck it in while trying to slip the rattle clutch on pickup.


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## Jerry/MT (Dec 14, 2017)

I'm no expert but I've been round baling for four years with a used NH 688 and I find that these balers love big windrows. Baling is more difficult with stringy, thin windrows and you have to weave over them to get hay to the edges so the bales holds shape. I use a 10 wheel rake to combine 21 ft of hay into a windrow and the pickup gobbles it up. I don't hot rod it because our fields are pretty rough from voles. My starter roll has the bars welded on it and I have never had trouble starting a bale.


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## Beav (Feb 14, 2016)

I had a 644 the time I had problem starting a bale was when I started the core and came to the end of a windrow stopped feeding hay into the baler, several times it caused a plug. I would turn of the PTO until I got back on the windrow, problem solved most of the time. Increase speed in light hay I bale 7 to 8 mph with a 13' rake in normal hay. In heavy double windrow drop down to 5 to 5.5.


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

ubadawg said:


> I usually never have any issues starting a bale on this 664 net wrap. However , if I'm a small roll of hay starting a bale I sometimes have issues with it grabbing the hay from the pick-up reel. This baler loves a lot of hay fed to it . Love the baler , just hate going to a small field of hay. Question is , is it a belt issue or a roller issue?


 the pickup teeth not wanting to hand the hay to the starter roll. We had this problem on a 644 and it was the pick up teeth themselves. Are your pickup teeth in a good state of repair or are they worn and short with some bent or missing.


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

endrow said:


> the pickup teeth not wanting to hand the hay to the starter roll. We had this problem on a 644 and it was the pick up teeth themselves. Are your pickup teeth in a good state of repair or are they worn and short with some bent or missing.


But the pickup teeth deliver the hay to the stuffer, not the roll. This intrigues as I've read countless posts about Vermeer teeth becoming weak but never NH. I do know that mine are crap...


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## tomharmon (Jan 28, 2015)

I welded 1-2 inch beads on the bar stock, staggered ,bout 6in. apart that's attached to the drum. I had seen it done on another baler. This pretty much eliminated the problem all together,


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## farmer85 (Jul 2, 2014)

8350HiTech said:


> But the pickup teeth deliver the hay to the stuffer, not the roll. This intrigues as I've read countless posts about Vermeer teeth becoming weak but never NH. I do know that mine are crap...


On my 654 I had numerous missing teeth, some bent, and lots good. I was having all kinds of trouble JUST like you. I replaced ALL of my teeth and it really helped me. If it were me I would try to help that drum roller out as well like mentioned. Then you will be in love again.


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

farmer85 said:


> On my 654 I had numerous missing teeth, some bent, and lots good. I was having all kinds of trouble JUST like you. I replaced ALL of my teeth and it really helped me. If it were me I would try to help that drum roller out as well like mentioned. Then you will be in love again.


I'm not the OP. I'm just making an observation about my baler.


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## Gearclash (Nov 25, 2010)

8350HiTech said:


> But the pickup teeth deliver the hay to the stuffer, not the roll. This intrigues as I've read countless posts about Vermeer teeth becoming weak but never NH. I do know that mine are crap...


Weak or broken tines will cause problems with feeding with or without a stuffer. NH narrow pickup balers don't have a stuffer.


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

Gearclash said:


> Weak or broken tines will cause problems with feeding with or without a stuffer. NH narrow pickup balers don't have a stuffer.


I should have thought about the lack of stuffer but I'm not sure if I've ever even looked at a standard pickup baler up close.


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## rcruz (Jun 12, 2020)

tomharmon said:


> I welded 1-2 inch beads on the bar stock, staggered ,bout 6in. apartthat's attached to the drum. I had seen it done on another baler. This pretty much eliminated the problem all together,


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## rcruz (Jun 12, 2020)

I am having the same issue with BR7070 when starting core. i have to start slow once start it am back at 6-8mph make hay .If it were teeth wouldn't be throughout the procces ?

tomharmon. are the welds done on the bottom roll ?


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## Gearclash (Nov 25, 2010)

" I am having the same issue with BR7070 when starting core. i have to start slow once start it am back at 6-8mph make hay .If it were teeth wouldn't be throughout the procces ?"

What pickup do you have (Xtrasweep or standard) and what crop are you baling?


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## rcruz (Jun 12, 2020)

Xtrasweep blue steam , coastal and buffel grass


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## Gearclash (Nov 25, 2010)

Ok. What is happening when you try to start a bale too fast? Pickup plugging? If so does the stuffer slip clutch start to slip? Should hear it chatter if it does.


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