# What have I gotten myself into?



## SwingOak (May 19, 2014)

After a couple of seasons of struggling with solo small square baling using the old NH s68, I realized I really needed to get a baler with a thrower. So I just picked up a JD 24T with a thrower for a pretty decent price. The knotters look to be in good shape, everything for the most part seemed pretty tight, and the only obvious issue was a hydraulic leak at the kicker cylinder. Probably an easy fix.

Anything else I should look for when I get it in my shop to clean it up and fix the hydraulic leak? Any potential operational issues/suggestions I should know about?

Thanks!


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

Is it a #30 thrower? The hydraulic pumps will go bad eventually (and aren't feasible to repair) but you'll have a hard time determining wear until you use it. My suggestion would be to find out where you can buy a new cast iron (cheaper and better) pump now just in case you take it to the field in the spring and aren't satisfied with it. Otherwise, you might get stuck getting a Deere pump and in that case you're looking at a large bill.


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## Josh in WNY (Sep 7, 2010)

If you are pulling the kicker cylinder apart, you may want to check the spring(s) in it (I'm assuming it's a model 30 like HiTech mentioned) as these can get week and cause the pan to not reset under the latch after it fires. If it doesn't latch, the next bale out of the chamber will push the pan up and it just gets messy from there... don't ask me how I know!

Also, if it is working, make sure that you use the safety lockout anytime you are around it. This keeps the kicker from firing if you happen to bump the trigger accidentally. When we used to use this style kicker, the only time the safety latch was ever off was when we were baling hay. As soon as I stepped off the tractor, I would walk back and engage it. You might end up pitching a couple bales on the wagon by hand when you forget to re-engage the kicker, but it beats the alternative.


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## SwingOak (May 19, 2014)

I'm getting it from a friend of mine - if there were any serious problems with it I'm sure he would have told me. He did say it struggles in a heavy windrow, and also I'd run into problems with heavy windrows if it finishes the bales too quickly because the thrower can catch the bale that's part way out. Other than that he said it worked pretty well and never missed a tie, except sometimes when changing balls of twine. The s68 I have is no different as far as heavy windrow and tying issues go.


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## JeffMNY (Jan 5, 2014)

I could be wrong on this, but I think the 24T came with a mechanical kicker. A friend of mine has one. He took the kicker off of it because he said it was a very violent motion when it kicked. He ended up putting a NH kicker with a gas engine on it.

A 30 kicker could be put on them. As was previously said, in heavy hay, the kicker may have a hard time keeping up. I have seen on a 336 where the baler was quicker than the kicker. The bale will droop out the bale chamber and when the pan goes to reset, it will hit the bale and not return fully. If I remember correctly, there are pieces of angle iron on the end of the chamber which can be adjusted to help this from happening. I assume the 24T is the same. Always thought they were a pretty good baler.


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## VA Haymaker (Jul 1, 2014)

IMHO - a 24T is one of the greatest balers ever made. I use to stack behind one on a wagon and that baler spit out the finest 40lb brick shaped bales, one after another and another - it was amazing. The fellow that baled with it bought the baler new.

Having said that - my former banana bale making New Holland 68 now spits out bricks too.

So I think you got two of the best balers ever made.

Good luck,
Bill


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## SwingOak (May 19, 2014)

JeffMNY said:


> I could be wrong on this, but I think the 24T came with a mechanical kicker. A friend of mine has one. He took the kicker off of it because he said it was a very violent motion when it kicked. He ended up putting a NH kicker with a gas engine on it.
> 
> A 30 kicker could be put on them. As was previously said, in heavy hay, the kicker may have a hard time keeping up. I have seen on a 336 where the baler was quicker than the kicker. The bale will droop out the bale chamber and when the pan goes to reset, it will hit the bale and not return fully. If I remember correctly, there are pieces of angle iron on the end of the chamber which can be adjusted to help this from happening. I assume the 24T is the same. Always thought they were a pretty good baler.


It's definitely a hydraulic thrower - the pump is driven off a belt on the flywheel. There is hydraulic connection for the tractor remote to control the direction of the thrower by tilting it from one side to the other. At first from the pictures I thought it had hydraulic bale tension, but it does not.


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## SwingOak (May 19, 2014)

leeave96 said:


> IMHO - a 24T is one of the greatest balers ever made. I use to stack behind one on a wagon and that baler spit out the finest 40lb brick shaped bales, one after another and another - it was amazing. The fellow that baled with it bought the baler new.
> 
> Having said that - my former banana bale making New Holland 68 now spits out bricks too.
> 
> ...


My s68 makes some very nice bales. I'm happy with it. I planned on making new slides for the plunger on the s68 this winter but now with another baler in he lineup I may put that task on the back burner.


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

JeffMNY said:


> I could be wrong on this, but I think the 24T came with a mechanical kicker. A friend of mine has one. He took the kicker off of it because he said it was a very violent motion when it kicked. He ended up putting a NH kicker with a gas engine on it.
> 
> A 30 kicker could be put on them. As was previously said, in heavy hay, the kicker may have a hard time keeping up. I have seen on a 336 where the baler was quicker than the kicker. The bale will droop out the bale chamber and when the pan goes to reset, it will hit the bale and not return fully. If I remember correctly, there are pieces of angle iron on the end of the chamber which can be adjusted to help this from happening. I assume the 24T is the same. Always thought they were a pretty good baler.


That would be a #2 thrower. It's hard to imagine there are any of those still in use.

Anyway, sounds like Swing has a 30.


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## Shetland Sheepdog (Mar 31, 2011)

Another big problem with the #2 mechanical was that the only way to vary length of throw was with the tractor throttle!  :huh:

I had a used 24T that I added the #2 to. Sold it after one frustrating season, and bought a used NH 315 with hydraulic pan kicker.


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

Be sure too check that the plungerhead stop is operating correctly. I never liked the bridge with pads on PH held in place by one bolt on 24T's. If bolt breaks bridge/pads is AWOL in hay field.


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## SwingOak (May 19, 2014)

I was going to haul the 24T home tomorrow, but with a wintry mix forecast for the AM and rain the rest of the day, I think it will have to wait until Sunday. I'd rather not haul the baler 40 miles over the roads with salt all over them. At least by Sunday any salt they put down tomorrow morning will have washed away.


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## thendrix (May 14, 2015)

Congratulations/I'm sorry. Six months from now when you know if you did good or bad you can insert whichever phrase fits. LOL.

In all seriousness, I applaud you for making things work with old machinery. Anybody can throw a wad of money out and make things work but it takes a special breed to do it the way we do.


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## SwingOak (May 19, 2014)

I can't afford to buy new(er) stuff so I don't have much choice other than fix up old stuff.

I picked it up today, got it home and in the shop in time to beat the weather. At first look under the lights, everything does in fact seem tight and in good shape. One thing I noticed immediately after putting it in the shop is the tires are different sizes, and the one by the pickup is definitely the wrong size. It hauled nice over the road and the wheel bearings didn't get the slightest bit warm.

It needs a cleaning, some straighening/welding of the thrower side guards, a hydraulic hose or two replaced, hydraulic fluid changed, and at least one new tire. I'll sharpen the knife too. Other than that it looks to be ready to go. I'll post some photos in a bit.

There's a serial number tag on the thrower, but I can't find one on the baler. Anyone know where it should be?


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## SwingOak (May 19, 2014)

Some photos of the baler. I was told it was stored indoors until recently when it was put up for sale:



















Guards need some straightening and a little welding



















Clearly this is not the right size tire


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

SwingOak said:


> Clearly this is not the right size tire


Your right, that is not the correct tire.....

The 24T uses a Ag tire....

Right Hand side used a 4.00-15 or 5.00-15

Left Hand side used a 6.40-15 or 6.70-15

I bought a pair about 10 years ago for my 24T....that now belongs to a good friend.

Your baler does appear to have been dry stored.

Regards, Mike


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## Josh in WNY (Sep 7, 2010)

If JD put the serial tags in the same spot as their later balers, the tag should be on the front face of the baler. As old as that baler is though, it may have been broken off. I have a 336 that is missing the tag... hope I don't run into problems finding the right parts. Serial number breaks can be a pain sometimes, even if you have the serial number.

Good luck, looks like a nice baler to have fun with next summer.


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## CDennyRun (Nov 26, 2015)

That looks like a pretty straight machine. Nice score! I can't seem to find any 24T's around here. Sure wish I could!

Chris


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## glasswrongsize (Sep 15, 2015)

SwingOak said:


> There's a serial number tag on the thrower, but I can't find one on the baler. Anyone know where it should be?


If same place as my 14t, it is on the left side of the bale chamber below the needle lift disk. Hope it helps

73, Mark


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## SwingOak (May 19, 2014)

Vol said:


> Your right, that is not the correct tire.....
> 
> The 24T used a Ag tire....
> 
> ...


Thanks for the info! The tire in the photo is a 6.7-15 implement tire. The one on the chamber side is a 7.6-15 implement tire. THe 7.6 is in reasonably good shape. Looks like a couple of new tires are in my future.


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## SwingOak (May 19, 2014)

I found the nameplate. The reason I did not see it earlier is because it's partly covered by the hydraulic pump bracket. So it's on the lower part of the frame right behind the flywheel.


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## SwingOak (May 19, 2014)

It took a little more effort than I expected to get the baler going - I did some work on it and ran out of time, and not being familiar with a JD24T I hauled it up to my local JD dealer to let them tell me what was wrong with it. I figured with $149 inspection fee would be worth it.

And it was - and the recommendation from the shop guy (who clearly knew exactly what he was talking about) suggested I try it first to see how it works before putting any more money in it.

So I figured I'd just let them make the critical fixes (because i'd run out of time) and $1400 in repairs later (more broken/missing parts than expected, a new tire, wheel bearings, main gearbox bearing, etc.) and it works like a champ.

I have a few more fixes to make, but I'm really impressed with the bales this thing makes. I might just sell the s68 and go green for good!


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

The 24T makes great bales.....make sure the plunger knives are sharp to get a postcard looking bale. I used one for years and it was a trouble free baler. Never the first banana bale. The only negatives are it's narrow pickup and slow baling stroke speed.

Regards, Mike


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## SwingOak (May 19, 2014)

Yes Mike - the knives need to be sharpened and the plunger adjusted. Plus, the plunger pivot bearing needs to be replaced. 98% of the time it works fine, but the other 2 percent a bale blows apart in the thrower because the knife didn't cut all the way through, or it flips the bale into the knotters. It usually hits the bake length arm, and ties a bale early. Then when that mini bale hits the trigger it launches clear over the wagon and into orbit!


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