# NH 268 breaking shear pins



## MikeDeP (Apr 29, 2010)

I'm new to used haying equipment and in need of some help. I've got a NH 268 hayliner which seems to work fine except that it breaks shear pins often enough that even I know something must be wrong. Can't find anything amiss when it breaks one -- which does not mean much as I am pig ignorant, but my neighbors who are old hands can't find anything wrong either. Change the broken pin and it works fine again until the next break. Sometimes I go 50 - 100 bales without a break, sometimes they break every 5 - 10 bales. Last bit of information. The breaks happen just after the baler ties a knot, apparently after the needles are back in place.

I've ordered but not received a manual yet, so sorry for wasting time if this issue is explained there.


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## michaelr73 (Jun 25, 2010)

check the needle safety latch first. also check brake tension on knotter shaft it holds needles up until next tying cycle.


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## bowlnchamp219 (Jun 17, 2010)

take out all the hay and check e timing if not the plunger may move forward at the wrong time and break the needle. You may just be traveling too fast or the hay is too wet.


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## MikeDeP (Apr 29, 2010)

Thanks for the suggestions michaeir73 & bowlinchamp219.

I do know the has was not too wet, in fact it was bone dry, so dry that I had to tighten way up to avoid bales that did not fall apart. Thought I might have it too tight, but loosening didn't help. I also slowed way down, which did not help.

Will need to wait for the manual to know how to check needle safety latch, brake tension and timing. But all the first cutting is finally in -- horrible spring for rain here -- so I should have a month or so to figure out my problem.

Any other advice much appreciated.


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## bowlnchamp219 (Jun 17, 2010)

Okay just to let u know im horible with part names but what I would do since you have some time. Take out all the hay then roll the big wheel in front of the baler around and watch what happens to the plunger to make sure the timing is correct. Another very easy thing I should have mentioned is are you using actual break away bolts or are you using factory grade bolts? You may just have the wrong bolts in their and that is an easy fix


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Its been a longggg time since we sqr bale but like bow219 said are you using the correct bolts.I believe the factory shear bolts have a longer shoulder(unthreaded part)so they are not breaking in the threads.I think we used a little longer bolt fron hdwre store that worked fine.We did get some bolts one time from a traveling salesman and they broke easier.I think they were grade 5 bolts.

Is the hole getting wore out? maybe need to rebush it.


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## bowlnchamp219 (Jun 17, 2010)

What color are they if they are black or green. They will work. Not shiny. They break easily on any slight jam


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## MikeDeP (Apr 29, 2010)

Thanks for more information. I do not think it is the bolts. I've not had factory bolts, but started w/ plain old bolts then went to grade 8. Made no difference. Now know the problem is that the safety latch is still engaged, so the plunger is slamming it. My guess is that this would break what ever bolt I used. So I think I have a timing problem. But it isn't off all the time. I can get 10 -50 bales between problems. The timing chain is very loose, so I am thinking the problem might lie with that. Unfortunately the idler is all the way up, so I'm going to need to take out a link and put in a half to tighten it. Will this cause any problems? Also planning on checking all the timing as I now have a manual. Final question -- is there anything that could cause the safety latch to hang up on occasion, so that it is not disengaging fast enough to avoid the plunger? This machine is old and rusty, although not the knotters. In fact, very happy with that end of things. Did over 1,000 bales last week and only one knot didn't tie.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Our NH 276 Hayliner would do the same thing once in awhile if you hit a bump. Unfortunately I can't recall exactly what it was, but I'd check to make sure all the linkage is good (nothing sloppy loose) then if I recall correctly, the plunger safety latch also has a spring on it to make sure it stays retracted. Try installing a new spring and check the linkage so the latch has plenty of clearance when it's retracted. I'm wanting to say we had a weak spring and just enough slop in the linkage that if you hit a bump at just the wrong time, the latch would protrude just enough to catch the plunger and buh bye shear bolt.


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## Haymike56 (May 3, 2010)

It very well could be the brake is not holding the twine fingers all the way retracted. If they move slightly the plunger stop will engage. If the ground happens to be rough that could shake the finger arm dow enough to engage the stop. With the baler pto off, grab the twine finger arm and try to move it forward in it rotation. If it moves easily tighten up the spring loaded bolts on the knotter brake. This is located on the right hand end of the knotter stack if you are standing behind the knotter stack, off to the left hand side facing forward. Dont get them too tight as this will want to shear the small bolt at the left hand side of the knotter stack.


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## bowlnchamp219 (Jun 17, 2010)

http://www.haytalk.com/forums/f7/broke-my-dang-baler-2255/
Check this out. It was my story of how something so small turned into a huge pain.


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## NDVA HAYMAN (Nov 24, 2009)

One thing is for sure, you need to get the correct shear bolts from your NH dealer. They are for your protection from damaging your equipment. I would never use grade 8 bolts. Mike


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## MikeDeP (Apr 29, 2010)

Thanks much for all the suggestions.

Can't easily get the right shear bolts, but I'm back down to using standard rather than hardened bolts.

Have tightened the knotter drive chain, which was VERY loose. Checked the timing and adjusted it. Tightened up the rod that disengages the safety latch, which seemed sloppy. Also tightened the brake just a little. Finally, shortened up the catch that disengages the safety latch by a half inch or so.

Was able to bale up a bunch of loose hay left over from 1st cutting without incident. Hoping things will work as well when I'm next in the field.


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## RobRoy (Jul 16, 2010)

Ok, this is my first post here ever. 
I am a Seattle business analyst that works in a cubicle farm. I bought a 13 acre "farm" in central Kentucky last year and just drove most of my stuff out there last month. I'm doing what the previous owner did: my neighbor cuts, bales, and removes my hay but leaves some for any cattle I may have.

Anyway, while I was there I helped my neighber with the roughly 300-400 bales we got of my land. He was using his "square" baler and it would break a bolt every one or two bales when we started out. Neither of us had any experience with this thing (he bought the baler from his father in law and this was the first time he used it) so I tinkered with it and we discovered, through trial and error, how to thread the string (last time I used a baler was as a kid in '66 and they used wire), and watched the mechanism work. We went through 20 or so shiny bolts and I suggested that since everything seemed in synch and the hay was bone dry, that maybe we should try a stronger bolt. We went for the one with three lines on the bolt head. I remember from school that the more lines there are, the more shear strength. After that I believe he broke two more before finishing the field.

Looking back, we really ran the risk of doing some damage to the baler. I thought the clutch on the flywheel would prevent damage but after thinking about it when I came back to Seattle, I realized that just as the electric motor powers a diesel electric train, the flywheel is what actually powers the baler. And there is no clutch between the flywheel and the mechanism.

My neighbor has no internet but I do.







This site is going to be an amazing help for us and already has been. Thanks everyone for taking the time to work out the details of this issue. It's really got me thinking. Just from what I've read on this single thread I have gotten a kick start to working with a lot of different issues with that baler.


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