# New Holland Sledge Rolls.



## TJH (Mar 23, 2014)

I need to rebuild mine, those of you that have done this, on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being fairly easy how does this rate? I need to know whether to attempt it or take it to the shop. I lost one bearing in one of the idler gears, so at 20 years old just might as well rebuild the whole thing, just a matter of time for the rest of them.


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## stack em up (Mar 7, 2013)

Did this last summer on a 660. Pain in the @$$. Customer wanted new gears along with bearings and I think parts alone were just over $2,000. The hex head bolts holding the gears to the sledge rolls will most likely break off. Order new ones when you do it. Everything comes out the rear, but it's almost easier to remove the belts, I didn't.


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

It's not an especially fun job but it's quite doable. Mike10 has explained the tricks quite well here. Like stack said, the parts aren't cheap, primarily the gears on the rolls. It's not an expensive job if you only need bearings, though it's enough of a hassle that if the gears are at all questionable, you want to do it all at once. If you have laced belts, you might want to take out anywhere from 2 to all of them to make the job less annoying.


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## mike10 (May 29, 2011)

Depending on what other work is needed to the baler, I will remove the belts. It is not necessary but will make the job a lot easier. If you do not want to remove the belts, then after removing the tension from the belts and push the sledge frame all the way forward, remove the follower roll scraper support and the follower roll. Once that roll is removed you can raise the tailgate all the way up to get the belts out of the way. Be sure to use the lockout valve.

The next thing I would do is remove the two idler gears. Remove the 12mm bolt on each idler gear. After the 12mm bolt is removed you should see threads cut into the support where the bolt head was. You will need a 16mm bolt a couple inches long. Lubricate the threads and install the 16mm bolt into the support. I use an impact and continue to turn the bolt until the outer support pops out of the bearing. Once the outer support is off the bearing, the lower idler gear will probably end up on the floor. There is a thin shim washer between the idler gear bearing and the sledge frame so be sure you find it. The reason I remove the idlers first is because when you screw the 16mm bolt into the outer support you are forcing the inner support against the sledge rolls causing the outer hub to push out of the idler bearing. You could do the idlers last but then you will need to beat the outer support out of the idler bearing. Either way will work but you get a lot of bounce in the sledge frame when driving the outer support out of the idler bearing. The only down side to pushing the support out with the 16mm bolt is you will probably need a 12mm tap to repair the slight damage that may occur to the inner support when pushing with the 16mm bolt.

When I remove the sledge rolls and the follower roll I use straps on each end of the roll to support the roll as I remove the outer support hubs. I have straps similar to ratchet straps only they are the friction type so I can control the lowering of the roll once the supports are out of the roll. Since my straps are relatively short I use two of them together so I can lower the roll until I can reach it while standing on the ground. I also use them to raise the roll back up into position. I remove and replace the rolls by myself this way without the need for additional help. The only help I need is when reinstalling the idler gears because my arms are not long enough.

Removal of the supports are probably going to be the hardest part of the job. I have not found an easy way yet to remove them. I usually use two screwdrivers and work them back and forth until they come out.

When you get to the lower roll you will need to remove the sledge roll slip clutch and the outer bearing on the right side. Once the bearing and flanges are removed, clean the dirt out of the cavity behind and you will find two bolt heads and two nuts facing you. Remove the two bolts that are showing their heads. This will allow the anti wrap ring on the right side to move so the roll can be removed. On the left side, remove the center 12mm bolt. Also loosen, but do not remove the four 3/8" nuts. You should be able to pry the roll to the right so it comes off the support you just loosened and then remove the roll. Once the roll is removed you can tap the hub on the left side out of the frame some, the 3/8" bolts you loosened the nuts on will keep it from coming out of the frame completely.

On reassembly I put the idlers in first. The only thing you need to pay particular attention to is the location of the hubs on the middle and top sledge roll. You will see the hubs are not completely circular, there is a flat side. If you look at the sledge frame you should see a thin piece of metal welded to the sledge frame. The flat side of the support must align with the metal or the support will not set flat against the sledge frame. I take a felt tipped pen and mark the center point of the flat spot of the hub so I can see it from the opening in the sledge frame. I also mark the center of the metal plate on the sledge frame. When installing align these two marks and the roll will be in the correct position. Naturally the hub will not be in the right position by the time you get the roll into position. I use a 12mm bolt with a nut screwed onto it and screw it into the hub though the opening in the sledge frame. once the nut comes up against the hub you will be able to turn the hub into the correct position. The problem will come in when you try and remove the bolt. Use an impact to remove the bolt and the hub should remain stationery and not move out of position.

When I get the offset of the bearing hubs close to being in alignment with the opening of the sledge frame, I take a 12mm bolt about 7" long and slide the outer support onto the bolt and screw it into the inner bearing support. Now push the outer support into the sledge frame. What the long bolt allows you to do is move the roll slightly as you gently tap the outer support hub into position. No need to beat the heck out of it. Once it is aligned it will easily slip into position.

I know an earlier recommendation was to replace the bolts. I have seen new bolts break so I usually will go back with the original bolts. If they last 20 years they will probably not break. I do not use an impact when installing those bolts and I torque each one. The 10.9 bolts I torque to 90 ft/lbs and the 8.8 bolts I torque to 75 ft/lbs. I also use Loctite on the bolts. The reason I do not use an impact on those bolts, is because I do not want to take the chance on prematurely cracking one of the hardened bolts.


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## Redbaler (Jun 10, 2011)

Sorry to resurrect an old thread but this information is gold. I had to do the gears in my 7090 today because one of the bearings went out. I bet Mike10 saved me 4 hours. Thanks a million! Ever make it to central Illinois I owe you a steak dinner.


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