# BR 740A Balecommand Plus issues



## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

So not to steal the other thread on Bale command, mine has been acting up for the last 40 acres or so. What it's doing is simply shutting itself off. I've cleaned all the connections, replaced the circuit breaker in the control box in the cab, the circuit breaker in the power cord and checked all the plugs for a loose connection. Can't make it do this by wiggling any of the plugs. Strange part is I thought I had it fixed before baling the last 15 acres, made 20 or 30 bales no problem then it started shutting off again, always turns right back on with a press of the button but its getting aggravating to say the least. May do this once every couple of bales or several times during one bale then won't act up for the next dozen.

Anybody have any suggestions on what to try next? Only other thing I'm about ready to try is changing the solenoid on the side of the control box on the baler.


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## Chessiedog (Jul 24, 2009)

Just wondering have you check connections in the control box on the baler ? I have the 770 , not sure whats in that box on the baler as I have never had it opened . Really sounds like a connnection problem to me , more than a relay bad . I know you said you checked the connections but did you spray all the plugs with a electrical contact cleaner ? Also possible broken wire in wiring harness .


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

All the connections are clean and shiny, I'm really meticulous about this. Have years of experience with planter monitor connections taking just a wee bit of corrosion to end up not counting correctly. Like I said, can't make it happen by wiggling any of the plugs, wires going into plugs, or by manipulating the harness, but I've had it shut off while sitting still.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

One other thing, it seems to me if it was a bad power supply, it should trip when the actuator kicks in to wrap a bale but it hasn't done that. Reasoning is a 12 volt motor kicking in and running pulls more juice than the electronics.


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## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

My did the same thing a couple of years ago, sometimes it would not even turn back on. Finally went on the blink and quit all together. New Holland service manager replaced a selenoid on the baler somewhere near the "brain box" on the right hand side and worked perfect again.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

haybaler101 said:


> My did the same thing a couple of years ago, sometimes it would not even turn back on. Finally went on the blink and quit all together. New Holland service manager replaced a selenoid on the baler somewhere near the "brain box" on the right hand side and worked perfect again.


That's what I'm trying next, have a jumper wire made and when it acts up I'm going to bypass that solenoid and see what happens.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

didn't help, has to be in the control panel in the cab, pulled the cover after cussing a dozen bales and something is hot in there, can't see any cooked components but something sure stinks.


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## JCRFARMS (Feb 8, 2012)

Our brand new monitor was doing the same thing. It would shut off all buy itself. The first time we used it it did it about twice but I turned it back on and just assumed I had a bad connection. The next day as I drove it home from the field it shut itself off repeatedly. Long story short I checked everything I could think of and had the dealer come back out. Ended up I had a bad connection at my alternator and the regulator was putting out 16 volts at times and it would shut off the monitor. The dealer sent a repair bill of over $500 to help me figure this out. I understand they can't do things for free but between the baler and a used but almost new backhoe we have spent over $60k with them in last few months!!! Seems like they could have thrown this one in for free or a discounted rate!!!


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

My tractor has a volt gauge and I've yet to seen it over 14 volts. I took that cover off at a rental farm, the landlord is a computer/IT guy, builds and sells computers on the side, he agreed that something smells like it's getting hot in the display. If you've smelt burnt windings in a electric motor or ever had a power supply or a graphics card in your PC burn up, you know the smell I'm talking about...$$$$


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## Chessiedog (Jul 24, 2009)

I have to say it's nice to know other folks have troubles too i guess .. Fought with the sq baler all day ... It won I brought it home broken ! *7*&^&*%@#


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## Chessiedog (Jul 24, 2009)

industrail electrician for 22 years have smelled that smell a lot ! know just what your talking about .


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

I could set my Harvest Tec unit to the diagnostics page as it displays volts there and see what happens. Both the Harvest Tec and the Balecommand are hooked to the batterys which would be a more accurate reading than the volt meter in the cab, but the Harvest Tec unit if I remember correctly has over voltage protection and it ain't shut down yet, so does the aftermarket scale unit I added last year and it ain't shut down either. Aggravation and bother.

I have a cold 18 pack in the fridge calling my name.


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## JCRFARMS (Feb 8, 2012)

Hope you get it figured out! I even replaced battery cables on my tractor, I was just sure it was a bad connection somewhere. The one thing I didn't think about was too much voltage.


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## mike10 (May 29, 2011)

It sounds like a voltage problem, either to low or to high. I would double check the alternator output with a voltmeter to be sure your tractor gauge is accurate. One thing you might try is turning on your lights while baling. This draws some of the excess voltage away and has gotten several customers out of a bind when their displays went blank and they did not want to take the time to repair the tractor.

Low voltage due to the load of the baler components, although a possibilty, is probably not likey since the display is going blank while baling and not just wrapping.

A broken wire or in the harness or a connector problem is also a possibility, though I would think you would not always be able to turn the display back on immediately.

You might want to have the latest software installed in your controller. Supposidly it warns you of low voltage, however I have not witnessed that yet and may not be accurate. Whether it displays a warning or not, the software will protect the controller from damage due to low voltage.

I assume you are going direct to the battery or starter for power. Plugging into the tractor wiring harness through one of the plugs will not provide enough voltage to run the bale command consistantly if at all. The tractor wiring in newer tractors is just not heavy enough to carry the load of a net baler.

If you have a friend with a BR baler, you might see if you can borrow the power supply harness to try on your tractor. Your connections ends may not be making proper contact at times. If it still does not works this will at least eliminate the tractor harness as the problem. I had one where you could not see anything wrong with the harness, but by using a different harness it tolds us the owners harness was defective somewhere.

I even know of one guy who took along an extra battery to run the baler when he was having charging problems. This confirmed that the problem was with the tractor. I just don't know how long it would run the baler before low voltage becomes a problem.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Thought of connections as well, but I had it pull this while sitting still with the tractor off. Hot here, running AC and fans on high. Will double check the voltage though, not having a problem with the other two displays though unless the bale command is just more sensitive to over voltage.


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## mike10 (May 29, 2011)

If it happened with the tractor off, it probably is not a high voltage issue. There could be a component in the operators panel causing this problem. Instead of hunting for a different harness, I would see if you could borrow an operators panel from someone to try. I don't like to do it, but, sometimes switching parts is the only way to narrow the problem area down.


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

I have trouble with my NH BR780A occasionally because the connector at the back of the tractor, going to the baler, doesn't quite fit right. It seems that the pins look like they should be making contact but they don't. I have to make sure that the connector is fully seated (it twists on and I have to use a ise grips to get that last little it of turn).

Double check that connector. Maybe it's not seating fully.

Ralph


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## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

Your bale command will tell you voltage as well, it is the diagnostic or set up menu somewhere. I saw my service manager check it once on mine. I still think your problem is on the baler itself, if I remember right, the bale command is nothing more than a display. All of the brains and so forth on the baler itself. Even your total bale count is stored on the baler itself. You could plug another bale command into your baler off of any new holland br baler and it will come up with your model number and your bale count for your baler. If you need to talk to my service manager, call Blesch Bros at 812-636-4050 and ask for Max. He can probably tell you what is wrong over the phone. He keeps me running most times without an actual service call.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

I'm thinking Mike10 is on the right track here, I don't know why it shut itself off the one time while the tractor was off (unless something was getting hot from over voltage) but I set my harvest tec unit to diagnostics this morning, started the tractor and started to rev the motor, about time the display on the harvest tec said 14.9 the bale command turned off, I hit the power button again, it turned on then right back off. If I turn the AC on it keeps the voltage at 14.8 until the compressor cycles off, voltage rises, bale command turns off again. Out of curiosity I turned everything electrical off in the cab, restarted the tractor, revved her up then all three of my monitors turned off.

Checked the alternator and the connections in the two conductor plug are corroded as are the ones on the alternator. Was going to pull the alternator and clean the connections put it has dry bearings anyways so a new alternator and pigtail are getting installed this am. Interestingly enough the digital displays and my fluke meter connected to the batterys agree with one another but with AC running in the cab the volt meter in the dash reads a volt lower than everything else.

Of course now that I've unplugged that connection once and plugged it back in, I can't make it do it again. But I'm betting change the alternator and pig tail and that's the end of the trouble, hopefully. I might head to wally world today and pick up another 18 pack just in case.









Thank you mike10.


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## JCRFARMS (Feb 8, 2012)

When the New Holland machanic came out he noticed that when he reved the engine it would go off. That was our first clue to the high voltage problem. Me, I would drive it around and of course automatically give it fuel to go. I thought for sure something was bumping loose as I drove!


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## mike10 (May 29, 2011)

The bale command is designed to turn itself off at @ 16v. As the OP stated, you can check the voltage through the diagnositic mode on the operators panel. Press and hold the open book key, the one under the on/off key, until the alarm sounds and then release. You will see a 1 on the left side of the screen and a number on the right side which corresponds with the bale size you are baling. Press and release the open book key again and the left number goes up to two. Continue to press the key until 19 is displayed. Press the key again and the software version number will be displayed. Pressing the key again will take you to the operators panel self test. Just press the open book key again, probably will need to press it twice, to advance to the next screen which is the battery voltage.

It would be interesting to compare the two values to see if they are the same between the bale command and the harvest tec monitor. If the Harvest Tec monitor recieves it's power from a plug through the tractor wiring, I would think the values would be different.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Another interesting thing, My Fluke meter and the Harvest Tec unit agree with one another saying I have 14.2 volts with AC running full blast, the lights on at WOT, but the bale command says I have around half a volt higher (14.7v) than the other two say, this must be why it was jsut shutting off and not the other two with the AC on.

Both are connected directly to the battery.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Now I'm really getting worried! I have my NH 648 Bale Command plugged into the aux power source behind the seat. Fits perfect and makes removal easy.
So you guys have found the plug to be inadequate? I will have to wire-in the hard- wired harness?


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

I've found anything to be more reliable when wired directly to the batteries. I think the Bale Command has a thirty amp circuit breaker right in the power cord. My Harvest Tec has a 25 amp fuse right in the power cord, so in my case no way would the in cab power source be sufficient. I use stud post batteries as well so the already supplied eyes on the cables fit nicely on the studs of the battery. Positive to the battery and negative to the same frame ground the battery uses. Never hook directly to the alternator, can pick up all kinds of "noise" from it.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Well, I guess I know what I'm doing this morning......
You'd think these tractor companies would be smart enough to know the draw on their plug could be a lot, like from a baler!!!!!!!


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## Nitram (Apr 2, 2011)

mlappin said:


> I've found anything to be more reliable when wired directly to the batteries. I think the Bale Command has a thirty amp circuit breaker right in the power cord. My Harvest Tec has a 25 amp fuse right in the power cord, so in my case no way would the in cab power source be sufficient. I use stud post batteries as well so the already supplied eyes on the cables fit nicely on the studs of the battery. Positive to the battery and negative to the same frame ground the battery uses. Never hook directly to the alternator, can pick up all kinds of "noise" from it.


On my accubale plus I went to the alt due to the post doesn't corrode so my thinking it was a direct line to the battery... but hadn't thought of "noise" interference. Thank you will have to rethink my routing. Martin


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## mike10 (May 29, 2011)

Some of the older tractors seem to work with the three prong plug in the cab to supply power to the Bale Command. This past week a guy bought a used 688. The previous owner used the three prong tractor plug in his CaseIH for power and ran 10000 bales without a problem. The next owner connected to his newer CaseIH tractor the same way and the system shut down on the first bale when it was supposed to extend the net actuator. We had to go to the battery to get it to work.

By the way, the BR balers are not equipped with the three prong plug connector.

It is better not to go through the tractor wiring for power, but if it works don't mess with success.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Nitram said:


> On my accubale plus I went to the alt due to the post doesn't corrode so my thinking it was a direct line to the battery... but hadn't thought of "noise" interference. Thank you will have to rethink my routing. Martin


I have a post on this somewhere else, but on all my tractors and heavy trucks I've converted all them that weren't already to stud post batteries. I'm forty two with a pretty good memory and I don't recall ever having near the problems with stud post batteries and the connections as a person will have with the lead post batteries. A lot easier to make your own cables with stud post a well, invest in a good crimper, solder after crimping, then heat shrink....will most likely outlast the equipment it's on.


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## NDVA HAYMAN (Nov 24, 2009)

I'm like Marty. Any time I have to replace a battery, it will be a stud post battery. Depending on the situation, I might take a brand new battery out of a pc. of equipment and change it with post style.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Alternator and new pig tail solved the problem. Baled 76 bales yesterday and it never shut off. Never considered high voltage as I've only ever had one alternator do that before and you knew something was wrong when you got off the tractor and could hear the battery sizzling.


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