Hi everybody, I’m Scott Geier with John Deere, and today,
we’ll show you how to load twine in a John Deere 460M Round Baler.
You’ve cut and raked your hay into perfect windrows. You’ve baled that hay, making tight,
dense, well-shaped bales. And now the crowning touch on the baling process is to wrap those
perfect bales properly. There are plenty of pros and cons to consider on all the options available.
Which you choose is up to you, and the make and model of your baler.
But today, we’re going to talk about loading twine.
For this demonstration, we’re using polypropylene twine.
To begin, disconnect the rubber straps and load four twine balls on the four shelves.
Then tie the outside twine end of one ball to the inside twine end of the next,
continuing that way until all four balls are tied together.
Now here’s Tip #1: Use this Sheet Bend knot to tie the twine ends together. It’s easy. It’s strong.
And it will be small enough for the tied-together twine to pass through guides on the twine
arm later in the process. Then replace the rubber straps to secure the balls in place.
Loading twine into this large round baler means hand-feeding the tied-together twine
on each side of the baler through a long system of guides, loops, tension plates, wheels, and tubes.
Start by removing the twine guide arm from the notch and rotate it down to begin threading the
twine through its loops. Here’s Tip #2: a twine threading guide is located near the twine box.
Once you’ve threaded the twine guide arm, insert the twine between the
tension plates on the front of the baler and pull it through. Rotate the twine arm
back up and place it back in the twine box notch. Then reattach the retainer straps.
For plastic or small sisal twine, route the twine through the twine guide
and then wrap it a full turn around the twine moving indicator wheel.
It must route behind the strand that comes down from the twine box.
Ultimately, the twine ends up at the twine arm. At that point, hold the two twine arms together and
remove the spring pin. Remove any crop residue. Then thread the twine along the twine arm,
through the twine tensioning system, and out through the twine tube on the end of the arm.
Pull the twine 12 to 15 inches beyond the end of the tube and cut it off.
Now here’s Tip #3: Tie off the end of the twine to the baler to hold it in place during transport to
the field. Just in case that twine has the urge to unthread itself a little during the trip.
Then, repeat the exact same process on the other side of the baler.
Once the second side of twine has been threaded and tied off,
replace the spring pin that sets the twine wrap spacing at 2, 4, 6, or 8 inches wide,
which should correspond to how you’ve set it up on your in-cab bale monitor if you’re using one. Set
the number of twine end wraps on the monitor. Then adjust the mechanical twine guide control
to set the wrap distance from the left-hand edge of the bale. For most baling conditions,
this should be set for 4.5-inches from the end of the bale. Be sure to also follow
the instructions in your Operator’s Manual for setting this on the monitor, if you’re using one.
As you can see, loading twine is a fairly complex process and can be time consuming. So remember,
you should follow the instructions closely found in your machine’s Operator’s Manual.
You’ll find several other videos here on Tips Notebook on various aspects of the haymaking
process and other pieces of equipment you might want or need to use in your operation.
But don’t forget, always read the Operator’s Manual before storing or
operating any piece of equipment and follow all operating and safety instructions.
And remember, if you’re looking for equipment that’s built to get the job done
season after season, year after year, you’ll find it – and all
kinds of advice on how to use it – every day at your John Deere dealer.