With the silage season fast approaching, it won't be
long before balers are brought out of hibernation and set to work.
Peter Hill askedLelyservice technician Jim Hunter for tips on how best to
prepare a Welger machine for its task
Here's some simple advice. Ensure the baler is lubricated with
the correct oils and grease, check the drive chains for excessive
wear and correct tension, inspect the bearings for signs of wear
and give the machine a good clean, inside and out.
That pretty much summarises the essentials of preparing a Welger
steel roller or rubber belt round baler for the forthcoming silage
season. And since the pick-up and intake assemblies of these
machines are the same, many of the tips described here apply to
both. But as is so often the case with such things, the devil is in
the detail, as the fuller explanations given with the accompanying
photographs reveal.
It goes without saying that before starting on any maintenance
or repair job of this type you should ensure the pto drive is
disengaged and preferably disconnected. Also that the tractor
engine is stopped and the baler's tailgate securely propped open
with the hydraulic tap on the lift circuit closed.
Pto shaft guarding and lubrication (for the universal joints and
the telescoping surfaces) tyre condition and pressure and brake
condition should also be part of the checklist for this and any
other farm implement.
