AC rotobaler

The trickiest part of running my Rotobaler is getting the raddle to stop feeding just after the twine arm drops. There is an adjustment on the pull rod at the bottom inside of the left (looking forward) wheel. This is the bale diameter adjustment. The twine arm release plate has an adjustment at about eye level on the same side. The idea is for the arm to drop a second or two before the raddle quits feeding so the hay can pull the twine into the closed throat. This first tug sets the arm in motion and it is at this point the raddle should quit feeding. If the raddle runs too long you wrap the twine inside the bale and hay goes everywhere when the bale is released out of the back. Make sure the blade (knife) is sharp. If it doesn't cut the twine, the bale will be half unwrapped by the time it hits the ground.

It is important to have a fairly wide windrow so the ends of the bale will look decent and the belts will track properly. GO SLOW. Overfeeding will cause the twine arm to hang and not drop when you want it to. The belts don't run very tight and will not "squish" the hay out to the ends like the modern machines will. If you are pitchfork feeding your baler alternate throws (or perhaps throes) from one side to the other. If one side gets too big, the angle of the rollers can cause the fat side to release in back. Your hay then feeds right out the back into a pile.

If you plan to bale at a show, do yourself a favor and work the bugs out at home first. There are a multitude of reasons the new balers aren't merely scaled up versions of the Rotobaler.