Just Don't Get It

This one woke me up out of a dead sleep last night 'cause I thought I would have to "redo".

I tend to run my chores over and over in my mind so that when I do something, I don't make a mistake. Today, I'm aligning and locking all the bearings I've replaced in this old baler so that they all run straight and true.

When I replaced this bearing on the stripper roll, I found it odd that it was "caged" inside the bale chamber. This means that in order to replace this bearing, the whole darned roller has to be removed and pulled out the other side of the baler so as to gain access to this bearing.

Thought maybe since the old sister is 30 years old that someone, somewhere had replaced this bearing and had done it "wrong".

Checked and rechecked. Book shows it inside the machine also. Why in the heck would an engineer place a bearing "inside" like this? They must of had a reason, but darned if I can see what it was. :>(

Allan

Just read your other response. There has to be a reason for that keyway. Is it possible it was used to power some option? Was Auto wrap available on that baler?

John

They came with options of double tie, auto wrap, heavy windage tray, auto lube, bale kicker and the darned bale reverser.

I can't find any info on the reverser, but story goes that it reverses the chain direction to help remove the bale. The chain drive pully is right above this shaft so maybe that is the guy in question. Don't know.

No biggie, I just like to know "why things are". :>)

Allan

No, this is on the left side of the machine. When it is all put together and sucked into position, there is about 4 or 5 inches of that shaft just stickin' out and runnin' wild in the wind.

Think that auto wrap business was over on the right side wasn't it?

Dunno what the heck,

Allan

Looks to me like a sprocket goes on the end of that shaft. If the bearing was on the outside the sprocket would have to move further out. Maybe there was no room somewhere else to move the drive chain further out from the side walls?

There must be a reason for the bearings placement. It just might not be a good reeason. I designed equipment for a lot of years before coming back to the farm. A lot of time design is a series of compromises. During testing a problem may show up and redesign is needed. During redesign you may find fixing one problem causes another with strength or interferences or assembly. You try your best to to balance the problems, but as I said some times it is a compromise. Put her back together, and don't worry. Someone, somewhere knows why it is, what it is, but most likely it will be one of those little unsolved mysteries in life.

John

Allan

There's plenty of shaft and it "could be" placed outside. However, the roller has to be "dead centered" in the chamber so that it's ends are placed under their respective sheet metal canopies so they don't "wrap".

I just think that maybe if the bearing is on the outside, the silly thing must start "growing hay" out around the bearing 'er some darned thing.

Who knows. :>)

Allan

I'm so used to working on those old Gleaner combines with all the bearing retainers on the outside of the machine.

Maybe it has something to do with the hay wrapping round the roller endplate 'er something.

They had to have had a reason, it would seem.

Allan