Pressure washing a baler, bad idea, good idea,???

[Longlowdog]

My friend has just bought an older Class 44s baler that the previous owner appears to have lube'd with old motor oil. He wants me to give it a bit of a service and a look over in exchange for the use of said baler. The inside of the side doors and all chains, gears etc are coated in a grease like filth that to my mind is just a disgusting grinding paste. Would I do more harm than good degreasing, pressure washing and replacing the lube with something like high fling resistance chainsaw oil?

 

[icanshootwell]

I wash mine off through the season as the dust sticks to everything, never had a problem yet, just don,t wash at end of season as water can get trapped in bearings etc.

 

[davidroberts30]

should be fine to sort it out then use it

 

[Dave W]

Never understood this idea of not washing machine.
Grass/chaff/muck etc sat in corners and lips behind panels just hold any damp and rots out

 

[milkloss]

Stay away from bearings etc and should be fine. Wash our John Deere round baler out regularly, far easier and comfy to wash it than blow it clean anyway. Water left to sit in the bearings will wreck them and quickly so do it when it’s warm and dry, give it a run up and then grease it then another good run.

 

[Suffolksucklers]

We always just blow down with our road compressor and Lance. That will usually remove most things without getting everything wet

 

[tw15]

I am a great fan of using a road compressor to blow balers / combines down but I only wash at the start of the season or if really dirty mid season if at all . Keep it away from bearings and chains and any electrics . the best way i like to do the put to bed job is just blow them down and spray the whole machine with oil inside and out and put it away in the shed . Then next year you can give it a wash down and service and will look like new . I don't like to put diesel on as can stain the paint work .

 

[Pistonbroke]

Our old claas fitter reckoned wash as much as you like up to the last field of the season,then winter it with a light coating of oil and dust. Avoid electric connecters if possible

 

[Longlowdog]

I can't stand the idea of working on a filthy machine so with the benefit of the above experience I think I'll set to work with the degreaser tomorrow.

 

[Andrew]

Perfectly fine to wash things.
Don’t point the washer directly at bearings.
After washing stick the PTO in hear for 10 mins to shake water off.
Give it a good grease up.

 

[Fendtbro]

The penalty for getting water in a bearing and having it fail could be £1000’s in lost hay/ect.. I don’t do it. Just let it keep getting mucky and oily until you have to work on an area, then scrape off the worst and on with the h/d orange gloves.. I just knock off the dust/chaff with a stick at the end of a season.

 

[tr250]

Never understood this idea of not washing machine.
Grass/chaff/muck etc sat in corners and lips behind panels just hold any damp and rots out

Don’t get any of that if it never gets wet

 

[Fendtbro]

The penalty for getting water in a bearing and having it fail could be £1000’s in lost hay/ect.. I don’t do it. Just let it keep getting mucky and oily until you have to work on an area, then scrape off the worst and on with the h/d orange gloves.. I just knock off the dust/chaff with a stick at the end of a season.

And a 44 likely has no greaseable bearings and possibly no slip clutch. Years ago a failed bearing on our 44 caused 2 rollers to lock up against each other and wrecked everything.. £1500 bill just in parts!

 

[Drillman]

I blow ours down and wash ours thoroughly at the end of the season that’s after removing as many panels as possible to get rid of any build up of material.

then I grease it up

then run it up and oil all the chains

then grease it again

final spray over with a diesel/oil mix

park under cover

works for me and also usually find when I’m washing it I spot any issues that need sorting

 

[Dave W]

Don’t get any of that if it never gets wet

There's damp in the atmosphere. It will cling to the muck.

 

[Dave W]

I blow ours down and wash ours thoroughly at the end of the season that’s after removing as many panels as possible to get rid of any build up of material.

then I grease it up

then run it up and oil all the chains

then grease it again

final spray over with a diesel/oil mix

park under cover

works for me and also usually find when I’m washing it I spot any issues that need sorting

This is spot on

 

[bobk]

Never , ever wash with pressure washer . on dry harvest / sowing machines .

 

[Dave W]

Never , ever wash with pressure washer . on dry harvest / sowing machines .

Rubbish. It's a machine like any other. Needs maintaining properly

 

[tr250]

There's damp in the atmosphere. It will cling to the muck.

I’ve only washed a baler once to sell. I like if possible to leave the wax on from when it was new that tends to stop the dust sticking. I’ve never felt we have any muck or damp dust on it although we keep it inside always even in summer we would never leave it out even for 1 night and don’t do much silage it’s all hay and straw but we are in bg area so my brother blows it down to stop spreading that. It looks a bit dirty but will come up like new. Both big bale north and our local dealer have commented how clean our baler is to work. I washed the combine last July because it was disgusting from a radiator hose leak the previous harvest and it’s made the dust stick on so much more because I didn’t polish it

 

[powerfarmer]

Spray on degreaser to soften the dirt and clean off as much of it as possible with a long handled brush and a few buckets of hot water, I d leave the pressure washer alone, a 44 doesn't have greasable bearings that would allow you to push out any water that might get in.
Years ago I worked at a Claas dealer that used to sell a lot of 46 trade ins over the winter, they sold a tidy one to a guy that wanted everything looking spotless , he pressure washed the baler after delivery and didn't try run it for a few months.
Got a call in May , Help ! It's seized solid...