Repairs on Massey Ferguson 128 baler

[@tkalmi09]

Thanks for the great Vids!

[@derekcomer4858]

I really felt your pain when you whacked your arm on the baler. Everything hurts much more and for longer when it’s cold. Hope the new ceiling makes a difference to the temperature as well as the dripping. Enjoyed this video very much. Thank you 🙏.

[@oakridgestars]

A little something to help with the insulation for your shop. Hang in there, spring is coming. 🥶

[@GDJ1996]

Been rewatching most of your vids again with my old man. He was a technician with a Ford/New Holland dealer in NE Scotland for 20 years and so all this repair work is a brilliant watch for him. Our workshop isn’t quite the same standard as yours but we’re trying! Even now, my Da keeps his hand in with our local farmer doing the odd fabrication and repair job but otherwise, your videos are quite literally the “fix” we need! Keep up all the ace work and look forward to seeing what 2025 brings for you👍🏻

[@baz-wc4fi]

Back in 1970 I was One of the first Eight Agri-Eng Apprentices In Scotland to be awarded a "Full Technological Certificate" in Farm Machinery & Repair this was a New award under the City & Guilds Scheme, We studied on Block Release for 2yrs at Elmwood College ,Cupar Fife we all came from Different parts of Scotland.

[@stefankaufmann8257]

Oliver, insulation should have a vapour barrier on one side only. If it is fully closed on both sides, mold will start to grow. I would not put sheet metal on the inside, becaus you will still have condensation probably on both sides of the sheets. There are fireproof fiber cement plates available, we used them in our workshop to cover the inside of the roof.

[@oldcynic6964]

Oliver, thank you for explaining to us townies what this thing is used for. Appreciate it.

[@bobhudson6659]

Ditto.

[@FredMiller]

That ole girl has seen some real use. Nice job Ollie! I must have walked 500 miles behind one of those machines in my youth picking and stacking bales. The sound of that machine is unforgettable. Hope the elbow is ok and stay warm. I laughed out loud when you said you could spend all afternoon in front of the wood stove... I KNOW the feeling. Be safe stay warm...

[@almoncrandall9066]

Had to work on a few of these ballers over the years and the worst part was trying not to catch them on fire when welding or using a torch or grinder. Loveall your video's Thanks for taking the time to make them

[@timj1157]

As a kid we did 20,000 bales a year ! Stack in field(1) stack on trailer (2) stack in barn (3times) , did that from 12 to 25 then we got a big round baler wow what a difference! Then I left to work on boats and ships ( not enough money for 3 brothers on one smaller farm) ! Power steering, and big bales a big improvement 😀 So will warming your shed I will never complain about +10 degrees again 😅 Farms boy Cornwall!

[@hl8256]

Great video. I've wondered how the bailers work without tearing themselves apart , and how it ties the knot is magic 😆

[@nordishkiel5985]

Yes. The knotter is some serious engineering. We had a Massey Fergusson baler similar to this one, and the knotter always amazed me. Good thing it has never gone wrong, not sure we could have fixed it.

[@782sirbrian]

Cold days this week in Yorkshire, everything you work with, tools, steel, all numb the fingers. Thanks for this weeks update. Brian from South Yorkshire

[@markrich6657]

Hi Ollie, just cos I havent commented doesn't mean I'm not watching. You young man have a great talent, brain and wherewithal to run a business to make s difference. I would guess folks in your area are catching on FAST that there's a guy who can get my stuff going without emptying my bank account. And repair it, usually better than original. Was a fab welder for quite a while so appreciate your skills. Take care Mark

[@markhesselgreaves]

Love the old Fordson! I drove a fordson super major at times, loved it! Big solid machine! Great to find a video posted this morning; excellent! I’m working on my Macs processing my music collection today so this video was a welcome start to the day. I remember the old balers during my time on the farm, we used the Sherry New Holland baler; he wanted an International but there wasn’t one available at the time. Great work on this, still needs some more investigation but I am certain that with your abilities, you’ll get this working properly again! Very good demonstration and explanation of how the baler works. Where I am, not many farmers baler hay anymore, they have their silage and whole crops, cake and grain, all mixed together in a machine. They bale straw with the big square baler or the round baler and any hay they have may be among the straw. They combine with a view to bale it afterwards rather than have the combine shred and destroy the straw. Glad you have the roof insulation organised; bit risky having lights shorting on you! You certainly get winter where you are! We tend to get heavy frost, frozen rain and ice,we haven’t had any serious snow for a few years now. I don’t work now so the only thing that the colder weather does is set my skin off and my asthma!. Really enjoy your videos! Mark from Scotland 👍😀

[@nitram157]

Yes memories galore. I used to drive the Fordson Major on the farm I used to help on when I was 14, it was used with the front belt drive to power the large steel saw horse for making up fence posts and cutting wood for the farm house. No covers on the saw horse blade then just wide open, no health and safety problems then !! And also the same style of MF baler pulled by either the MF 135 or 165 ! Can also remember the old MF TVO tractor which used to take some starting on the front handle, no electric start. This does bring back memories.

[@kubinka879]

I lived in Feltwell Norfolk and at 14 worked the summer on farm. I drove a Fordson Major with a ratchet accelerator, pulling a sled picking up wheat bales. Great time.

[@stuarthardy4626]

Yes did the same with the TVO /petrol MF tractor , I was a bit younger that you and I could not swing the handle ( so dot not stall it 😀) hand throttle looked like a bit of band saw blade and the brake/clutch pedal and you had to stop to change gear , elf and safety what was that did not apply then with my uncle at the helm I used to sit astride the trailer tow bar on the highway .

[@gusviera3905]

Good morning, Oliver. That new firewood shed will come in handy now. No digging firewood out of the snow🥶! That baler will be able to give it a go for another season, after your re-engineering and repair. Looking forward to the roof/ceiling mods and insulation. Afterall, a warm fabrication engineer is a happy fabrication engineer😊. Thanks and have a great week! Cheers.

[@MeeryBloody]

It is a huge bailer according to German Welger and Claas balers. I love your work. You always have detailed videos, and there is something to learn from them. Keep up the good work. Greetings from Estonia!

[@vinegarjoe9706]

Well done, Ollie. What a job, especially when the rest of it is in less than good condition. You have great patience. Great vid as usual!!!

[@darrylwagar4144]

It's never enjoyable working in that cold of conditions. Looks like you got it sorted out. Thanks for sharing.

[@robertchapin3683]

Thanks for another great video. I had the opportunity to operate an old Fordson Major back in the late 70's. The starter was not working so it was started in the morning by rolling it down a hill, worked it all day and parked it on the hill for the next day. I worked at an apple orchard at the time. I enjoyed running that old tractor. Nobody else wanted to mess with it.

[@Popeyes66]

Great work Oliver. When I were a lad,my Dad used to make me cut the grass blade by blade at 4:30 in the morning with a blunt butter knife .

[@gordonquigley4052]

Luxury, my dad used to get me up at 2.30 to clean the driveway with a toothbrush😅

[@davidgibson5756]

Thanks for the detailed explanation of how the baler works.

[@steveg4iwr]

Great video as always, your reasoning to work out problems on equipment you don't use is fascinating. I hope the insulation and lighting doesn't cause too much grief.

[@everestyeti]

I'm sure I felt how cold it was, all of a sudden I felt very cold watching you in the workshop. Always good to have an expert on hand, your dad was watching it like a hawk. Let's hope the roof works make the shop a lot warmer. 👍

[@5barkerstreet]

getting hurt that adds up I'm 57 and did this work most my life my joints and hands hurt take care.

[@JonesMetalCraft]

Another great repair. Thanks for taking us along.

[@Cee.Jay.71]

I really appreciated the explanation and demonstration of how it all works.

[@lovejcdc]

Great video Ollie, always a treat to see your Old Major in a video.

[@DavoShed]

Great video. I’m glad you got to give it a run at the end. Really showed how it works.

[@gbentley8176]

Great to see the Major and Rapidor in action. Good fix as always. Thanks for all the posts.

[@ferrumignis]

This brings back some great memories of staying with my grandparents at their farm during summer holidays when I was a nipper. Grandad had the same MF bailer and I was always a bit intimidated by the thing when it was running, it was a mechanical monster to me 😂 Had a lot of fun building a big fort out of bales in the field with my uncle.

[@RalfyCustoms]

Morning Oliver, just lit the fire and made a brew. And settling in to watch, bloody cold innit -5⁰C here ffs lol, keep warm, keep safe, and thanks for sharing

[@simontravis7452]

I remember using both those, we had a Fordsom Major until it died, then we got a super major similar to yours, and we only worked in small bails back then, you did all you could to get that to hopefully work better, hopefully the gearbox will not be a problem, great fix as always Ollie.

[@johnwarwick4105]

Nothing like a well looked after baler. Cleaned out and oiled up ready for next season, or like this one leave it as you pulled out of the field 😳 put a grease gun on the invoice and send it out with the baler might be a good idea

[@oldcynic6964]

Fully agree. Properly greased _anything_ will run better !

[@graemewhite5029]

At least they didn't turn up with it in July, and said they needed it running yesterday !

[@daleolson3506]

And then wonder why they have problems

[@barney2633]

Operating the baler manually is a good way to get warm on a cold day 😂 Good work as always.

[@thepagan5432]

Good repair, with the lack of original parts. Working in the freezing cold can be awful, I have worked on some repairs and modifications in sub-zero temperatures, I share your predicament. The shear pin breaking every time the baler is used looks like a bigger problem. We used shear pins and bolts and only suffered breakages on gearboxes where the customer stipulated lower breakage pins than we had designed for, because the customer was being overly protective of their equipment. It would be interesting to see a follow-up post with the baler in action. Take care and be well especially putting in the roof insulation 👍

[@BruceBoschek]

Good morning, Ollie! You have a good deal more snow than we do here in Germany, but the temperature is the same. Working in that cold weather is a pain and I hope you get some insulation and heating worked out soon. We converted our fluorescent tubes to LED and they make a huge improvement. Thanks for another outstanding video.

[@brownmilligan1936]

that was a cold job. thanks for the show. see you next week.

[@an04ker]

I love balers there’s something soothing about the sound they make.

[@BrucePierson]

Another implement going back to the farmer, stronger than when it was new. It will be interesting to see how it goes in the new hay/straw season and hopefully it doesn't have any more issues. If it does have any more issues, no doubt we'll see it again for further repairs.

[@MayorofDipshittery-lq7if]

Best two balers I worked with were the John Deere 346 and Massey 128, both made a great bale and the harder you worked them the better they went 👍

[@alandawson2813]

The mighty Fordson on the job. Another awesome instalment and looking a little cold. From Summer land in kiwi land

[@Invinciblemoam]

Keep warm bud, you need a log burner or waste oil heater in that shop!

[@hornetboy3694]

Awesome video, great work. Thank you Oliver Oliver

[@drstripe]

great workmanship and video!!!! you can b e proud of your skills!!

[@李得胜-z2j]

The mechanical operation video demonstration you filmed is really great

[@alandawson2813]

The mighty Fordson on the job. Another awesome instalment and looking a little cold.

[@philhermetic]

Balers is allus trouble! Never heard of”idiot cubes” before ! Lols, watching you fix that made me feel cold, good fix Ollie! Phil

[@alasdairhamilton1574]

Hi Ollie. I can sympathise with your cold weather,here in the Northeast of Scotland on Saturday we had temperatures down to -13c during the day and Sunday it was -11c during the day🥶. Stay cozy in front of your wood burner 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@andrewplumb6189]

The three holes are to adjust the packers for various crops to get an even feed into the chamber and prevent banana shaped bales

[@peter_peter_pumpkin_eater]

Does adjusting that pin push more hay into the chute then? Constantly getting banana bales on a Holland 'idiot baler'😂.

[@kaharry055]

@@peter_peter_pumpkin_eaterMore that the adjustment pushes the material being baled further (or not as far) into and across the chamber which will have a direct impact on the bale shape.

[@peter_peter_pumpkin_eater]

@@kaharry055 Cheers, I'll have a look as we've got another paddock to do this week. I guess it depends on which way the bales are coming out bent on whether it's pushing in too far or not enough.

[@charleswelch249]

You got just about the same weather as us in the Midwest of America. Except for it's colder and windy. I miss the square bail myself. Used to boys who wanted to make money would throw hay in the summer and keep busy building muscle and work ethics. Kids today lacking both and are soft. Great job making the repairs. I hope you get your insulation in this week, Oliver.

[@jimlong527]

Another proper fix. Nice Oliver

[@PAINFOOL13]

I'm freezing just watching you, Oliver😮 Great job on the repair 👍🏻👍🏻

[@basilseal]

Hi Ollie, great video again, you're right that the packer fork pivots on this baler should run in plastic bushes, it's possible that they may still be available from woodfields as pattern parts, most of these massy balers have gone for export to Africa now so finding parts second hand is difficult. one thing to bear in mind with using bolts to replace the pins is that the bolts will be made from relatively soft metal so might wear more quickly, though this may be an advantage with the tapered pin as the pin is easier to replace than the locating plate, to test the baler, put some loose straw through it, you could use the straw chopper to blow straw directly into the pickup reel to avoid the safety aspect of feeding it manually, though as long as you use a fork rather than your feet to push it up it's safe enough.

[@TT-qo9dv]

Looks like a Minnesota winter 😊 thanks for the video 👍

[@rudyrivera7426]

Thanks for sharing! Young lad! Keep them coming!👌👍

[@chrisletchford6394]

Thanks

[@martyn450f3]

Another good and interesting video again. Don't forget to film doing your roof.

[@davetaylor4741]

When the first big bales came out I was still on the farm. We hated them and went back to small. But in those days we had smaller tractors and no handling equipment. Trying to bed the cows down with a giant round bale was a nightmare. The little bales we had a grab that picked up 40 at a time. Easy to drop off and lay out. How times change.

[@harrymatthews1097]

Great video Oliver.

[@kentuckytrapper780]

Great video man, we still use the square ballers around here to but most have gone to the bigger round bales..enjoy the snow,lol 😂..

[@peterparsons7141]

Nice repair on an awkward job. I like the idea of of using off the shelf nuts/bolts and nylon bush. I don’t have a lathe but should be able to use this idea for similar types of connections. Watching the machine operate it seems very likely that a lot of slop would sheer the pin.

[@kbye5323]

You should get a stove for the work shop as well. Awesome job again!

[@georgenetherway6071]

Used to work on the 128 good baler.Pay to put a socket on those gearbox bolts. Fantastic repair on the stuffer arm assembly

[@AdelinoGambiarras]

That was very impressive how it works well done I really enjoy the video thanks for showing it in action. I think you should call the customer and let them know is better to have that gearbox fix now before it gets worse.

[@peterwright217]

mmmmm, nice and warm down-under. top bit of repair work on the baler.

[@butchphillips873]

Ollie, When you can chip the ice off the work bench its time for roof insulation. We are at around 36c here in Aus this week. cheers, Butch.

[@billdoodson4232]

We would be totally stuffed here in UK if we got to 36C. Same as we are when it goes below 0C.

[@anthonyj7989]

It's 27C on the East Coast of Australia and trying to listen to a video with a couple of hundred cockatoos squawking outside of my window - if anyone wants a box full of them, I will gladly give them to you.

[@mikejames663]

As usual, top job, well thought out, hope your arms Ok.

[@argee55]

Another job well done. Stay warm.

[@constitutionalUSA]

Watching here in north central Florida USA and it's 4 above freezing F. Burning the wood also. Nice lightweight job for such a cold day there. I've handled lots of rockwool and don't envy that job. I will get itchy just watching. Keep up the good work

[@AlbionThailand]

Feeling your pain. It's 24 Celcius here in Thailand but still warm enough that I got sunburnt playing golf this morning.

[@pauldarch1882]

Well done it's tough working when it's sooo cold ...

[@BrucePierson]

That bushing material looks like Nylatron. Topper Machine used Nylatron for bushes on his drag line crane tracks.

[@markroth9827]

A couple of steel drums can be made into a great shop stove. Thank you for your video.

[@johnt7232]

Another good video Ollie , the material looks very light for purpose especially the fork with the spring for turning the packer tines up for safety . PS could do with ps on the Major

[@ronwebster4764]

Great vidio Ollie, them balers in the day with a small tractor on (mf135) would give the impression they were pushing and pulling the tractor round the field 😂 Do be careful with the insulation job 👍

[@surindersandhi3924]

Hi My Dear Friend Very Very Great Job Sir ❤❤❤❤❤

[@daveA2024]

Best wishes for 2025 Oliver, As usual, you are totally committed to producing the best possible for the customer, and as usual, I would not have had the foggiest idea of where to start. I hope the roof insulation brings the desired result, are you going to film any of it, watching content like yours is not just about the jobs, it`s about the journey too.

[@JamesCM793]

Fine repair job especially with the cold weather your having.

[@bobhudson6659]

Some thoughts re insulation. Winter in SW Sydney Australia is nothing as severe as you get. No snow and maybe gets down to zero to 4 degrees at night in winter. Days are lowest of 12 - 14 degrees Celsius. But I have insulation in ceiling and walls in my 16M x 8M x 4.2M high shed. Was built 17 years ago. Erecting it with insulation was a pain - took three times as long to do wall and roof sheeting as without insulation. But for last 17 years, in summer can work in the shed with doors open in 35 degree weather (inside maybe 28 degrees) and in winter, even in the coolest of evenings with the doors closed, only have to wear some sort of jumper for 15 mins before it becomes uncomfortable. Then only work in shorts, singlet and T shirt. What I am saying, if you have the opportunity to insulate the walls as well, do it. It may be a pain to do so but you will never regret it. My insulation is foil covered fiberglass insulation, foil to the inside which also makes it quiet with absolutely no interior echoing and the lady in the neighboring granny flat, 15M from the shed, does not hear me even when I am using a 9" angle grinder with the double 3M sliding doors open. The insulation rolls come 1200mm wide. We used square thin dia 100mm x 100mm square hole wire mesh on the walls first to hold the insulation in place before the roof and wall cladding was fitted (mesh 1st on, insulation 2nd, cladding 3rd). As mentioned took a lot longer to erect but never once regretted it. Those who help me erect the shed have also benefited. We can work in any weather. Have a 2 post mechanics hoist, 4M long 3.5 tonne lathe, 2 milling machines, drill bits up to 2" (MT4 taper) as well as lots of other "toys". I know it would be a lot of work, but consider even taking off all your exterior sheeting, one sheet at a time, progressively installing the mesh, then insulation and then refitting the roof and cladding. I had a lot of help building my shed; 15 people on one of the days, including teenagers. All of them had never done anything like that work before. They have all benefitted from the capabilities of the shed, in all weathers, many times since then. If you come to Australia for a visit, happy to show you around at home. You might even get a coffee, or tea, and maybe even a biscuit.

[@AW-Services]

Brilliant video, Olly. I've only ever seen once like that in my lifetime living in North Devon. It only ever rains here. Have you ever considered trying to find an old wood burner or building a waste oil burner to give you some workshop heat

[@allanfisher8248]

Great video and love your content Oliver 🤙🤙

[@ghilreese3413]

Thanks for the videos.

[@mfc4591]

I was thinking about the kindling for starting your fire. I like to use political pamphlets, we have paid for them so we may as well get good use out of them. Great video, hope the insulation will make your freezer of a workshop a better place to work.

[@baz-wc4fi]

I can remember in the Sixties as a young Apprentice Agri-Engineer Golng to do Winter Services on "Nat" Balers at Farms, Bloody Freezing in Dutch Barns! Change "Blades", Runners, Pads,Tines, Packers, Needles,Knotters and check all Timings. Dangerous Machines to Work on! LoL Hard to explain how they Work UK

[@Johannes58934]

29:00 Florescent lights hate the cold. You might consider getting some LED lights... They have tubes available, but I'd guess there are better alternatives. We got a bit of snow here too, but fortunately, it rained the next day and melted it all before I could shovel it off the walkways... :)

[@jonsmith7708]

It’s the transformers in the lights that don’t like the cold, probably find lights will work again once shop is heated, but if were me I’d upgrade the bulbs to led at least here in America they have direct fit led bulbs for those fixtures just need to get rid of the transformers so they are directly supplying 120v ac or in your case 240, last time I did some I actually got the led bulbs cheaper than the fluorescents. Love your content gives me something to watch while in front of my stove, makes feel like I still got something done while not actually doing anything. Oh and my vote for new shop tool would be variable speed mag base drill would make your new fab table into a drill press and bonus you could actually run your reamers at the proper speed and properly secured, guessing your drill press adjustable but like mine a pain to change the belts around.

[@colinsmith6280]

Great to see this repair job very interesting.

[@art1muz13]

Looking forward to the roof/ceiling mods and insulation.

[@mattwirtanen8872]

Make sure you get a good air seal (usually sheet plastic) right under your new metal you’re adding. Otherwise you will be making condensation in your insulated space which will start rusting things. Cheers from Alaska

[@RealLimerickman]

My grandfather and father used to have square balers, different manufacturers, Welger, Massey and several John deer's. I love those old small square balers, due to the engineering that went into them and getting everything to be in sync to work correctly. So many issues and I witness so many issues with other balers from other farmers. The unfortunate issue is the amounts of bale handling afterwards to get into the barn. I prefer large square bales fir single operator with tractor and loader, which also is a simplified engineering baler.

[@janharpershea2359]

I think the bushing and nylock nuts was a good call - just getting rid of all the ‘slop’ should help so much

[@DavoShed]

We just call them square bales. 🤠 I’ve always wanted one of these machines. Maybe I’ll search a bit harder.

[@alshore6168]

Good fix Ollie, maybe if the machine was cleaned off properly you’d be able to see if it was cracked anywhere, why don’t people clean these things when they’re done with them for the season 🙄. 👍

[@Workshop-of-Allsorts]

Oliver, did you look into sprayfoam insulation for the roof? Will save you a lot of hassle, I'm no expert but would your insulation need a vapour barrier before you put your second layer of tin on? You could end up with saturated insulation. Thanks for the vlog, interesting as per usual 😊

[@stephenbrockway1626]

Hi Ollie Multi holes , on the pickup / bale chamber rake . Gives slightly different stroke length for different materials , hay / straw . Usually don’t get moved tbh . Hence why one hole worn more than others . Top job as always . Replace those faulty strip lights with the round high bay type . You’ll have less trouble . Tho they all made in China 😮😂😂

[@BrucePierson]

I insulated the roof on my small workshop and other small sheds with a product called Earthwool, which is similar to Fiberglas insulation. I have it between the metal ceiling and the metal roof. It stops the condensation. I knew I wanted to insulate the roof before I built the sheds, so I installed the ceilings first, then the insulation, then the roof, so it was easy to do. Our garage has a metal roof and no insulation, so there is some condensation, but it's not bad enough to warrant insulating the roof, which would be very difficult anyway, as it's like 12' (3.6M) high.

[@dannygreene4594]

Looks very cool there

[@Transect]

In the BT44 8 postal zone there is/was a Jones Baler which smashed one of the knotters to the result that is used sisal on the original and polypropolene on the repair ! One of the users set it for heavy bales, and the other did not.

[@Spitter-ud8jd]

It's not that cold there yet . I know cause your Anchor Lube didn't freeze like a container of pistachio ice cream like mine. - 10 F 🍻

[@jackdawg4579]

when you said you were going to flame pierce and than drill later i thought oh oh. but it looks like it worked a treat. I was certain it was going to cause issues! either hard spots, or uneven enough to break the drill bit.!

[@michaelholmes4525]

Hi Oliver @28:50 your fluorescent fittings probably hate the condensation as much as you do, I suspect you have some water ingress getting into the control gear and killing them - hopefully the new insulated ceiling will go a long way to help resolve the issues. Might be better to go for low bay LED lighting if you need to replace the fluorescents, low bays will be more suitable for the harsh environment you work in, and be more robust. Hope this helps, another great video don’t envy you working in those temperatures one bit 🥶🥶- Michael (Leicester)