Bret, that is one complicated piece of machinery! If the wear is in the bores of the shafts....can't bushings be
pressed in to resize the bores and get the fit back? Or is the shaft itself worn? Can the shaft be resurfaced
in some way, there are various sleeving, metal spraying and such operations that might help. If the shaft is
just a shaft, can a new one be made reasonably from round stock?
Seems like your Amish machinist might be able to do some rebuilding/rebushing of some of these critical
parts to get the slop out and get it back working better.
But, I am impressed that the inventers of these machines were some amazing guys. We had a New Holland
baler like that back the early 70s when I was working hay, and I remember the complex thrashing and banging
operation that went on and then -bingo- a new bale was pushed out onto the trough and we had to grab it
(we were in a trailer hitched behind the baler) and carry it back and stack it in the trailer, until the trailer was full.
I never had any occasion to even examine the baler, other than to make a mental note to keep the hell clear of
what looked like a real opportunity to lose body parts if you got too near while it was thrashing and banging.
That you are keeping this old iron working is a tribute to your tenacity in repairing complicated old machinery, for
sure.
While I didn't entirely follow the video, I have a lot better idea what you are talking about now. Seems somewhat
akin to a sewing machine, at least in broad concept, a needle delivering the thread thru a space, and to a mechanism
which turns it into a stitch or a knot, depending on which we are talking about. I can see how the flakes develop, too,
with the feeder pumping in a slug of hay from the side and then the system compressing it into the bale as it is formed.
Bill