John Deere 338 Small Square Baler
Agriculture
- Full-width feeding pickup
- 540-rpm PTO power shaft
- Deep-flighted auger feeding
- Hydraulic bale tension available
| Tractor requirements - Minimum PTO | 26 kW 35 PTO hp |
|---|---|
| Pickup - Lift control | Crank (hydraulic optional) |
| Typing mechanism - Wire ball capacity | 4 |
| Tires - LH Standard tire size | 11L-14, 6 ply |
| Auger - Length | 154.9 cm 61 in. |
| Key Specs - Pickup width | 187.9 cm 74 in. |
| Density Control System - Adjustable Hydraulic Bale Density | Optional |
| Bale Chute - Wagon hitch | Optional |
| Auger - Diameter | 41 cm 16 in. |
| Bale Chute - Side bale drop chute | Optional |
| Drive mechanism - Plunger | Gear and shaft |
| Drive mechanism - Feeder forks | Gear and shaft |
| Typing mechanism - Twine type | Plastic or sisal |
| Tires - Gauge Wheels | 1 optional |
| Bale Chute - Long chute | Optional |
| Key Specs - Plunger - Strokes/minute | 80 spm |
| Tires - Pickup Gauge Wheels Tires Size | 16.5x6.50-8 |
| Baler dimensions - Weight empty | 1272 kg 2805 lb |
| Bale size - Length | 30.5 to 127 cm 12 to 50 in. |
| Drive mechanism - Driveline | Equal angle 3 joint category 4 |
| Drive mechanism - Pickup | Belt |
| Bale Ejector - Available | Optional |
| Pickup - Tooth bars/teeth | 6 bars, 156 teeth |
| Baler dimensions - Length w/ long tongue | 576.5 cm 227 in. |
| Baler dimensions - Width | 274.3 cm 108 in. |
| Drivetrain protection - Knotters | Shear bolt |
| Tires - RH Standard tire size | 26x12.0-12, 4 ply |
| Bale Chute - Short chute | Optional |
| Drivetrain protection - Pickup | Belt slip |
| Drivetrain protection - Needles | Shear bolt/plunger head stop |
| Pickup - Pickup width | 187.9 cm 74 in. |
| Key Specs - Bale size | Height x width 36x46 cm 14x18 in. Length 30.5 to 127 cm 12 to 50 in. |
| Baler dimensions - Height | 170.2 cm 67 in. |
| Density Control System - Adjustable Bale Density | Mechanical crank |
| Key Specs - Minimum PTO | 26 kW 35 PTO hp |
| Plunger - Strokes/minute | 80 spm |
| Drive mechanism - Knotters | Gear and shaft |
| Pickup - Pickup diameter | 49.5 cm 19.5 in. |
| Typing mechanism - Twine capacity | 8 |
| Bale size - Height x width | 36 x 46 cm 14 x 18 in. |
| Key Specs - Adjustable Hydraulic Bale Density | Optional |
| Typing mechanism - Central lube system | Optional |
| Typing mechanism - No. of knotters | 2 |
| Tractor requirements - PTO speed | 540 rpm |
Featured Content
Feeder forks
Hay is uniformly distributed into the bale case, which produces easy-to-handle bales and bales that stack well.
Feeder forks can be adjusted to five positions to match the feeding requirement to the hay conditions.
Forks are spring loaded for protection and are timed independently of knotters.
Pickup and deep-flighted auger
The deep-flighted auger continuously moves hay away from the pickup to the pre-compression chamber:
- Adds to the overall capacity
- Produces higher-quality hay
- Allows minimal crop contact with pickup teeth, which minimizes leaf loss
The free-floating auger raises or lowers to match and maintain control of incoming crop.
Hay turns in the tapered auger housing, which enables the feeder forks to fold each charge as it enters the bale case to produce uniform bales. The crop is pre-compressed for better bale uniformity.
The auger system has few moving parts for less wear and less chance of untimely breakdowns.
Hydraulic bale tensioner shown on 348 Baler
The hydraulic bale tension permits easy adjustment of bale density to meet crop variations and desired bale weight:
- Hydraulic cylinders replace springs that would typically control the density of the bale
- Exerts constant and uniform pressure on each bale
- Easy to use
- One knob controls the tension applied to the bale
- By increasing the tension, the bale weight also increases
Square baler pickup
The pickup teeth and narrow, flanged strippers extend to the flare on both sides of the pickup. This enables full, usable pickup width for feeding wide windrows.
Closely-spaced pickup teeth gather all of the hay in wide, heavy windrows.
|
Baler |
Number of teeth |
|
328 |
104 |
|
338 |
156 |
|
348 |
156 |
Narrow-channel strippers positioned closely together help preserve leaves and short material to add more quality to the bale.
The pickup is 188-cm (74-in.) wide on flare and offset 25.4 cm (10 in.) to the right of the bale case.
- The full width of the pickup can be utilized without the tractor tires operating on the windrow.
The belt drives used to power the pickup are virtually trouble-free and eliminate the need for slip clutches.
The plunger head runs on three precision roller bearings located in the high-load area:
- Provides quiet operation
- Minimum wear
The compression charge is on the downstroke of the pitman arm to help eliminate slapping of the plunger head.
The pitman is offset to the right (knife side) where the load is heavier to further minimize wear.
A lubrication fitting on the pitman arm provides easy access for lubrication to the wrist pin.
A safety stop is positioned to stop the plunger head at the crank to eliminate possible damage to the plunger head face.
Small square baler pickup with hay compressor
The adjustable hay compressor mounts to and floats with the pickup and helps to maintain the same relationship to the pickup teeth at all operating heights.
The hay compressor also controls hay for continuous positive delivery to the auger.
The hay compressor is adjustable to nine positions to maintain positive control of hay in either large and heavy or light and fluffy windrows.
It can easily be removed with two spring pins for access to the auger or feed opening.
Small square baler knotter system
Knotters driven by shaft and gears provide a positive drive for dependable and accurate functioning.
The timing of knotters and needles is easy:
- Remove one bolt and match the gears
- Timing slot enables easy positioning of the plunger
The tucker finger holds the twine over the billhooks during the tying cycle:
- Eliminates twine finger
- Reduces the chance of twine damage
- Notch controls the twine position over the billhook for improved knotter function
- Ball-joint-style pull links ensure accurate adjustment
The twine knife is made of surgical-quality steel and can be easily unbolted for sharpening or replacement.
The adjustable edge on the wiper arm allows an easy, accurate adjustment to the billhook.
The positive meshing of knotter gears is easily maintained with spring pins and washers on the needle lift shaft.
The large-diameter needle-lift shaft increases strength for reliable operation.
The split-design knotter frame enables easy removal, without disassembly of the entire mechanism.
A coil-type tension spring on the twine holder enables easy adjustment and improved performance.
The twine disk timing is easily accomplished without removing the pinion gear.
Making adjustments is easy when changing from multi-twine billhooks to sisal-twine billhooks.
The billhook cam track is a separate hardened part that can be replaced independently from the knotter frame, which reduces repair costs.