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John Deere 338 Small Square Baler

Model Photo

338

  • Full-width feeding pickup
  • 540-rpm PTO power shaft
  • Deep-flighted auger feeding
  • Hydraulic bale tension available

 

Features

Full-width feeding pickup

Square baler pickup 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.

Adjustable hay compressor

Small square baler pickup with hay compressor 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.

Deep-flighted auger feeding

Pickup and deep-flighted auger 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.

Accurate knotters

Small square baler knotter system 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.

Hydraulic bale tension available

Hydraulic bale tensioner shown on 348 Baler 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

Uniform bales

Feeder forks 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.

Quiet, dependable operation

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.

Key Specs

Minimum PTO 26 kW
35 PTO hp
Pickup width 187.9 cm
74 in.
Bale size Height x width
36x46 cm
14x18 in.
Length
30.5 to 127 cm
12 to 50 in.
Adjustable Hydraulic Bale Density Optional
Plunger - Strokes/minute 80 spm

Bale size

Height x width 36 x 46 cm
14 x 18 in.
Length 30.5 to 127 cm
12 to 50 in.
Maximum volume
Dry bale weight

Pickup

Pickup width 187.9 cm
74 in.
Tooth bars/teeth 6 bars, 156 teeth
Lift control Crank (hydraulic optional)
Pickup diameter 49.5 cm
19.5 in.
Compression rack rods

Auger

Diameter 41 cm
16 in.
Length 154.9 cm
61 in.
Feed opening

Plunger

Strokes/minute 80 spm
Stroke length

Typing mechanism

No. of knotters 2
Twine capacity 8
Twine type Plastic or sisal
Knot strength (minimum required)
Central lube system Optional
Wire twisters
Wire ball capacity 4

Baler dimensions

Length w/ short tongue
Length w/ long tongue 576.5 cm
227 in.
Width 274.3 cm
108 in.
Height 170.2 cm
67 in.
Weight empty 1272 kg
2805 lb

Tractor requirements

PTO speed 540 rpm
Minimum PTO 26 kW
35 PTO hp

Drive mechanism

Driveline Equal angle 3 joint category 4
Optional driveline
Pickup Belt
Plunger Gear and shaft
Knotters Gear and shaft
Feeder forks Gear and shaft
Diameter of flywheel

Drivetrain protection

PTO
Gearbox
Pickup Belt slip
Needles Shear bolt/plunger head stop
Knotters Shear bolt

Tires

RH Standard tire size 26x12.0-12, 4 ply
RH Optional tire size
LH Standard tire size 11L-14, 6 ply
LH Optional tire size
Gauge Wheels 1 optional
Pickup Gauge Wheels Tires Size 16.5x6.50-8

Lights

Work
Transport lights

Density Control System

Adjustable Bale Density Mechanical crank
Adjustable Hydraulic Bale Density Optional
Bale Counter

Bale Ejector

Available Optional

Bale Chute

Regular bale chute
Short chute Optional
Long chute Optional
Side bale drop chute Optional
Wagon hitch Optional

Additional information

Date collected