Anybody know what kind of wood was used for these boards. Mine are pretty worn as most everything is. I've just finished rebuilding the snouts. And if anybody knew the dimensions of those boards that would even better.
Are you talking about the boards that the outer gathering chains ride on underneath the snoots? The ones on my 324s are probably the same dimensions. I could pull a tape measure on mine if I was sure I knew we were talking about the same thing. No idea on the wood, but I can check my owner's manual to see if it lists it. Let me know if we are talking about the same boards.
Yes underneath the snoots. I'll get them out of there eventually and post the dimensions. I thought they might be maple. The bearings in my old 67 New Holland baler looked like maple. I did my first seven acres with it last fall and now fixing the stuff the last guy let go. I'm pleased with my rebuild of the snoots. I plan on a little more corn this fall so I need to get it ready.
I replaced one on a no. 7. Not sure what the original wood was, but I used a piece of white oak. The old one was intact enough that I could use it for a pattern.
Well, I finally got up to the shed where I keep my pickers. Sorry so long for the reply. On my NI324s (all 4 of them), the slider boards under the snoots on both sides of the pickers measured 3/4 in. thick by 5 in. wide by 33-7/8 in. long. Just as a double check, I looked it up in my manual, which listed the dimensions as 25/32 in. thick by 5 in. wide by 33-15/16 in. long. OK, well, pretty close, anyway. On my 324s, a standard size 1x6 would work fine. An extra half-inch of width wouldn't interfere with anything under either snoot. There were no bevels or chamfers cut out of the boards, and all the corners were square. The manual did not list a wood type, but the slider boards didn't look like anything exotic. Those boards are mounted on 2 brackets, so I would think that wood stability would be more important under there than strength. I would like Douglas fir better than SYP or hemlock, since I think it warps less than the latter two. I think I would spend a little extra for #1 boards, too, to make sure there were no knots or flaws. Whatever you pick should eventually get well-preserved by the oil coming off the chains. It seems like the sort of application that would benefit from a bit of give from the wood, as long as it isn't so soft it warps after you install it. Hope that helps.
-- Edited by Bleeding Orange on Friday 18th of March 2016 10:25:43 AM