John Deere 359 conventional baler. Advice needed.

Hi All. I'm new here but have lurked on here on and off for a few years. I've been making hay over the last 5 years for myself, my neighbour and I sell some to other horse and goat keepers to recoup my costs. Up to now, I've just done the cutting, turning and rowing-up. The baling was then done by a contractor I know. It was always on the cards that I'd eventually get a baler and one came up, very cheaply, that was sitting unused and surplus to requirements at a local dairy farm, so I bought it, along with a nearly-new haybob to replace my old and knackered Deutz-Fahr machine.

 

As the thread title says, it is a JD 359, 1990 and hasn't done a lot of work. It was stood idle for 3 years, under cover but not fully protected from the elements. The knotter compartment lid had been left up and the chickens, seagulls etc have used the knotters as a lavatory. 

 

So far, I've cleaned off most of the chicken guano, removed the bale and 3 quarters of straw that was in the chute, freed off the pickup lifter/adjuster, freed off the stop lever that the needle dog stops against and got the plunger to move manually through most of its travel by manually turning the flywheel. I've returned the needles to the home position and the star wheel quadrant is against its stop.

 

Despite being able to move the flywheel by hand, there is a point, when the plunger knife is about 3 inches or so from the fixed knife, where the plunger sticks badly and it takes quite a bit of effort in "bumping" the flywheel to get it past that spot on both the forward and backward strokes. So, I'm in two minds whether to risk putting the tractor on it and carefully try running it at idle to try and clear the sticky spot, or to try removing the plunger  and somehow crawl in there with a wire wheel and try to buff it out. Advice on how to proceed would be much appreciated.

 

Once I've got the plunger sorted, I imagine I'll need to at least change the twine knives and wipers on the knotters. I have an operation and basic lubes and maintenance/adjustment manual but it is a bit light on technical detail. Apart from greasing everything that has a grease nipple and finding some oil/grease for the multi-luber, should I dab anything on the plunger guides?

 

Is there anything else I should be doing to make sure it is in fit state to reliably bale up my next summer's crop?

 

 

 

 

 

John Deere 359 conventional baler. Advice needed.