Massey Ferguson & Hesston Net Wrap Problems: 6 Common Failures & Fixes

By the XES Netting team — bale net-wrap manufacturer · Updated June 3, 2026 · ~7 min read

Before you start: a note on Massey, Hesston & Case IH

Massey Ferguson round balers and Hesston round balers share the same AGCO design lineage, and many of them also share a platform with Case IH RB-series balers from the same build era. Parts and procedures cross over — for example, owners have confirmed that Case IH RS561 parts match the Hesston 5556A. That means if you run a Hesston 856 or 956, a Massey 2900-series, or a Case IH RB, the net-wrap feed system is close enough that this guide and the Case IH net-wrap problem guide both apply. Use whichever names your monitor messages.

Massey/Hesston net-wrap problems fall into three patterns:

• Won’t complete the wrap cycle: the “check mesh” fault — net starts then stalls (causes #1, #2, #5).
• Won’t cut: net wraps fine but won’t shear cleanly (cause #3).
• Wrong placement or shredding: net runs off-center or tears (causes #4, #6).

Failure #1: The “check mesh” fault — rusty net pan (Hesston 956, 856; Massey 2900)

This is the signature Hesston/Massey net-wrap complaint. The mesh run starts, then stops, and the monitor throws “check mesh.” You hit the cycle-start button and it continues — sometimes it works fine, sometimes it doesn’t. It’s intermittent and it’s common. A Central Kansas owner of a Hesston 956 described it precisely:

“New-to-me baler will start mesh run and stop. Have to hit ‘cycle start’ button and it will continue. Sometimes works like it should. Have heard others with the same baler doing this.”

Why it happens: The net roll sits in a metal pan. If that pan is rusty, the roll doesn’t spin freely — the net drags, the baler’s sensor doesn’t see the mesh advance it expects, and it stops and asks you to check the mesh. A West Central Missouri producer in the same thread gave the standard fix:

“Make sure your net is routed correctly. If the pan the net sits in is rusty and the net does not spin freely that will happen until it shines up. WD-40 on the pan will help.”

The fix: First, confirm net routing exactly matches the decal — a mis-route mimics this fault. Then clean and lubricate the net pan so the roll spins with no drag. WD-40 or a light oil on the pan surface, wiped down so it doesn’t collect chaff, lets the roll turn freely until the pan “shines up” from use. This single step clears the majority of “check mesh” faults.

Time to fix: 10–20 minutes. Cost: a can of WD-40.

Failure #2: Glazed plastic traction tire won’t grip the net

If the pan is clean and routing is correct but the net still won’t reliably feed, look at the small plastic tire/wheel that raises with the door and presses on the net to drive it. When that wheel glazes over, it stops gripping the mesh. A producer in the Hesston 956 thread explained the well-known shop fix:

“The little plastic tire that raises up with the door needs some diagonal grooves in it to have traction on the net… Worn belts, mesh buildup on rollers on the tailgate all contribute to poor running. Crap on that pan beneath the belts can mess with it too.”

The fix: Cut shallow diagonal grooves into the plastic tire to restore traction, or replace it — on some machines AGCO superseded the original wheel with a softer compound that grips better. Note from the same thread: the grooves help, but if the fault is strongly tied to oil temperature (works on the first several bales, then starts missing as things warm up), the wheel may be marginal and worth replacing outright rather than re-grooving.

Time to fix: 20–40 minutes. Cost: $0 to groove; modest for a replacement wheel.

Failure #3: Net wrap won’t cut cleanly (Massey 2956A)

The net feeds and wraps, but the cut is ragged or the net tears instead of shearing. On a Massey 2956A, an owner running two identical balers found one cut perfectly and one didn’t, with the brake set by the book on both:

“One of our balers will not cleanly cut the net wrap. Brake is adjusted to the book. Don’t see any difference between the baler that is working and the one that isn’t. Should the net wrap be clamped tightly across the whole baler when in the cut position?”

The answer to his question is yes — the net should be held taut across the full width at the moment of cut. If one baler cuts and an identical one doesn’t with the same book brake setting, the difference is almost always one of:

1. Knife condition. Compare the cut-off knives side by side. A dull or nicked blade on the bad baler is the most likely difference.
2. Actual tension vs. book tension. “By the book” assumes no wear. A worn brake friction surface delivers less clamping than the same setting on a fresh one — tension a little past book on the problem machine and compare.
3. Knife timing / travel. Confirm the knife reaches full stroke at the right point in the cycle.

For the complete cross-brand diagnosis, see the seven baler-side causes of net wrap not cutting.

Time to fix: 15–60 minutes. Cost: $0 to adjust; $40–$120 for a knife.

Failure #4: Net running off-center — centering irons not set for your width

Massey/Hesston balers use removable side irons (a couple of bolts each) to center the net for the width of roll you’re running. If you switch between a narrower and a wider roll and don’t move them, the net runs off-center — leaving one shoulder of the bale uncovered. As one producer noted, there was a serial-number break for how these are configured, so confirm against your machine:

“There are some irons that need to be added to the sides (2 bolts each) to keep the narrower roll centered, or taken out if using wider wrap… Your book should have a half-decent troubleshooting section for the codes the monitor gives you.”

The fix: Match the centering irons to your roll width per the manual. This is also a reminder to confirm you’re running the correct net width for your baler in the first place — a width mismatch produces “poor coverage” complaints that have nothing to do with wrap quality.

Failure #5: Mesh and chaff buildup on rollers and belts

Caked mesh and crop debris on the tailgate rollers, worn belts, and gunk on the pan beneath the belts all degrade net feeding over a season — the same NC Kansas producer above listed all three as contributors to “poor running.”

The fix: Periodically open the tailgate and scrape the rollers, clean under the belts, and check belt wear. Five minutes of cleanup prevents the intermittent “check mesh” faults from creeping back.

Failure #6: When it’s the wrap, not the baler

If you’ve cleaned the pan, restored traction, set the knife and brake, and the net still shreds or tears — especially in cornstalks or dense crops — the roll itself may be the problem. A net that runs lighter than its stated footage, or that pulls narrow because of inconsistent edge tension, will fail where a denser, full-width roll holds.

The cleanest way to prove it: swap in a known-good roll on the same baler in the same field and compare. If the new roll runs clean, it was the wrap. Premium net wrap built to feed cleanly — consistent strand count, true-to-spec footage, full edge-to-edge coverage — ends this category of problem. For a structured way to separate wrap faults from baler faults, run the 10-minute diagnostic to prove whether it’s the wrap or the baler.

Massey / Hesston net-wrap troubleshooting at a glance

When to call your AGCO / Massey dealer

The fixes above are owner-level. Call the dealer when the monitor throws a persistent electrical fault after the mechanical items are clean and correct, when a sensor or solenoid is failing, or when the cut-off mechanism is worn beyond adjustment. Your operator’s manual’s troubleshooting section maps the specific monitor codes to causes — keep it in the cab.

And once the bales are made, follow safely removing net wrap from bales at feed-out. Running another brand? See our guides for John Deere and Case IH net-wrap problems — the Case IH guide is especially relevant given the shared RB/RS platform.

Producer experiences cited from public AgTalk Stock Talk and Machinery Talk discussions. Massey Ferguson and Hesston are AGCO marques; procedures vary by model and serial number — always confirm against your operator’s manual.

Hero image: “Hesston 5670 round baler” by Mitch Rue, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.