Abstract: A baling maching includes a variable volume baling chamber with which there is associated a hydraulic tension cylinder containing fluid in its rod end for resisting expansion of the baling chamber. A high pressure relief valve is connected in circuit between the opposite ends of the cylinder for permitting fluid transfer between the ends in accordance with the pressure setting of the valve. A low pressure relief valve is connected in circuit between the opposite ends of the tension cylinder so as to be in parallel with the high pressure relief valve.

Abstract: A large round baler having an expansible bale chamber has tension cylinders associated with the chamber for strongly resisting expansion thereof so as to produce dense bales when a bypass valve located in a bypass line interconnecting rod and piston ends of the tension cylinders is positioned for preventing flow through the valve thereby forcing the flow to go through a variable high pressure relief valve located in another bypass line, the bypass valve being selectively shiftable to another position for permitting free flow therethrough when it is desired to produce a soft bale. The baler also includes gate cylinders for opening and closing the discharge gate of the baler.

Abstract: A wrap material spreader roll includes a smooth, cylindrical tube having spiral flights at opposite end portions thereof formed from spirally wound elongate members such as wires, or the like, the elongate members having respective inner ends defined by a radially inwardly projecting portion which is received in a respective hole provided in the tube. The spreader roll is mounted to opposite support walls by respective standard bolts having hexagonal flange heads received in hexagonal bores provided in the inner races of a pair of roller bearings that are pressed into the opposite ends of the tube, the bolts having respective threaded stems received in the smaller lower portions of keyhole-shaped openings provided in the walls and having flange nuts received thereon.

Abstract: A mechanism for enveloping a large round bale with a surface wrap material such as plastic sheet or net includes a housing for holding a supply roll of the wrap material. The mechanism and, hence, the housing is mounted on the rear of a bale discharge gate. The housing includes a front wall, defined by an upright secured across the rear of the gate, and a bottom wall sloped upwardly and rearwardly relative to the front wall. The bottom wall and front wall converge toward a wrap material passage defined between a forward edge of the bottom wall and the front wall.

Abstract: A mechanism for enveloping a large round bale with a surface wrap material such as plastic sheet or net includes a housing for holding a supply roll of the wrap material. The mechanism and, hence, the housing is mounted on the rear of a bale discharge gate. The housing includes a front wall, defined by an upright panel secured across the rear of the gate, and a bottom wall sloped upwardly and rearwardly relative to the front wall. The bottom wall and front wall converge toward a wrap material passage defined between a forward edge of the bottom wall and the front wall.

Abstract: A mechanism for enveloping a large round bale with a surface wrap material such as plastic sheet or net includes a housing for holding a supply roll of the wrap material. The mechanism and, hence, the housing is mounted on the rear of a bale discharge gate. The housing includes a front wall defined by an upright panel secured across the rear of the gate and having an upper end portion projecting rearwardly and downwardly and a bottom wall spaced below the upper end portion of and being sloped upwardly and rearwardly relative to the front wall. The housing also includes a cover which is vertically pivotally mounted to a pair of brakets located just beneath the upper end portion of the front wall, the cover having a top wall having a forward edge portion which seals against the bottom of the upper end portion of the front wall when the cover is in a closed position.

Abstract: A U-shaped bale push bar straddles a discharge gate of a large round baler with opposite legs of the bar being respectively pivotally connected to a pair of support brackets which are secured to and project rearwardly alongside the discharge gate from upper rear locations of opposite sidewall sections forming a portion of the baler main frame. A pair of chains are coupled between forward locations of the gate and the legs of the push bar and serve as lost-motion connections that cause the push bar to extend and retract respectively in following relationship to opening and closing movements of the gate such that interference between the gate and a discharged bale is avoided. An over center spring assembly acts between the push bar and support brackets to bias the bar toward its retracted position when the gate is closed and to bias the push bar toward its extended position when the gate moves a small amount towards its open position a small amount beyond an intermediate position permitting discharge of a bale.

Abstract: A wrapping mechanism for enveloping the surface of a large round bale with a wrapper is mounted to the discharge gate of a baler having a bale-forming chamber formed in part by the gate and side-by-side supported belts carried by the gate. A pair of feed rolls are positioned for directing wrap material into a pinch point defined by a lower run of the bale chamber belts and an upper surface of a plate mounted to the underside of the gate for guiding the wrap material to an inlet at the bottom of the bale-forming chamber. A device for cutting off a desired length of wrap material fed through the feed rolls includes a spring loaded knife which is released from and reset to a cocked position by the action of a hydraulic cylinder which also acts to engage and disengage drive means coupled to the feed rolls in appropriate sequence to the operation of the knife.

Abstract: A U-shaped bale push bar straddles a discharge gate of a large round baler with opposite legs of the bar being respectively pivotally connected to a pair of support brackets which are secured to and project rearwardly alongside the discharge gate from upper rear locations of opposite sidewall sections forming a portion of the baler main frame. A pair of chains are coupled between forward locations of the gate and the legs of the push bar and serve as lost-motion connections that cause the push bar to extend and retract respectively in following relationships to opening and closing movements of the gate such that interference between the gate and a discharged bale is avoided.

Abstract: A drive roll drive of a wrap material feed mechanism is driven at a peripheral speed a desired percentage slower than the peripheral speed of a bale being wrapped whereby the drive rolls function also in the manner of a drag brake so that the wrap material is applied under tension to the bale being wrapped. A spreader roll is located between a supply roll of wrap material and one of the drive rolls and is so positioned relative thereto that the wrap material engages a substantial portion of the perimeter of the drive roll, such engagement diminishing the tendency of the tensioned wrap material to slip through the drive rolls. In an alternate embodiment, a wrap material monitoring device in the form of a spreader roll rotation sensing device is provided for signalling an operator both of the depletion of the supply of wrap material and of the unwanted dispensing of wrap material.

Abstract: An optional mechanism for enveloping a bale, in the bale chamber of a large round baler, with a wrapping material such as plastic sheet or net is provided on a baler having an automatic twine tie mechanism. The optional mechanism is embodied such that it utilizes mechanical and hydraulic controls of the twine tie mechanism for effecting automatic engagement of a normally disengaged drive roll drive for feeding wrap material into the bale chamber in response to a bale reaching a desired diameter in the chamber and for automatically severing the wrap material once a length thereof sufficient for encompassing a bale a desired amount has been disposed as determined by the time it takes a speed-controlled hydraulically operated twine arm to swing from one side to the other of the bale chamber.

Abstract: A bale wrapping mechanism for wrapping a large round bale with a wrap material such as plastic sheet material or net, is mounted to the rear of a bale discharge gate. Drive rolls are located rearwardly of the gate and are selectively drivable for dispensing wrap material onto the rear end of a guide pan extending beneath and engaged with a portion of bale-forming belts extending between lower rear and lower front belt support rolls carried by the discharge gate. A guide finger assembly is secured to the front of the pan and includes a plurality of fingers located in gaps between the bale-forming belts and including forward end portions curved arcuately about the lower front belt support roll for directing wrap material about the roll and into a pinch point defined between the belts and a bale desired to be wrapped by the material.

Abstract: This press for forming cylindrical or round bales comprises sets of bands or belts which, in a conventional manner, define a chamber for forming a bale by rolling up, as well as a pickup designed to transfer harvest products gathered on the ground as far as a bale-forming chamber through an entry opening for the products, and a starting roller located on that side of the opening that is remote from the pickup. According to the invention, a scraper is arranged to cooperate with the starting roller in such a manner as to resist any rolling up of the harvest products around the roller. If the roller is a smooth circular section roller, the scraper may be stationary. It may be arranged in conjunction with fingers extending between the bands or belts as far as to the immediate vicinity of the starting roller on the side of the roller remote from the scraper. In the case of a noncircular starting roller, the scraper is mounted so as to be movable, especially pivotable.

Abstract: This cylindrical bale-forming press comprises sets of belts, bands or the like which define a chamber for forming a bale by rolling up crop products. At least one stationary roller drives the belts and is itself driven from a main drive shaft. Some of the guide rollers are movable and are subjected to a biasing action by hydraulic cylinders so as to maintain the belts under tension. According to the invention, a torque sensor is provided on the main drive shaft of the press and operates to provide an electrical output signal which is operatively connected to electrically responsive valve means in the hydraulic circuitry for controlling the hydraulic cylinders so as to reduce or eliminate the tension in the belts when an excessive resisting torque on the main driving shaft is sensed.

Abstract: A baling machine, towed by a tractor, for forming large cylindrical bales of hay has a baling chamber defined by oppositely moving runs of belts trained over rolls.In order to avoid stray hay wrapping around the ends of a roll and then being ingested in bearings supporting the ends of the roll, an anti-wrap assembly is provided at each end of the roll. The assemblies each comprise a spiral which is welded to the roll and which moves the stray crop away from the end of the roll, and a scraper mounted so as to have an edge thereof located very close to or in light contact with the spiral for preventing the crop from being carried around the roll by the spiral.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for unplugging or freeing a cylindrical baler which has a slug of crop material caught in the crop inlet of the bale forming chamber. A cylindrical baler used in the practice of this method is comprised of a plurality of belts supported on a plurality of rolls and defining a bale forming chamber. A pair of rolls on a carrier respectively engage a pair of stretches of the belts and substantially close an upper portion of the chamber. The rolls and carrier are upwardly moveable as the chamber expands responsive to the bale growth. The method comprises steps of (1) disengaging a drive means for the belts; (2) moving the carrier and rolls supported thereon upwardly away from the bale being formed in the chamber thereby enlarging the chamber; (3) automatically tensioning the belts responsive to carrier movement to cause the stretches to rotatably engage the bale and (4) re-engaging the drive means for feeding the slug into the chamber and wrapping the slug around the bale.

Abstract: A baler is comprised of a frame, a plurality of belts supported on a plurality of rollers in the frame. The belts define a bale forming chamber for forming cylindrical bales. One of the rollers at the lower front of the bale forming chamber has a plurality of sleeves thereon each underlying a respective one of the belts and supporting the longitudinal edges of the belts out of contact with the core of the roller. By supporting the longitudinal edges of the belts out of contact with roller core, the tendency of the roller to become wrapped with crop material is reduced.

Abstract: A belt for large round baler has a roughly textured, crop-engaging surface formed by a plurality of continuous, uniform height walls defining a plurality of recesses therebetween. The walls may be arranged in a variety of polygonal shapes. The height of the walls is less than the maximum spacing between adjacent walls. The thickness of the walls decrease from the base toward the tip. The textured surface of the belt provides reduced levels of noise and dust, a self-cleaning action, lateral stiffness and longitudinal flexibility.

Abstract: A round baler of typical construction has a novel belt and roll system arranged to provide a pair of lower rolls from which oppositely running stretches extend upwardly to a pair of closely spaced apart intermediate rolls which are journaled on a carrier means which in turn is movable upwardly as bale size increases between the oppositely running stretches. The bale is confined below the two intermediate rolls while other stretches of the belt are trained about additional rolls enabling deflecting of the chamber-forming stretches during bale formation. Control means is provided to act on the carrier to control upward movement of the carrier means and thus to control bale density in an improved and efficient manner. The control means further includes hydraulic means tied in with the hydraulic means that controls the bale-discharge gate.