Abstract: The dog clutch for a square baler is normally retained in a disengaged position as a continuously driven sprocket rotates around it during baling operations. When a retainer for the dog is released, the dog is released by the retainer and flips out to an engaged position so as to be driven through one knotter revolution by a driving lug on the rotating sprocket, whereupon it is reset by the retainer into its disengaged position. An external lobe on the rotating sprocket blocks releasing movement of the retainer if the driving lug of the sprocket is in the immediate vicinity of the dog, which could otherwise cause an insecure engagement of the lug with the dog. The dog-engaging seat on the retainer is spring-loaded to provide yieldable relief in the event binding starts to occur between the retainer and the dog.

Abstract: A baler for making rectangular crop bales has a generally horizontally disposed fore-and-aft extending baling chamber. The pickup of the baler is disposed underneath the baling chamber in line with the path of travel of a reciprocating plunger in the overhead chamber. An in-line transfer duct leads generally upwardly and rearwardly from the pickup to the bottom of the chamber. An enclosed crop flow passage is defined from a point immediately behind the pickup to a point located at the opening in the bottom of the baling chamber and presents a forwardmost cutting zone, a packing zone behind the cutting zone, and an accumulating zone behind the packing zone. Cutter apparatus within the cutting zone reduces the crop materials into smaller pieces as they flow through the cutting zone, whereupon a separate packer takes the materials from the rear side of the cutter apparatus and packs them in a downstream direction toward the accumulating zone where they form into a charge.

Abstract: A round baler includes bale forming mechanism and a crop delivery apparatus for delivering crop material to the bale forming mechanism. A clutch is provided for drivingly disconnecting the bale forming mechanism and delivery apparatus from the driveline while the tailgate is raised to discharge a wrapped bale. Engagement and disengagement of the clutch is controlled by a piston and cylinder assembly, and raising and lowering of the tailgate is controlled by a pair of piston and cylinder units. The baler is provided with a hydraulic sequencing circuit that connects the clutch assembly and the tailgate units to a common source of pressurized fluid. Moreover, the sequencing circuit controls fluid flow to the assembly and the units so that the clutch is disengaged before the tailgate is raised and the clutch is not re-engaged until the tailgate has been closed.

Abstract: A mower conditioner includes a rotary style cutter bed and a pair of laterally extending crop conditioning rolls spaced rearwardly from the cutter bed. Crop flow is improved in the machine by a laterally extending conveying roller located between the cutter bed and the nip defined by the conditioning rolls. In particular, the conveying roller serves to lift cut crop up from the cutter bed and convey the crop rearwardly to the nip. This ensures that the cut crop moves in a steady stream from the cutter bed to the conditioning rolls, and thereby reduces the risk of cut crop being thrown forwardly by the cutters. A downwardly open area is preferably defined between the conveying roller and the cutter bed to provide a space through which dirt and debris can drop out of the machine. The conveying roller preferably has a rotational axis that is lower than the rotational axis of the lower conditioning roll and generally vertically aligned with the substantially planar cutting zone defined by the cutter bed.

Abstract: The bale pusher mechanism of a round baler has a one-way safety breakaway latch between the push bar that engages the ejected bale and the actuator that operates the push bar. During the pushing stroke of the push bar, the latch cannot unlock, but during the return stroke if the push bar hangs up on the bale for any reason, the relief spring of the latch can yield to allow the push bar to disconnect itself from the actuator and remain engaged with the bale. As the baler is driven forwardly a short distance with the tailgate raised, the unlatched push bar rides harmlessly across the top surface of the bale until it completely clears the bale. In most cases the push bar will then easily relatch itself with the actuator by gravity.

Abstract: A round baler is disclosed as including an improved bale wrapping mechanism that provides positive feeding of the wrapper at the start of the wrapping cycle. The mechanism includes a shiftable frame carrying a pair of feed rollers, with one of the rollers being brought into engagement with a stretch of the belts moving toward the baling chamber when the frame is shifted to a starting position. The wrapping mechanism is configured so that the belt stretch and the one feed roller cooperatively define a nip that is located downstream along the wrapper path from the nip defined between the feed rollers. A cutting assembly is disposed to sever the wrapper at a point spaced downstream from the nip defined between the belt stretch and the one roller, thereby insuring the wrapper presents a free end that is trapped between the one roller and the belt stretch when the frame is moved to the starting position.

Abstract: A crop harvesting header includes a wide cutter for severing crop across a relatively large cutting width, and framework defining a discharge opening spaced rearwardly from the cutter. The discharge opening has a width that is less than the cutting width such that crop severed laterally outboard of the discharge opening by the cutter must be conveyed inwardly before passing through the opening. At least one laterally extending, rotatable auger is located between the cutter and discharge opening for converging severed crop centrally from the areas located laterally outboard of the discharge opening and to project the crop through the opening when rotated. The header includes an auger support for rotatably supporting the auger between its opposite ends on the header framework so that the auger is capable of spanning the long distance corresponding to the large cutting width defined by the sickle bar.

Abstract: A non-row-sensitive forage harvesting header for attachment to a mobile frame carrying a chopper has a pair of rotatable cutting discs for severing stalks as the frame moves across a field. Positioned above the cutting discs are a pair of drum-shaped transfer devices rotatable in opposite directions about upright axes coaxial with the rotational axes of the respective cutting discs for gathering severed stalks to a central location between the devices. A pair of endless gripping elements extend about respective ones of the transfer devices and present opposed rearwardly moveable runs extending between the central location and the chopper when the header is attached to the frame. The opposed runs of the gripping elements are operable to cooperatively grip each gathered stalk therebetween while moving the stalk rearwardly from the central location to the chopper.

Abstract: A round baler has a pickup header that is wider than the baling chamber and its inlet so that over-width windrows can be picked up by the machine in spite of its relatively narrower chamber. In order to reduce the width of the crop stream for introduction into the chamber, the machine is provided with a pair of laterally spaced apart, axially aligned, transverse stub augers that engage opposite outboard margins of the stream and converge them inwardly toward the main body of the flow. At the point where the outboard materials are discharged into the central body of the stream, a stuffer mechanism takes control of the stream and charges the materials up into the baling chamber. The augers are driven in such a direction that their front portions rotate down and under the auger shafts so that the outboard crop materials are likewise fed down and under the augers as they are converged toward the center.

Abstract: The connection aid takes the form of a spring-loaded stand that is attached to the tongue of an implement for cradling support of the driveline at or near the height of the power take-off shaft of the tractor when the implement is not connected to the tractor. The driveline and the power take-off shaft can be readily aligned and reconnected when the implement is to be hitched to the tractor by simply pushing down on the driveline against the spring-loading of the stand or by slightly lifting the driveline with the help of the spring-loading of the stand to the extent necessary. Once the driveline has been connected, the stand may be swung down out of the way and into a stowed position substantially recessed below the top surface of the tongue.

Abstract: The in-line baler has its crop pickup, baling chamber and compacting plunger all located on the same fore-and-aft axis as viewed in top plan, but the tongue of the baler can be selectively swung by a hydraulic cylinder from a centered position to an offset position so that the baler may be correspondingly operated either directly behind the towing vehicle or off to one side as desired by the operator. To compensate for an otherwise excessive weight transfer onto the outboard ground wheel when the baler is shifted to the offset location, the onboard internal combustion engine and other drive apparatus for the operating components of the baler are all located off to one side of the center line of the machine, i.e., toward the inboard ground wheel. The pivot point for the tongue is located forwardly of the transverse axis of the ground wheels and slightly to the inboard side of the central axis of the baler, between the pickup and the overhead baling chamber.

Abstract: The hydraulic flotation circuit for the header of a windrower or other harvester utilizes a pair of precharged gas accumulators that are always in open communication with the flotation cylinders of the circuit. One of the accumulators is set at a relatively high precharge pressure, while the other is set at a much lower precharge pressure. If the header chosen for attachment to the harvester is relatively heavy, the accumulator with the higher precharge pressure provides the flotation bias, while if the header is relatively light, the accumulator having the lower precharge pressure comes into play.

Abstract: A self-propelled farm machine includes a rotatable air inlet screen assembly having a rotatable member and a surrounding contact surface with a positive seal therebetween. The preferred seal is composed of flexible, resilient material and includes a body portion circumscribing the rotatable member and in sealing engagement therewith, a disk-shaped skirt circumscribing the body portion and flexed into wiping engagement with the contact surface, and a transition section therebetween.

Abstract: The swathboard of a windrower can be remotely adjusted from the tractor seat and on-the-go using an electromechanical actuator or other remotely operated actuating device. When the swathboard is adjusted to its fully raised position, the stream of crop materials issuing from the conditioner rolls bypasses the swathboard and engages the forming shields to be converged into a windrow having a width determined by the outlet formed between the rear ends of the shields. At the other extreme, when the swathboard is fully lowered, the stream impinges against the swathboard and drops to the ground in a wide swath without ever engaging the forming shields. In any one of a number of intermediate positions, the swathboard can be used by the operator to deflect the stream to engage wider or narrower portions of the forming shields, thus controlling the width of the windrow.

Abstract: The windrower or other harvester has a hydraulic lift circuit for its header that includes a pair of double-acting cylinders which operate in concert to raise the header and provide a solid, lower limit for downward swinging of the header. The two cylinders are connected to one another in a master-slave relationship, and the slave cylinder has its return line normally blocked by a one-way check valve so that a body of fluid is trapped against the piston of the slave cylinder during field operations. This stabilizes the two cylinders to reduce header bounce.

Abstract: A round baler having a wrapping apparatus for wrapping bales with twine includes a twine dispenser moveable generally between the sidewalls for dispensing at least one strand of twine around the bale. The wrapping apparatus includes a retractable twine guide for spacing the twine wrapped around the bale a certain distance from one of the sidewalls. The guide is shiftable into and out of an operating position, in which the guide engages and maintains the twine the distance from the one sidewall. The wrapping apparatus further includes a twine cutter for severing the twine at the end of each wrapping cycle. Power mechanism, such as a hydraulic cylinder, is provided for simultaneously operating the twine cutter and the twine guide.

Abstract: A square baler has a generally horizontally disposed baling chamber, a reciprocating plunger within the chamber, and an underslung loading duct projecting downwardly and forwardly from the bottom of the chamber to a pickup apparatus. A stuffer is operable through successive stuffing strokes within the duct to both transfer material from the pickup apparatus into the baling chamber and precompress the material within the duct. The stuffer includes a pair of fore-and-aft mutually spaced apart forks presenting a leading fork and a trailing fork with respect to the direction of travel of the stuffer during a stuffing stroke. The leading fork has a generally kidney-shaped path of travel that begins its upstroke rearwardly of the forwardly facing inlet of the duct, while the trailing fork has a generally kidney-shaped path of travel that begins its upstroke forwardly of the inlet of the duct.

Abstract: A round baler includes a tension assembly for applying pressure evenly across the periphery of the bale as it grows within the baling chamber. The tension assembly includes a rotatable torque tube extending between the sidewalls and only one tensioning mechanism, such as a hydraulic cylinder, adjacent one of the sidewalls of the baler for supplying a yieldable resistance load in opposition to torsional loads on the torque tube. A load transferring member extends inwardly from the one sidewall to operably connect the single tensioning mechanism to the torque tube at a location spaced between the sidewalls and thereby transfer the loads between the mechanism and tube.

Abstract: A round baler includes a bale shape monitor for facilitating uniform bale formation. The bale shape monitor includes a pair of end sensors and an intermediate sensor. The end sensors sense the diameter of the bale at end locations adjacent opposite ends of the bale, while the intermediate sensor senses the diameter of the bale at an intermediate location spaced between the end locations. The monitor further includes a signal responsive to the sensors to indicate to the operator when the diameter of the bale at one of the end locations is less than the diameter at the intermediate location. The signal is electrically powered and includes a pair of switches, each of which is operably coupled between one of the end sensors and the intermediate sensor to operate an indicator when the diameter of the bale sensed at the corresponding end location is less than the diameter sensed at the intermediate location.

Abstract: The vertical chamber of the open throat, vertical chamber baler has its bottom inlet opening devoid of a starter roll. A resilient rotary rake tine assembly positioned below and ahead of the inlet opening picks up crop material from the ground and delivers it to a rigid tooth feeder spaced below the inlet opening in vertical alignment therewith. At the beginning of each bale forming cycle when the chamber is small and empty, the rigid tooth feeder propels the crop material into the chamber and against the upwardly moving rear belt stretch which encourages the material to tumble forwardly against the downwardly moving front belt stretch. The oppositely moving surfaces presented by the front and rear belt stretches encourage the tumbling material to coil into a bale core, which ultimately forms a larger bale.