Abstract: The angular or rotative position of a sprocket wheel may be incrementally adjusted through the appropriate manipulation of a pair of spaced-apart, opposed wedge assemblies mounted on the wheel that capture a crank of the shaft so that by inching the crank in one rotative direction or the other through manipulation of the wedge assemblies, the rotative relationship between the wheel and the shaft is changed. Each wedge assembly includes a pair of relatively shiftable components having interengaging cam surfaces, one of such components having an arcuate surface that is received in slidable, mating engagement by a complementally formed recess on the proximal side of the crank, thereby permitting relative rotational movement between the crank and the wedge assemblies so as to accommodate the swinging or arcuate nature of the crank movement during adjustment.

Abstract: If the next charge to be stuffed into the baling chamber has not yet reached the desired size and density by the time the stuffing fork and compacting plunger are ready to begin their next operating cycles, the plunger and the fork are temporarily deactivated until the charge reaches full size and density. Thereupon, the fork stuffs the entire charge into the baling chamber in a single cycle of operation for compaction by the plunger. The baler is loaded from the bottom of the baling chamber through an upwardly curved duct that serves both as an accumulating chamber and as a precompression area into which the charge is progressively packed by a rotating, retractable finger drum at the lower end of the duct. The plunger closes the top of the duct during such accumulation and pre-compression, and in order to provide ample time for the plunger to retract from the duct when the stuffing cycle commences, the fork moves slowly at first but then quite rapidly once the plunger has retracted.

Abstract: In a crop baler each compacted bale is progressively formed in the bale chamber and incrementally advanced therethrough by the successive packing of new charges of loose material into the chamber against the trailing end of the partial bale. Yieldable resistance to movement of the bale through the chamber is normally provided by a previously formed and tied bale in order that the forming bale may be packed and densified in the proper way. Each bale is bound in its compacted condition by at least one complete loop of binding material, each loop consisting of a pair of separate strands from two separate sources of supply. The two strands of each loop are circumferential complements of one another and are connected together at the two locations where they are substantially end-to-end such that each binding loop contains two knots or other types of strand connections, depending upon the nature of the binding material selected for use.

Abstract: In a baling operation that uses a continuously reciprocating plunger, if the next charge to be stuffed into the chamber has not yet reached the desired size and density by the time the stuffing fork is ready to begin its next operating cycle, the fork is temporarily deactivated, without affecting the plunger, until the charge reaches full size and density. Thereupon, the fork stuffs the entire charge into the baling chamber in a single cycle of operation for compaction by the plunger. The baler is loaded from the bottom of the baling chamber through an upwardly curved duct that serves both as an accumulating chamber and as a precompression area into which the charge is progressively packed by a rotating, retractable finger drum at the lower end of the duct. A backstop for precompression purposes may be presented at the top of the duct in a number of alternative ways, i.e.

Abstract: If the next charge to be stuffed into the baling chamber has not yet reached the desired size and density by the time the stuffing fork and compacting plunger are ready to begin their next operating cycles, the plunger and the fork are temporarily deactivated until the charge reaches full size and density. Thereupon, the fork stuffs the entire charge into the baling chamber in a single cycle of operation for compaction by the plunger. The baler is loaded from the bottom of the baling chamber through an upwardly curved duct that serves both as an accumulating chamber and as a pre-compression area into which the charge is progressively packed by a rotating, retractable finger drum at the lower end of the duct. The plunger closes the top of the duct during such accumulation and pre-compression, and in order to provide ample time for the plunger to retract from the duct when the stuffing cycle commences, the fork moves slowly at first but then quite rapidly once the plunger has retracted.

Abstract: If the next charge to be stuffed into the baling chamber has not yet reached the desired size and density by the time the stuffing fork and compacting plunger are ready to begin their next operating cycles, the plunger and the fork are temporarily deactivated until the charge reaches full size and density. Thereupon, the fork stuffs the entire charge into the baling chamber in a single cycle of operation for compaction by the plunger. The baler is loaded from the bottom of the baling chamber through an upwardly curved duct that serves both as an accumulating chamber and as a pre-compression area into which the charge is progressively packed by a rotating, retractable finger drum at the lower end of the duct. The plunger closes the top of the duct during such accumulation and pre-compression, and in order to provide ample time for the plunger to retract from the duct when the stuffing cycle commences, the fork moves slowly at first but then quite rapidly once the plunger has retracted.

Abstract: In the event that tying needles should be left in the path of travel of the baling plunger as a result of a malfunction in the drive for the needles, a safety control linkage will take over to withdraw the needles from the path of travel as the plunger continues in operation. During the baling process and before initiation of a tying cycle, the linkage reciprocates freely without effect on the tying needles as a result of a lost-motion connection therewith. The relationship between the linkage and the needles is such that the linkage has no effect on the needles when the latter are swung into operation by their driving mechanism, the linkage only coming into play if such mechanism should fail and be thus unable to withdraw the tying needles in the normal manner.

Abstract: In a crop baler each compacted bale is progressively formed in the bale chamber and incrementally advanced therethrough by the successive packing of new charges of loose material into the chamber against the trailing end of the partial bale. Yieldable resistance to movement of the bale through the chamber is normally provided by a previously formed and tied bale in order that the forming bale may be packed and densified in the proper way. Each bale is bound in its compacted condition by at least one complete loop of binding material, each loop consistng of a pair of separate strands from two separate sources of supply. The two strands of each loop are circumferential complements of one another and are connected together at the two locations where they are substantially end-to-end such that each binding loop contains two knots or other types of strand connections, depending upon the nature of the binding material selected for use.

Abstract: In a baling operation that uses a continuously reciprocating plunger, if the next charge to be stuffed into the chamber has not yet reached the desired size and density by the time the stuffing fork is ready to begin its next operating cycle, the fork is temporarily deactivated, without affecting the plunger, until the charge reaches full size and density. Thereupon, the fork stuffs the entire charge into the baling chamber in a single cycle of operation for compaction by the plunger. The baler is loaded from the bottom of the baling chamber through an upwardly curved duct that serves both as an accumulating chamber and as a precompression area into which the charge is progressively packed by a rotating, retractable finger drum at the lower end of the duct. A backstop for precompression purposes may be presented at the top of the duct in a number of alternative ways, i.e.

Abstract: The needle is of tubular frame construction, having a generally overall triangular configuration by virtue of two longitudinally extending, eccentrically arcuate structural members that converge to a point of intersection as the tip of the needle is approached. Gussets between the two members brace the same against deflection toward and away from one another, and one of the members extends outwardly beyond the point of intersection to terminate as the tip of the needle. Such longer member has a transversely inverted U-shaped configuration rather than being completely tubular so as to define a receiving channel for a strand of tying material that is retained by the tip of the needle as the latter swings into operation.

Abstract: The base end of the needle is draw-bolted tightly against a transverse supporting shaft for movement of the needle with the shaft during swinging of the latter, but enlarged openings through which the draw bolt extends permit the needle to be adjustably shifted about the periphery of the shaft without first loosening the draw bolt when setscrews on opposite sides of the latter are turned to effect such adjustment.

Abstract: Bales are successively formed in the baling chamber of the machine by intermittently packing an additional charge of new material against the trailing end of a forming bale to progressively push the bales toward the discharge end of the chamber. When the bale reaches its predetermined size, a needle swings across the bale chamber behind the trailing end of the bale and presents a binding strand to a knotter. The knotter unites the presented end of the strand with an end previously held by the knotter during a packing cycle such as to form a secure, tied loop about the bale. As the needle retracts from the knotter, it places a new length of strand across the bale chamber in preparation for the loop around the next, succeeding bale, and it is during such retraction of the needle that a slackening device draws a supply of slack in the strand and lays the same along the proximal side of the preceding bale.

Abstract: In a crop baler each compacted bale is progressively formed in the bale chamber and incrementally advanced therethrough by the successive packing of new charges of loose material into the chamber against the trailing end of the partial bale. Yieldable resistance to movement of the bale through the chamber is normally provided by a previously formed and tied bale in order that the forming bale may be packed and densified in the proper way. Each bale is bound in its compacted condition by at least one complete loop of binding material, each loop consisting of a pair of separate strands from two separate sources of supply. The two strands of each loop are circumferential complements of one another and are connected together at the two locations where they are substantially end-to-end such that each binding loop contains two knots or other types of strand connections, depending upon the nature of the binding material selected for use.

Abstract: The stationary, lower jaw of the rotary bill hook has a transversely bulbous toe at its forward end that protrudes laterally outwardly in opposite directions from the longitudinal axis of the jaw. A laterally constricted neck immediately behind the toe retains strands looped around the hook during knot tying, and although the toe is bulbous, the jaw is so contoured that its circumference from the neck to the forwardmost edge of the toe does not exceed the circumference at the neck. As a result, a small, tight knot can be made without accidentally enlarging and loosening the same as it is stripped from the bill hook. The forwardly converging relationship of the upper and lower surfaces of the stationary jaw, together with an oblique relationship of the bulbous toe to the longitudinal axis of the jaw, provide the desired circumferential relationship.

Abstract: A sickle drive has a sway bar that is coupled with the sickle to reciprocate the latter during oscillation of the sway bar. The latter is operably coupled with a crank drive through a special linkage employing a pair of oppositely extending, short pitman links that compensate for one another adjacent opposite ends of the sickle stroke to vary the velocity of the sickle substantially sinusoidally. The oppositely directed inertia forces of the sickle adjacent opposite ends of its stroke, made equal by the special linkage, are balanced out by a pair of superimposed, oppositely rotating weights driven in timed relationship to reciprocation of the sickle, thereby presenting a substantially vibration-free drive.