Abstract: A large round baler is equipped with a net wrapping mechanism for wrapping a bale with net material that is wider that the width of the baling chamber so that the net material extends over the opposite ends of the bale. The baler has a baling chamber defined in part by a plurality of bale-forming belts mounted in side-by-side relationship on a plurality of belt support rolls extending between opposite sidewalls of the baling chamber. The net material is fed beneath the discharge gate of the baler to a crop inlet located between a lower front belt support roll carried by the discharge gate, the net being carried into the baling chamber by a fore-and-aft runs of the belts that extend between a lower rear and the lower front belt support roll, and carry the net along a guide surface defined by a plurality of channel members respectively located beneath the fore-and-aft runs of the belts.

Abstract: Each end of a roller is defined by a stub shaft that is non-circular in cross section and supported from a side wall for rotation by a ball bearing having an inner race containing a mounting hole that is shaped complementary to, and located on, the stub shaft. The inner race is clamped from moving axially or radially relative to the shaft, thereby preventing the bearing from knocking against the stub shaft during operation. According to one embodiment of the invention, the outer race of the bearing is mounted within a complementary shaped bore of a sleeve that has a cylindrical exterior surface and is, in turn, mounted for axial movement in a cylindrical bore of a bearing housing that is mounted to the side wall by the agency of a bearing support.

Abstract: A wide pick-up of a large round baler is mounted for floating or pivoting vertically about the axis of rotation of a rotary secondary conveyor that includes a pair of centering augers at its opposite ends. Provided at each side of the pick-up is a float spring assembly including a coil tension spring and an L-shaped link. Each coil tension spring has its upper end coupled to the baler main frame by a bracket receiving a rod joined to a spring end retainer, and has its lower end defined by a hook which is received in a hole provided in an upper end of the L-shaped link. The lower end of the link is defined by a short leg which projects forwardly beneath lower rear structure of the pick-up frame and contains a kidney-shaped aperture in which a cylindrical coupler is received, the coupler being fixed to a side member of the pick-up frame.

Abstract: A large round baler includes a crop pick-up assembly which is wider than the baling chamber and equipped with right- and left-hand stub augers for centering the crop for delivery through the inlet of the baling chamber. In order to prevent the augers from compressing crop against crop feeding tines located between the inner ends of the stub augers, crop lifters are mounted to inner end portions of each of the stub augers. The stub augers are each double flight augers with the flights being offset 180° from each other. The crop lifters each include first and second lifter plates respectively associated with the first and second flights, the lifter plates each having a first end fixed to the auger core and being curved outwardly from the core to the outer periphery of the associated flight.

Abstract: An apparatus for wrapping net about bales formed in the baling chamber of a large round baler is arranged such that the net material supply roll is pressed directly against the driven wrap material feed roll by a pressure roll carried by a pair of transversely spaced lower arm portions of a lower arm section of a vertically swingable pressure arm assembly that also includes a separate, upper arm section. The force pressing the pressure roll against the supply roll originates with gas springs coupled to a linkage that is in turn coupled to transversely spaced upper arm portions of the upper arm section, these arm portions carrying respective force transfer rollers that engage respective intermediate sections of the lower arm portions.

Abstract: A large round baler bale-forming belt drive roll has cylindrical sections at its opposite ends which extend through circular holes provided in the opposite side walls of the baling chamber. The cylindrical sections are smaller in diameter than the circular holes, thus leaving clearance gaps between the cylindrical sections and the boundaries of the holes. A pair of wipers, in the form of rod or wire stock, are welded at diametrical opposite locations on the cylindrical sections and are located in the adjacent clearance gap. The wipers are angled relative to the axis of rotation of the roll so that as the roll rotates the wipers sweep through the gaps and cause any crop material engaged there to be moved inwardly from the adjacent bale chamber side wall.

Abstract: A large round baler includes a twine wrap mechanism having twine arms which sweep horizontally between opposite side walls of the baling chamber at a location above the pickup and below the bale starter roll. Mounted to one of the baling chamber side walls is a twine guide finger for guiding the twine to the circumference of the bale such that wraps of twine are spaced from the adjacent end of the bale by a distance sufficient to keep the twine from being fed between the wall and the bale end or from slipping off the end of the bale during handling of the bale once discharged from the chamber. The guide finger, in one embodiment, comprises a spring wire member having a guide end portion that is joined to coils that are mounted about a support rod extending through the side wall of the baling chamber.

Abstract: A large round baler includes a net wrapping device mounted to the rear and bottom of the discharge gate of the baler. A spare roll of net material is stored above an active roll of net material which rests upon and is caused to be rotated by the upper roll of a pair of net material feed rolls. The rolls of material are wider than the baling chamber of the baler and net spreader rolls, including both raised spirals and spiral grooves, are provided along the net feed path so that the net is at its full width when it arrives at the inlet to the bale chamber which is located at a lower bale-forming belt support roll extending between opposite sidewalls of the gate at the lower front of the gate. A pair of guide plates are mounted to the insides of the bale chamber sidewalls and extend about an upper portion of the circumference of a net spreader rolls located at the opposite ends of the belt support roll.

Abstract: A large round baler is equipped with a wrapping device for wrapping a bale with a web of plastic net wrapping material. The device includes a pair of wrap material feed rolls arranged one above the other with a supply roll of wrapping material being directly supported by the upper feed roll so that during operation of the feed rolls in dispensing a length of wrap material being wrapped about a bale, the periphery of the supply roll is rotated at the same speed as the periphery of the upper feed roll so that no scrubbing takes place between the supply and feed rolls. A pressure applying device uses a pair of air or gas cylinders acting through a linkage to force a freely rotating roller to exert a force on the supply roll which is transferred through the roll to the feed roll. In this way variable friction forces are avoided which would interfere with the maintenance of a desired constant tension in the length of wrapping material so that the bale is wrapped tightly, but without rupturing the net material.

Abstract: A mobile agricultural machine pulled by a tractor has first and second hydraulically actuated functional units powered through a single pair of outlets of a hydraulic system on the tractor. A spool-type direction control valve mounted on the machine has its inlet side connected to the outlets of the tractor hydraulic system and outlets connected to the respective hydraulic actuators. The valve spool is selectively positioned by means of a cam to direct oil to actuate either the first or second functional units. The cam is rotated by a bell crank through a sprag clutch so that the cam is driven in one direction only. The throw of the bell crank is limited by a stop and it is provided with a spring return so that an operator on the tractor may, by successive pulls on a single control rope attached to the bell crank, progressively index the cam and hence selectively actuate either the first or second functional units on the machine.