Abstract: An agricultural baler comprising a baling chamber and a mechanism for loading successive charges of crop material into the chamber. The baler also comprises a tying mechanism for forming a plurality of loops of binding material around the packages of crop material formed in the baling chamber. The movement of the strands of binding material is monitored by sensors and compared. In case the movement of a strand deviates substantially from the movement of the other strands a mistie indication is generated. Such mistie detection system is operable to detect a wide range of mistie conditions.

Abstract: An agricultural baler having a main frame, a stuffer for loading successive charges of crop material into a baling chamber installed on the frame and a plunger for compressing the charges into packages of crop material. When the package has reached a predetermined length, a trip mechanism actuates a tying mechanism to tie a series of strands around the package to form a finished bale. The drive line to the tying mechanism comprises a dog clutch assembly including a continuously rotated hub and a dog lever positioned for possible engagement of a cam lobe on the inner surface of the hub. In between tying cycles a lever of the trip mechanism keeps the dog lever away from the hub surface. A timing cam cooperating with a roller on the lever precludes the actuation of the dog clutch when the cam lobe passes in the vicinity of the dog lever.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for compressing hay such that the hay is suitable for long distance shipping. The hay is texturized by passing the hay through a shredder with an added fog or mist of water. The shredder separates, cuts and bends hay fibers rather than shattering the fibers. Compression of the hay is achieved by feeding the hay through an open ended compression conduit in a peristaltic manner through the use of a hydraulically actuated ram. Increased compression of the hay is achieved by applying transverse pressure to the hay as the hay travels longitudinally through the compression conduit.

Abstract: Retrofittable hay bale measuring apparatus measures the size of the hay bale being formed, and indicates the size of the bale being formed to a control and display unit. The baler operator sets the desired hay bale size and monitors the baler operation on the display. A contact wheel, which contacts the hay bale and rotates as the bale is being formed, is rotationally attached to a measuring wheel. Alternatively, the contact wheel may itself comprise the measuring wheel. The rotation of the measuring wheel is monitored by a rotation detector which generates a hay bale measuring signal, and sends it to the control and display unit. The control and display unit generates a signal which indicates to the baler when it is time to tie off a bale of hay, based upon the measuring signal.

Abstract: A baler of crop material which forms bales by encircling compressed crop material with twine. The twine is formed in loops around the bale and knotted. The baler includes a bale compression chamber into which successive charges of crop material are introduced, a plunger for reciprocating movement in the bale compression chamber which serves to compact the charges and advance the compacted charges towards an exit. It also includes a knotter for tying twine in a form stabilizing manner around successive increments of compacted material after they have been compacted to form bales. A knotter position adjuster changes the position of the knotter in order to accomplish adjustment of tension on the twine during compression and before knotting.

Abstract: The knotter clutch control prevents the driven dog of the clutch from flipping out into its actuated position for engagement with the driving lug of the clutch unless the lug is in a position wherein positive driving engagement between the lug and the dog is assured. A strategically positioned control lobe on the cam ring of the drive sprocket for the clutch blocks release of the dog into its extended position when the driving lug is at the lug pickup point on its path of travel. The dog is free to be released when the lug is at all other positions on its path of travel so as to be in position for engagement with the lug when it next arrives at the pickup point. The dog is reset into its retracted position after a single revolution of the knotter drive shaft.

Abstract: The apparatus of this invention forms and binds fibrous bulk material or the like into bales and comprises bale forming apparatus for forming the material into an elongated continuous mass. The bale forming apparatus has a bale-forming compartment with an infeed end and a discharge end, and material flow restricting apparatus located between the infeed and discharge ends for resisting the movement of the material. Auger feeding apparatus for conveying the material into the infeed end of said bale-forming compartment, and bale binding apparatus for receiving the mass of material from the discharge end of said bale-forming compartment and binding said mass into discrete bales, are provided.

Abstract: Wire catch for a baler comprising an elongated wire catch body having between a fixed end and a free end thereof a recess in which is suspended a wheel. The axis of rotation of the wheel is directed substantially transverse to the centerline of the wire catch body. The recess comprises a first guide surface adjoining a circumferential portion of the wheel that faces the fixed end. A second guide surface is provided opposite the first guide surface, which second surface converges towards the first guide surface in the direction of the free end of the wire catch body. According to the invention, the second guide surface is constituted by a portion, located remote from the first guide surface, of the circumferential portion of the wheel that faces the fixed end. The invention prevents the space between the first and the second guide surfaces from becoming clogged with compressed material.

Abstract: Restrained bales are formed for transporting high-bulk, crosslinked cellulose fiber in a reduced volume. A limited amount of force is used in compressing the fiber into the bales so that the fiber is not damaged. The limited amount of force used allows the bale, when restraints are released, to expand to about twice its restrained volume. Fiber damage is further minimized by limiting the amount of compression to the minimum required so that a transport container is completely filled to its volume and payload capacities.

Abstract: A baling press for automatically and mechanically placing and binding one or more binding wires around highly compressed bales of waste material. The baling press includes for each binding plane a separate feeding station, cutting station and twisting station on the opposite side of the pressing shaft. The feeding elements are not mechanically or positively connected to each other. Rather, the feeding elements are all connected to the same pulse generator for carrying out the control of the feeding elements.

Abstract: In a baler having a plunger reciprocating in a bale case and knotters for tying strands of twine around bales, two trip mechanisms are provided for automatic actuation of the knotters. A first trip mechanism is capable of preventing operation of the knotters until a bale of desired length is formed. A clutch mechanism for driving the knotters includes a pawl assembly with an abutment tab. A second trip mechanism holds the pawl assembly in a position where it prevents the knotters from being driven when the plunger is retracted. The initial displacement of the second trip mechanism toward a position where the knotters are driven is in substantially the same direction as the initial displacement of the pawl assembly abutment tab.

Abstract: A continuous extrusion type reciprocating baling apparatus includes an end pad insertion mechanism which permits end pads to be automatically inserted into the baling chamber at each end of the bale. The end pad insertion mechanism works in conjunction with a bale tying apparatus so that end pads can be provided on each end of automatically tied bales. The end pad insertion mechanism is located above the baling chamber so that end pads are inserted downwardly into the baling chamber, to permit the typing apparatus to be provided on each side of the baler. The end pad insertion mechanism includes an enclosure for containing a supply of end pads and a plate to push the end pads downwardly through a slot provided in the baling chamber.

Abstract: In a baler having a plunger reciprocating in a bale case and knotters for tying strands of twine around bales, two trip mechanisms are provided for automatic actuation of the knotters. A first trip mechanism is capable of preventing operation of the knotters until a bale of desired length is formed. A second trip mechanism is operatively associated with the plunger in a manner so that the plunger does not prevent the second trip mechanism from permitting operation of the knotters provided the plunger is moving in a direction in the bale case to compress crop material into bales. A locking device coupled to the first trip mechanism is cooperable with the second trip mechanism for controlling the position thereof in accordance with the position of the first trip mechanism.

Abstract: Apparatus is described for forming fibrous bulk material or the like into a baled unit and binding it. The apparatus includes: (a) a rotatable auger, (b) a tubular housing surrounding the auger, (c) feeding mechanism for feeding bulk material to the housing, (d) a die adjacent the tubular housing, (e) a packing chamber adjacent the die, and (f) binding or tying mechanism to bind the baled unit without cessation of rotation of the auger.

Abstract: A leaf baler including a compression chamber, a feed chamber, and a hydraulic ram being longitudinally aligned and mounted on a portable frame. The compression chamber includes an end wall and top and bottom walls that include pairs of communicating slots for receiving a flexible line, such as baling twine. A foot member is attached to the end of the hydraulic ram and is disposed to selectively extend through the open end of the compression chamber. The foot member also includes a pair of slots that communicate with the slots of the top and bottom walls when the foot member extends into the compression chamber. A needle including both a top and bottom notched eye is selectively received into the end wall slots and foot member slots to train and guide a pair of twine strings around a compressed bale to secure it before releasing it fromt he compression chamber.

Abstract: A cable bundle is lifted off the nail board for presentation to a binding or lashing tool. The lifting is accomplished by a claw which has two claw members, one is spring biased and initially slightly lifts the bundle off the nail board. The other claw member is driven by a motor to first come into engagement with the other claw and then to further lift the bundle. The lifting and presenting claw mechanism and a binding and lashing mechanism are both carried by a robot arm closely spaced to each other for cooperation. Both devices can be operated in response to a computer program control. Due to the lifting and presenting of the bundle, the binding can be performed automatically without the need for any spacers between the nail board and the conductor bundle.

Abstract: A baling machine according to the invention has a frame having walls defining an elongated compaction chamber having a front end provided with a transversely open intake to which a stream of crop is fed substantially continuously. At least one compacting member is periodically displaced in the chamber between a front position forward of the intake and a back position rearward of the intake by an appropriate drive so as to rearwardly compact crop in the chamber. A plurality of pushers are each displaceable between an advanced position projecting into the chamber and only partially blocking the intake and a retracted position substantially out of the chamber by a linkage that advances the pushers into their advanced position only when the member is rearward of the intake and of the pushers. Thus advance of the pushers into the advanced position immediately after movement of the compacting member rearward past the pushers parts the stream of crop between the pushers and compacting member.

Abstract: Bales of hay or other fibrous material which are recompressed to approximately half of their original volume and then retied with bale twine and then held in a decompression chamber for a sufficient period of time to allow for trapped air to escape and for the fibrous material to loose some of its resiliency before subjecting the retied bales to unrestricted recoil stresses. Bales are recompressed in the recompression chamber, then tied, then transferred, under full compression, to a decompression chamber where they are held for said period of time prior to being ejected from the machine.

Abstract: The reciprocating plunger of the baler has needle slots in its crop-engaging face from which accumulating crop materials are ejected during each retraction stroke of the plunger by stationary, horizontally extending probes telestationary, horizontally extending probes telescopically received by the plunger. Consequently, the slots are maintained clear of any debris which would otherwise interfere with the smooth, trouble-free operation of tying needles of the baler as they periodically sweep across the bale chamber and through the needle slots at certain, preselected intervals in the baling cycle. The crop expelling probes are hollow and open along their lowermost extremities to permit the admission thereinto without interference of crop feeding fingers which introduce successive charges of crop materials up into the bale chamber from a loading duct below the latter in timed relationship with reciprocation of the plunger.

Abstract: A large bale press for cylindrical and/or rectangular bales of cut blade material comprises a compression chamber having an input opening for the blade material, a discharge opening for the finished bales, a take-up unit for the cut blade material, and a conveyer drum between the take-upunit and the input opening. One or more typing mechanisms each having a swivel yarn guide and swivel needle, effects wrapping of a corresponding number of yarn strands around the bale. The discharge opening is formed by pivoting part of the compression chamber about a horizontal axis.

Abstract: A machine for pressing and binding bales (6) of refuse with wire is provided with a binding mechanism comprising a wire cutting device (14), a wire twisting device (13) and a binding needle (19) which is movable across a rear face of the bale for forming a wire loop (8a, 8b), a part of which is joined by the twisting device (13) to the tail end (8c) of a previously formed loop of wire to form a band extending around the bale. In order to avoid waste of wire occurring in the binding of overlength bales and to ensure functionally reliable and trouble-free binding of the bales, the binding needle (19) together with the wire loop (8a 8b) are capable of being transported parallel to the pressing direction (P) until they are adjacent the position adoped by the twisting device (13).

Abstract: A baler having a tubular member arranged to be traversed by the material to be pressed and collected into bales, the tubular member having an upwardly opening aperture therein, a modular binding unit comprising at least one binding assembly and a modular frame for supporting the binding assembly, the modular frame being detachably connected to the tubular member and positioned to at least partially close the aperture therein, the modular frame serving to mount the binding assembly in operative relation with respect to the tubular member.

Abstract: A baling machine for making large rectangular bales of straw or hay has a bale chamber with an entry opening at one end. Material is fed under compression to the entry opening to fill the chamber. So that the bale is formed of consolidated columns of material a guide is located adjacent the entry opening and can be moved in and out of the chamber after each column is formed.Pivoting of the guide pushes completed columns along the chamber to make way for incoming material.

Abstract: A bundle tying machine which operates with a conveyor chain that carries longitudinally spaced pairs of bundle holding plates through a curvilinear loading section and unloading section and a straight bundle tying section with means mounting the plates for relative movement and with means responsive to the presence of bundles between the plates for freeing the bundle tying mechanism to effect tying of the bundle in the tying section and including means for varying the tension on the twine at various stages during operation of the machine, and multiple needles for simultaneously tying the bundle with a plurality of twines in a single path.

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: A baling press for the production of bound bales of scrap material such as refuse is of the kind which comprises a press box, a press plunger which is movable through the press box to compress refuse fed to the box from a hopper the outlet of which is closed by the plunger as the plunger moves through the press box in a pressing stroke, a press channel which forms an extension of the press box and into which the pressed bales are pushed by the plunger and a binding mechanism disposed between the press box and the press channel for binding the bales as they are pushed into the channel. The press is provided with a separator slide which is movable transversely to the direction of movement of the press plunger and is disposed between the press box and the press channel just upstream of the binding mechanism considered in relation to the direction of pressing movement of the plunger. The slide is movable between an operative position in the path of the plunger and a retracted position clear of this path.

Abstract: Apparatus for binding bales by winding a filament, such as a wire or similar device thereabout, is provided with a twisting head which operates to twist together the ends of a binding filament after the filament has been wound around a bale. As the twisting operation is performed, tensile forces developed in the twisted filament may cause rupture of the filament. To avoid such rupture, the twisting head is resiliently mounted to enable absorption of the filament tensile forces thereby to avoid undesired rupture of the filament.

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 baler wherein material to be baled is displaced along a path past a plurality of needles into a baling chamber and wherein tying mechanism periodically displaces the needles in a predetermined direction across the path, a pair of shields are provided flanking each of the needles and displaceable in the same direction as the needles by links connected to the tying mechanism so as to force a way through material in the passage for the needles and thereby prevent bending of these needles. The shields are formed as circle segments pivotal about an axis immediately below the path and below the axis about which the needles are pivoted.

Abstract: A baler has improved linkage for controlling a needle safety latch mechanism being supported on the baler and biased for movement from a retracted position to an extended position for stopping the reciprocation of a plunger within a bale case on the baler if the timing between the plunger and a needle-carrying member on the baler is disrupted and the plunger moves on a working stroke when the needles are projected across the bale case and the path of the plunger. The improved linkage includes an elongated rigid member extending along the bale case and pivotally interconnected at one end to the latch mechanism and a link pivotally coupled adjacent one of its ends to pivot means which also pivotally mounts the needle-carrying member. The link adjacent an opposite one of its ends is pivotally coupled to an opposite end of the elongated member. Also, the link includes a portion disposed in the path of movement of the needle-carrying member.

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.