Abstract: A round baler includes an endless flexible member which has an inner course that expands around and contacts at least a portion of a bale during formation thereof. The endless flexible member extends around a plurality of drive and guide members, all of which are disposed within the envelope defined by the endless flexible member. When the bale has reached its maximum size, the inner course of the endless flexible member is engaged with all of the drive and guide members so that the inner course cannot expand any further and thereby assumes a generally fixed position.

Abstract: A cylindrical baler is comprised of an adjustable bale-forming chamber for forming spirally wound, cylindrical bales. A completed bale is discharged on the ground through a rear gate. The chamber is comprised of a plurality of longitudinally extending, side-by-side belts supported on a plurality of transverse rollers. The chamber is adjusted by a pair of belt tension rollers engaged with the bale chamber belts and supported between a pair of pivotally mounted belt tension arms which are displaceable as the diameter of a bale in the chamber increases during formation. A hydraulic circuit controls the tension applied to the chamber by the belt tension arms and rollers and also operates the bale discharge gate. A pair of hydraulic jacks are, respectively, mounted on each side of the baler and connected between the bale discharge gate and the belt tension arms.

Abstract: In a baler of the type comprising a housing which can open in clamshell formation to release a formed bale from the rear of the housing and including a plurality of separate belt runs which are permanently arranged around the periphery of the housing, a mechanism is provided for temporarily holding the infed material while a bale is discharged and while the clamshell portion is open. The mechanism comprises a number of tines which project through spaces between adjacent belt runs of a belt which lies across the bottom of the baler leading from the feed inlet to the clamshell opening. The tines are actuated by a lever mechanism which is spring biased into a raised position of the tines and includes a sliderod which is moved by opening and closing of the clamshell housing.

Abstract: A machine for continuously forming roll bales of crop material has a lower apron and forward and rearward upper aprons cooperating to define front and rear bale forming chambers. Pivoting arms move the forward upper apron between various positions during bale formation. Ramps extend upwardly above the lower apron in an operative position, and the ramps are also movable to an inoperative position. An actuator mechanism is interconnected between the arms and the ramps to cause movement of the ramps between the operative and inoperative positions in response to movement of the forward upper apron between its various positions.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for forming a compressed produce bale, which is provided with a compacting cage, supported on an undercarriage, with an inlet for the produce and a pick-up for collecting the produce. The compacting cage has a polygonal, preferably square or rectangular cross section, and is bounded by at least approximately planar, stiff side walls, the inlet and the compacting cage being adjustable relative to each other in such a manner, that uniform filling of the whole cross sectional shape of the compacting cage is achieved.

Abstract: A breakaway mechanism for a twine wrapping apparatus on a roll baling machine couples a twine dispensing member to a pinion which is in intermeshing engagement with a gear rack. The pinion and the gear rack cooperate to effect pivoting movement of the twine dispensing member. The breakaway mechanism permits the twine dispensing member to be uncoupled from the pinion when a predetermined load is exerted on the twine dispensing member during its pivoting movement.

Abstract: A round baler includes front and rear expandable members arranged to form a vertically oriented start chamber which expands to a cylindrical shape during bale formation. An arm which supports the front expandable member is pivotally mounted and carries guide members at its ends around which the front expandable member passes. Upper and lower T-shaped supports which support the rear expandable member are pivotally mounted, and each T-shaped support carries a pair of guide members for engaging the rear expandable member.

Abstract: A machine for continuously forming roll bales of crop material has a lower apron and forward and rearward upper aprons cooperating to define front and rear bale forming chambers. A rotatable arm assembly supports the rearward upper apron, and a control linkage is provided for holding the arm assembly in a position so that it does not interfere with the discharge of a bale from the rear chamber.

Abstract: A twine cutting and clamping apparatus for a roll baling machine includes an arm having one edge which cooperates with a cutting member such as a knife to cut twine therebetween. The arm has another edge which cooperates with a resilient member such as a spring clip to clamp twine therebetween.

Abstract: A twine wrapping apparatus for a roll baling machine includes a shuttle member which carries a gear rack that intermeshes with a pinion connected to a twine dispensing member such as a twine tube. When the shuttle member is moved generally transversely of the roll baling machine, the pinion is rotated by the gear rack resulting in pivoting movement of the twine tube.

Abstract: A large cylindrical baler with a gauge for indicating the relative diameters of a bale being formed in the bale-forming chamber at two axially-spaced points on the bale periphery. The baler comprises a bale-forming chamber defined in part by a conveyor comprised of a plurality of endless loop belts. A belt-tensioning and take-up mechanism tensions all of the belts responsive to the diameter of the largest diameter portion of the bale during formation. The gauge has a pair of feelers engaging two of the belts in engagement with the periphery of the bale at two remote, axially-spaced points on the bale periphery. An indicator is positioned remotely of the bale-forming chamber and is interconnected with the pair of feelers through a signal transmitting means for transmitting a signal to the indicator responsive to the variation in tension of the two belts.

Abstract: A roll bale press apparatus for rolling and wrapping harvested agricultural material comprises a prechamber that is disposed forward of a press region. A variable position pickup device is operative in a first position thereof to direct harvested agricultural material through a first inlet orifice into the press region, and is operative in a second position thereof to direct harvested agricultural material into the prechamber. The apparatus includes a second inlet orifice above the first inlet orifice, between the prechamber and press region, through which harvested agricultural material may pass from the prechamber into the press region, and the prechamber includes a transport mechanism for conveying material in the prechamber upwardly to the second inlet orifice.

Abstract: A pickup at the front of a rotary crop baler discharges crop material rearward between crop guiding means comprising a feed roller that propels the material farther rearward. Rearwardly adjacent to the feed roller is a bale forming roller with a diameter about twice that of the feed roller, rotating in the same direction as the feed roller and at the same or a slightly faster peripheral speed. The bale compacting belt assembly has the usual expandable lower stretch defined by two rollers, one of which is spaced above the crop guiding means, the other of which is rearwardly adjacent to the bale forming roller. During an initial stage of core formation that stretch of belt slides on the bale forming roller and cooperates with it, with the feed rollers and with retractable bale forming fingers, to define a bale starting chamber more nearly cylindrical than heretofore.

Abstract: A machine is provided for continuously forming roll bales of crop material while moving across a field without stopping to discharge the bales. The machine includes a lower apron and a pair of upper aprons. One of the upper aprons cooperates with the lower apron to define a front bale forming chamber while the two upper aprons cooperate with each other to define a rear bale forming chamber.

Abstract: A twine cut and clamp mechanism for a roll baling machine includes a pair of arms and a pair of intermeshing spur gears connected, respectively, to the arms. A lever is connected to one of the arms to pivot it. The spur gears cause concurrent pivoting of the other arm when the one arm is pivoted by the lever.

Abstract: Agricultural stalk products are baled in a baling press by winding a product in a pressure chamber to form a round bale, displacing the pressure chamber in cooperation with peripherally limiting transport elements so as to block a further product supply into the pressure chamber and to release a product supply into a storage chamber, whereas the transport elements deflect a product flow and peripherally limit the storage chamber, fixing an outer contour of the round bale in the pressure chamber and opening the latter, displacing the transport elements so that they discharge the bale from the storage chamber, transfer the stored product from the storage chamber to the pressure chamber and guide a new product flow into the pressure chamber, and peripherally closing a bottom of the pressure chamber by the transport elements for forming a next bale in the pressure chamber.

Abstract: Apparatus is presented for slicing a large round bale into two or more parts prior to discharge from the baler. Slicing is accomplished by inserting a knife blade into the bale-forming chamber during or subsequent to the tying-off event while the bale rotates. The cutting means is inserted into the sidewalls of the baler and into the baling chamber. As the bale is rotated, the cutting means cuts the bale. Typically, a ring and core are formed. The preferred configurations of the core are cylinders or conical structures.

Abstract: A cylindrical baler has a bale discharge ejector movable between a retracted position and an extended position. In the retracted position, the ejector is engageable with a bale discharged on the ground underneath a bale discharge gate of the baler and is operable to move the bale rearwardly of the gate as the ejector is moved to its extended position. The ejector is retained in the extended position while the gate is closed to insure that the bale remains clear of the gate during closing. With such an ejector, the method of bale discharge is simplified. The method includes the steps of opening the gate to discharge the bale on the ground underneath the gate; moving the ejector from a retracted position to an extended position to move the bale from underneath the gate; closing the gate; and retracting the ejector.

Abstract: A mobile roll baler including a pickup device at the forward end operable to pick up and move a windrow of crop material to a finger feed drum which then moves the material into contact with a section of an expandable and contractable apron driven in a direction to cooperate with the direction of movement of the finger feed drum to effect unidirectional coiling of the material into a roll which is coiled in the same direction in which a finished roll rotates during discharge from the rear of the machine when the tailgate frame is raised and the roll is still rotating from being formed, thereby minimizing discharge time and preventing uncoiling of the roll when discharged from the baler.

Abstract: In a roll baling machine having a floor roller and an apron which cooperate in suitable manner to form roll bales, a sprocket-shaped member is provided to support the transverse tubes of the apron against bending and twisting loads during bale formation and thereby prevent damage to the apron.

Abstract: An improved bale kicker is provided for use on roll baling machines to propel bales rearwardly of the machine upon discharge therefrom. The bale kicker may be easily adjusted in the field, without using tools, to kick bales of different weight.

Abstract: An automatic twine-wrapping mechanism for a large round baler. The mechanism comprises a twine dispensing mechanism for dispensing twine into the bale-forming chamber of the baler, a reversible hydraulic drive means for cycling a twine arm of the dispensing mechanism back and forth in front of the chamber, a twine wrapping control mechanism for initiating a twine wrapping cycle by sensing the growth of a bale to a predetermined diameter, by automatically actuating a pump drive means for driving a hydraulic pump and by positioning a hydraulic control valve to condition the hydraulic drive means to cycle the twine arm and for terminating a twine wrapping cycle by deactivating the hydraulic drive means following the wrapping of twine around the bale. The twine is automatically severed by a twine cutter responsive to the movement of the twine arm following completion of the wrapping of the twine around the bale. The bale operator actuates a bale ejection mechanism following the cutting of the twine.

Abstract: A crop retainer unit is presented which prevents crop material from blocking the entrance throat of a cylindrical bale forming machine. The crop retainer unit mounts in the entrance throat of a baler having a fixed size horizontally oriented baling chamber. The gate comprises a shaft which spans the length of the chamber at a location near the top of the entrance throat. A plurality of rod-like elements project outwardly at spaced intervals from the shaft. All elements are in line. All extend radially outward from the shaft in a single direction. The shaft is mounted for rotation in the sidewalls of the machine. However, motion is restricted so the free ends of the elements are able to readily swing inward into the baling chamber but their outward motion is stopped at the point where the elements are tangentially in line with the circumferential periphery of the baling chamber.

Abstract: In a roll baling machine having a bale forming apron defining an expandable bale chamber, guide members extending into the bale chamber to support the apron and thereby define an initial shape for the bale chamber, the guide members being movable out of the bale chamber during bale formation without being opposed by springs which are employed to urge the guide members back into the bale chamber after bale discharge.

Abstract: In a roll baling machine having a bale forming apron defining an expandable bale chamber, guide members extending into the bale chamber to support the apron and thereby define an initial shape for the bale chamber, the guide members being movable out of the bale chamber during bale formation without being opposed by springs which exert force to urge the guide members back into the bale chamber only after a bale that is being discharged from the machine has cleared the guide members.

Abstract: A baler is comprised of a frame with a pair of opposed sidewalls, a plurality of side-by-side endless belts supported on a plurality of rollers and defining a bale forming chamber into which crop material is fed and rolled into a cylindrical bale. A bale discharge gate is constituted by rear sections of the sidewalls and by certain of the belt guide rollers extending therebetween. A span of the belts extends below the lower extremities of the rear sidewall sections and define openings through which crop material may be discharged from substantially enclosed volumes contiguous with the bale forming chamber.

Abstract: An automatic twine-wrapping mechanism for a large round baler. The mechanism comprises (1) a twine dispensing mechanism for dispensing twine into the bale-forming chamber of the baler, (2) a reversible hydraulic drive means for cycling a twine arm of the dispensing mechanism back and forth in front of the chamber, (3) a twine wrapping control mechanism (a) for initiating a twine wrapping cycle by sensing the growth of a bale to a predetermined diameter by automatically actuating a pump drive means for driving a hydraulic pump and by positioning a hydraulic control valve to condition the hydraulic drive means to cycle the twine arm and (b) for terminating a twine wrapping cycle by deactivating the hydraulic drive means following the wrapping of twine around the bale. The twine is automatically severed by a twine cutter responsive to the movement of the twine arm following completion of the wrapping of the twine around the bale.

Abstract: In a roll baling machine having a floor roller and a bale forming apron, a stripper bar is provided to remove crop material from the floor roller and thereby minimize the amount of crop material lost between the floor roller and the apron while baling.

Abstract: An overfill protection apparatus is provided for a roll baling machine to prevent overfilling the bale chamber. The overfill protection apparatus includes a trip lever and an actuating lever. When the bale chamber is filled to a predetermined level, the trip lever moves from a first to a second position to allow the actuating lever to interrupt the driving of the pickup header of the machine.

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: In a roll baling machine having an apron movable in suitable manner to form roll bales of crop material, air springs are used to maintain tension in the apron. The air springs each include an air bag and a piston. The air pressure in the air bags is adjustable in order to adjust the tension in the apron.

Abstract: A roll baling machine includes a floor roller and an apron movable in suitable manner to form roll bales of crop material. The floor roller and the apron cooperate to define a bale forming chamber of generally wedge shape having a forward end which is narrower than the rearward end thereof. The apron moves upwardly and rearwardly of the machine at the rear of the bale forming chamber and then downwardly and forwardly of the machine at the top of the bale forming chamber.

Abstract: A roll baling machine including a floor roller, a bale forming apron, and drive apparatus connected between the floor roller and the bale forming apron. The drive apparatus causes rotation of the floor roller in response to movement of the apron in a normal direction during bale formation. The drive apparatus includes a clutch mechanism which drivingly disconnects the floor roller from the apron in response to movement of the apron in reverse direction such as when a bale is discharged from the machine.

Abstract: A roll baling machine includes a frame, an apron supported on the frame for forming a roll bale of crop material, and an arm assembly mounted on the frame supporting part of the apron. Air springs are connected between the arm assembly and the frame normally urging the arm assembly in a direction to dispose part of the apron in a substantially S-shaped configuration in side elevation.

Abstract: The baler has an internal chamber within which crop materials are coiled up into a cylindrical bale by oppositely moving belts which are looped around a pair of spaced apart guide rollers at the bottom of the chamber to define a wide-open, entrance throat to the chamber from the windrow pickup device of the baler. Located within the throat is a control gate positioned to partially span the throat and to prevent retrograde outflow of crop material during bale formation while permitting unobstructed inflow of material from the crop pickup device. When swung upwardly to its opened position, the gate permits incoming material to be fed upwardly in the chamber and acted upon by a generally upwardly moving belt thereof while preventing outflow of material being acted upon by a downwardly moving belt of the chamber.

Abstract: In a roll bearing machine having an apron movable in suitable manner to fom roll bales of crop material and air springs for maintaining tension in the apron, a method of adjusting the apron tension is disclosed. The method comprises adjusting the air pressure in the air springs to any desired level within a predetermined range.

Abstract: In a roll baling machine having an apron movable in suitable manner to form roll bales of crop material and air springs for maintaining tension in the apron, a method of releasing the apron tension is disclosed. The method comprises reducing the air pressure in the air springs to a level where the aprong tension is relaxed.

Abstract: A roll baling machine includes a frame, an apron supported on the frame for forming roll bales of crop material, and an arm assembly mounted on the frame supporting part of the apron. Air springs urge the arm assembly in a direction to maintain tension in the apron. Bar structures pivotally connect the air springs to the arm assembly, and bracket members rigidly connect the air springs to the frame.

Abstract: A latch assembly for a cylindrical baler for latching a bale discharge gate to the front section of the baler. The bale discharge gate is moveable by a hydraulic cylinder back and forth between a closed position for bale formation and open position for bale discharge. The latch assembly includes a latch member fixed to the front section of the baler; a latch hook, for engaging the latch member, pivotably mounted to the gate; and an actuator arm connected between the latch hook and the hydraulic cylinder for engaging and disengaging the latch hook with the latch member responsive to the retraction and extension of the cylinder. The improvement comprises a resiliently biased slidable connection between the latch hook for permitting the actuator arm to be moved responsive to the retraction of the cylinder plunger even though the latch hook may be restrained from movement due to misalignment of the latch hook with the latch member.

Abstract: A roll baling machine includes an apron supported on a base frame and movable in suitable manner to form roll bales of crop material. A bale retainer is mounted on the base frame to momentarily hold a roll bale upward in the base frame during its discharge therefrom. The bale retainer is movable from an inoperative position during bale formation to an operative position during discharge of a roll bale from the base frame.

Abstract: A baler is comprised of a plurality of rollers and two sets of belts supported on the roller and defining a bale-forming chamber for rolling crop material into a cylindrical bale. A guide is mounted on the exterior of the bale-forming chamber and generally parallel to its longitudinal axis. A control wheel is mounted on a support means for mounting the wheel on the guide for movement about an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the chamber. By movement of the guide, the control wheel may be moved into and out of contact with one set of the belts. The support further carries a twine guide for guiding the entry of twine into the bale-forming chamber during movement of the support to and fro along the transverse guide. The movement of the wheel about the axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the chamber controls the direction of displacement of the support along the guide when the control wheel is engaged with the set of belts.

Abstract: A tractor drawn and powered machine is disclosed for forming large round bales of fibrous agricultural crops in a chamber of fixed size. The baling chamber consists of a lower and an upper section. The lower section includes a wheel mounted main frame, along with a pickup reel and a bottom conveyor comprising side by side belts entrained on four transversely extending rollers. The upper section is supported on a subframe which is hinge mounted along its front edge to the main frame allowing thereby the rear portion of the upper section to open as a rearward facing tailgate for discharge of a completed bale. Situated within the subframe of the upper section are all of the conveying elements which make up the rear, top and front of the generally cylindrical periphery of the baling zone. Each conveyor element in the upper section comprises a plurality of side by side belts entrained on spaced apart transversely mounted upstream and downstream rollers.

Abstract: A baler for making round bales is provided with a plurality of rolls and belts constituting a bale chamber having a crop inlet to which hay and the like is fed via a conventional pick-up mechanism. Two of the rolls are arranged as a set of first and second closely spaced apart, parallel rolls. Some of the belts are trained about only one roll of the set and about a group of common rolls in the baler. In one embodiment the other the belts are trained about both the first and second rolls and about the common rolls. The roll set is provided at the crop inlet in the area where the core of the bale is initiated. In a second embodiment the other belts are trained about only the second roll of the set and about the common rolls.

Abstract: A baler is comprised of a plurality of reversibly driven belts or chains supported on a plurality of transverse rollers and defining an expendable bale-forming chamber. A bale discharge gate is provided for opening the chamber and discharging a bale therein onto the ground. The gate includes at least a portion of the belts or chains and a motor for driving the belts or chains in a direction opposite to that used for bale formation and is further operable to bring a portion of the belts or chains into contact with a discharged bale and to displace the bale rearwardly from the baler along the ground.

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.

Abstract: A latching mechanism is described which senses when a bale is ready for discharge from the bale forming chamber. As implemented, the enclosure for the baling chamber was hinged along the front edge to allow the upper portion to open like a rearward facing clam shell for discharge of a completed bale through a tailgate. The latching mechanism holds the opposing tailgate faces of the enclosure together while the bale forming process is being completed. The latching mechanism senses bale density while allowing only a slight opening of the tailgate in response to application of large compressive forces within the baling chamber. The profile of the slot in each latch is uniquely cut so that the forces tending to force open the tailgate can be matched to a spring. The spring is adjustable so as to allow the latch assembly to begin rotation toward the released condition as the bale density reaches a pre-established level.

Abstract: A latch mechanism is presented which is useful with a machine which gathers crop material from a windrow and forms it into large round bales. The latching mechanism senses bale density while holding the opposing faces of the tailgate closed during the bale forming operation. Density is sensed by spring mounting the latch slides so that the tailgate comes slightly ajar when pressure in the baling chamber builds up. The amount of separation of the opposing faces of the tailgate is sensed and when it exceeds a specified amount, initiates a bale discharge sequence. The tailgate lifting mechanism is interlocked with the latch release to assure safe operation of the system.

Abstract: An ejection mechanism is described which automatically assists in the discharge of completed bales from the bale-forming chamber. As implemented the ejection mechanism forms a part of a baler which produces generally cylindrical bales in a chamber of fixed size having closed sidewalls adjacent the ends of the bale. The baling chamber is divided into two parts with one portion being hinge mounted along its front edge to allow its second or rear edge to swing open upwardly to provide a gate through which completed bales can be discharged. The second portion of the baling chamber contains a bottom conveyor for imparting rotational motion to the bale during the crop gathering and bale forming process. When the bale in the chamber is completed and ready for discharge, the gate swings open and the bottom conveyor continues moving in a front to rear direction.