A bale unloading arrangement of a large round baler includes a bale take-up device mounted to a carrier which is in turn mounted to the axle of the baler for vertical pivoting movement beneath the baling chamber of the baler. A spring is mounted between the carrier and the axle for keeping the carrier in an elevated position until a completed bale is discharged onto the carrier. The carrier is shaped such that the bale take-up device, which is mounted for movement along the carrier, moves down the carrier to the rear and into a position for gently depositing the bale on the ground. The bale take-up device includes an upper bale-receiving structure that may be selectively pivoted about a fore-and-aft axis so as to deposit a bale on its end, and the carrier is mounted for being shifted sideways so that a bale deposited in this manner may be deposited outside the path traveled by the baler.