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 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 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 rotary crop baler belt roller mount is provided which facilitates the changing and installation of endless bale-forming belts. A mount is provided adjacent one end of each transverse belt-supporting roller and includes an annular spacer removably mounted between the end of the roller and the adjacent baler sidewall. Preferably, the spacer is maintained in its operative position by means of a bolt, the bolt passing through the baler sidewall and spacer and being received within a hub assembly secured within the belt roller. In belt changing operations, the spacer can be rapidly removed simply by loosening the associated bolt and withdrawing the spacer. Removal of the spacer from each of the roller mounts in the baler presents a series of belt-clearing gaps adjacent the baler sidewall, allowing quick, easy installation of belts around the belt rollers.
Abstract:
The machine forms bales of circular cross section by continuously rolling the bale upon a supporting surface within a formation chamber while additional material is supplied to the chamber. The chamber is partially defined by two separate, cooperating sets of flexible belts, one set having an upwardly moving stretch at the rear of the chamber and the other having a forwardly moving stretch defining the top of the chamber such that material entering the chamber at the beginning of the baling cycle is lifted upwardly by the rear stretch and rolled forwardly by the top stretch. The top and rear stretches converge to an upper rear corner of the chamber spaced above the supporting surface for the rolling bale, and such corner may be adjustably shifted vertically and/or horizontally in a fore-and-aft direction as may be necessary or desirable to facilitate bale starting under differing crop conditions. Alternative belt arrangements are disclosed for obtaining the desired adjustability of the chamber corner. An improved belt-tensioning assembly is also disclosed wherein spring tension on the belts is rendered substantially constant throughout the full movement of swinging arms that control and take up slack in the belts.
Abstract:
Apparatus in a crop roll forming machine for collecting particles of crop material lost from either the crop package or loose crop material during the roll formation process consisting of a collection pan, a horizontal collecting auger, an elevated delivery auger, intermeshing bevel gears, drive means and a discharge chute. The particles are recycled from the collection pan back into the roll forming region by the cooperative interaction of the horizontal collecting auger and the elevated delivery auger so that the crop material particles are directed out of the discharge chute and downwardly into the forwardmost portion of the bale forming region where the upper bale forming means works to include the particles in the crop roll being formed.
Abstract:
Apparatus for rolling large bales of fodder has a frame with a floor that supports a working run of fodder conveying chains trained around front and rear sprockets, and fodder pickup means is coaxial with the front sprockets and feeds fodder onto the conveying chains. Endless baling chains are connected by raddles that extend transversely above the floor, with the chains carried on sprockets except in a baling run above the floor where the ends of the raddles are supported on large rotatable discs at the sides of the frame. Rearward sprockets for the baling raddle chains are carried on a rear gate that has an upright baling position; and hydraulic cylinder means swings the gate upwardly and readwardly to release a bale. In baling position the floor is tilted forwardly, and a hitch for the apparatus has rear and front transverse pivots about which it is pivoted by hydraulic cylinder means to swing the frame to a discharge position in which the floor is tilted rearwardly. A gear box mounted in the rear of the hitch has a transverse output shaft, coaxial with the rear transverse pivot, from which the conveyor chains, pickup, and baling chains are driven off the tractor power takeoff.
Abstract:
Apparatus in a crop roll forming machine for collecting particles of crop material lost from either the crop package or loose crop material during the roll formation process consisting of a collection pan, a horizontal collecting auger, an elevated delivery auger, intermeshing bevel gears, drive means and a discharge chute. The particles are recycled from the collection pan back into the roll forming region by the cooperative interaction of the horizontal collecting auger and the elevated delivery auger so that the crop material particles are directed out of the discharge chute and downwardly into the forwardmost portion of the bale forming region where the upper bale forming means works to include the particles in the crop roll being formed.
Abstract:
A baler adapted to be pulled behind and powered by a PTO-equipped tractor for picking up a windrow of hay and rolling the hay into a cylindrical bale of substantial size and weight. The baler includes a bale-supporting lower belt and a plurality of upper bale-forming belts superposed over the lower belt, together defining the upper and lower parameters of bale-forming zone. The upper belts are driven by a pair of drive rollers disposed above the forward portion of the lower belt. A press roller is disposed closely adjacent to the forward portion of the lower belt and together with one of the drive rollers defines the forward parameter of the bale-forming zone. A pickup delivers the windrwed hay beneath the press roller and into the zone. The baler includes a gate structure above the lower belt pivotable rearwardly as the bale size increases. Journalled on the lower end of the gate is a roller engageable with the upper belts and which defines a rear parameter of the bale-forming zone. The roller is pivotally mounted on the gate so as to be movable in a straight line path closed) adjacent and parallel to the lower belt as the gate pivots rearwardly. A compact cost-efficient drive system powers the pickup, lower belt, upper belt and the press roller.
Abstract:
A machine to form compact rolls of hay of substantial size by picking up a swath or windrow of hay and the like from a field, engage it by cooperating upper and lower endless flexible aprons driven in suitable direction to coil the hay into a compact roll while supported upon floor means mounted stationarily in the bottom of the machine to effect baling of all the hay without loss upon the ground. When the roll type bale of hay reaches a predetermined diameter, the upper apron raises to stop driving the same and provide an exit and the lower apron assists in ejecting the bale onto the ground, or the machine can transport it to a desired location for discharge, if desired. The upper apron initially is in contracted position and means are included to provide tension upon the upper conveyor to resist expansion of the same around part of the roll as the diameter thereof increases, said tensioning means also are such as to provide substantially uniform pressure upon the roll as it increases in size.