Stuffer assembly for an agricultural baler
AssigneeCNH Industrial America LLC
InventorsJeroen Devroe, Dries Liefooghe, Xavier G. J. M. Bonte, Danny N. O. Claeys, Christiaan A. C. Lippens, Karel Naeyaert, Bram Rosseel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A stuffer assembly includes a stuffer chute and a stuffer for transferring crop material from the stuffer chute into a baling chamber. The stuffer includes a tine bar having a plurality of tines. Each tine is slidably connected to the tine bar to be linearly movable with respect to the tine bar between an extended position and a retracted position parallel to a radial direction of the tine bar. A method accordingly includes retracting a tine from the extended position into the retracted position in case of an overload.
Claims17
A stuffer assembly for an agricultural baler comprising:
- a stuffer chute for collecting and pre-compressing a charge of crop material;
- and
- a stuffer configured to transfer the charge of crop material collected within the stuffer chute into a baling chamber of the agricultural baler, wherein the baling chamber is positioned above the stuffer chute,
- wherein the stuffer comprises a stuffer arm having a tine bar mounted to one end of the stuffer arm, wherein the tine bar comprises a plurality of tines, and
- wherein each tine of the plurality of tines is slidably connected to the tine bar such that each tine of the plurality of tines is linearly movable with respect to the tine bar between an extended position and a retracted position in a direction parallel to a radial direction of the tine bar.
An agricultural baler comprising:
- a baling chamber,
- a plunger reciprocally movable within the baling chamber;
- and
- a stuffer assembly comprising a stuffer chute for collecting and pre-compressing a charge of crop material, and a stuffer configured to transfer the charge of crop material collected within the stuffer chute into the baling chamber,
- wherein the stuffer comprises a stuffer arm having a tine bar mounted to one end of the stuffer arm, wherein the tine bar comprises a plurality of tines,
- wherein each tine of the plurality of tines is slidably connected to the tine bar such that each tine of the plurality of tines is linearly movable with respect to the tine bar between an extended position and a retracted position in a direction parallel to a radial direction of the tine bar, and
- wherein the stuffer chute is positioned below the baling chamber.
A method for operating a stuffer assembly of an agricultural baler, the method comprising the steps of:
- tripping a stuffer having a plurality of tines mounted on a tine bar to transfer a charge of crop material collected within a stuffer chute into a baling chamber of the agricultural baler;
- moving the stuffer along a stuffer trajectory to insert the plurality of tines into the stuffer chute and to push the charge of crop material into the baling chamber by means of the plurality of tines;
- retracting at least one tine of the plurality of tines from an extended position into a retracted position with respect to the tine bar in the event of a load applied on said at least one tine while moving the stuffer along the stuffer trajectory exceeds a predetermined threshold,
- wherein a crop engaging surface of the retracted tine remains in one level with crop engaging surfaces of the other tines of the plurality of tines arranged in the extended position, and wherein each tine of the plurality of tines is slidably connected to the tine bar such that each tine of the plurality of tines is linearly movable with respect to the tine bar between the extended position and the retracted position in a direction parallel to a radial direction of the tine bar.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.