Round baler with position adjustable starter roll

A round baler comprising:

• a frame;
• a forming belt defining a baling chamber having an inlet through which crop material enters into the baling chamber, wherein the baling chamber is operable to form crop material into a bale having a cylindrical shape;
• a belt tensioning system having a plurality of fixed rollers rotatably supported by the frame, a tension arm moveable relative to the frame, and a plurality of moveable rollers rotatably supported by and moveable with the tension arm, wherein the plurality of fixed rollers and the plurality of moveable rollers support the forming belt in a circuitous path and wherein the tension arm and the moveable rollers move relative to the frame for maintaining tension in the forming belt while allowing a diametric size of the bale to increase during formation;
• a starter roll positioned immediately upstream of the inlet relative to a rotational direction of the bale within the baling chamber during formation;
• wherein the starter roll is moveable relative to the frame in a direction at least partially directed toward a central transverse axis of the baling chamber;
• a controller including a processor and a memory having bale density control algorithm stored thereon, wherein the processor is operable to execute the bale density control algorithm to control movement of the starter roll in the direction at least partially directed toward the central transverse axis of the baling chamber based on the diametric size of the bale during formation;
• and
• wherein the processor is operable to execute the bale density control algorithm to control movement of the starter roll in the direction at least partially directed toward the central transverse axis of the baling chamber based on a mass flow rate of crop material entering the baling chamber.

A round baler comprising:

• a frame;
• a forming belt defining a baling chamber having an inlet through which crop material enters into the baling chamber, wherein the baling chamber is operable to form crop material into a bale having a cylindrical shape;
• a belt tensioning system having a plurality of fixed rollers rotatably supported by the frame, a tension arm moveable relative to the frame, and a plurality of moveable rollers rotatably supported by and moveable with the tension arm, wherein the plurality of fixed rollers and the plurality of moveable rollers support the forming belt in a circuitous path and wherein the tension arm and the moveable rollers move relative to the frame for maintaining tension in the forming belt while allowing a diametric size of the bale to increase during formation;
• a starter roll positioned immediately upstream of the inlet relative to a rotational direction of the bale within the baling chamber during formation;
• wherein the starter roll is moveable relative to the frame in a direction at least partially directed toward a central transverse axis of the baling chamber;
• wherein the frame includes a housing having a side wall at least partially forming the baling chamber and defining a slot therethrough, with the starter roll extending through the slot and moveable within the slot relative to the housing;
• and
• a shield attached to and movable with one of the bracket and the starter roll, wherein the shield is shaped to cover the slot throughout a full range of movement of the starter roll to prevent movement of crop material through the slot.

A method of forming a bale, the method comprising:

• providing a round baler including:
• a frame;
• a forming belt defining a baling chamber having an inlet through which crop material enters into the baling chamber, wherein the baling chamber is operable to form crop material into a bale having a cylindrical shape;
• a belt tensioning system having a plurality of fixed rollers rotatably supported by the frame, a tension arm moveable relative to the frame, and a plurality of moveable rollers rotatably supported by and moveable with the tension arm, wherein the plurality of fixed rollers and the plurality of moveable rollers support the forming belt in a circuitous path and wherein the tension arm and the moveable rollers move relative to the frame for maintaining tension in the forming belt while allowing a diametric size of the bale to increase during formation;
• a starter roll positioned immediately upstream of the inlet relative to a rotational direction of the bale within the baling chamber during formation;
• positioning the starter roll in a radially outermost position;
• feeding crop material through the inlet into the baling chamber, whereby movement of the forming belt along the circuitous path causes rotation of the crop material in the rotational direction thereby forming the crop material into a bale having cylindrical shape defining a diameter, with the starter roll radially deforming an exterior circumferential surface of the bale inward toward a center of the bale a minimum deformation distance when the bale exhibits a first initial diameter;
• continue feeding crop material through the inlet into the baling chamber to increase the diameter of the bale within the baling chamber from the first initial diameter to a second diameter greater than the first initial diameter;
• moving the starter roll relative to the frame from the radially outermost position in a direction at least partially directed toward a central transverse axis of the baling chamber while the diameter of the bale increases from the first initial diameter to the second diameter to substantially maintain the minimum deformation distance of the starter roll intrusion into the bale;
• detecting a plug condition preventing crop movement into the baling chamber;
• and
• moving the starter roll to a radial innermost position thereof in response to detection of the plug condition to increase a throat size of the inlet for alleviating the plug condition.

A round baler comprising:

• a frame;
• a forming belt defining a baling chamber having an inlet through which crop material enters into the baling chamber, wherein the baling chamber is operable to form crop material into a bale having a cylindrical shape;
• a belt tensioning system having a plurality of fixed rollers rotatably supported by the frame, a tension arm moveable relative to the frame, and a plurality of moveable rollers rotatably supported by and moveable with the tension arm, wherein the plurality of fixed rollers and the plurality of moveable rollers support the forming belt in a circuitous path and wherein the tension arm and the moveable rollers move relative to the frame for maintaining tension in the forming belt while allowing a diametric size of the bale to increase during formation;
• and
• a controller including a processor and a memory having bale density control algorithm stored thereon, wherein the processor is operable to execute the bale density control algorithm to detect a plug condition preventing crop movement into the baling chamber.