Method of initiating automatic feed of bale wrapping material

A method of baling crop material with a round baler operated by an operator and having a mechanism for inserting wrap material for wrapping an outer surface of a bale, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) initiating an insertion of the wrap material to begin wrapping the outer surface of the bale;
• (b) waiting a predetermined delay time after initiating the insertion of the wrap material;
• and
• (c) signaling the operator after the predetermined delay time to stop a feed of the crop material into the round baler.

An apparatus for simultaneous cylindrical bale forming and bale wrapping in a round baler, the apparatus comprising:

• (a) a wrap material mechanism for inserting and feeding a wrap material onto a cylindrical bale of crop material being formed in the round baler;
• (b) a controller for signaling an operator to cease a feed of the crop material into the round baler;
• and
• (c) a timer for measuring a delay between initiating a wrapping of the cylindrical bale and the signaling of the operator, wherein the initiating of the wrapping occurs before the signaling of the operator.

A method of operating a round baler to receive incoming crop material at a material entry throat as the round baler is moved along a ground, and to form the crop material into a cylindrical bale, where a bale forming process terminates by applying a wrap material with a wrapping mechanism after a movement of the baler along the ground is stopped, causing the crop material flow into the material entry throat to stop, the method comprising:

• (a) measuring a physical characteristic of the cylindrical bale;
• (b) sensing a condition where the round baler has formed the cylindrical bale to a first predetermined value of the physical characteristic;
• (c) initiating a wrap cycle where a wrap feed mechanism moves to begin feeding wrap material into the round baler to wrap the cylindrical bale while crop material is being fed into the baler;
• and
• (d) initiating a stop signal to signal an operator to stop feeding crop material into the round baler, where the stop signal is initiated after the measurement of the bale physical characteristic reaches a second predetermined value.

An apparatus for simultaneous cylindrical bale forming and bale wrapping in a round baler, the apparatus comprising:

• (a) a sensor for sensing a physical characteristic of the cylindrical bale;
• (b) a comparator for comparing the sensed physical characteristic to a first predetermined value and generating a bale signal when the sensed physical characteristic becomes equal to the first predetermined value;
• (c) a wrap material mechanism for inserting and feeding a wrap material onto a cylindrical bale of crop material being formed in the round baler, said insertion being initiated when the bale signal is generated;
• and
• (d) a controller for generating an operator signal for signaling an operator to cease a feed of the crop material into the round baler, said operator signal being generated when the physical characteristic of the cylindrical bale reaches a second predetermined value.