Baler

A baler for forming bales of crops, the baler comprising feeding unit, wherein the feeding unit includes:

• an inlet faced to the ground and an outlet placed inside the baler,
• a pick-up unit configured to rotate in a direction opposite to the direction of travel of the baler for sweeping the crops upwardly;
• a windguard assembly placed above the pick-up unit for ensuring proper feeding of the crops into the baler;
• wherein said windguard assembly comprises:
• a frame;
• a pair of windguard arms pivotably fixed to the frame,
• a windguard pipe fixed between the windguard arms, windguard pipe extending along a longitudinal axis between a first end and a second end,
• a plurality of rake tines fixed to the pipe, spaced from each other, and projecting towards the baler, the rake tines being distributed on the windguard pipe between the first and the second end thereof, each tine of the plurality of tines having a free tip and an end fixed to the pipe, wherein the plurality of rake tine includes a first rake tine with a first inclination with respect to the ground and a second rake tine with a second inclination with respect to the ground, the second inclination being greater than the first inclination so that the tip of the second tine is located at a higher altitude from the ground with respect to the tip of the first tines.

A method for feeding crops picked-up from the ground to a baler, comprising the following steps:

• rotating a pick-up unit of a feeding unit in a direction opposite to the direction of travel of the baler for sweeping the crops upwardly;
• placing a windguard assembly above the pick-up unit for ensuring proper feeding of the crops into the baler;
• pivotably fixing a pair of windguard arms to a frame of the windguard assembly;
• fixing a windguard pipe between the windguard arms, wherein the pipe extends along a longitudinal axis between a first end and a second end;
• fixing a plurality of rake tines to the pipe in a way that the tines are spaced from each other, and projecting towards the baler;
• distributing the tines on the pipe between the first and the second end thereof such that a first rake tine of the plurality of rake tine has a first inclination with respect to the ground and a second rake tine of the plurality of rake tines has a second inclination with respect to the ground, and the second inclination is greater than the first inclination so that the tip of the second tine is located at a higher altitude from the ground with respect to the tip of the first tines.

A feeding unit of a baler, for picking up crops from the ground and for feeding it into the baler, including:

• an inlet faced to the ground and an outlet facing towards a forming chamber of the baler,
• a pick-up unit rotating in a direction opposite to the direction of travel of the baler, for sweeping the crops upwardly;
• a windguard assembly placed above the pick-up unit for guiding the crops fed into the baler;
• wherein said windguard assembly includes:
• a frame;
• a pair of windguard arms pivotably connected to the frame,
• a windguard pipe arranged between the windguard arms, the windguard pipe extending along a longitudinal axis between a first end and a second end,
• a plurality of rake tines coupled to the pipe, spaced from each other, and projecting towards the baler, the rake tines being distributed on the windguard pipe, each tine of the plurality of tines having a free tip and an end fixed to the pipe,
• wherein the plurality of rake tines includes
• a first rake tine with a first inclination with respect to the ground and a second rake tine with a second inclination with respect to the ground, the second inclination being greater than the first inclination so that the tip of the second tine is located at a higher altitude from the ground with respect to the tip of the first tines,
• lateral tines placed at the first end and the second end,
• internal tines positioned in a central portion of the pipe, wherein the lateral tines have the first inclination, and the central tines have the second inclination,
• intermediate rake tines between the lateral tines and the central tines, the intermediate tines having a third inclination, different from the first inclination and from the second inclination.