Feeder finger assembly for hay balers

In a hay baler having a bale-forming chamber, a reciprocating plunger cyclically moving into said chamber to compact crop materials therein, a pickup device for lifting crop materials from the surface of the ground to an infeed housing, and an infeed mechanism within said housing having a driven element and a multiplicity of feeder finger assemblies connected to and depending therefrom for movement toward and away from said bale-forming chamber, the improvement in said feeder finger assembly comprising:

• (a) a bracket member having means thereon for affixment to said driven element, said bracket member including a first engagement surface having first friction means thereon;
• (b) an elongate feeder finger having a first end and a second end, said finger including a second engagement surface on said first end thereof having second friction means thereon;
• and
• (c) adjustable holding means forcing said first and second engagement surfaces together such that said first and second friction means prevent relative movement between said bracket member and said feeder finger.

In a hay baler having a bale-forming chamber, a reciprocating plunger cyclically moving into said chamber to compact crop materials therein, a pickup device for lifting crop materials from the surface of the ground to an infeed housing, and an infeed mechanism within said housing including a substantially straight elongate support member and a guide member in reciprocal supporting relation thereto, the improvement in said infeed mechanism including a plurality of feeder finger assemblies fixed to said elongate support member, each feeder finger assembly comprising:

• (a) a bracket member having means thereon for rigid, non-pivoting affixment to said elongate support member, said bracket member including a first substantially planar engagement surface having first friction means thereon;
• (b) an elongate feeder finger having a first end and a second end, said finger including a second substantially planar engagement surface on said first end thereof having second friction means thereon;
• and
• (c) adjustable holding means forcing said first and second engagement surfaces together such that said first and second friction means prevent relative movement between said bracket member and said feeder finger.