Knotting monitor for crop balers
AssigneeHesston Corporation
InventorsGeorge Yatcilla, William C. Peterson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The knotting mechanism of a crop baler has a spring-loaded arm normally pulled down to a lowered position by the binding twine during operation of the knotter. However, if the knotter accidentally fails to tie a knot or the twine otherwise slips loose, the resulting slack will allow the arm to swing upwardly, and this motion may be used to trigger a switch for setting off an alarm or to raise a signal flag, either of which would indicate that the knotter needs attention.
Claims4
In a crop baler having mechanism for binding bales produced in the baler with strands of binding material, said mechanism including a yieldably biased arm engaged with a strand and normally held by the latter against movement by said yieldable bias to a released position during the binding operation, the combination with said mechanism of means for monitoring said operation to indicate an abnormal, slack condition in said strand, said means comprising:
- a signal device disposed for actuation by said arm upon said movement of the arm to said released position,
- said signal device being operably coupled with said arm for displacement by the latter to a warning position upon said movement of the arm to said released position,
- said signal device including a rod connected at one end to said arm and having a visually perceivable element at the opposite end thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.