Preservative applicator for a round baler

In a mobile machine for forming large cylindrical bales, having a conveying system including a generally fore-and-aft extending conveyor with an upper surface and a bale-forming mechanism for forming cylindrical bales with its axis transverse the conveyor and a forward pickup for lifting crop material from a field and transferring it to the upper surface of the conveyor as a transversely extending mat for rearward movement and delivery to the bale-forming mechanism so that the mat is rolled into a bale by the bale-forming mechanism, the improvement comprising:

• a source of crop-treating fluid operatively associated with the machine;
• fluid dispensing means on the machine including a plurality of laterally spaced dispenser units, each unit dispensing fluid generally downwards towards the conveyor upper surface over substantially the transverse extent of the mat of crop material while it is carried by the conveyor;
• means for conducting the crop-treating fluid from the source to the dispensing means;
• and
• control means operatively associated with the dispenser units for sensing the presence of crop material engaged by the conveying system adjacent the pickup and automatically controlling the dispenser units so that fluid is dispensed only when material is present in the conveying system adjacent the pickup.

In a mobile baler for gathering crop material from a field and including conveying means for transferring it as an incoming mat of material to a baling chamber for rolling into a generally cylindrical bale having an axis transverse the baler and wherein, after initiation of bale formation, the incoming mat is disposed approximately tangentially to the forming bale at the point at which it joins the bale, a dispensing apparatus for applying a treating fluid to the crop material in the baler in a dispensing zone extending transverse of the mat comprising:

• a source of crop treating fluid operatively associated with the baler;
• dispensing means carried on the baler for directing fluid into the hay in the dispensing zone while the bale is being formed;
• means for conducting the fluid from the source to the dispensing means;
• and
• means for controlling the release of treating fluid from the dispensing means operatively associated with the conducting means and including means for sensing the presence of crop material in the conveying means, said sensing means spanning the conveying means and being operatively connected to the dispensing means so that fluid is released in laterally spaced portions of the dispensing zone approximately longitudinally aligned with portions of the conveying means in which the presence of crop material has been sensed by the sensing means so that fluid is released only in response to such presence.

In a mobile machine for forming crop material into cylindrical bales having an axis transverse the machine including a conveying system having a pickup for picking up crop material from a swath and delivering it rearwardly in a transversely extending incoming mat, a baling chamber having a receiving opening, a conveyor having an upper conveying surface for receiving the mat of crop material from the pickup and conveying it rearwardly to the receiving opening, the width of the mat and its lateral disposition on the conveying surface varying according to the size of the swath and the lateral disposition of the swath in relation to the pickup as the machine advances over the field, an apparatus for applying treating fluid to the crop material comprising:

• a source of fluid operatively associated with the machine;
• means for dispensing the treating fluid over substantially the full width of lower conveyor so as to define a laterally extending dispensing zone;
• means for conducting the fluid from the fluid source to the dispensing means;
• control means operatively associated with the dispensing means and the conducting means and locally responsive to the presence of crop material in laterally spaced portions of the lower conveyor for limiting release of fluid to dispensing zone portions longitudinally aligned with those lower conveyor portions in which crop material is present.

In a mobile machine for forming large cylindrical bales, having a conveying system including a generally fore-and-aft extending conveyor with an upper surface and a bale-forming mechanism for forming cylindrical bales with its axis transverse the conveyor and a forward pickup for lifting crop material from a field and transferring it to the upper surface of the conveyor as a transversely extending mat for rearward movement and delivery to the bale-forming mechanism so that the mat is rolled into a bale by the bale-forming mechanism, the improvement comprising:

• a source of crop treating fluid operatively associated with the machine;
• fluid dispensing means on the machine for applying fluid to the crop material over substantially the transverse extent of the mat while it is engaged by the conveying system and before it is delivered to the bale-forming mechanism;
• means for conducting the crop-treating fluid from the source to the dispensing means;
• and
• control means operatively associated with the dispensing means for sensing the presence of crop material in engagement with the conveying system and operable to control the dispensing means so that fluid is dispensed only in parts of the conveying system where crop material is present.

In a mobile machine for forming crop material into cylindrical bales having an axis transverse the machine and including a conveying system including a pickup for picking up crop material from a swath and delivering it rearwardly in a transversely extending incoming mat, a crop guide disposed above the pickup for controlling the movement of material engaged by the pickup, a baling chamber having a receiving opening, a conveyor having a conveying surface for receiving the mat of crop material from the pickup and conveying it rearwardly to the receiving opening and including a forward conveyor roller and the conveying system including a laterally extending compression roller disposed above the forward conveyor roll, the width of the incoming mat and its lateral disposition on the conveying surface varying according to the size of the swath and the lateral disposition of the swath in relation to the pickup as the machine advances over the field, an apparatus for applying treating fluid to the crop material comprising:

• a source of fluid operatively associated with the machine;
• means for dispensing the fluid into the mat of crop material substantially spanning the conveying system and disposed immediately rearwardly of the compression roll and adapted to release fluid downwardly into the incoming mat;
• means for conducting the fluid from the fluid source to the dispensing means;
• and
• control means operatively associated with the conducting means for sensing the lateral disposition of the mat and initiating fluid flow only where material is present in the conveying system and interrupting flow when material is not present.

In a mobile machine for forming crop material into cylindrical bales having an axis transverse the machine and including a conveying system including a pickup for picking up crop material from a swath and delivering it rearwardly in a transversely extending incoming mat, a crop guide disposed above the pickup for controlling the movement of material engaged by the pickup, a baling chamber having a receiving opening, a conveyor having a conveying surface for receiving the mat of crop material from the pickup and conveying it rearwardly to the receiving opening and including a forward conveyor roller and the conveying system including a laterally extending compression roller disposed above the forward conveyor roll, the width of the incoming mat and its lateral disposition on the conveying surface varying according to the size of the swath and the lateral disposition of the swath in relation to the pickup as the machine advances over the field, an apparatus for applying treating fluid to the crop material comprising:

• a source of fluid operatively associated with the machine;
• means for dispensing the fluid into the mat of crop material substantially spanning the conveying system and including a plurality of dispenser nozzles adjacent the incoming mat of crop material;
• means for conducting the fluid from the fluid source to the dispensing means;
• and
• control means including valve means operatively associated with the conducting means and detecting means operatively associated with the valve means for detecting the lateral disposition of the mat and initiating fluid flow only where material is present in the conveying system downstream of the detecting means and interrupting flow when material is not present.

In a mobile machine for forming cylindrical bales of crop material including means for transferring crop material in a mat from the ground to a baling zone in the machine, the baling zone having an inlet, and a bale-forming conveyor having a moving bale-engaging run at least partially spanning the baling zone and engageable with the mat of crop material for rolling the material into a generally cylindrical bale, the improvement comprising:

• a source of crop treating fluid operatively associated with the machine;
• fluid dispensing means on the machine for applying fluid to the crop material in the mat over the transverse extent of the mat while it is being transferred from the ground to the baling zone including a plurality of dispenser units substantially spanning the transferring means;
• means for conducting the crop treating fluid from the source to the dispensing means;
• and
• control means including sensing means operatively associated with the transferring means, responsive to the presence of crop material in laterally spaced portions of the transferring means so that the applying of fluid is dependent upon the presence of crop material in said spaced portions of the transferring means.