Balers

Abstract

A baler has winding elements for forming a bale of crop. A formed bale is bound with binding material such as twine or wire from a binding mechanism. When a bale is fully formed, a cable is pulled by the operator of the tractor towing the baler which actuates the binding mechanism and simultaneously operates a change-speed gear to increase the speed of the winding elements. The bale thus rotates faster during binding than it does while it is being formed. This reduces time required for binding. When the bale has been bound, it is discharged through a door which pivots upwards for this purpose. Pivoting of the door pulls a further cable which returns the change-speed gear to the lower speed position and actuates the binding mechanism so that the next bale can be formed. The bale chamber is substantially cylindrical with rotable elements around the interior of its curved sides. One group of such elements is pivotable about a pivot axis adjacent the baler's pick-up device and bears on the forming bale to assist in its formation and ensure it is sufficiently compressed. The individual rotatable elements are rods or tubes or a plurality of same spaced from and arranged to rotate about a common axis, such plurality being parallel to coincide with a cylindrical surface, or helical to coincide with a hyperboloidal surface relative to its axis of rotation.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.