System for automatically enveloping a large round bale with a wrapping

In a wrapping mechanism, for enveloping a large round bale with a wrap material having a width commensurate with that of the bale, including a pair of feed rolls for advancing the wrap material along a flight path extending generally tangentially to the feed rolls, drive means coupled to the feed rolls and including means for effecting engagement and disengagement of the drive, a knife arm carrying a knife and being pivotally mounted for movement between non-severing and severing positions wherein the knife is respectively disposed on opposite sides of said flight path, releasable latch means for releasably retaining the knife arm in its non-severing position and spring biasing means coupled to the knife arm for biasing the latter from its non-severing position towards its severing position, the improvement comprising:

• said latch means including a latch support arm mounted for movement between first and second positions respectively adjacent the knife arm when the latter is in its non-severing and severing positions and hook means mounted for movement between a latched position wherein it engages the knife arm and holds the latter in its non-severing position and a released position wherein it is displaced from the knife arm and permits the latter to be moved to its severing position by the spring biasing means;
• said hook means including means for effecting engagement of the hook means with the knife arm as the latch support arm moves towards its second position when the knife arm is in its severing position and for the maintaining engagement of the hook means with the knife arm means as the latch support arm is returned to its first position whereby the knife arm is returned to its non-severing position;
• and actuator means coupled to the latch arm for selectively moving the latter between its first and second positions.