Device and method for wrapping bales of hay or the like with protective material prior to ejection from a baler
AssigneeIndeco Products, Inc.
InventorsDaniel R. Springs, Jesse Hinojosa
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus and method for wrapping a bale of agricultural product with protective material prior to ejection from a baler wherein the apparatus is attachable to most commercial balers, the material can both protect and bind the bale, material of a width less than the width of the bale can be used, and the bale can be wrapped with a spiral wrap of material at both its nominal width and in a gathered narrow rope-like width.
Claims43
Apparatus adapted to be mounted with a baler for wrapping a bale of hay with adhering protective material while the bale rotates within a bale forming chamber, the apparatus comprising:
- (a) means for attaching an end of the material to the rotating bale at the crop intake opening of the bale forming chamber such that the material adheres to the rotating bale in the chamber, including a feed arm adapted to engage an end portion of the material, to oscillate between an extended position in proximity to the bale at the crop intake opening of the bale forming chamber and a retracted position, and to thrust the end portion of the material into contact with the bale when in said extended position;
- (b) a roll means for rotatably supporting a roll of protective material, so that as the bale rotates, the end of the material in contact with the bale is pulled around the bale to at least partially cover the bale with the protective material;
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- (c) means for severing the protective material that is wrapped around the bale from the protective material extending from the roll.
Apparatus adapted to be mounted with a baler for wrapping a bale of hay with protective material while the bale rotates within a bale forming chamber, the apparatus comprising:
- (a) means for contacting an end of the material with the bale;
- (b) means for dispensing protective material from a roll mounted on the apparatus to the exterior of the bale as the bale rotates in the chamber wherein the roll of material has a width which is less than the bale, the dispensing means including a traversing means for causing the pull of the material around the bale to make the roll and the dispensing means traverse the width of the bale while the axis of rotation of the roll remains parallel with and equidistant from the axis of rotation of the bale;
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- (c) means for severing the portion of the wrap that is around the bale from the portion of the wrap leading from the roll.
Apparatus adapted to be mounted with a baler for wrapping a bale of hay with protective material while the bale rotates within a bale forming chamber, the apparatus comprising:
- (a) means attached to the apparatus for attaching an end of the material to the rotating bale including a feed arm that extends and retracts and means for extending and retracting said feed arm;
- (b) means attached to the apparatus for dispensing protective material from a roll mounted on the apparatus to the exterior of the bale as the bale rotates within the chamber wherein the means for dispensing include arms intermediate the roll and the bale for gathering the width of the material dispensed to the bale into a rope-like strand, means for operatively connecting the gathering arms to the means for extending and retracting the feed arm such that the extending/retracting means moves the gathering arms to gather the material;
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- (c) means for serving the portion of the material that is around the bale from the portion of the material leading from the roll.
A method for wrapping a bale of hay with adhering protective material comprising the steps of:
- (a) forming a bale of hay in a bale chamber of a baler apparatus;
- (b) attaching a portion of an end of the protective material to;
- a feed arm located in a retracted position;
- (c) oscillating the feed arm to an extended position such that the end of the protective material is thrust to the crop intake opening of the bale chamber and against a bale within the chamber;
- (c) rotating the bale in the bale chamber such that the end of the material thrust against the bale attaches to the bale and the rotation of the bale pulls the material from the roll and around the exterior of the bale to at least partially cover same;
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- (e) severing the protective material that is wrapped around the bale from the protective material leading from the roll.
A method for wrapping a bale of hay with protective material from a roll of material of less width than the bale, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) forming a bale of hay in a bale chamber of a baler apparatus;
- (b) affixing a roll of material to the baler such that the axis of rotation of the roll parallels the axis of rotation of the bale;
- (c) attaching an end of protective material from the roll of the bale;
- (d) rotating the bale in the chamber such that the rotation pulls the attached material from the roll around the exterior of the bale;
- (e) causing the roll of material to traverse the width of the bale by the pulling of the material from the roll such that the material at least partly covers the bale while the axis of rotation of the roll remains parallel with and equidistant from the axis of rotation of the bale;
- (f) severing the portion of the material that is around the bale from the portion of the material leading from the roll.
A method for wrapping a bale of hay with a protective material comprising the steps of:
- (a) forming a bale of hay or the like in the bale chamber of a baler apparatus;
- (b) extending a feed arm by an extending means to attach an end of the material from a roll to the bale;
- (c) rotating the bale in the chamber such that the rotation of the bale pulls the material from the roll around the exterior of the bale;
- (d) moving gathering arms by the operation of the extending means to gather, for at least a portion of the time, the width of the material that is dispensed to the bale into a rope-like strand;
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- (e) severing the portion of the material that is around the bale from the portion of the material leading from the roll.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.