US 5,216,873 A · Wrapper cutoff mechanism for round balers

Abstract

The cutting mechanism has a stationary anvil and a movable knife that is swung across the path of travel of the taut, moving wrapper to deflect the wrapper into engagement with the anvil and accomplish severance. A tapered nose on the anvil fits into a slot along the length of the knife as the two components come together whereby the wrapper is stuffed by the nose of the anvil into the slot in a distorted condition, conforming to the shape of the nose and bending over a sharp edge along the slot. As the wrapper becomes gripped within the slot and bent over the cutting edge, it is severed cleanly from the roll and the severed length of the wrapper is delivered to the bale for completion of the wrapping cycle. The knife is in the nature of a tubular member with a slot in its peripheral wall so that the arcuate outer surface of the wall slidingly engages and keeps the wrapper out of contact with the sharp edge until the anvil enters the slot, thereby preventing premature snagging and severance of the wrapper by the sharp edge.

Claims24

Dependent claims

In a round baler having apparatus for wrapping successive bales produced by the baler with individual lengths of wrapper material cut from a roll of the wrapper, improved cutoff mechanism for the wrapper comprising:

an elongated anvil component on one side of the path of travel of the wrapper as it is fed past the mechanism and spanning the full length width of the wrapper in transverse relation thereto,
said anvil component having an outwardly projecting, transversely tapered blunt noise presenting a pair of inclined clamping surfaces that converge toward one another as the path of travel of the wrapper is approached;
an elongated cutter component on the opposite side of the path of travel of the wrapper from the anvil component and spanning the full width of the wrapper in transverse relation thereto;
and
means for shifting at least one of said components into clamping engagement with the other when the wrapper is located therebetween for severing a predetermined length of the wrapper from the roll,
said cutter component having means defining an elongated longitudinally extending slot disposed for receiving the nose of the anvil component when the components are clamped together,
said slot-defining means including a pair of longitudinally extending, laterally spaced sharp edges on opposite sides of the slot disposed for deflecting the wrapper around the nose when the latter is received in the slot and for pinching the wrapper against at least one of said inclined surfaces of the anvil component to cause severance of the wrapper.

4 more elements

a cutter component disposed on one side of the path of travel of the wrapper as the latter is dispensed to the bale and extending across the full width of the wrapper in transverse relation thereto,
said cutter component having a longitudinal slot therein presenting at least one cutting edge;
a blunt anvil component disposed on the opposite side of the path of travel of the wrapper from the cutter component and extending in parallel relationship to the latter;
and
means for shifting at least one of said components into clamping engagement with the other when the wrapper is located therebetween for severing a predetermined length of the wrapper from the roll,
said anvil component being positioned to enter said slot and bend the wrapper over said cutting edge to sever the wrapper when the components are engaged with one another,
said cutter component having a guide surface disposed for sliding contact with the wrapper during dispensing movement of the wrapper toward the bale,
said cutting edge being maintained out of severing engagement with the wrapper by the guide surface prior to the anvil component entering said slot, whereby to prevent premature severance of the wrapper.

5 more elements

In a round baler having a baling chamber within which successive bales of crop material are formed and wrapped with individual lengths of wrapper material, improved wrapper apparatus comprising:

means for housing a roll of the wrapper material to be used and for allowing the wrapper to be paid out as the bale is being wrapped;
a pair of nip rollers receiving the wrapper therebetween and intermittently drivable in directions to pull successive, predetermined lengths of the wrapper from the roll and present such lengths to the baling chamber;
a drive operably couplable with said nip rollers for supplying driving power to the latter during the period of time that the drive is coupled with the rollers;
an elongated, tubular member disposed on one side of the path of travel of the wrapper in downstream relation to said nip rollers with respect to the direction of movement of the wrapper and extending across the full width of the wrapper in transverse relation thereto,
said member being mounted for shifting movement generally back and forth across the path of travel of the wrapper to engage the wrapper and deflect the same out of its normal path of travel for severance,
said member having a longitudinally extending slot therein extending the full width of the wrapper and presenting at least one cutting edge;
an elongated blunt anvil disposed on the opposite side of the path of travel of the wrapper from the member and extending in parallel relation to the latter,
said anvil being positioned to enter said slot and bend the wrapper over said cutting edge to sever the wrapper when the member is in an operated position engaged with the anvil;
and
a clutch carried by said member and operable to couple the drive with the nip rollers when the member is in a retracted position spaced away from the anvil for causing the nip rollers to pay out a predetermined length of the wrapper for subsequent severance by the member and the anvil when the member is shifted into its operated position and the drive is uncoupled from the drive rollers.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Wrapper cutoff mechanism for round balers

Life of this patent

Wrapper cutoff mechanism for round balers

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims24