Silage cutter

A silage cutter comprising:

• a frame including a first frame member having attached thereto a knife and a second frame member having at least one gripping device for gripping the silage, said first frame member being supported on said second frame member such that said first frame member is rotatable with respect to said second frame member about a hinge axle, a differential distance between said hinge axle and a portion of said at least one gripping device furthest from said hinge axle being greater than a distance between said hinge axle and said knife;
• at least one drive mechanism for moving said first and second frame members relative to one another, said drive mechanism including first and second hydraulic cylinders which are identically dimensioned and hydraulically connected to one another in parallel, each of said first and second hydraulic cylinders being articulated on said first and second frame members;
• a hydraulic device configured for adjusting said first and second hydraulic cylinders for synchronous movement and so that a length of said first hydraulic cylinder is equal to a length of said second hydraulic cylinder at least during cutting of the silage, said device including a hydraulic flow divider disposed to distribute identical pressure medium flows between a common pressure-medium supply conduit and first and second operating conduits which communicate with respective chambers of said first and second hydraulic cylinders so as to pressurize same in a cutting direction, a pressure-difference sensing valve in communication with said first and second operating conduits to detect a difference in hydraulic pressure between said first and second operating conduits, and an equalizing valve connected to said pressure-difference sensing valve and positioned between said pressure-medium supply conduit and a discharge conduit associated with said first and second hydraulic cylinders to equalize pressure in said first and second operating conduits in response to a pressure differential signal received from said pressure-difference sensing valve.