Wrapping mechanism for applying adjacent rolls of wrapping material to a large round bale

A method of wrapping a circumference of a cylindrical bale in web of surface wrapping material comprising:

• a) providing a plurality of wrapping material supply rolls, each comprising a web of bale surface wrapping material, said plurality of rolls having a combined length approximately equal to a length of a cylindrical bale to be wrapped;
• and
• b) simultaneously advancing wrapping material from said plurality of wrapping material supply rolls and simultaneously applying wrapping material, respectively from said plurality of supply rolls to a circumference of said cylindrical bale so as to cover at least a portion of the length of the circumference of said bale with wrapping material from said plurality of supply rolls;
• wherein said step of providing a plurality of supply rolls comprises providing first, second and third supply rolls disposed in end-to-end relationship with each other, with said third supply roll being located between said first and second supply rolls and with said first, second and third supply rolls having a total length approximately equal to said length of the cylindrical bale to be wrapped.

A method of wrapping a circumference of a cylindrical bale in web of surface wrapping material comprising:

• a) providing a plurality of wrapping material supply rolls, each comprising a web of bale surface wrapping material, said plurality of rolls having a combined length approximately equal to a length of a cylindrical bale to be wrapped;
• and
• b) simultaneously advancing wrapping material from said plurality of wrapping material supply rolls and simultaneously applying wrapping material, respectively from said plurality of supply rolls to a circumference of said cylindrical bale so as to cover at least a portion of the length of the circumference of said bale with wrapping material from said plurality of supply rolls;
• wherein said step of providing a plurality of supply rolls comprises providing first, second, third and fourth supply rolls in end-to-end relationship, with the first, second, third and fourth supply rolls having a total length approximately equal the length of the cylindrical bale to be wrapped.

In combination with a large round baler including a baling chamber surrounding by bale forming elements defining an inlet for bale surface wrapping material for wrapping a circumference of a large cylindrical bale formed in the baling chamber, a wrapping material dispensing mechanism, comprising:

• a wrapping material supply roll support arrangement provided adjacent said baling chamber for supporting a plurality of supply rolls each comprising a web of surface wrapping material;
• a plurality of surface wrapping material supply rolls being supported by said supply roll support arrangement, with said plurality of wrapping material supply rolls having a combined length approximately equal to a width of said baling chamber and being supported to span a width substantially equal to that of said baling chamber;
• and
• a pair of surface wrapping material feed rolls being located between said plurality of wrapping material supply rolls and said baling chamber inlet and being mounted for gripping wrapping material between them and being selectively driven for simultaneously advancing wrapping material from said plurality of wrapping material supply rolls toward said inlet when it is desired to wrap a circumference of a bale formed in said baling chamber with wrapping material emanating from each of said plurality of supply rolls.