Round baler for baling crop residue
AssigneeDeere & Company
InventorsMark M Chaney, Stephen Michael Patton
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of converting a conventional round baler to a round baler with an accumulator chamber is disclosed.
Claims10
A method of converting a conventional round baler for receiving harvested crop material directed rearward from a harvesting machine provided with a diverter which is selectively operable for diverting onto the ground crop material directed toward an accumulator, the round baler having a frame, a baling chamber mounted on the frame, a crop pickup suspended from the frame and having a tined rotor device mounted for rotation about a rotor axis for gathering crop material from the ground and being disposed underneath the baling chamber to convey the gathered crop material toward the baling chamber, a tongue removably fixed to the frame and extending forward from said frame by which the conventional round baler may be towed, the method comprising the steps of:
- replacing the tongue with a replacement tongue and connecting the replacement tongue to the harvesting machine;
- attaching a rear end of an endless belt conveyor to the baler at a location vertically above the tined rotor device of the crop pickup, whereby the tined rotor device is disposed to receive crop falling from the rear end of the endless belt conveyor;
- locating the accumulator chamber on the replacement tongue and above the endless belt conveyor for receiving crop material directed toward the baler from the harvesting machine;
- attaching a sensor disposed to sense a level of crop material in the accumulator chamber;
- and
- operating said diverter for diverting onto the ground crop material directed toward the accumulator chamber from the harvesting machine in response to a predetermined sensed level of crop material.
A method of converting a conventional round baler for receiving harvested crop material directed rearward from a harvesting machine, the round baler having a frame, a baling chamber mounted on the frame, a crop pickup suspended from the frame and having a tined rotor device mounted for rotation about a rotor axis for gathering crop material from the ground and being disposed underneath the baling chamber to convey the gathered crop material toward the baling chamber, a tongue removably fixed to the frame and extending forward from said frame by which the conventional round baler may be towed, the method comprising the steps of:
- replacing the tongue with a replacement tongue and connecting the replacement tongue to the harvesting machine;
- attaching a rear end of an endless belt conveyor to the baler at a location vertically above the tined rotor device of the crop pickup, whereby the tined rotor device is disposed to receive crop falling from the rear end of the endless belt conveyor;
- locating an accumulator chamber on the replacement tongue and above the endless belt conveyor;
- attaching an elongate trough, having an inside surface having a curvature slightly greater than that of an envelope defined by the tips of tines of the tined rotor, to the crop pickup so as to be disposed between the crop pickup and ground at a location for receiving any crop delivered by the belt conveyor which passes through the tined rotor device and would otherwise fall onto the ground.
A method of converting a conventional round baler for receiving harvested crop material directed rearward from a harvesting machine, the round baler having a frame, a baling chamber mounted on the frame, a crop pickup suspended from the frame and having a tined rotor device mounted for rotation about a rotor axis for gathering crop material from the ground and being disposed underneath the baling chamber to convey the gathered crop material toward the baling chamber, a tongue removably fixed to the frame and extending forward from said frame by which the conventional round baler may be towed and a crop pickup adjustment mechanism, the method comprising the steps of:
- replacing the tongue with a replacement tongue and connecting the replacement tongue to the harvesting machine;
- attaching a rear end of an endless belt conveyor to the baler at a location vertically above the tined rotor device of the crop pickup, whereby the tined rotor device is disposed to receive crop falling from the rear end of the endless belt conveyor;
- locating an accumulator chamber on the replacement tongue and above the endless belt conveyor;
- lifting the crop pickup with respect to the ground using the crop pickup adjustment mechanism;
- and
- attaching an elongate trough around a lower portion of the tined rotor device of the crop pickup after the step of lifting the crop pickup with respect to the ground.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.