Sperry Rand Corporation

Allison W Blanshine

Edward T Eggers

Donald L Sheesley

Myles Hyman

In a crop roll forming machine there is provided bale forming means having endless flexible movable means fastened to opposing sides of the frame of the machine, the movable means being interconnected by a plurality of transverse connecting means having interwoven thereamong endless, flexible strengthening means. The interwoven strengthening means serve to reinforce the transverse connecting means as the bale forming means progressively forms a larger crop roll.

Upper apron assembly

A crop material roll forming machine, such as a large round baler, has a mobile frame adapted to travel across a field, an upper apron movably mounted on the frame that cooperates with an improved lower apron in defining a roll forming region therebetween. The lower apron is movably mounted on the frame below the upper apron and includes a series of fore-and-aft extending transversely spaced apart flexible members which are supported at their respective forward end portions by a first series of transversely spaced apart elements and at their respective rearward end portions by a second series of transversely spaced apart elements. The first series of elements are individually mounted on the front end of the frame and are yieldably movable in a fore-and-aft direction for maintaining a level of tension on the flexible members sufficient to facilitate coiling of crop material into a roll in the roll forming region. The second series of elements are supported on a transverse shaft rotatably mounted on the rear end of the frame and adapted to be drivingly connected to a drive means which drives the upper apron in a predetermined direction and the lower apron in a direction counter to the predetermined direction of the upper apron.

Lower forming apron and drive for a crop material roll forming machine

Bale handling apparatus

A machine to form compact rolls of hay of substantial size by picking up a swath or windrow of hay and the like from a field, engage it by cooperating upper and lower endless flexible aprons driven in suitable direction to coil the hay into a compact roll while supported upon floor means mounted stationarily in the bottom of the machine to effect baling of all the hay without loss upon the ground. When the roll type bale of hay reaches a predetermined diameter, the upper apron raises to stop driving the same and provide an exit and the lower apron assists in ejecting the bale onto the ground, or the machine can transport it to a desired location for discharge, if desired. The upper apron initially is in contracted position and means are included to provide tension upon the upper conveyor to resist expansion of the same around part of the roll as the diameter thereof increases, said tensioning means also are such as to provide substantially uniform pressure upon the roll as it increases in size.

Hay roll forming machine

A machine to form compact rolls of hay of substantial size by picking up a swath or windrow of hay and the like from a field, engage it by cooperating upper and lower endless flexible aprons driven in suitable directions to coil the hay into a compact roll while supported upon floor means mounted stationarily in the bottom of the machine to effect baling of all the hay without loss upon the ground. As the roll type bale of hay increases in diameter, the upper apron engages the upper portion thereof and applies constant unit pressure thereon to produce substantially uniform density throughout the roll regardless of diameter thereof. Tension spring means are used to produce the pressure applied to the roll by the upper apron to effect such constant unit pressure upon the roll.

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Lititz, PA, United States of America

Allison W Blanshine