Gehl Company

Anthony J Glaszcz

Kim P Viesselmann

Carl Steven Silbernagel

Scott Grahl

A wrap material dispensing system for a round baler includes a wrap material drive system for advancing wrap material from a supply roll to a wrap material feeding arrangement, and a selectively operable knife mechanism for severing the wrap material. The wrap material drive arrangement includes a pair of rollers that are driven by a motor. The knife mechanism is mounted to a pivotable shaft to which a one-way knife actuating clutch is mounted. A flexible drive member, such as a chain, is engaged with a rotatable output member of the drive motor, and with the one-way knife actuating clutch and a driven one of the wrap material drive rollers. Operation of the motor to rotate the motor output member in a first direction causes advancement of the wrap material, and the one-way knife actuating clutch is configured to maintain the knife mechanism in an inoperable rest position during advancement of the wrap material. When a desired amount of wrap material has been dispensed, the motor is operated to rotate the motor output member in a second direction opposite the first direction, to engage the one-way knife actuating clutch and to move the knife mechanism from the inoperative rest position to an operative cutting position, to sever the wrap material. The wrap material drive roller includes an overrunning clutch that allows rapid advancement of the wrap material when the wrap material is engaged with the wrap material feeding arrangement, and which enables the motor to be operated to rotate the motor output member in the second direction while the wrap material is being dispensed, to sever the wrap material by operation of the knife mechanism.

Net material feeding and cutting system for an agricultural round baler

A round baler for forming round bales of agricultural crop material includes a bale kicker mechanism for ensuring that the bale is clear of the path of movement of the baler tailgate after the bale has been discharged from the baler and before movement of the tailgate from its open position to its closed position. The bale kicker mechanism includes an inner section which is movably mounted to the baler for movement between a raised position and a lowered position, and an outer section which is pivotably mounted to the inner bale kicker section, to form a jointed bale kicker construction. The inner bale kicker section extends downwardly and rearwardly from the bale-forming chamber at a relatively sharp angle when in its lowered position, to facilitate discharge of the bale from the bale-forming chamber. The outer bale kicker section defines an outer end which engages the ground when the inner bale kicker section is in its lowered position, to provide a ramp for moving the bale onto the ground. After the bale has been discharged, the inner bale kicker section is moved to its raised position, which lifts the outer bale kicker section upwardly so as to move the bale off the outer bale kicker section and to engage an end member of the outer bale kicker section with the outer surface of the bale. In this manner, the bale is maintained at a predetermined space rearwardly of the baler, to enable the tailgate to be moved to its closed position without interference from the bale. A bale exit sensor is employed to ensure that the bale is fully discharged from the bale-forming chamber before the tailgate is moved to its closed position.

Jointed bale kicker for a round baler

A bale shape monitoring system for a round baler for detecting a misshapen bale during bale formation. The system includes a pair of spaced apart rollers mounted to a movable member located within the bale-forming chamber, and which are normally engaged with spaced apart baler belts when the bale has a uniform diameter in the vicinity of the rollers. A rotation sensing arrangement detects the rotation of the rollers, caused by engagement of the rollers with the belts during normal bale formation. In the event the bale is formed with a lesser diameter in the vicinity of one of the rollers, the associated belt moves out of contact with the roller, and the lack of roller rotation is sensed so as to provide a signal to the operator to steer the baler to supply crop material to the lesser diameter area of the bale. Once a uniform diameter is again obtained, both rollers continue to rotate so as to indicate to the operator that the bale has a uniform diameter.

Growing community of inventors

Hartford, WI, United States of America

Anthony J Glaszcz