Sperry Corporation

Donald F Bowden, Jr

Willis R Campbell

Francis L Uhland, Jr

John A Merkey

A roll baler includes upper and lower bale forming devices that cooperate with each other to define a bale starting zone, and a pickup device to deliver crop material toward the bale starting zone. The upper bale forming device preferably constitutes a series of belts extending around a plurality of guide members, one of which is an indexing guide member located in a home position to dispose the upper bale forming device proximate to the lower bale forming device at the rear of the bale starting zone. The baler further includes a pair of disks for moving the indexing guide member from its home position in a substantially circular path of travel generally about the periphery of a roll bale that was started in the bale starting zone.

Continuous roll baler

A method is provided for forming roll bales of crop material in a roll baler having upper and lower bale forming devices that cooperate with each other to define a bale starting zone. The upper bale forming device extends around an indexing guide member which has a home position for disposing the upper bale forming device proximate to the lower bale forming device at the rear of the bale starting zone. The indexing guide member is held in its home position while a roll bale is started in the bale starting zone. When the roll bale reaches a predetermined diameter, the indexing guide member is moved in a substantially circular path of travel generally about the periphery of the roll bale. The indexing guide member is subsequently returned to its home position and is held there again while the first-mentioned roll bale is disengaged from the baler and another roll bale is simultaneously started in the bale starting zone.

Method of forming roll bales

A roll baler includes upper and lower bale forming devices that cooperate with each other to define a bale starting zone, and a pickup device to deliver crop material toward the bale starting zone. The upper bale forming device preferably constitutes a series of belts extending around a plurality of guide members, one of which is an indexing guide member located in a home position to dispose the upper bale forming device proximate to the lower bale forming device at the rear of the bale starting zone. The indexing guide member is connected between a pair of disks, and drive means such as sprockets are provided for engagement with the peripheral edges of the disks to rotate the disks in a direction to cause movement of the indexing guide member in a substantially circular path of travel.

Growing community of inventors

Gordonville, PA, United States of America

Donald F Bowden, Jr