Hesston Corporation

Other

Garold L Fleming

George Yatcilla

Allen A White

Kurt Graber

Loren L Alderson

Craig Remington

The present invention is directed to an improved trash compactor using an automatic drain operation associated with the unloading placement of the compactor on the support pad. In accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a pad is provided with a pad stop. The waste compactor is fitted with an extending arm that operates through a mechanical connection to open a waste gate valve when the extending arm is pushed against the pad stop during placement of the compactor on the pad. The arm is spring loaded so that the valve is automatically closed when the compactor is removed from the pad and the arm is separated from contact with the pad stop.

Automatic waste compactor drain system

Hydraulic 'squeeze cylinders' control the size of the discharge orifice on an extrusion baler and are operated by a control circuit that relieves pressure in the cylinders in response to the buildup of a certain predetermined pressure level in the circuit. Pressurized fluid for the squeeze cylinders is supplied by a single-acting pump cylinder that is connected between the reciprocal plunger head and its push rod in such a way as to deliver a slug of pressurized fluid into the circuit on each compression stroke of the plunger, the pump drawing in a fresh slug from a reservoir during each retraction stroke of the plunger. A pilot-operated relief valve is operated by circuit fluid when the latter reaches the predetermined pressure level to open a relief path for fluid in the squeeze cylinders, and specially calibrated ports in the circuit between the pump and the cylinders cause the relief valve-operating portion of the circuit on the pump side of the calibrated ports to exist at a higher pressure level than the remaining portion on the squeeze cylinder side.

Bale density control system

An 'extrusion' type baler controls bale density by regulating the size of the discharge orifice of the bale case, and the 'squeeze' cylinders which provide power for changing the size of the orifice are hydraulically connected to a special pump associated with the plunger of the machine so that pressurized oil is added to or taken away from the cylinders depending upon the resistive force encountered by the plunger and its pump during the compaction stroke. The loader which stuffs a new charge of material up into the baling chamber ahead of the retracted plunger may, under certain circumstances, fail to load a new charge of material. The plunger, however, continues to reciprocate at all times and would thus add an additional slug of oil to the cylinders following deactivation of the loader but for the presence of a special control valve in the circuit which precludes flow of oil from the pump to other components of the circuit unless the loader has been operated through a loading stroke immediately prior to the next compaction stroke of the plunger. When a predetermined pressure level is achieved in the circuit, a relief path will open so as to depressurize the cylinders by an incremental amount.

Crop-loading-responsive fluid supply circuit in bale density control

Pressurized fluid for the squeeze cylinders of an 'extrusion' baler is supplied by a single-acting pump cylinder that is connected between the plunger head and its push rod in such a way as to deliver a slug of pressurized fluid into the circuit on each compression stroke of the plunger, the pump drawing in a fresh slug from a reservoir during each retraction stroke of the plunger. The push rod is connected to the plunger in a cranked relationship so that the radial distance between the end of the push rod and the fulcrum point of the crank comprises one lever arm, such lever arm being many times smaller than the lever arm between the fulcrum point and the point of connection of the crank of the pump cylinder.

Plunger drive connection in bale density control system

Bales are successively formed in the baling chamber of the machine by intermittently packing an additional charge of new material against the trailing end of a forming bale to progressively push the bales toward the discharge end of the chamber. When the bale reaches its predetermined size, a needle swings across the bale chamber behind the trailing end of the bale and presents a binding strand to a knotter. The knotter unites the presented end of the strand with an end previously held by the knotter during a packing cycle such as to form a secure, tied loop about the bale. As the needle retracts from the knotter, it places a new length of strand across the bale chamber in preparation for the loop around the next, succeeding bale, and it is during such retraction of the needle that a slackening device draws a supply of slack in the strand and lays the same along the proximal side of the preceding bale. Hence, as the next bale is incrementally advanced through the chamber, the slack supply becomes progressively depleted as it strings out along the forming bale. Thus, until the slack supply is entirely consumed, the strand need not be pulled through the interface between the preceding and forming bales in order to string out the strand along the bale.

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Hesston, KS, United States of America

Garold L Fleming