Acco Corporation

Agco Corporation

Keith O'Halloran

Thomas G Schrag

Edward Wesley Esau

Edward W Esau

A wide pickup header on the baler picks up windrows that are signficantly wider than the centrally disposed inlet of a passage containing cutter apparatus that reduces the materials into smaller pieces for compaction into a bale. In order to provide smooth, even, continuous flow of crop materials into and through the cutter apparatus at the inlet, the pickup is provided with a pair of lower, upturning stub augers on opposite sides of the inlet and a full length, downturning top auger spaced above and somewhat forwardly of the stub augers. The top auger not only assists the stub augers in consolidating the wide windrow of materials in toward the center of the machine but also keeps the stream fairly low and concentrated at a level where the stream is readily accepted by the rotary cutter apparatus. Preferably, the top auger maintains the inflowing crop stream below the axis of rotation of the cutter rotor so that prongs of the rotor engage the crop material as the prongs are rotating downwardly and rearwardly through the inlet and into the cutting zone. Preferably, the top auger rotates considerably faster than the stub augers and consolidates materials at a faster rate than the stub augers.

Growing community of inventors

Hesston, KS, United States of America

Keith O'Halloran