Agco Corporation

Hay & Forage Industries

Hesston Corporation

Other

Maynard M Herron

Brian D Olander

Patrick Kendrick

Cedric J Blough

Robert A Matousek

Bernard Dean Regier

Nathan K Ensminger

Dino Rey Valdez

Howard J Ratzlaff

Ferol S Fell

Robert J Waggoner

Charlie O James

Thomas G Schrag

Edward Wesley Esau

Lawrence D Retzlaff

Allen Joseph Kuhn

David O'Reilly

David R Smith

D John Schroeder

Roger A White

A baler twine tension measurement assembly including a displacement detector and elements defining a first twine path. The first twine path extends between a first location and a second location which is angularly displaceable with respect to the first location. The displacement detector operates to generate a signal indicative of the angular displacement of the second location with respect to the first location.

Twine tension assembly

A knot stretcher for use in tightening splice knots that connect twine balls on an agricultural baler. The knot stretcher includes a pair of pulling bars connected at pulling bar pivot at one end of each of the pulling bars, and a pair of levers, where one of the pair of levers is attached in a middle section of its respective pulling bar. Each lever has a handle portion at one end and an arm portion extending from an elbow formed in the lever. Each lever attaches to its respective pulling bar with a fixed pivot located near the elbow and distal ends of the arm portions of the two levers are attached at a moving pivot. The knot stretcher has clamping jaws positioned on the pulling bars to securely clamp a respective one of the twine tails of the splice knot that is to be tightened.

Knot tightener for baler twine

A bale binding mechanism is configured to wrap twine around a bale of severed crop material. The bale binding mechanism broadly includes a baling needle, a twine tensioner, and a sensor. A baler chassis presents a baling chamber in which the bale is formed. The baling needle is shiftable up and down relative to the baling chamber, with the needle being shiftable to advance twine upwardly along an end of the bale. The twine tensioner is configured to maintain tension on a tensioned twine section extending between the twine tensioner and the needle, with the tensioned twine section defining a twine feed axis. The twine tensioner includes a tension device that restricts upward advancement of the tensioned twine section. The twine tensioner also includes a shiftable guide element. The guide element is shiftable into and out of a twine feed position associated with upward advancement of the twine section, with the guide element operable to define an offset twine section offset from the twine feed axis in the twine feed position. The sensor is operably associated with the guide element to sense guide element movement corresponding to a twine over-tension condition, with the bale binding mechanism restricting twine from being passed out of the twine tensioner in response to the sensed twine over-tension condition.

Baler slacker arm sensor for protecting against needle over-tension conditions

A bale binding mechanism is configured to form crop material into a bale. The bale binding mechanism includes a baling needle and a twine tensioner. A baler chassis presents a baling chamber in which the bale is formed. The baling needle is shiftable up and down relative to the baling chamber, with the needle being shiftable to advance twine upwardly along an end of the bale. The twine tensioner is configured to maintain tension on a tensioned twine section extending between the twine tensioner and the needle, with the tensioned twine section defining a twine feed axis. The twine tensioner includes a tension device that restricts upward advancement of the tensioned twine section. The twine tensioner also includes a shiftable guide element. The guide element is shiftable into and out of a twine feed position associated with upward advancement of the tensioned twine section, with the guide element operable to define an offset twine section offset from the twine feed axis in the twine feed position. The twine tensioner includes a cutting device that severs the offset twine section when a twine over-tension condition causes the guide element to shift out of the twine feed position toward the twine feed axis.

Twine severing blade for protecting against baler needle over-tension conditions

A system for ejecting a bale from a baler, wherein the ejection process is controlled by a control unit with input from various sensors and from a remote operator located on a tractor. The control unit automatically positions a chute, controls a power take-off from the tractor, depressurizes and opens a chamber door, ties the bale, selects and causes ejector teeth to project into a forming chamber to engage the bale, causes the ejector teeth to move toward a discharge outlet such that the engaged bale moves with them toward and through the discharge outlet, and determines when the bale has fully ejected from the baler. The remote operator may choose to eject only the bale or to eject the entire contents of the forming chamber, and if the former, the control unit determines the bale's length and selects a subset of the ejector teeth that corresponds to that length.

Baler with automated selection of ejector teeth

A sensor detects a characteristic of accumulated crop material and a controller manipulates the speed of a baling chamber in response thereto. The speed of a baling chamber of a variable speed baler is manipulated in response to a characteristic of an accumulated crop material. For example, the height of accumulated crop material in an accumulation area may be detected and the speed of the baling chamber manipulated in response thereto. The rate of growth of the bale may also be determined and used in manipulating the speed of the baling chamber.

Variable speed round bale chamber control with accumulator sensor

In an example embodiment, a sensor detects a characteristic of accumulated crop material and a controller manipulates the speed of a baling chamber in response thereto. In an example method, the speed of a baling chamber of a variable speed baler is manipulated in response to a characteristic of an accumulated crop material. For example, the height of accumulated crop material in an accumulation area may be detected and the speed of the baling chamber manipulated in response thereto. The rate of growth of the bale may also be determined and used in manipulating the speed of the baling chamber.

Variable speed round bale chamber control using bale growth rate

A system conveying material-other-than-grain (MOG) from a harvesting machine to a packaging machine towed by the harvesting machine. The system includes an joint pivotably joining a harvesting machine hitch to a packaging machine hitch. An accelerator is mounted to the packaging machine hitch. The accelerator has a housing with a top-side inlet and a side outlet. A MOG-propelling disk is disposed in the housing and is rotatable about an axis. A conduit is disposed above the packaging machine hitch and has an inlet end and an outlet end, the inlet end coupled to the side outlet. The conduit has first and second opposing side portions and a top side portion without an opposing bottom portion, with at least part of the top side portion is parallel with the plane of the disk. The accelerator, conduit, and packaging machine are collectively in pivotal arrangement relative to the harvesting machine.

Combo crop harvester crop transfer means

A stuffer chute assembly including: a curvilinear duct defining a passageway, the duct having a lower inlet opening and an upper outlet opening, the duct including a lower surface with plural slots located proximal to the upper outlet; plural rotating devices arranged transversely across the duct, the plural rotating devices extending at least partially both through the plural slots and into the passageway, each of the plural rotating devices including plural fingers along the circumference of the rotating device to engage crop material in the duct; and a sensor coupled to at least one of the plural rotating devices, the sensor configured to sense a parameter corresponding to density of the crop material in the duct.

Stuffer chute fill indicator

In one embodiment, a stuffer method of a baler, the method comprising conveying with a plurality of pivotally-biased elements coupled along a moveable link a first portion of crop material from an inlet of a stuffer chute to a location proximal to an outlet of the stuffer chute; and responsive to a crop material density of the first portion meeting or exceeding a first predefined threshold density, conveying with a subset of the plurality of pivotally-biased elements a subsequent portion or portions of crop material from the inlet to the first portion until the subsequent portion or portions meets or exceeds a second predefined threshold density that substantially equals the first predefined threshold density.

Uniform density packer stuffer system

A powered square baler is operable to be powered by a prime mover to form a bale by compressing loose material. The powered square baler broadly includes a chassis, a plunger assembly, a flywheel, and a planetary gear train. The chassis includes a baler frame that presents a baling chamber to receive the loose material. The plunger assembly includes a reciprocating plunger head slidably mounted relative to the baler frame and operable to reciprocate into and out of the chamber and apply a compressive force to the loose material. The flywheel is rotatably mounted on the chassis and is operable to be driven by the prime mover. The planetary gear train is drivingly attached to the flywheel and is drivingly attached relative to the plunger assembly to transmit power between the flywheel and the plunger assembly and thereby drive the plunger head.

Square baler having flywheel planetary drive

A pickup assembly of an agricultural machine has a rotatable shaft and bulkheads with a reel assembly having plural double-stacked tine rows flanked by reel cover attachment areas. Each double-stacked tine row has a plurality of spaced apart tines with a pair of radially extending portions for engaging crop material. Each double-stacked tine row has a first row of tines and a second row of tines offset from the first row such that adjacent tines are offset in both a direction around the circumference of the shaft and also in a transverse direction along the shaft. A reel cover is coupled to the bulkhead and has slots through which portions of the tines extend.

Tine pickup with narrow tine spacing for a baler

A continuous baler includes a round baler and an accumulation conveyor for providing crop to the round baler. The accumulation conveyor may include a conveyor belt. A controller determines an operational mode of the baler and manipulates the accumulation conveyor in response to the operational mode. For example, the controller operates the accumulation conveyor in a feed direction during a bale-forming mode of the baler and operate the conveyor from an initialized position at a slower speed in the feed direction during a non-bale-forming mode. A pickup may provide crop material to the accumulation conveyor during both bale-forming and non-bale-forming modes.

Method of using an accumulation conveyor with a continuous round baler

In an example embodiment, a continuous baler includes a round baler and an adjustable conveyor for providing crop to the round baler. The adjustable conveyor may include a conveyor belt and a controller for manipulating the conveyor belts. In one example embodiment, the speed of the conveyor is adjusted in accordance with the operation of the baler.

Growing community of inventors

Hesston, KS, United States of America

Maynard M Herron