Vermeer Manufacturing Company, Inc.

Weiler Corporation

Weller, Inc.

William A Hood

Ryan G Walker

Patrick Weiler

Calvin Meinders

Bradley D Nelson

Brett Huizer

Michael Allen Kooker

Thomas R Walmsley

Scott Alan Rempe

Shane A Bollinger

Jerry E Bandstra

Thomas M Duenwald

Tate Huizer

Alfred L Van Maaren

Mike Weldon

Disclosed is an example material transfer vehicle comprising a feeder having a hydraulic motor, a chain actuated by the hydraulic motor, and loading hopper configured to provide material to the chain; a sensor configured to detect a presence of a truck; and an electronic control module, wherein the electronic control module is configured to automatically increase a speed at which the chain is actuated when the sensor detects a presence of a truck.

Truck detection sensor for material transfer vehicles

A method and means to manage timing and delivery of paving material to refill a paver during a paving operation is provided. The invention employs a semi-automated dump routine to manage the level and condition of material in the dump hopper of the material transfer vehicle (MTV) thereby minimizing flaws in the roadbed otherwise expected. Further, the invention provides for monitoring and managing multiple operational data pertaining to delivery of material related to the paving process to determine and coordinate timing of travel and delivery of the paving material to increase optimal conditions of the paving material to minimize road and pavement defects.

Hopper cleanout

Adjustment and tensioning of a drag slat chain system is necessary in order to best handle loads while keeping the drag moving and minimizing chances of the chain jumping the sprocket. An automated means of such adjustment is accomplished by providing a known force to tension the chain to a known 'slack' and then automatically setting a mechanical stop to maintain an 'ideal' tension range.

Drag slat chain tensioning device and stop

Adjustment and tensioning of a drag slat chain system is necessary in order to best handle loads while keeping the drag moving and minimizing chances of the chain jumping the sprocket. An automated means of such adjustment is accomplished by providing a known force to tension the chain to a Known 'slack' and then automatically setting a mechanical stop to maintain an 'ideal' tension range.

A desegregation system for use with hot mix asphalt, warm mix or with any material that will flow and which includes pieces of material of various sizes and for which uniform mixture is important. The system is substantially within a hopper having a material inlet and a material outlet and includes an auger section having a plurality of flights near a first end of an auger shaft and another, counter-handed section near the other end of the auger shaft. The system preferably has a parallel, interlaced pair of right handed auger sections mounted near corresponding ends of separate shafts and a second pair of parallel interlaced auger sections, left-handed, mounted near the opposite and corresponding ends of separate shafts.

Desegregation system

An improved roller assembly for use in machinery such as round balers is disclosed. The roller assembly of the present invention reduces sensitivity to varying dimensional tolerances on the roller assembly and the structure to which the roller assembly is mounted. At least one elastic member is used to permit the axial position of at least one of the bearings on the roller assembly shaft to vary. Spring washers provide a predetermined, axial force to at least one of the bearings.

Roller mount arrangement

Large cylindrical bales of hay, straw, or other forage or fodder are usually wrapped with a filament-type product, typically twine, or a sheet-type product, typically netwrap material, after a bale has reached a predetermined size. A method and apparatus are disclosed that permits the bale to continue to form during part of the wrapping process. A delay occurs between the initiation of the wrapping step and the alarm for the operator to stop the forward movement of the baler. By inserting the wrap material to an entry throat of the baler, new crop material may be added to the bale while the leading edge of the wrap material travels around the bale. The operator is notified only when the feed of additional crop material needs to be stopped for the wrapping operation to conclude. The present invention is applicable to the use of sheet or filament wrapping materials for binding round bales.

Method of initiating automatic feed of bale wrapping material

A baler having an inlet area for receiving netwrap wherein it is a short distance between the drum roller and the closest belt roller. The netwrap guide at bottom of baler includes a feed pan having flexible net guides that are narrower than the bale forming belts. This netwrap guide has supporting cross members underneath it but there are no cross members in close vicinity to the lower belt roller to keep excess crop from accumulating there. There is also a netwrap guide at front of the baler for feeding netwrap material into contact with the periphery of a formed bale, including a guide positioned generally above the pickup for directing crop material previously inserted into the bale formation chamber and the netwrap material away from the pickup. The baler also has a novel netwrap feeding and cutting mechanism.

Netwrap feed and cut mechanism

A reverser which, in a preferred embodiment, has a hydraulic cylinder supported by a chopper baler frame. The opposite end of the hydraulic cylinder is attached to the reverser driver. When activated by hydraulics on a tractor, the hydraulics will extend the cylinder, causing the sprockets to be disengaged. Further extension of the cylinder will cause the reverser driver to engage the reverser sprocket and turn the rotor backwards slightly. After full extension, the cylinder will then be retracted. This process can be repeated a couple of times in order to remove the blockage. The reverser enables the operator to restore the baler to its working condition from the tractor seat. Being able to disengage the rotor from the rest of the machine enables the bale to be wrapped if a major blockage occurs. Also a controlled reversing motion is beneficial, so over-reversing does not occur.

Baler rotor reverser

An apparatus for forming and wrapping round bales includes a baler, arm structure, a cradle, and moving structure. The baler is for taking in a crop material, forming the crop material into a bale, and ejecting the bale. The arm structure is connected to the baler. The cradle is pivotably supported by the arm structure and is for holding the ejected bale. The cradle includes rotating structure for rotating the bale about a central axis of the bale. Moving structure is for providing relative movement between the baler and the cradle. Wrapping structure is supported by the baler and is adapted for holding wrapping material. The wrapping structure is movable around the bale and cooperates with the rotating structure to be capable of wrapping the bale with the wrapping material.

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Pella, IA, United States of America

William A Hood