Round baler with tailgate position sensor and method of operating the same

Abstract

A round baler includes a pick-up unit for picking up crop material from the ground, a baling chamber which receives the crop material from the pick-up unit, and a press mounted within the baling chamber for forming a bale during a bale formation cycle. The baler also includes a binding unit for dispensing a binding material for binding the bale, a tailgate displaceable by an actuator from a closed position at the beginning of a bale formation cycle to an open position to dispense the bale after the binding cycle. A sensor detects a first tailgate position after the bale formation cycle and before the binding cycle, and detects a second tailgate position after the binding cycle and before displacing the tailgate to the opened position. A controller is responsive to the sensor by determining a tailgate position change between the second tailgate position and the first tailgate position.