Machine for forming round bales

Abstract

A machine for producing large round bales passes over loose hay on the ground, picks up the hay adjacent the rear of the machine and coils the hay within a forming chamber as the bale is rolled along the ground to progressively grow in size until reaching its final dimensions, whereupon the bale is tied and the endgate of the machine raised to discharge the finished bale. Pickup mechanism at the rear of the machine includes tined lifters mounted on a continuously moving, upright, endless web in such a manner that the lifters lie flatly against the web until moving around their lower limits of travel, whereupon they are projected outwardly and downwardly to sweep loose hay forwardly from the ground and into the forming chamber. The height of the pickup mechanism relative to the ground surface may be varied by hydraulically raising the housing of the machine relative to its ground wheels, and elevation of the housing beyond a predetermined amount automatically releases the endgate latch and swings the endgate to its raised position for bale discharge. The expandable forming chamber within the housing can expand fore-and-aft, as well as vertically, by virtue of the fact that the front half of the arcuate top of the chamber is suspended by upright, swingable hangers from adjacent the top of the housing.