Machine for forming cylindrical bales of crop

Abstract

A large round baler having an expansible bale chamber has tension cylinders associated with the chamber for strongly resisting expansion thereof so as to produce dense bales when a bypass valve located in a bypass line interconnecting rod and piston ends of the tension cylinders is positioned for preventing flow through the valve thereby forcing the flow to go through a variable high pressure relief valve located in another bypass line, the bypass valve being selectively shiftable to another position for permitting free flow therethrough when it is desired to produce a soft bale. The baler also includes gate cylinders for opening and closing the discharge gate of the baler. These gate cylinders are connected in circuit with the tension cylinders and the bypass valve is connected to the piston ends of the gate cylinders in such a way as to prevent the gate cylinders from extending at a time when the gate has just been closed, such extension of the gate cylinders, if not prevented, resulting in the gate becoming unlatched.