GB2082499A - Agricultural baler - Google Patents

Abstract

An agricultural baler is provided including a bale case (3), a feed platform (16) communicating therewith and a feed mechanism (6) for feeding crop material across said feed platform (16) into said bale case (3). The feed mechanism (6) comprises first feeder elements (31-33), second feeder elements (73-74), the second feeder elements being rotatable about a first axis (68) and about a second axis (26) offset relative to the first axis, generally stationary means (82) coaxial with said second axis and means (78-83) drivingly coupling the feeder elements (73-74) to the generally stationary means (82). The arrangement is such that, as the feeder elements (73-74) are rotated around the second axis (26) and around the generally stationary means (82) coaxial therewith in one direction (37), the means (78-83) drivingly coupling the feeder elements (73-74) to the generally stationary means (82) cause the feeder elements (73-74) to rotate in the opposite direction (95) around the first axis (68). The first feeder elements (31-33) may be replaced by an auger. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Agricultural balers The present invention relates generally to agricultural balers and has particular reference to the feeder mechanisms of the finger or tine type for such balers.

The conventional automatic baler has a bale case which extends fore-and-aft, that is in a direction parallel to the direction of the movement of the baler. Along one side of the bale case there is a crop inlet and mounted in the bale case is a reciprocable plunger adapted to move past the inlet to compress into bales crop material, such as hay or straw for example, fed into the bale case. Extending laterally from the inlet opening is a feed table or platform onto which hay, straw, or the like is deposited, this crop being lifted from a windrow on the ground by a pick-up mechanism.

The crop so deposited is conveyed across the feed platform through the inlet opening and into the bale case by feed means. After each bale is formed, it is automaticaliy bound and tied and then discharged onto the ground behind the baler or onto a trailing wagon.

Heretofore, various type of crop feed mechanisms have been applied with various success.

Some balers, such as shown in U.S. Patent Specification No. 2,450,082, employ a rotating auger to move the crop material from the pick-up mechanism to the bale case. On the other hand, there are a number of balers on the market which accomplish substantially the same result by the use of a multiplicity of pivotable feed fingers having a complex locus achieved by mechanical linkages (see for example, U.S. Patent Specification No.

2,885,953).

A combination of rotary and oscillatory feed fingers is shown in U.S. Patent Specification No. 3,044,243. Other balers, such as the one disclosed in British Patent Specification No.

984,043, comprise a track extending transversely of the bale case and above the feed platform. A feed carriage is operable on the track to engage the crop and convey it transversely of the platform into the bale chamber.

The feed carriage has depending feed fingers or tines which stand erect on a feed stroke and lay back on a return stoke. The carriage travels in a rectilinear direction perpendicular to the direction of reciprocation of the baler plunger. This feed mechanism is very satisfactory for balers with a relatively low capacity.

A high speed feed mechanism is illustrated in British Patent Specification No. 1,374,194.

In this design a feed finger supporting mechanism is secured at one end to a chain which is driven over a pair of sprockets to give said one end of the feed finger supporting mechanism an oval path of motion. The other end of the feed finger supporting mechanism is supported for reciprocal motion in a channel member or assembly by spaced apart roller assemblies. A portion of the channel member is secured to a crank arm which imparts to said portion of the channel member a circular motion. When conveying crop material towards the bale case, the feed fingers move relatively close to the feed platform on which the crop material is deposited from the pickup. On the return stroke, the tines are relatively more vertically spaced from this platform.

Furthermore, a feeder mechanism wherein the feeder tines are moved along epicylic paths, is shown in British Patent Specification No. 2,030,513.

As already stated, all the foregoing feed mechanisms perform generally satisfactorily.

However, the requirements and demands of farmers and independent operators are increasing with the need for better and more economical baling of crops. Many of the known feeder mechanisms have a relatively small capacity which in the present day environment is considered insufficient. This is particularly true for the aforementioned auger type feed mechanism and that comprising a reciprocating feed carriage with depending feed fingers or tines. Also the feed mechanisms with a multiplicity of pivotable feeder tines have a relatively small capacity.

By employing the principle of the chain driven feed mechanism of the type discussed above and disclosed in British Patent Specification No. 1,374,194, it has been possible materially to increase the speed of a tine or finger type feed mechanism. Such a feed mechanism may operate at up to 100 strokes per minute with an improved entry of the feeder tines into the crop on the feed platform and clearance of the crop from that platform.

Nevertheless, some shortcomings have been experienced. It should be noted here that the platform is surrounded by a housing which is open at the front to permit free admission of crop material from the pick-up mechanism.

This housing forms a feed chamber. When a baler of this type is operated at or near its capacity, crop material accumulates at the entrance of the feed chamber when the feeder mechanism is undergoing a work stroke and when it is undergoing, outside the chamber a return stroke, or at least spaced at a greater distance from the feed platform than on the work stroke, such accumulated material eventually being moved into the feed chamber.

However, this movement tends to be hesitant because the crop material becomes compacted whilst accumulating, and because of the restricted opening in the front of the feed chamber. The accumulation of material at the feed chamber opening is caused by the uniform or continuous supply of crop material from the pick-up and the non-uniform movement of such material from the feed chamber into the bale case.

To cure this problem, U.S. Patent Specification No. 2,950,807 discloses an arrangement which employs crop transfer means at the transition between the pick-up means and the feed chamber. However, this of course involves extra components and thus increases the cost of manufacture.

Another approach to this problem is that of operating the feed mechanism at an even greater speed so as to allow less crop material to accumulate at the entrance of the feed chamber during the work and return strokes.

However, this is difficult to achieve with known feed mechanisms because an increased operating speed would result in unacceptable vibrations with all the attendant problems. Furthermore, a very aggressive and positive grasp of the feed fingers or tines on the crop material is required during the entire work stroke and over the greatest possible width in the feeder chamber. Many of the known feed mechanisms fail to accomplish this as the tines only fully penetrate the crop material at a substantial distance inwardly of the end of the feed chamber remote from the bale case and as the tines retract prematurely during the work stroke. On the other hand, the feeder tines should be fully retracted from the feed chamber during the return stroke so as not to interfere with the entrance of new crop to the feed chamber.This is also not always accomplished and in an attempt to solve this problem, feeder tines have been pivotally mounted on the tine carrying member in a manner so as to lie back during the return stroke, but these tines may cause crop material to move in a direction in the feed chamber opposite to the intended direction.

This is particularly so with the feed mechanisms of the type comprising a reciprocating feed carriage as disclosed in the British Patent Specification No. 984,043.

Many known feed mechanisms have a complicated design with many reciprocating and/ or oscillating components (e.g. that disclosed in British Patent Specification No. 707,594) causing high vibrations and peak loads during operation. These vibrations and peak loads either become harmful and unacceptable, or substantially limit the operating speed. High vibrations caused by the feed mechanism may hamper the operation of other components of the baler. Also, these vibrations and peak loads often result in premature wear, especially when chain transmissions are used in the feed mechanism.

Furthermore, certain feed mechanisms have an excessive height which necessarily increases the overall height of the machine. A low profile machine is preferred for several reasons, the major one being that of permitting the operator to view the discharge end of the bale case from the tractor seat.

Bale shape is another problem which is very much related to the feed mechanism. Bales of even density and of regular rectangular shape are most important for the further mechanical handling of the bale. Furthermore, deformed bales and bales of irregular shape and density in general tend to disintegrate during further handling. it has been found that with certain feed mechanisms the bale shape and density produced is inconsistent due to variations in the type of crop, the moisture content, and size, for example.

Poor bale shape is also obtained with feed mechanisms which do not deliver the crop material far enough into the bale case. In balers having such feed mechanisms, large quantities of material are deposited at the transition between the feed chamber and the.

bale case. When the plunger moves on a work stroke, it travels rearwardly and past the feed opening. A knife carried on the plunger and cooperable with a fixed knife adjacent the rear vertical edge of the feed opening, shears the crop material to form a wad which is rammed rearwardly and compressed. In those situations where much crop material is cut during each work stroke, a so-called "shingling" or "sawrtooth" effect is obtained.

This results in the bale having a very irregular side edge at the side where the successive wads of crop material are cut. This also means that the cutting forces are extremely high and it may happen that a safety device, such as a shear bolt in the drive line, becomes operative.

It is the object of the present invention to avoid or to attenuate one or more of the foregoing disadvantages.

According to the present invention there is provided a baler including a bale case, a feed platform communicating therewith and a feed mechanism associated with the feed platform and the bale case for feeding crop material across the feed platform into the bale case, the feed mechanism comprising first feeder means operable to feed crop material over the feed platform towards the bale case, and second feeder means operable to feed crop material from the feed platform into the bale case, the second feeder means including feeder elements rotatable about a first axis and about a second axis offset relative to the, first axis, generally stationary means coaxial with the second axis, and means drivingly coupling the feeder elements to the generally; stationary means, the arrangement being such that, as the feeder elements are rotated both around the second axis and the generally stationary means coaxially therewith in one direction, the means drivingly coupling the feeder elements to the generally stationary means cause the feeder elements to rotate in the opposite direction around the first axis.

Preferably the transmission ratio of the means drivingly coupling the feeder elements to the generally stationary means is such that for a given angular displacement of the feeder elements in the one direction around the second axis, the feeder elements are angularly displaced in the opposite direction around the first axis over an angle corresponding to half the given angular displacement around the second axis, the arrangement being such that the feeder elements make a resultant movement in the one direction along a predetermined path.

In one embodiment of the present invention the feeder elements are in the form of feeder tines rotatably mounted on a first shaft coaxial with the first axis, the first shaft being mounted on one end of at least one crank.

The other end of the crank is coupled to a stub shaft rotatably mounted coaxially with the second axis. The stub shaft is hollow and houses coaxially therewith the generally stationary means in the form of a further shaft.

This generally stationary further shaft is coupled at one end to the chassis of the baler.

The means drivingly coupling the generally stationary means to the feeder elements are in the form of a sprocket/chain transmission comprising a sprocket on the other end of the generally stationary shaft, a further sprocket, having twice as many teeth, associated with the feeder elements and a chain wrapped around both sprockets. As the crank with the first shaft and the feeder elements thereon is rotated in said one direction around the generally stationary further shaft, the sprocket/chain transmission causes the feeder elements to rotate in the opposite direction around the first shaft at half the speed of the rotation of the crank around the generally stationary further shaft. As a result, the feeder elements describe a path which is apple shaped.

The generally stationary shaft is coupled to the chassis by coupling means comprising resilient means urging the further shaft to one extreme angular position but permitting limited angular displacement of the further shaft in the opposite direction in response to the load on the feeder elements. Thus the path of the feeder elements can be varied according to the load thereon and an indicator can be provided on the further shaft to indicate the angular position thereof.

The first set of feeder means may be in the form of one or more additional sets of feeder elements which are rotated in the same direction as the feeder elements of the second feeder means are rotated about the second axis although the speed of rotation of the latter may be greater than that of the former.

One or more of the additional sets of feeder elements may be replaced by feeder elements similar to those of the second feeder means.

An agricultural baler embodying the present invention will now be described in greater detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a baler constructed in accordance with the present invention, Figure 2 is a schematic view of a larger scale showing components of a feed mechanism of the baler, Figures 3 and 4 are views similar to Fig. 2 but with the components in two further characterising positions, Figure 5 is a schematic top view of the components shown in Figs. 2 to 4, Figure 6 is a sectional view on a larger scale taken along the line VI-VI of Fig. 5, Figure 7 is a partial sectional view taken along the line VII-VII of Fig. 6, Figure 8 is a schematic view on a larger scale illustrating the components indicated at VIII in Fig. 2, Figure 9 is a schematic view illustrating the path of certain components shown in Fig. 2, Figure 10 is a view similar to Fig. 9 but showing three different paths of said components dependent on the setting of certain components, and Figures ii, 12 and 13 are views generally similar to Fig. 4 but showing, respectively, three different modifications of the feed mechanism.

In the following description, right-hand and left-hand references are determined by standing at the rear of the baler and facing in the direction of forward travel. Also, in the following description, it is to be understood that such terms as "forward", "rearward", "left", "right", and "upwardly" are words of convenience and are not to be construed as limiting terms.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to Fig. 1, there is shown at 1 a baler incorporating a preferred embodiment of the improved baler feed mechanism, designated generally by reference numeral 6. The baler 1 includes a tongue 2 extending forwardly of the baler for attachment to a tractor (not shown), a fore-and-aft extending bale case or chamber 3 having a forward end on which a flywheel 4 is rotatably mounted, a feed housing or chamber 5 extending transversely of the baler and located adjacent the right-hand side of the bale case 3 within which housing is mounted the feed mechanism 6.The feed mechanism 6 is adapted to convey crop material into the bale case 3 through an inlet opening 7, and a rotatable crop pick-up mechanism 8 mounted on the baler 1 forwardly of and below the feed housing 5 is adapted to lift crop material from the field and deliver it to the feed mechanism 6.

A plunger (not shown) is mounted for reciprocable movement in the bale case 3 to form the crop material conveyed therein through the inlet opening 7 into rectangular bales. As a bale is formed in the bale case 3 it moves progressively towards the rear of the bale case 3 and when complete, it is bound with a suitable tying medium and subsequently emerges from the rear or discharge end of the bale case 3.

The baler 1 is supported by a pair of ground-engaging wheels 9 and, when articulately connected at a hitch end 10 of its tongue 2 to the drawbar of the tractor, it may be towed across a field. An input driveline, generally designated by reference numeral 11, is connected at its rear end to the baler flywheel 4 and adapted for connection at its forward end to the power-take-off (pto) shaft (not shown) of the tractor for rotation in unison therewith to supply rotary driving power to the operating components of the baler 1 through additional power. transmitting components (not shown).

The pick-up mechanism 8 comprises a reel (not seen in Fig. 1) rotatable on a shaft the axis of which is transverse to the longitudinal axis of the bale case 3. This shaft is journalled in bearings carried on a pair of spaced side walls 1 3. The reel has a plurality of outwardly projecting tines 14 which project between a plurality of arcuate stripper plates 1 5.

Crop material elevated by the tines 1 4 is moved over the plates 1 5 and delivered rearwardly to a crop receiving feed platform 1 6 which extends transversely from the bale case in a horizontal plane contiguous with the lower end of the inlet opening 7.

Disposed around the platform 1 6 is a housing having a side wall 17, a rear wall 1 8 and a slotted top wall 1 9. This housing forms the feed chamber 5 for the reception of the crop material from the pick-up 8. Mounted above the top wall 1 9 of the feed chamber 5 is a further housing 44 comprising a front wall 21, a rear wall 22, side walls 23 and 24, a top wall 25 and an intermediate transverse wall 12.

Transversely spaced apart feeder shafts 26, 27, 28 and 29 are rotatably mounted on the intermediate wall 1 2 and the rear wall 22 adjacent the lower end of the housing 44 (Fig. 5). The shafts 26, 27, 28 and 29 are oriented generally in a fore-and-aft direction and carry drive means in the space between the front wall 21 and the intermediate wall 12. The drive means include a first sprocket 38 on the shaft 26, a first and second pair of sprockets 39, 40; 41, 42, respectively on the shafts 27 and 28, and a further sprocket 43 on the shaft 29. Chains 45, 46 and 47 extend respectively between the sprockets 38 and 39; 30 and 41; and 42 and 43. Tensioning sprockets 48, 49 and 50 are provided to take up the slack in the various chains.Motive power is supplied to the feeder means from the input drive line 11 via certain drive transmission components (not shown in the drawings), via an angle gearbox 51 on the bale case 3 and via a further chain transmission between the gearbox 51 and the first feeder shaft 26, including sprockets 52 and 53 and a chain 54 extending therearound.

The tensioning sprocket 55 takes up the slack in the chain 54. All the sprockets 38 to 43 are of the same size so that all feeder shafts 26 to 29 rotate at exactly the same speed. The drive means are further arranged so that the feeder shafts 26 to 29 are rotated in the same direction which is indicated at 37 in the drawings.

Each of the feeder shafts 27, 28 and 29 carries a set of three parallel feeder tines 31, 32 and 33 spaced apart along the length of the shaft in the space between the interrnedi- ate wall 1 2 and the rear wall 22. The feeder tines 31, 32 and 33 on the shafts 2.8 and 29 extend radially therefrom. The feeder tines 31, 32 and 33 on the shaft 27 are cranked, having a radially extending section 56 mounted the shaft 27 and a section 57 extending perpendicular to the section 56, the arrangement being such that in operation, the tine section 57 leads a line exteridingfrom.

the shaft 27 to the tip of the tine section 57.

The innermost feeder tines mounted on the feeder shaft 26 will be described hereinafter.

The paths, indicated at 34, 35 and 36, of the feeder tines mounted on the shafts 27, 28 and 29 overlap each other when seen in. the axial direction of those shafts, and as can be best seen in Figs. 2 to 4. The various tines 31, 32 and 33 of each set oftinesare disposed relative to the corresponding tines of the adjacent set or sets of tines so as to avoid interference during operation, on the one hand, and also so that each tine of one set of tines passes, in operation, closely alongside a corresponding tine of the adjacent set or sets of tins in a stripping fashion, 0.n the other hand. This is best seen in Fig. 5, wherein all tines are schematically showrt in two opposite horizontal positions.

The paths 34, 35 and 36 of the feeder tines 31, 32 and 33 are fully contained within the space defined between the feed platform 16 and the top wall 25 of the housing 44, so that no components project out of the machine housings during operation, whereby a safer machine construction is obtained, which furthermore is of a "clean" design and of a relatively low profile.

The lower sections of the paths 34, 35 and 36 of the feeder tines extend into the feed chamber 5 and the feeder tines 31, 32 and 33 are moved during operation so that they sweep across the feed chamber in the direction towards the bale case 3. The various feeder tine sets 31, 32 and 33 are timed so that each set of feeder tines leads by about 90 relative to the adjacent set of feeder tines which is closer to the bale case 3.The arrangement is such that first the set of feeder tines at the end of the feed chamber 5 remote from the bale case 3 enters the feed chamber 5, then sweeps through-the chamber in the direction of the bale case, and finally retracts from the feed chamber as the EsaxznZ set of feed tines enters the feed chamber and starts to sweep therethrough whilst, at the same time, combing off or stripping the first set of feeder tines. This second set of tines then completes the sweeping movement and finally retracts in an upward direction from the feed chamber. Similarly, the third set of feeder tines, next closer to the bale case 3, first combs off or strips the second set of feeder tines as they retract from the feed chamber, then sweep through the feed chamber in the direction of the bale case and finally also retract from the feed chamber.Due to the cranked nature of the feeder tines of the third set of feeder tines, these tines have an even greater improved combing or stripping characteristic compared with the tines of the second set.

The set of feeder tines at the transfer zone between the feed chamber 5 and the bale case 3, and the suspension and drive means therefor, will now be described. As can be best seen in Figs. 5 and 6, the shaft 26 in fact comprises a pair of spaced apart stub shafts 61 and 62, one of which is rotatably mounted via a bearing 63 on the intermediate wall 12, and the other of which is rotatably mounted via a bearing 64 on the rear wall 21. The forwardmost stub shaft 61 is hollow and rotatably houses a further stub shaft 65, the function of which will be described later.

The stub shafts 61 and 62 carry at their facing ends parallel cranks 66 and 67 which are coupled to each other at their free ends via a further shaft 68. A bushing 69 is freely rotatably mounted on the shaft 68 and carries at spaced intervals along its length three identical tine supports 70, 71 and 72.

Feeder elements in the form of a pair of generally opposed feeder tines 73 and 74 is attached to each of the supports 70 and 72 via bolts and nuts 75. The tines 73 and 74 may be attached to the respective supports 70 to 72 in a number of positions so as to provide adjustment possibilities. At least in one position, the tines 73 and 74 are attached to the supports generally diametrically opposite to each other and relative to the shaft 68 in a manner such that the tines, when seen in the direction of rotation 37, lead relative to a line extending from the shaft 68 through the tip of each tine. The tines 73 and 74 both comprise a mounting section 76 which is angled at substantially 90 relative to the main tine section i.e. they are cranked similarly to the tines on the shaft 27.At the side adjacent the stub shaft 65, a sprocket 78 is fixed to the bushing 69, whereby both can rotate in unison on the shaft 68. This sprocket 78 is a part of the means drivingly coupling the feeder elements to generally stationary means formed by the further shaft 65.

The further shaft 65 which is mounted coaxially within the hollow stub shaft 61, is mounted therein via bearings 79 and 81 and has opposed ends extending beyond the corresponding ends of the stub shaft 61. At one end, a further sprocket 82 is keyed on the shaft 65 in the plane of the sprocket 78. A chain 83 extends around both sprockets 78 and 82, the former having twice as many teeth as the latter. This sprocket 82 and chain 83, together with sprocket 78 keyed to the feeder elements, form the means drivingly coupling the feeder elements 73 and 74 to the generally stationary shaft 65.

An arm 84 is keyed on the other end of the further shaft 65 and is pivotally coupled at its free end to a rod 85 which is disposed to extend through an aperture in a support 86 on the chassis as best seen in Fig. 7. A pair of stops 87 and 88 are adjustably provided on the rod 85 on opposite sides of the support 86. The stop 87 is disposed to abut the support 86 at the side thereof facing the feed chamber 5, while a coil spring 89 is arranged coaxially with the rod 85 between the support 86 and the other stop 88. Shaft 65 is thus a generally stationary shaft, when not taking into account the rather limited angular displacement of the same, permitted by the arrangement comprising the coil spring 89, the stops 87, 88 and the support 86.

An indicator arm 91 is firmly secured to the forwardmost end of the further shaft 65 and is movable in unison therewith and in front of a scale (not shown) provided on the front wall 21 of the housing 44. As can be seen in Fig.

6, the indicator arm 91 is secured to the shaft 65 by means of a bolt 92 which extends through an aperture in the front wall 21 and which is screwed into the end of the shaft 65.

A spacer bush 93 is provided between the indicator arm 91 and a washer 94 abutting the shaft 65 and the arm 84, the bush projecting through the aperture in the front wall 21.

The drive sprocket 53 is firmly secured to the hollow shaft 61 at one end thereof and receives motive power from the angled gearbox 51 via a chain 54. The sprocket 38, which is part of the drive line to the other feeder components, is firmly attached to the other end of the hollow stub shaft 61.

When driven, the cranks 66 and 67, together with the shaft 68, are rotated in the direction 37 around the axis of the hollow stub shaft 61, thus rotating the bushing 69 with the feeder tines 73 and 74 thereon about the same axis. The coil spring 89 urges the stop 87 in abutment with the support 86 and as long as this remains so, the shaft 65, which extends coaxially with the hollow stub shaft 61, is held stationary, and thus also the sprocket 82 is held stationary. As the bushing 69 with the sprocket 78 attached thereto is caused to rotate around the stationary sprocket 82, the chain 83 which is wrapped around both sprockets 78 and 82 is caused to roll around the stationary sprocket 82 in the same direction 37.As a consequence, the sprocket 78 and the bushing 69 with the tines 73 and 74 thereon are caused to rotate in an opposite direction 95 (Fig. 8) around the shaft 68 carrying these components. As the sprocket 78 on the bushing 69 has twice as many teeth as the sprocket 82, the bushing is caused to rotate about the shaft 68 at half the speed of rotation of the bushing around the shaft 65. This also means that when the bushing 69 and cranks 66 and 67 make a 360 cycle around the shaft 65, in the direction 37, the bushing 69 with the feeder tines 73 and 74 thereon rotate only through 180 in the opposite direction 95 around the shaft 68. Thus the outer ends of the feeder tines 73 and 74 describe a path 96 other than circular as seen in Figs. 2, 3, 4, 9 and 1 0.

This also means that, since the feeder tines 31, 32 and 33 are rotated at the same speed as the cranks 66 and 67 (the sprockets 38 to 43 all have the same number of teeth), the feeder tines 31 to 33 on the feeder shaft 27 are rotated twice as fast as the pairs of feeder tines 73, 74. In other words, the feeder tines 31 to 33 on the feeder shaft 27 alternately cooperate with the feeder tines 73 and 74.

The movements of the tines 73, 74 and of the set of tines 31 to 33 on the shaft 27 are timed with respect to each other so that, as the feeder tines 31 to 33 retract in an upward direction from the feed chamber 5, either the tines 73 or the tines 74 enter the feed chamber 5 in a combing off or stripping relationship relative to the associated tines 31 to 33.

To improve this combing off action further, the pairs of feeder tines 73 and 74 are so disposed relative to the feeder tines 31 to 33 on the shaft 27 that they pass closely alongside each other but with a sufficient clearance therebetween to avoid collision. Also, as can be seen in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, the paths 96 and 34 of the various feeder tines overlap each other to a great extent, when seen in the direction of the shaft 27.

The path 96 of the feeder tines 73, 74 is apple shaped, as can be seen in Figs. 2 to 4 and 9 and 10. This particular shape is advantageous for a number of reasons. The path 96 is contained fully within the space between the top wall 25 and the feed platform 16, and the bale case bottom wall, so that the feeder means only take up minimal space. Also, in its lower part, the path 96 is nearly circular in shape, whereby the feeder tines 73, 74 sweep across a predetermined length of the feed chamber 5 and the bale case 3.

Fig. 9 schematically shows the path 96 in relation to the bale case 3, and the orientation of the active leading edges 98 of the feeder tines 73 and 74, in a plurality of positions within the feed chamber 5 and the bale case 3. As can be seen from this figure, the feeder tines 73, 74 are oriented at a relatively small angle relative to the horizontal as they enter the feed chamber 5 (98'). This is advantage ous as such an orientation permits the feeder tines 73, 74 more fluently and more efficiently to comb off or strip the feeder tines 31 to 33 of the next preceding set of feeder tines. As the feeder tines 73, 74 move through the feed chamber 5 in the direction to the bale case 3, they progressively tilt further, ultimately to assume a substantially vertical position 98" at the point where they enter the bale case 3 through the inlet 7 in the right hand side wall thereof.Thus, at this point in the cycle the feeder tines have a very positive and maximum grasp on the crop.

The feeder tines 73, 74 then sweep across a portion of the bale case 3 which is in the range of 1 /3 to 1 /4 of the total surface of the bale case section. Also, as is conventional on many balers, the feeder tines 73, 74 retract from the bale case 3 through a slot (not shown) in the top wall thereof. However, contrary to the orientation of the feeder tines 73, 74 as they enter the feed chamber 5, the feeder tines retract from the bale case 3 when oriented at a relatively steep angle with respect to the horizontal (98"').

This is advantageous in that the feeder tines 73 and 74 fluently and smoothly release the crop after it has entered the bale case. Because of this particular orientation, the feeder tines 73 and 74 have little or no tendency to pull crop through the slot in the bale case top wall 25. As a result, there is no longer a need to provide stripper members on the bale case top wall 25 for combing crop off the feed fingers 73, 74 as they retract from the bale case 3. Also an even loading of the bale case with crop material is obtained with this particular feeder tine movement.

Assuming the feed fingers 73 and 74 meet an increased resistance tending to prevent them penetrating the bale case 3 further, this resistance will be transmitted via the sprockets 78 and 82 and chain 83 to the presently stationary shaft 65 which, as a result, is angularly displaced over a predetermined angle in the direction opposite to the direction of rotation 37 thus compressing the coil spring 89. Thus the coil spring 89 exerts an increased force on the arm 84 and a new equilibrium is established between the loading on the feeder tines 73, 74 and the force of the spring. As a consequence, the feeder tines 73 and 74 will penetrate somewhat less far into the bale case 3, whereby the spring arrangement coupled to the shaft 65 acts to a certain extent as a regulating and safety device protecting the feeder mechanism against overloading.

When the increased resistance on the feed fingers 73 and 74 disappears, the spring 89 urges the rod 85, and hence the arm 84 and shaft 65, to its original position, whereby normal penetration of the feed fingers into the bale case is resumed.

Indeed, this limited pivotal movement of the otherwise stationary shaft 65 reduces the peak loads on the feeder means resulting from overloading. Also, this device helps to a certain degree in regulating the density of the crop material in the bale case 3, prior to the compression stroke of the plunger, and in obtaining an even filling of the entire bale case. Furthermore, the angular displacement of the indicator arm 91, which is firmly attached to the shaft 65 and which thus is movable in unison therewith, is an indication of the load on the feed fingers 73 and 74, as they enter the bale case 3, and thus also of the capacity at which the machine is operating. The operator can thus assess from the angular displacement of the indicator arm 91 the capacity at which he is operating the machine.Also, he can see whether he is operating the machine at maximum capacity, whether he is operating the machine below its maximum capacity, or whether he is overloading the machine.

In practice, difficulties are sometimes encountered with known balers in filling the bale case. Often, the upper left hand corner of the bale case is not filled to a sufficient degree.

This results in badly shaped bales being produced (so-called banana shaped bales). Also, the bale case filling pattern may vary with varying crops and crop conditions. For example, when baling straw or hay different bale case filling patterns are obtained. Accordingly, to obtain perfectly shaped bales, it is necessary to provide an adjustment possibility. With the feeder mechanism described such an adjustment possibility is obtained.

The support 86 on the chassis is made adjustable so that it may be fastened in a selected one of a range of positions 99 (three positions being shown in Fig. 7). In this way, the angular position of the apple-shaped path 96 can be varied, as is illustrated in Fig. 10.

Three alternative positions have been shown in full lines 96, dashed lines 96' and chain lines 96", respectively. The penetration of the feeder tines 73, 74 into the bale case 3 and also the inclination of the feeder tines at the point of retraction from the bale case may be varied by adjusting the position of the support 86, whereby the bale case filling pattern is adjustable. The orientation of the feeder tines 73, 74 is schematically shown at three points in the feeder stroke for the adjustments resulting in the paths of movement 96' and 96" only. The arrangement is such that with an increased depth of penetration of the feeder tines 73, 74 into the bale case 3, the tines also are inclined at a greater angle relative to the vertical at the point of retraction from the bale case. Both of these aspects add together to vary the bale case filling pattern in the same direction.In other words, with the feeder tines 73, 74 penetrating deeper into the bale case 3 and assuming an increased angle of inclination relative to the vertical, crop will be fed more to the top left corner of the bale case.

When operating, as the baler moves along a windrow, the tines 14 of the pick-up 8 lift the crop material from the ground and convey it over the stripper plates 1 5 to deposit it on the feed platform 1 6. The sets of feeder tines 31 to 33 and 73, 74 cooperate to sweep the crop material in successive steps across the feed platform 1 6 towards the bale case 3. At the beginning of a feed cycle of the feed mechanism 6, the outboard or extreme righthand side set of feeder tines 31 to 32 on shaft 29 enters the feed chamber 5 and sweeps the crop material collected on the end of the feed platform 1 6 remote from the bale case 3 over a predetermined length across the feed platform 1 6 in the direction of the bale case.This set of feeder tines 31 to 33 adequately clears the corner of the feed chamber 5 remote of the bale case 3 of any accumulated crop material and, therefore, permits the feed chamber to be comparable in width to the pick-up mechanism 8. Eventually this first set of feeder tines 31 to 33 retracts from the feed chamber 5 in an upward direction, while the next adjacent set of feeder tines 31 to 33 (on shaft 28) enters the feed chamber in a downward direction, the arrangement being such that the two adjacent sets of feeder tines overlap each other and are oriented generally perpendicular to each other at this point in the cycle so that the next adjacent set of feeder tines combs off or strips the outboard set of feeder tines, thus taking over the crop material from the latter.This crop material, together with the crop material deposited on the feed platform 1 6 at the location generally below said next adjacent set of feeder tines, is swept across the feed platform in the direction of the third set of feeder tines 31 to 33 (on shaft 27) and towards the bale case 3. Meanwhile, the outboard set of feeder tines 31 to 33 continues rotating in the direction 37 through the further housing 44.

Similarly, as the second set of feeder tines 31 to 33 retracts, the third set of feeder tines 31 to 33 takes over crop material from the second set and conveys it, together with crop material received directly from the pick up mechanism, in the direction of the bale case 3. Also this third set of feeder tines 31 to 33 retracts in an upward direction from the feed chamber after it has swept crop material across the feed platform 1 6 and while the first or outboard set and the second set of feeder tines continue rotating in the direction 37 through the further housing 44 in preparation for the next active or work stroke.

Finally, the feeder tines 73 and 74 alternately enter the feed chamber 5 and comb off or strip the crop material from the third set of feeder tines 31 to 33 while the latter retract from the feed chamber. At this point in the cycle the feeder tines 73 and 74 are also oriented generally perpendicular to the feeder tines 31 to 33 of the third set as can be best seen in Fig. 4. Upon continued rotation of the feeder tines 73 and 74, they move progressively to a generally vertical position at the point where they move from the feed chamber 5 into the bale case 3, thus sweeping crop material from the feed chamber into the bale case in front of the tines. As the feeder tines 73 and 74 move through the bale case 3, they tilt over a relatively small angle beyond the vertical position, as can be best seen in Figs. 2, 9 and 10.

The feeder tines 73 and 74 move through an upper right-hand side section of the bale case 3, the area of which is in the range of 1/3 to 1/4 of the total cross-sectional area of the bale case. In one operating condition, the angle of inclination of the feeder tines 73, 74 relative to the vertical at the point of retraction from the bale case is of the order of 30 . Due to this small inclination, together with the upward movement of the feeder tines 73 and 74, crop material is forced into the upper left hand corner of the bale case so that the bale case is entirely filled at a substantially even density to obtain properly shaped bales.

Should the bales nevertheless not be shaped properly, correction may be made by adjusting the depth of penetration of the feeder tines 73 and 74 into the bale case 3, as well as by adjusting the angle of inclination of those feeder tines relative to the vertical, in the manner described above.

Upon continued operation of the feeder mechanism, the feeder tines 73 and 74 retract from the bale case 3 in an upward direction while being oriented at a relatively small angle with respect to the vertical. In this way, the feeder tines 73 and 74 gently and smoothly release the crop material after having pushed it into the bale case. Also, as already explained above, the feeder tines 73 and 74 have only limited tendency, or no tendency at all, to pull crop material through the slot in the bale case top wall 25, through which the tines retract from the bale case. As one set of feeder tines 73 or 74 retracts from the bale case, and continues moving along the particularly shaped path 96, as described above, the other set of feeder tines 74 or 73, respectively, is moved to a position ready to start the next active or work stroke.

With the use of four sets of feeder tines, which cooperate with each other in timed relation, then at any point in the feeding cycle at least one set of feeder tines is active to sweep crop material across the feed platform 1 6 towards the bale case 3, a fluent and substantially continuous flow of crop material along the feed platform being achieved. Also, the tendency for crop material to accumulate at the transition area between the pick-up mechanism 8 and the feeder mechanism 6 during a portion of the feed cycle, and as experienced on certain known balers having an oscillatory feeder mechanism, is eliminated.

It will also be clear that the feed mechanism 6 does not deposit crop material in any great volumes at the inlet opening 7 of the bale case 3, whereby the plunger knife and the stationary shear plate do not have to cut an unduly large amount of crop material. This reduces the so-called "shingling', or "saw tooth" effect referred to above. This in turn means that bales with a rrore regular shape are obtained and the cutting forces, as well as the forces on the plunger and the drive, are reduced. This also means that the plunger knife and the stationary shear plate are less subject to wear and require fewer adjustmeats, any adjustments which are necessary being less critical.

Should the feeder tines 73 or 74 become overloaded for one reason or afwther, the coil spring 89 will allow the otherwise stationary shaft 65 to make a minimal compensating angular displacement as a result of which peak loads in the feeder mechanism and the drive therefor will be damped and damage to the feeder mechanism and drive means may be avoided. Also, this spring loading of the feeder tines 73, 74 has a crop density regulating effect across the bale case. Furthermore, the arrangement provides a simple and convenient means of indicating to the operator whether the machine is operated at full capacity or whether the machine is either underloaded or overloaded.

On a feed stroke, the crop material is pushed along the feed platform 16 in front of the feeder tines 73 and 74 dhd draped therearound. Thus the feeder tines 73 and 74 carry a folded charge of crop material into the bale case. In the formation of a bale, a plurality of these charges are fed to the bale case 3 and compressed by the plunger. On compression, these charges become slices of the bale. For a properly shaped bale these dices must be uniform in density across the bale case 3. This depends a great deal not only, as already described above, on the orientation and depth of penetration of the feeder tines 73, 74 with respect to the bale case 3 and the way they retract therefrom, but also on the size of the bale slices referred to.

Usually, the more slices a bale of a given length comprises, and thus the thinner these slices are, the easier it is to produce a good shaped bale. To accommodate a large number of slices, then for a given forward speed of the baler, more feed strokes, and thus also plunger strokes, have to be made. Thus a high speed feed mechanism usually produces bales of regular shape even at a high operating speed and capacity. With the illustrated feed. mechanism it has beco me .pble to increase the number of strokes per minute without creating unacceptable vibrations, etc.

because all the feeder components basically only make rotary movements and the inertia forces caused by the various components, therefore, are relatively small. The feed mechanism can be operated at 1 20 strokes per minute, for example, as compared with 80-100 strokes per minute of known high speed feed mechanisms. Also, as the various components are simple in design and relatively small, they can be made much more lightweight, whereby again the inertia forces, and also the vibrations, can be kept relatively low, even though the working speed is increased.

The reduced inertia forces in turn reduce the loading, and hence the wear, of the various components. On the other hand, the increased working speed of the feed mechanism (and of the baler plunger which has to be synchronised therewith) gives rise to a baler having a capacity substantially greater than that of comparable known balers.

Furthermore, the feed mechanism is very simple in design and comprises a relatively small number of components. Moreover, several of these components are identical to each other, all of which reduces the cost price of the mechanism as well as the cost of maintenance and spare parts. Furthermore, maintenance itself is very simple.

The height of the feed mechanism 6 and its drive is also relatively small, whereby a baler can be produced with a low profile. Nevertheless, the pick-up and feeder mechanism can be made as wide as desirable to cope with the ever-increasing windrows produced with present day agricultural machines such as combine harvesters and mower-conditioners.

It will be apparent that various changes may be made in form, construction and arrangement of the illustrated baler feed mechanism without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

For example, the three sets of feeder tines 31 to 33 may be replaced by other types of feeder means and one such alternative is shown in Fig. 11. In this arrangement the three sets of feeder tines 31 to 33 are replaced by an auger 100 mounted for rotation at one end in the side wall 1 7 of the feeder housing 1 6. The auger 100 feeds crop mate- rial delivered by the pick-up 8 to the feeder tines 73 and 74 which operate as described with reference to Figs. 1 to 1 0.

In a further alternative arrangement, one or more of the sets of feeder tines 31 to 33 may be replaced by sets of feed fingers 73 and 74 and Fig. 12 shows an embodiment in which the shafts 28 and 29 and associated feeder tines 31 to 33 of the first described embodiment are dispensed with. The shaft 27 with the cranked feeder tines 31 to 33 is located at the end of the feeder housing 1 6 remote from the bale case 3 and a further set of feeder tines 73 and 74 is disposed between that set and the tines 73 and 74 originally provided at the transition between the feeder housing 1 6 and the bale case 3. The further set of tines 73 and 74 are indicated generally at 101 and are of the same basic construction as the other set.

The feeder tines provided at the transition between the feeder housing 1 6 and the bale case 3 may be driven at twice the rotational speed of the other sets of feeder tines. With this arrangement, one tine of each pair of tines 73 and 74 may be dispensed with as illustrated in Fig. 1 3 which is identical to Fig.

4 save for the absence of the tines 74. Such an arrangement has several advantages, namely the feeder tines 73 remain in the bale case 3 a shorter time; the feeder tines 73 comb or strip the tines 31 to 33 on the shaft 27 at a higher speed, whereby the loading of these feeder tines 31 to 33 is reduced; and the feeder tines 31 to 33 on the shaft 27 have less tendency to push crop material against the side wall of the plunger in the bale case 3.This latter advantage results from the fact that the timing as between the tines 73 and the plunger in the bale case 3 can be set so that the tines enter the bale case later than would otherwise be possible with the double tine arrangement of Figs. 1 to 1 0. This latter arrival of the tines 73 in the bale case 3 enables the plunger to be fully retracted, thereby fully opening the bale case inlet 7, before the tines 73 feed into the bale case the next charge of crop material. Thus the charge of crop material next to be fed into the bale case is not pushed by the tines 31 to 33 on the shaft 27 into contact with the adjacent side of the plunger as it retracts to the extent which necessarily occurs when employing a pair of tines 73 and 74 on the shaft 26 and when the baler is being operated at or near maximum capacity.

It will be appreciated that the ratio of the rotational speed of the tines 73 to that of the tines 31 to 33 may be other than 2:1 and that the alternative of employing only the tines 73 instead of the tines 73 and 74 at the transition between the feeder housing 1 6 and the bale case 3 can be applied to the embodiment of Fig. 1 2 as well as that of Figs. 1 to 10.

Another change that can be made is that of the replacement of the sprockets 78 and 82 and the chain 83 by a gear train comprising a first gear keyed on the shaft 65, a second gear having twice as many teeth as the first and keyed to the bushing 61, and a drive reversing gear therebetween. Furthermore, the crank 67 and associated stub shaft 62 are not essential and may be eliminated whereby an arrangement is obtained wherein the shaft 68 and the components mounted thereon are supported at one end only.

Furthermore, the feed mechanism 6 may be simplified by eliminating the crank arm 84, rod 85, stops 87, 88, coil spring 89 and support 86, and coupling the shaft 65 directly to a fixed point on the chassis. Thus, the shaft 65 becomes a truly stationary shaft but certain advantageous features of the illustrated embodiment are forfeited.

Claims (44)

1. A baler including a bale case, a feed platform communicating therewith and a feed mechanism associated with the feed platform and the bale case for feeding crop material across the feed platform into the base case, the feed mechanism comprising first feeder means operable to feed crop material over the feed platform towards the bale case, and second feeder means operable to feed crop material from the feed platform into the bale case, the second feeder means including feeder elements rotatable about a first axis and about a second axis offset relative to the first axis, generally stationary means coaxial with the second axis, and means drivingly coupling the feeder elements to the generally stationary means, the arrangement being such that, as the feeder elements are rotated both around the second axis and the generally stationary means coaxially therewith in one direction, the means drivingly coupling the feeder elements to the generally stationary means cause the feeder elements to rotate in the opposite direction around the first axis.

2. A baler according to claim 1, wherein the transmission ratio of the means drivingly coupling the feeder elements to the generally stationary means is such that for a given angular displacement of the feeder elements in the one direction around the second axis, the feeder elements are angularly displaced in the opposite direction around the first axis through an angle corresponding to half said given angular displacement around the second axis, the arrangement being such that the feeder elements make a resultant movement in the one direction along a predetermined path.

3. A baler according to claim 1 or 2 and further comprising a first shaft coaxial with the first axis and rotatably supporting the feeder elements, a second shaft coaxial with the second axis and a crank coupled at its opposed ends to the first and second shafts, respectively.

4. A baler according to claim 1 or 2 and further comprising a first shaft coaxial with the first axis and rotatably supporting the feeder elements, spaced apart stub shafts each coaxial with the second axis, and a pair of cranks coupled at one end to the respective stub shafts and at the other ends to the respective ends of the first shaft.

5. A baler according to claim 3 or 4 and further comprising a bushing rotatably mounted on the first shaft and carrying the feeder elements.

6. A baler according to claim 5, wherein the feeder elements comprise feeder tines axially spaced apart along the bushing.

7. A baler according to claim 6, wherein mounting flanges are secured to the bushing at spaced apart intervals axially thereof, and wherein the feeder tines are attachable to the flanges in a range of positions.

8. A baler according to claim 7, wherein the feeder elements comprise tines each having a mounting portion for attachment to the mounting flanges and a main tine portion extending at substantially right angles to the mounting portion, the working edge of the main tine portion of each tine in use leading a line drawn from the first axis to the top of the main tine portion with respect to the direction of the resultant movement of the tine.

9. A baler according to any of the claims 6 to 8, wherein the feeder elements comprise pairs of feeder tines axially spaced apart along the bushing, the feeder tines of each pair being disposed substantially diametrically op posite to each other relative to the first axis.

10. A baler according to claim 9, wherein three pairs of feeder tines are provided at spaced intervals along the bushing.

11. A baler according to claim 3 and any claim appended thereto, wherein drive means are connected to the second shaft for receiv- ing motive power for rotating the feeder elements in said one direction around the second axis.

1 2. A baler according to claim 4 or any claim appended thereto, wherein drive means are connected to one of the stub shafts for receiving motive power for rotating the feeder elements in said one direction around the second axis.

1 3. A baler according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the drive means comprise a sprocket provided coaxially with the second axis, and wherein motive power is applied to the sprocket through a chain transmission.

14. A baler according to claim 3 and any claim appended thereto, wherein the second shaft is hollow, and wherein the generally stationary means comprise a further shaft mounted coaxially within said hollow shaft.

15. A baler according to claim 4 and any claim appended thereto, wherein one of the stub shafts is made hollow, and wherein the generally stationary means comprise a further shaft mounted coaxially within the hollow stub shaft.

1 6. A baler according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the means drivingly coupling the feeder elements to the generally stationary means extend between the further shaft and said feeder elements, and further; co,mprising means coupling the further shaft to a chassis of the baler.

1 7. A baler according to claim 16, wherein the means for drivingly coupling the feeder elements to the generally stationary means comprise a first sprocket keyed to the further shaft, a second sprocket arranged to rotate with the feeder elements about the first axis, and a chain wrapped around both the first and second sprockets, the second sprocket having twice as many teeth as the first sprocket.

18. A baler according to claim 16, wherein said means for drivingly coupling the feeder elements to the generally stationary means comprise a first gear keyed on the further shaft, a second gear arranged to rotate with the feeder elements about the first axis, and a reversing gear in mesh with the first and second gears, the second gear having twice as many teeth as the first gear.

1 9. A baler according to any of claims 1 6 to 18, wherein the coupling means comprise resilient means urging the further shaft to one extreme angular position and permitting limited angular displacement of the further shaft in the opposite direction in response to the load on the feeder elements.

20. A baler according to claim 19, wherein the coupling means further comprise a crank keyed at one end on the further shaft and pivotally coupled at the other end to a rod, the rod having a pair of spaced apart stops cooperable with opposed faces of a support on the chassis, and wherein the resilient means are in the form of a coil spring extending between one of the stops and the associated face of the support.

21. A baler according to claim 20, wherein the support is attachable to the chassis in a range of positions, the arrangement being such that adjustment of the support results in a displacement of the path of the feeder elements.

22. A baler according to any of the preceding claims wherein the feeder elements, in operation, sweep across the transition area between the feed platform and the bale case.

23. A baler according to claim 22, wherein the feeder elements assume a substantially vertical orientation as they enter the bale case, and are tilted relative to the vertical at an angle of the order of 30 when they retract from the bale case in an upward direction.

24. A baler according to any of the claims 2 to 23, wherein the paths of the feeder elements are apple-shaped.

25. A baler according to any of claims 22 to 24, when appended to claim 21, wherein adjustment of said support varies the extent of penetration of the feeder elements into the bale case, and the inclination of the feeder elements as they move through the bale case.

26. A baler according to any of the claims 14 to 22 or any of claims 23 to 25 when appended to claim 14 or 15, and further comprising an indicator arm keyed to the the further shaft for indicating the angular displacement of the latter during operation of the baler.

27. A baler according to any of the pre ceding claims wherein the first feeder means comprise one or more additional sets of feeder elements which together with the feeder elements of the second feeder means, feed the crop material in successive steps towards and into the bale case.

28. A baler according to claim 27, wherein the or each additional set of feeder elements comprises a plurality of feeder tines mounted on a feeder shaft oriented generally parallel to the bale case.

29. A baler according to claim 28, wherein the feeder tines of the or each additional set of feeder elements are spaced axially of the feeder shaft and extend substantially parallel to each other.

30. A baler according to claim 29, wherein the feeder tines of the or each additional set of feeder elements extend substantially radially outwardly from the feeder shaft.

31. A baler according to any of the claims 28 to 30, wherein the or each additional set of feeder elements comprises three feeder tines.

32. A baler according to any of the claims 27 to 31, wherein the path described by the or each additional set of feeder elements is generally circular in shape.

33. A baler according to any of the claims 27 to 32, wherein the or each additional set of feeder elements is rotated in the same direction as that of the feeder elements of the second feeder means with respect to said second axis.

34. A baler according to any of the claims 27 to 33, wherein the or each set of additional feeder elements is rotated at the same speed as that of the feeder elements of the second feeder means about said second axis.

35. A baler according to any of the claims 1 to 27, wherein the, or at least one of the, additional sets of feeder elements are similar in construction and operation as the feeder elements of the second feeder means.

36. A baler according to claim 35, wherein all sets of feeder elements are rotated in the same direction with respect to said second axes, where appropriate.

37. A baler according to claim 36, wherein all sets of feeder elements are rotated at the same speed.

38. A baler according to any of claims 27 to 33 or any of claims 35 to 37, except when appended to claim 9, wherein the feeder elements of the second feeder means comprise a plurality of single tines spaced apart in the direction of the second axis and are rotated about that axis at a speed greater than that at which the additional sets of feeder elements are rotated.

39. A baler according to claim 38, wherein the speed of rotation of the feeder elements of the second feeder means about the second axis is twice that of the additional feeder elements.

40. A baler according to any of the claims 27 to 39, wherein the paths of adjacent sets of feeder elements overlap each other and the feeder elements of.adjacent sets are so disposed relative to each other that, during operation, they do not foul each other but that one set of feeder elements combs off or strips crop material from the feeder elements of the other set.

41. A baler according to any of the claims 27 to 40, wherein adjacent sets of feeder elements are driven in timed sequence in a manner such that the adjacent sets become operative the one after the other in feeding crop material across the feed plafform towards and into the bale case in successive steps, starting with the set of feeder elements remote from the bale case.

42. A baler according to claim 41, wherein each set of feeder elements, when at the point of combing off or stripping the next preceding set of feeder elements, is trailing by substantially 90" relative to said next preceding set of feeder elements.

43. A baler according to any of claims 1 to 26, wherein the first feeder means are in the form of an auger.

44. A baler as herein particularly described with reference to the Figs. 1 to 10, or as modified by any of Figs. 11, 12 or 13.