Patent ID: 11856895
Assignee: AGCO CORPORATION
Field: Other special machines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 0:
1. A baler for forming crop material into a bale, said baler comprising:
a chassis presenting a baling chamber in which the bale is formed; and
a bale binding mechanism configured to wrap twine around the bale, said bale binding mechanism including:
a baling needle shiftable up and down relative to the baling chamber, with the needle being shiftable to advance twine upwardly along an end of the bale;
a twine tensioner configured to maintain tension on a tensioned twine section extending between the twine tensioner and the needle, with the tensioned twine section defining a twine feed axis,
said twine tensioner including a tension device that restricts upward advancement of the tensioned twine section,
said twine tensioner further including a shiftable guide element,
said guide element being shiftable into and out of a twine feed position associated with upward advancement of the twine section, with the guide element operable to define an offset twine section offset from the twine feed axis in the twine feed position,
said twine tensioner including a slacker arm that provides the guide element,
said slacker arm being supported to swing about an arm axis transverse to the twine feed axis and swingable into and out of the twine feed position; and
said slacker arm configured to swing into a severed twine position when the guide element shifts out of the twine feed position toward the twine feed axis, said twine tensioner including a tensioner frame that swingably supports the slacker arm at a pivot joint, with the slacker arm engaging the tensioner frame in the severed twine position at a location spaced from the pivot joint; and
a sensor being operably associated with the guide element to sense guide element movement corresponding to a twine over-tension condition occurring upstream of the sensor, with the bale binding mechanism restricting twine from being passed out of the twine tensioner in response to the sensed twine over-tension condition.