Patent ID: 7140294
Filing Date: 2006-11-28
Classification: A01F

Abstract:
1. In a large round baler including a baling chamber defined in part by a plurality of bale forming belts supported in side-by-side relationship across a plurality of fixed rolls supported by opposite sidewall structures, and by a plurality of movable rolls including rolls carried by a discharge gate pivotable between a lowered baling position and a raised discharge position, and at least one tensioning arm assembly mounted to said sidewall structures for pivoting vertically and carrying at least one bale-forming belt guide roller for engaging the bale-forming belts at a location between two adjacent ones of said plurality of fixed rolls, the improvement comprising: said at least one tensioning arm assembly being located for pivoting between a lowered position corresponding to a bale-starting condition, wherein said baling chamber is empty and said discharge gate is in its lowered baling position, and a raised position corresponding to a bale-completed condition, wherein said baling chamber contains a completed bale; at least one tensioning actuator being coupled to said at least one tensioning arm assembly for resisting movement of said at least tensioning arm assembly between its lowered and raised positions; and an ejector actuator being coupled to said at least one tensioning arm assembly for powering said arm assembly from said raised position to said lowered position once said discharge gate is raised to its discharge position, so that said at least one tensioning arm assembly acts to forcibly eject said completed bale; and a second tensioning arm assembly being mounted for pivoting counterclockwise about an axis located forward of said baling chamber when moving from a raised position, corresponding to when the completed bale is contained in the baling chamber, and a lowered position, corresponding to when said baling chamber is empty, and said tensioning actuator being coupled between said at least one tensioning arm assembly and said second tensioning arm assembly so as to resist movement of said at least one and second tensioning arm assemblies from their respective lowered positions to their respective raised positions as a forming bale enlarges said baling chamber, wherein said at least one and second tensioning arm assemblies each include a pair of arms, with the pair of arms of said at least one tensioning arm assembly straddling and crossing said arms of said second tensioning arm assembly when said arm assemblies are both in their respective lowered positions.