Abstract:
A method and apparatus for baling crop materials using a baler with a pickup thereon for picking up crop materials from the ground and moving such crop materials towards a baling chamber. The pickup has a pickup frame operatively attached to the baler, the frame having a plurality of laterally spaced apart tines of a type which is typical for balers. The pickup has a pickup frame operatively attached to the baler, the pickup having a plurality of laterally spaced apart tines of a type which is typical for balers. Plastic bands are provided on at least the surface of bands that are disposed between the tines to reduce friction between the crop and the bands; this prevents excessive vibration, whereby crop material will pass evenly through the pickup, minimizing the possibility of plugging of the pickup and retaining leaves and other desirable parts of the crop.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/952,041 filed Jul. 26, 2007 entitled “Plastic Bands or Plastic Covers for Bands Located Between Tines on a Crop Pickup Apparatus” which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]    The present invention relates generally to agricultural equipment, and more specifically to a plastic strip for replacing or covering bands between pickup tines on a pickup portion of a baler or the like to increase baling capacity and prevent plugging of the input of a baler. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]    Balers are used for many different crops. Most balers are used to bale hay. Hay is usually classified as any type of grass or legume, such as alfalfa, that is fed to livestock such as cows and horses. 
         [0004]    Balers also bale straw, which is of course the part of the plant above ground that is left after grain such as wheat, oats barley or the like are harvested, for example with a combine harvester. A primary use for straw is for bedding for animals. Straw is also commonly used as mulch for gardens or the like. 
         [0005]    A third category of crop material which is baled using a baler is a stiff stalk crop, such as corn stover including corn stalks which are typically baled after the corn is removed from the stalk, such as with a combine harvester which saves only the corn kernels or with a corn picker, which saves only the corn while it is still on a cob. It is this third category of crop material which is the most problematic to bale, primarily because of the stiff long pieces of plant stalk. Corn stalks are commonly used as feed for animals, such as cattle, or can be used as a raw material for making a bio-fuel, such as ethanol. 
         [0006]    When baling corn stalks, the flow of material is not always a steady flow. Because the corn stalks do not fold together like hay and straw material, sometimes the corn stalks do not flow easily into the baler pickup. This causes the cornstalks to pile up in front of the pickup as the baler is towed through a field, causing a large pile of corn stalks to be pushed along in front of the baler pickup instead of evenly entering the baler. This requires the operator to stop the baler, reorganize the pile of cornstalks in front of the pickup of the baler and resume the baling operation. Additionally, these cornstalks can plug up the pickup of the baler so that the baler can no longer be used until such plug of material is removed, or at a minimum repositioned. This problem can occur numerous times during the process of baling a field and happens most often when the crop comprises cornstalks. 
         [0007]    When the pickup of a baler becomes plugged with crop, the operator has a few options. Some operators will wait for the pickup to clear itself which is very damaging to the pickup; some will shake the pickup with a hydraulic lift, which is damaging to the pickup itself, some will increase and decrease the revolutions per minute of the controls of the baler which can damage the drive line and the tractor, and the most desperate operators will get out of their tractor and cab and try to clear the plug by hand. All of these methods take valuable time. Some of the methods cost money in repairs because they damage the equipment. And whenever the operator is out of the cab of the tractor, safety can be an issue. 
         [0008]    Another problem with using a baler to bale a crop is that if the crop does not enter the pickup evenly, the bale will not be formed evenly, which devalues the bales produced and the negatively impacts the perception of quality of the baler itself because even, consistent bales are desired. This is especially true when the bales being made are large round bales. Also, uneven entry of the crop also causes extra stress on the baler, in particular of the pickup portion of the baler. This can cause premature wear and or premature failure of the components thereof. 
         [0009]    The speed of baling is controlled to a great degree by how fast the operator can drive through the field and pickup the crop. Usually it is the pickup portion of the baler that is the limiting factor as to the speed that the baler can be towed during operation because once the crop is in the baling chamber the baler can usually handle a high capacity of crop. So although a faster pickup of the crop will increase the efficiency of the baler, operators soon learn the maximum speed that they can tow the baler for a particular crop under particular conditions and they will try to operate at such maximum speed whenever possible. Pushing beyond that optimum speed for such crop and conditions will typically cause plugging of the pickup. In general, the maximum baling speed for certain crops under the conditions existing at the time is proportional to the amount of crop material that enters evenly through the pickup portion of the baler. For certain crops, such as alfalfa, the more the crop “slips” in the pickup portion of the baler the more likely that there will be leaf shatter and leaf loss, decreasing the value of the crop. So to the extent that a pickup of a baler can be made to minimize this slippage of the crop with respect to the pickup, it will be more efficient and more of a valuable feature of such a baler. 
         [0010]    Currently there is a metal (teeth) on metal (band) contact when the baler is in use causing lots of wear on both parts. 
         [0011]    In modern day baler pickups, metal bands are painted surfaces. When the paint wears off, the metal bands tend to rust. This will contribute to causing a baler pickup to plug up with excessive crop material. Also, after the paint wears off, the appearance of rusty metal bands are unsightly. 
         [0012]    Also, moisture and temperature variations in metal bands can cause impaired crop feeding through the baler pickup. 
         [0013]    Leaf loss on tender crops is exacerbated due to vibration of metal bands. 
         [0014]    Accordingly, there is a need for a baler apparatus that overcomes the aforementioned problems with the pickup portion of balers for baling crop materials. Because existing prior art pickup systems have built in limitations as to how quickly an even flow of the crop can be moved from the ground to the baling chamber, it is desired to overcome those limitations to create a more efficient baler by creating an even flow of crop materials through the pickup portion to the baling chamber from the instant the crop materials first enter the pickup portion of the baler and consistently maintain that flow of crop materials during the use of the baler. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0015]    The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for baling crop materials using a baler with a pickup thereon for picking up crop materials from the ground and moving such crop materials towards a baling chamber. The pickup has a pickup frame operatively attached to the baler, the pickup having a plurality of laterally spaced apart tines of a type which is typical for balers. Plastic bands are provided on the surface of bands that are disposed between tines to reduce friction between the crop and the bands to prevent excessive vibration thereby also retaining leaves and other desirable parts of the crop. 
         [0016]    An object of the invention is to prevent plugging of the pickup of a baler. 
         [0017]    Another object of the invention is to cause a positive and even flow of crop material through the pickup of a baler. 
         [0018]    A still further object of the invention is to increase the efficiency of baling crop materials when using a baler. 
         [0019]    A still further object of the invention is to have significantly less wear on pick-up teeth. 
         [0020]    A still further object of the invention is to improved crop feeding into the baler as compared to the use of metal bands are painted surfaces that rust after the paint wears off. 
         [0021]    A still further object of the invention is to help prevent crop plugs in the pickup section of a baler. 
         [0022]    A still further object of the invention is to control moisture and temperature variations in the band area of a baler pickup which inhibits how well the crop feeds into the baler. 
         [0023]    A still further object of the invention is to maintain a good appearance of the bands of a pickup instead of being a rusty metal color when the paint wears off. 
         [0024]    A still further object of the invention is to reduce leaf loss on tender crops because of the reduced vibration from the dampening effect of using plastic instead of metal. 
         [0025]    Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0026]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a baler having the present invention attached to it; 
           [0027]      FIG. 2  is a side elevational view of the pickup portion of a baler with the rotor of the present invention attached to it in a baling position and showing plastic bands disposed between the pickup teeth; 
           [0028]      FIG. 3  is a side elevational view like  FIG. 1 , but with the pickup and rotor in the transport position thereof and also and showing plastic bands disposed between the pickup teeth; 
           [0029]      FIG. 4  is a top view of the rotor and pickup section of a baler having plastic bands disposed between the pickup teeth; 
           [0030]      FIG. 5  is an enlarged perspective view of the powered rotor and forward wind guard of the present invention shown attached to a baler with a wide pickup; 
           [0031]      FIG. 6  is an enlarged perspective view of the powered rotor and forward wind guard of the present invention shown attached to a baler pickup; 
           [0032]      FIG. 7  is an enlarged perspective view of the of certain components of the rotor of the present invention; 
           [0033]      FIG. 8  is an enlarged side elevational view of a portion of the rotor shown in  FIG. 7 ; 
           [0034]      FIG. 8   a  is a cross sectional view through  FIG. 8 , except the drive shaft is not shown in cross section; 
           [0035]      FIG. 9  is cross sectional view taken along line  FIG. 9-9  of  FIG. 7 ; 
           [0036]      FIG. 10  is a side elevational view of one of the blade assemblies of the rotor; 
           [0037]      FIG. 11  is an enlarged perspective view of the of certain components of the pickup from the left front side of the baler of the present invention, including plastic bands disposed between the tines; 
           [0038]      FIG. 12  is an enlarged perspective view of certain components of the rotor and pickup from the right front side of the baler of the present invention. 
           [0039]      FIG. 13  is an enlarged perspective view of the powered rotor with a modified form of a forward wind guard and including a rear wind guard for attachment to the present invention instead of the one shown in  FIGS. 1 and 5 , for example; 
           [0040]      FIG. 14  is cross sectional view taken along line  14 - 14  of  FIG. 13  showing how the rear wind guard is attached to the rotor; 
           [0041]      FIG. 15  is cross sectional view taken along line  15 - 15  of  FIG. 13  showing how the front wind guard is attached to the rotor; 
           [0042]      FIG. 16  is an enlarged perspective view of an original “slick strip” made with simple polyethylene and brass eyelets to prevent hole elongation where the strip is attached to an existing metal band; 
           [0043]      FIG. 17  is an enlarged perspective view of the “slick strip” structure attached to the metal band of a Vermeer brand baler pickup; 
           [0044]      FIG. 18  is an enlarged perspective view a pickup band structure which is constructed of one piece of an ultra high molecular weight (UHMW) polyethylene material; 
           [0045]      FIG. 19  is a cross sectional view taken along line  19 - 19  of  FIG. 18 ;  FIG. 20  is an enlarged perspective view of a “slick strip” type pressure sensitive tape (UHMW polyethylene tape) that would stick to an existing band with adhesive tape on the back of the strip (like a sticker) as an alternative to the way such a strip is attached to the metal strip in  FIG. 17 , for example; 
           [0046]      FIG. 21  is a perspective view of an ordinary metal pickup band being sprayed with a coating for reducing the friction between the band and crops being picked up by the pickup teeth of a baler; and 
           [0047]      FIG. 22  is a perspective view of an ordinary metal pickup band being dipped into a friction reducing liquid plastic material for coating the pickup band for the purpose of reducing the friction between the band and crops being picked up by the pickup teeth of a baler. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0048]    Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals designate identical or similar parts throughout the several views, a preferred embodiment 1 of the present invention is illustrated in  FIG. 1 . The baler can, for example, be like the basic baler of U.S. Pat. No. 4,910,949 to Meyer, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, though a more modern baler with more modern features can be used instead, for example the baler shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,948,300 to Bandstra et. al, which is also incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Of course it is to be understood that this invention can be used on any other type of baler, for example those that produce bales of a non-cylindrical shape, because the pickup sections of all prior art balers have crop material flow problems from time to time in the pickup sections thereof that could be solved by this invention. 
         [0049]    The baler shown in  FIG. 1  is towed by a tractor  11 . The tractor  11  powers the baler through a rotating power take off shaft  12  as is well known in this art. A pickup  13 , shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  3 , is attached to a frame  15  has tines  14  thereon. This pickup  13  can be of a type as shown in the two patents referred to above, or any other type used on balers. 
         [0050]    The rotor  16  has blades  17 . The construction of the rotor  16  is constructed as shown in  FIGS. 7-10 . A shaft  18  having a hexagonal cross section is shown as shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , though any shaft having a non-circular cross sectional shape, could be used instead of the hexagonally shaped one  18 . An opening in the center of the rotor blades  17 , shown in  FIG. 10 , corresponds to the chosen shape and size of the cross sectional shape of the shaft  18 . The rotor is formed in a modular way so that the parts shown in  FIGS. 7-10  are used all of the way across the drive shaft  18 . 
         [0051]    Still looking at  FIGS. 7-10 , the rotor  16  includes a blade  17  having a non-circular opening  17   a  in a center portion thereof and projections  17   b ,  17   c  and  17   d  extending radially outwardly from the center portion of the blade assembly  17 . In  FIG. 8  a second blade  17 , identical to the first one is shown. The hexagonally shaped drive shaft  18  extends through the non-circular opening  17   a  in both the first and second blade assemblies  17  whereby rotation of the drive shaft  18  causes rotation of the first and second blade assemblies  17  in the same direction as rotation of the drive shaft  18 . At least one bearing  20  is disposed around and in contact with the driveshaft  18  at a place between the first and second blade assemblies  17 , the bearing  20  having an inside race  20   a  with an inner diameter and an outside diameter. A first washer  21 , disposed around the drive shaft  18 , has the same inside and outside diameter as the inner race  20   a.    
         [0052]    Looking now to  FIGS. 8 and 8   a , each bearing  20  has an outer race  20   b  with an inside and an outside diameter. A cylindrical housing  22  is disposed around the bearing  20  and between the first and second blade assemblies  17 , the housing  22  having a predetermined inside diameter that is approximately the same as the inside diameter of the outer race  20   b . The bearing  20  is in a press fit relationship with the inside of the housing  22 . A second washer  23  has an outer diameter that is approximately the same as the outer diameter of the outer race  20   b . Another set of bearings  20  with a spacer or race extender tube  22   a  inside of the cylindrical housing  22  between the bearings  20 , has another set of washers  21  and  23  between the other blade assembly  17 , shown in  FIGS. 8 and 8   a . The spacer or race extender  22   a  is also in a press fit relationship with the inside of cylindrical housing  22  and is of a length to hold the bearings  20 , on each side thereof inside cylindrical housing  22 , in a proper position, for example in the position shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8   a . In a preferred embodiment, the race extender  22   a  is an aluminum tube, but other spacers of a proper size can be made of other materials if desired. The outer diameter of the bearings  20  and the outer diameter of the race extender  22   a  are preferably the same so they can both be press fit inside of the cylindrical housing  20 . A plurality of the subassemblies shown in  FIGS. 7-9  are held in place by the clamping members  31  shown on one side in  FIG. 11 , a similar clamp  31  (not shown) is provided on the on the other end of rotor  16 . This clamping from one side to the other side of the rotor  16  to cause all of the blade assemblies  17  and driveshaft  18  to rotate with the inner races  20   a  and washers  21  inside the cylindrical housings  22  while the cylindrical housings  22  remain fixed with respect to the baler. The outer washers  23  will also turn with the blades  17 , inner washers  21  and the inner races  20   a . This permits the center portion of the rotor  16  to be secured to one of the cylindrical members  22  such as by the members  24 - 28  as shown in  FIG. 5 , which would be used if the baler is quite wide, or those stabilizing members  24 - 28  as shown in  FIG. 6  can be eliminated if the baler is not as wide. 
         [0053]      FIG. 10  shows one of the blade assemblies  17  with a curved leading (front) edge  17   e  and a trailing edge  17   t . Each of the blades  17   b ,  17   c  and  17   d  has a curved leading (front) edge  17   f  and a trailing edge  17   t . Also each one of the adjacent blade assemblies  17  is staggered by 60 degrees compared to the next adjacent blade assembly  17  as can best be seen in  FIGS. 2 ,  3 ,  5  and  6 . This staggering is merely done by putting each blade assembly  17  onto the hexagonally shaped drive shaft  16  turned one step at a time as they are placed on the driveshaft  18 . This arrangement, while not imperative, does tend to push each part of a crop component that extends between adjacent blade assemblies  17  down towards the pickup  13  in a stepped fashion rather than pushing it all down into the pickup at the exact same time. More or less blades can be used on the blade assemblies  17 , for example one to ten blades could be used if desired, instead of the three shown in the preferred embodiment. 
         [0054]      FIG. 12  shows a drive chain and sprocket  33  for selectively rotating the drive shaft  18  and therefore the entire rotor  16 , including the blade assemblies  17 . This chain and sprocket  33  is ideally connected to and rotated with the drive mechanism, not shown, for the pickup  13 . The chain and sprocket is turned by using hydraulic motor  34 . 
         [0055]    Alternatively, the rotor can be rotated in either direction independently using hydraulic motor, such as hydraulic motor  34 . Of course the drive shaft  18  could be powered using other sources of power, such as an electric motor, or something deriving its power from the power take off shaft of the towing tractor  11 , for example. 
         [0056]    Looking back to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , it is shown that the rotor  16  has a link arm  41  pivotally attached thereto. This link arm  41  is pivotally attached to another arm  42  at pin  28 , which arm  42  is telescopingly adjustable in length with respect to arm  43 , using a pin  44  placed in one or more of the openings  46  in arm  43 . The pin  28  is confined to slot  45  in the baler but is slidable therein. An arm  47  extends through an opening in baler with a helical compression spring  50  disposed around it. The spring  50  abuts a washer/nut assembly  49  at the top of arm  47  and a washer  51  that is too big to go through the opening in baler part  10  shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . Arm  47  is pivotally attached to the arm  41  and thusly the arm  41  is urged upwardly by the spring  50 . The arm  43  is pivotally attached to the pickup frame  15  at pivot point  49 . The force of the spring  50  can be increased by screwing the nut  49  farther onto the rod  47 , for example for heavier crops like cornstalks. The force of the spring  50  can be decreased by screwing the nut  49  farther out on the rod  47 , such as for crops like straw. 
         [0057]      FIG. 2  shows an operative position of the instant invention while picking up and baling crop material. In  FIG. 2 , a gauge wheel  52  is shown in dashed lines at an optimum setting for setting the pickup  13  so that the tines  13  pass very close to the ground to pick up a maximum amount of the crop material. In that setting, the effective length of arm  42 / 43  is set by placing a pin  44  through a specific one of the holes  46  in arm  43  through slot  45  in arm  42 . But if it is desired to have the tines  14  not so close to the ground while baling, the pin  44  would be removed, the linkage of arm  42 / 43  shortened to a desired length and then the pin  44  placed in the lowest opening  46  in arm  43  within the slot  45  in arm  42 . Then the gauge wheel  52  is adjusted by loosening part  53 , moving part  53  and moving it downwardly in the slot  54 , and tightening part  53  to keep the gauge wheel  52  set at that place in slot  54 . That will raise the pickup  13  farther from the ground so that tines  14  are spaced farther from the ground than is shown in the operative position shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         [0058]    Looking to  FIG. 2  again, it is noted that a front wind guard  60  is bolted by bolt  61  to one of the cylindrical members  22  at the rear of the wind guard  60  and the front of the wind guard  60  is held up by flexible chain member  62  attached at the top to member  28  and at the bottom to cross member  64 . The distance that the wind guard  60  will float downwardly is adjusted by how long the chain  62  is between the members  28  and  63 . Accordingly, however, if a large amount of crop material passes under the wind guard  60  it can force the wind guard  60  upwardly, but no farther upwardly than the member  28 . 
         [0059]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,295,797 to Naaktgeboren, U.S. Pat. No. 6,810,650 to McClure and U.S. Pat. No. 6,962,041 to Taylor et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,495,756 to Greiner et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, show forward and/or wind guards on large round balers. In general wind guards for a baler comprise a plurality of rods above a pickup section of a baler for preventing the wind from blowing the crop picked up by the baler pickup and furthermore to hold the crop materials picked up off the ground against the pickup so that the tines can move the crop material towards the baling chamber. 
         [0060]    The front wind guard  60  is made up of a plurality of rods  60   a  attached at the back end thereof to respective ones of the cylindrical members and at the front thereof to member  63 . The distance that the pickup tines  14  are adjusted with respect to the ground depends on where the crop is with respect to the ground. For example in a wheat stubble field, the straw could be above the ground a substantial distance, for example on top of plant stems (a stubble field) extending six to twelve inches above the ground. In contrast, in a hay field the hay is typically cut as close to the ground as possible so the gauge wheel would be close to the position shown in  FIG. 2  for baling hay. 
         [0061]    Looking to  FIG. 2  again, it is noted that a rear wind guard  10  is attached at the front thereof pivotally to the baler, rests on top of the rotor  16  and extends rearwardly from the rotor  16  above the pickup  13  to hold crop material down into the pickup  13 . The rear wind guard  10  includes a plurality of rods  10  as can best be seen in  FIG. 4 . 
         [0062]    In operation of the embodiment of  FIGS. 1-12 , the rotor would be disposed in the operative position as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The baler would be used as a normal baler but additionally the rotor  16  would be rotating in the direction of  FIG. 2  at the same time that the pickup teeth are moving in the position shown in  FIG. 2 . This will cause the crop material to enter the space between the pickup  13  and the rotor  16  and be moved towards the baling chamber rearwardly of these two components. By having the powered rotor  16  in addition to the normal pickup  13 , the crop material will not pile up in front of the pickup but will enter the baler positively and quickly as soon as the rotor blades  17  contact such material and force them towards the pickup and somewhat rearwardly. 
         [0063]    While there should never be a plug of crop material that would get stuck in the pickup of such a baler, if something like a branch from a tree were to get stuck, the rotor could be moved to the position shown in  FIG. 3  and then back to the position shown in  FIG. 2  which would most likely cause the obstruction to pass on into the baling chamber. The crop material will also be guided to the position between the rotor  16  and the pickup  13  by the wind guard  60 , for example as shown in  FIG. 1 . Crop materials having a stiff stalk, like corn stalks, will be positively forced between the pickup  13  and rotor  16  and to some extent crimped, bent, and broken to cause better flow past the pickup  13 . 
         [0064]    While it is not a necessary feature of this invention, the rotor  16  can also be reversible, by reversing the direction of the hydraulic motor  34  so that unplugging of the pickup  13  of the baler could also be assisted by rotating the rotor  16  in the opposite direction as that shown by the arrow in  FIG. 2 . 
         [0065]      FIGS. 13 ,  14  and  15  show an alternate form of front and rear wind guard in which the front wind guard  70  is adjustable with respect to the rear wind guard  80 . By slipping the ring  72  around the rotor part  22 , the rear end of the front wind guard  70  is held up. A member  73  attaches all of the front wind guard rods  70  together. A chain  74  is attached to the member  73 , which chain  74  is also attached to a portion of the baler above the chain  74 . The distance that front wind guard will pivot downwardly is controlled by the length of the chain  74 . Accordingly adjustments to the vertical elevation of the member  73  and thereby the front wind guard  70  can be made using the chain  74 . Once adjusted to the position desired a set screw bolt  72  is tightened to secure the back end of the front wind guard  70 . While each ring  71  could have a set screw bolt  72 , one is only needed on each end of the front wind guard  70  because all of the rods  70  are tied together by the member  73 . 
         [0066]      FIGS. 13 and 14  show the rear wind guard  80 . The rear wind guard is bolted to a cylindrical member  22  using bolt  82 . The front part of the rear wind guard has a member  83  attaching all of the rods  80  together. Then member  83  can be secured to the baler so that between member  83  being attached to the baler and rods  80  being bolted to cylindrical members  22 , the rear portions of the wind guard  80  are held in the position shown in  FIG. 13  and the front wind guard can be adjusted with respect thereto as explained above. The crop material will pass first below the front wind guard  70  and then below the wind guard  80  as it passes between the pickup  13  and the rotor  16 . 
         [0067]      FIGS. 1-4  and  11  show strips of plastic  100  which are preferably made of ultra high molecular weight (UHMW) polyethylene, but can be made of regular polyethylene or other plastics that have a slick surface that are durable enough to withstand the wear and vibration of a pickup structure on a baler or the like. In one form these plastic strips  100  have a brass grommet  110  in each end thereof as shown in  FIG. 16 . These plastic strips  100  are attached in  FIG. 17 , with rivets  120 . Or the plastic strips  100  can be heat formed in the shape of a band to fit a particular brand of baler, so they will be exactly the same shape, unlike what is shown in this  FIG. 16 . Even though the band  100  has two holes on each end, only one hole needs to be used to attach the slick strip  100  to the band  400 . The slick strip  100  can be attached to the band with the factory screw that attaches the band to the baler instead of using a rivet  120 . Metal bands  400  are like the regular bands between the tines  14  of  FIGS. 1-4  and  11 . These plastic strips  100  can re referred to as “slick strips”. 
         [0068]      FIGS. 18 and 19  show bands of plastic  200  which are preferably made of a single piece of ultra high molecular weight (UHMW) polyethylene. These bands  200  replace the metal and plastic shown in  FIG. 17 . The cross section of these bands  200  is shown in  FIG. 19 . This band  200  would not be attached to an existing band  400 , it would replace it completely. Metal could be added to the back to stiffen it if needed. This band  200  can be extruded, molded or formed in any other way. These bands  200  can be referred to as “slick strip bands”. This profile shown in  FIG. 19  will work on New Holland, John Deere, Vermeer baler brands, if not other brands as well. Of course the strips  100  and  300  will fit any brand of baler. Besides round balers, similar bands are found on square balers, forage harvesters, and windrow inverters and could be replaced using the present invention. 
         [0069]    Some advantages of extruded plastic bands  200  over traditional bands are: 
         [0070]    1. Significantly less wear on pick-up teeth. Currently there is a metal (teeth) on metal (band) contact when the baler is in use causing lots of wear on both parts. The metal (teeth) on plastic (band) will result in less wear. 
         [0071]    2. Improved crop feeding into the baler. Metal bands are painted surfaces. When the paint wears off, the metal bands tend to rust, plastic won&#39;t. The smooth, slick (perhaps even having silicone impregnated into the plastic) surface of the band should always easily feed crop into the baler. This will also cause less crop plugs. 
         [0072]    3. Moisture and temperature variations will not be as much of an issue with plastic as it is with metal bands in relation to how well the crop feeds into the baler. 
         [0073]    4. The strips  200  will maintain a good appearance. The bands can be made in any color, so if a manufacturer chooses to have a yellow band, for example, it will still be yellow after years of use instead of being a rusty metal color when the paint wears off. 
         [0074]    5. There will be less leaf loss on tender crops because of the reduced vibration from the dampening effect of using plastic instead of metal. 
         [0075]      FIG. 20  shows strips of plastic  300  which are preferably made of ultra high molecular weight (UHMW) polyethylene with an adhesive backing that sticks to the metal band  400  of  FIG. 17  instead of attaching strip  100  with rivets  120 . This plastic strip  300  could be referred to as “slick strip tape”. So the metal band  400  can have plastic strips  100  or  300  attached thereto, the plastic strips  100  or  300  could be attached to the metal band  400  in other ways as well. 
         [0076]    Looking to  FIG. 21 , an ordinary metal pickup band  500  of a type already used on a typical baler is being sprayed using a spray gun  510  with a coating  520  for reducing the friction between the band  500  and crops being picked up by the pickup teeth  14  ( FIGS. 1 &amp; 2 ) of a baler  10 . This material  520  being sprayed onto the pickup band  500  can be polyethylene, nylon, polytetrafluoroethylene (TEFLON®), other common substitutes for such materials, or combinations of such materials which are capable of being sprayed onto metal for friction reducing purposes. 
         [0077]    Referring now to  FIG. 22 , an ordinary metal pickup band  600  is shown being dipped into a friction reducing liquid plastic material  620  for coating the pickup band  600  for the purpose of reducing the friction between the band  600  and crops being picked up by the pickup teeth  14  of a baler  10  ( FIGS. 1 &amp; 2 ). This material  620  being applied to the pickup band  500  can be polyethylene, nylon, polytetrafluoroethylene (TEFLON®), other common substitutes for such materials, or combinations of such materials which are capable of being applied using a dipping process onto metal for friction reducing purposes. 
         [0078]    While the present invention is shown on a baler with a power rotor  16 , it can be used on any baler with any type of pickup structure. The inventive concept is just to cover all or part of the parts of the pickup which are stationary between the pickup tines with a slick plastic material to reduce friction between the crop and such pickup parts. 
         [0079]    Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.