Bale forming apparatus comprising - a bale forming device (10, 28.2, 28.2) providing a bale forming chamber, - a casing comprising a discharge gate , and - a discharge gate actuator , wherein the discharge gate is moveable between - a closed position and - a fully opened position, wherein the casing with the discharge gate being in the closed position surrounds the provided bale forming chamber, wherein the bale forming device (10, 28.2, 28.2) is arranged to form a bale (B) in the provided bale forming chamber while the discharge gate is in the closed position, wherein the discharge gate actuator is arranged to move the discharge gate from the closed position into an opened position which is taken from a set of different possible opened positions, wherein every opened position is - either the fully opened position or - an intermediate position between the fully opened and the closed position, and wherein the bale forming apparatus is arranged to eject a formed bale (B) out of the casing while or after the discharge gate is moved into the opened position, wherein the bale forming apparatus further comprises - a ramp and - a ramp sensor , wherein the ramp is positioned vertically or angularly below the discharge gate at least when the discharge gate is in an opened position, wherein the bale forming apparatus is arranged such that an ejected bale (B) drops onto the ramp , wherein the ramp sensor is arranged to detect the dropping event (E1, E2) that a bale (B) drops onto the ramp , and characterized in that the discharge gate actuator is arranged to automatically terminate the movement of the discharge gate away from the closed position, thereby stopping the movement of the discharge gate when it has reached the opened position, triggered by the ramp sensor having detected the dropping event (E1, E2). - a bale forming device (10, 28.2, 28.2) providing a bale forming chamber, - a casing comprising a discharge gate , and - a discharge gate actuator , wherein the discharge gate is moveable between - a closed position and - a fully opened position, wherein the casing with the discharge gate being in the closed position surrounds the provided bale forming chamber, wherein the bale forming device (10, 28.2, 28.2) is arranged to form a bale (B) in the provided bale forming chamber while the discharge gate is in the closed position, wherein the discharge gate actuator is arranged to move the discharge gate from the closed position into an opened position which is taken from a set of different possible opened positions, wherein every opened position is - either the fully opened position or - an intermediate position between the fully opened and the closed position, and wherein the bale forming apparatus is arranged to eject a formed bale (B) out of the casing while or after the discharge gate is moved into the opened position, wherein the bale forming apparatus further comprises - a ramp and - a ramp sensor , wherein the ramp is positioned vertically or angularly below the discharge gate at least when the discharge gate is in an opened position, wherein the bale forming apparatus is arranged such that an ejected bale (B) drops onto the ramp , wherein the ramp sensor is arranged to detect the dropping event (E1, E2) that a bale (B) drops onto the ramp , and characterized in that the discharge gate actuator is arranged to automatically terminate the movement of the discharge gate away from the closed position, thereby stopping the movement of the discharge gate when it has reached the opened position, triggered by the ramp sensor having detected the dropping event (E1, E2). <EOS>