Patent ID: 8166736

Claim:
In a machine for conditioning crop materials, the improvement comprising: a first pair of oppositely rotatable rolls for acting upon a stream of crop materials passing between the first rolls, said first rolls being relatively movable toward and away from one another; a second pair of oppositely rotatable rolls disposed to receive crop materials from the first pair of rolls for acting upon such materials as they pass between the second rolls, said second rolls being relatively movable toward and away from one another; and a hydraulic tension mechanism including a first hydraulic cylinder operably coupled with the first pair of rolls for supplying a tension force resisting movement of the first rolls away from one another, said hydraulic tension mechanism including a second hydraulic cylinder operably coupled with the second pair of rolls for supplying a tension force resisting movement of the second rolls away from one another, said first and second hydraulic cylinders each including valving adapted to trap pressurized fluid in the cylinders, said hydraulic tension mechanism further including an accumulating system hydraulically connected with the first and second hydraulic cylinders to provide a cushioning effect.