Patent ID: 6994020

Claim:
In a large round baler including a baling chamber defined in part by opposite side walls to which a bale discharge gate is mounted for pivoting vertically about a horizontal transverse axis, located approximately at the center of the baling chamber, between a lowered baling position and a raised bale discharge position, and an actuating arrangement being mounted for selectively moving said discharge gate between said bale-forming and bale discharge positions, the improvement comprising: said actuating arrangement being one of: a) at least first and second extensible and retractable actuators coupled to said discharge gate at respective locations offset at different distances from said axis so that said at least first and second actuators may be operated in phased relationship to each other; and b) a combination of at least one extensible and retractable actuator, and a linkage coupled between said at least one actuator and said discharge gate, with said linkage including a pair of steering arms pivotally coupled to each other, with said at least one actuator being connected in such relationship to said pair of steering arms that operation of said at least one actuator will cause said discharge gate to be moved smoothly between said bale-forming and bale discharge positions.