Patent ID: 7752959

Claim:
A combined knotter arrangement and lubrication system, comprising: said knotter arrangement including a knotter drive shaft, a plurality of knotter assemblies having respective drive gears provided with hubs received on, and mounted for rotation with said drive shaft at equally spaced locations along said shaft; each knotter assembly further including a knotter frame defining a cylindrical sleeve mounted to an associated one of said hubs for permitting rotation of said associated one of said hubs within said sleeve and thereby defining a first lubrication point at an interface between said sleeve and hub; at least a knife arm shaft, a worm gear spindle, a twine disk spindle and a billhook spindle being mounted for rotation within respective bores provided in said knotter frame and thereby defining second, third, fourth and fifth lubrication points, respectively, at the interfaces between said knife arm shaft, worm gear spindle, twine disk spindle and billhook spindle and their respective bores; said lubrication system including a primary distribution manifold; each knotter frame including a lubricant inlet passage; a distribution line coupled between said primary distribution manifold and each said inlet passage; a lubricant distribution valve including a valve body mounted to each said knotter frame and having a plurality of lubricant outlet passages for respectively supplying fluid to said first, second, third, fourth and fifty lubrication points; and a lubricant distribution passage arrangement including a lubrication distribution passage extending between each said lubricant outlet passage and a given one of said lubrication points.