Patent ID: 6877304

Claim:
A windguard mechanism for use on the pickup mechanism and feeder assembly of a round baler, said pickup mechanism having first and second opposing spaced apart generally vertical side sheets and a transverse pickup reel rotatably supported therebetween, and said baler including a transverse floor roll and a transverse starter roll with a transverse gap therebetween, said windguard comprising: an upper windguard comprising a first plurality of elongate spaced-apart tines having a first end and a remote second end, said tines attached together at a first position adjacent said first end of said times by a first transverse tine frame member forming a first transverse rotation axis; first and second elongate float arms each having a first and a remote second end, each said first and second float arm rotatably affixed adjacent the first end thereof to a respective side sheet of said pickup and affixed adjacent the second end thereof to said first transverse tine frame member for rotation about said first transverse pivot axis such that the first plurality of tines float in position generally above said feeder assembly and said first plurality of tines extend generally therefrom to said transverse gap between said floor roll and said starter roll; a lower windguard comprising a second plurality of elongate spaced-apart tines having a first end and a remote second end, said tines attached together at a first position adjacent said first end of said times by a second transverse tine frame member forming a second transverse rotation axis; third and fourth elongate float arms each having a first and a remote second end, each said third and fourth float arm rotatably affixed adjacent the first end thereof to respective said first and second side sheets and affixed adjacent the second end thereof to said second transverse tine frame member for rotation about said second transverse rotation axis such that the second plurality of tines float in position generally above and forwardly of said pickup reel, whereby the tines are held in contact with crop material picked up by the pickup reel throughout its transport through the feeder assembly and into the gap between the floor and starter rolls.