Patent ID: 7481158

Claim:
A method for controlling an apparatus for baling fibrous materials to control the weight of bales produced by said apparatus, comprising the steps of: a) controlling a feed rate of unbaled fibrous material into a pre-compression supply station to form discrete charges of material having substantially uniform weight and density, b) iteratively urging said pre-compressed charges of material into a tramping mechanism, c) compressing each of said charges of material within a baler box of known dimensions by applying a force with said tramping mechanism to a uniform density by linearly moving a tramping foot to a variable position into and within said baler box, d) sensing positions of said tramping foot during operation of the apparatus and sensing the force required to urge said tramping foot to a variable position within said baler box for each of said charges of material based on a predetermined level of force, e) dynamically determining a moisture content of said fibrous material based on an assumed density and force relationship, and the force and position sensed; and, f) varying the rate of feed of said fibrous material in accordance with said dynamically determined moisture content relative to a predetermined moisture content.