A rotor feeder unit for an agricultural machine, such as an agricultural baler. The rotor feeder unit includes a rotor feeder, and a drive for driving the rotor feeder. The drive of the rotor feeder unit include an input that is configured to be coupled to a power source, an output coupled to the rotor feeder for rotating the rotor feeder about its axis of rotation, and a variable ratio transmission coupling the input and the output. The variable ratio transmission includes a variable-diameter input pulley, a variable-diameter output pulley, and a belt arranged between the input pulley and the output pulley.

A method for removing a plug of crop material stuck in a feeder duct of a baler including a bale chamber; a feeder duct communicating with a bale chamber feeder operable within the feeder duct to accumulate a charge of crop material therein and then stuff that accumulated charge into the bale chamber; and crop holding fingers provided at an upper end of the feeder duct to hold back the crop material while the charge of crop material is being accumulated. The method includes steps of in case of a plug of crop material being stuck in the feeder duct with the crop holding fingers in their crop holding position, moving the crop holding fingers in their withdrawn position and causing the feeder to operate in the feeder duct with the crop holding fingers in their withdrawn position.

A method for removing a plug of crop material stuck in a feeder duct of a baler including a bale chamber; a feeder duct communicating with a bale chamber feeder operable within the feeder duct to accumulate a charge of crop material therein and then stuff that accumulated charge into the bale chamber; and crop holding fingers provided at an upper end of the feeder duct to hold back the crop material while the charge of crop material is being accumulated. The method includes steps of in case of a plug of crop material being stuck in the feeder duct with the crop holding fingers in their crop holding position, moving the crop holding fingers in their withdrawn position and causing the feeder to operate in the feeder duct with the crop holding fingers in their withdrawn position.

An agricultural baler includes a main bale chamber, and a plunger reciprocally movable within the main bale chamber through a compression stroke and a return stroke. The plunger has a duty cycle with a maximum power requirement, a minimum power requirement, and an average power requirement over the duty cycle. The baler further includes an auxiliary power system which is configured for transmitting power to the driveline to offset the duty cycle of the plunger and thereby establish a substantially constant power requirement at the driveline.

A continuous windrow merger has a frame that supports center, right and left pickup assemblies. The pickup assemblies each include a pickup head and a conveyor assembly. The pickup head has a cylindrical reel and a plurality of tines extending radially outwardly from the reel. The pickup head is arranged to pickup and deliver crop material rearward to the conveyor assembly. The conveyor assembly has a draper belt with an upper surface arranged to receive crop material from the pickup head and transfer the crop material in a lateral direction. The draper belt is mounted with the upper surface sloping downwardly and rearwardly from the pickup head. The merger has a folded configuration for transport in which the right and left wing frame sections extend generally vertically above the center frame section. The frame can be attached to the front of a self-propelled traction unit or towed behind a tractor.

An agricultural system includes a baler for picking up and compressing crop from a crop swath in a field and a tow tractor. The baler is towed by the tow tractor via a draft hitch arrangement, which draft hitch arrangement allows a baler pickup track to be laterally offset from the tractor driving track with respect to the tractor driving direction. During baling, the baler pickup track is aligned to the crop swath for picking up crop and the tractor driving track is laterally spaced from the crop swath with respect to the tractor driving direction. A steering system autonomously aligns the baler pickup track onto the crop swath.

An agricultural system includes a baler for picking up and compressing crop from a crop swath in a field and a tow tractor. The baler is towed by the tow tractor via a draft hitch arrangement, which draft hitch arrangement allows a baler pickup track to be laterally offset from the tractor driving track with respect to the tractor driving direction. During baling, the baler pickup track is aligned to the crop swath for picking up crop and the tractor driving track is laterally spaced from the crop swath with respect to the tractor driving direction. A steering system autonomously aligns the baler pickup track onto the crop swath.

An agricultural apparatus configured to travel over the ground includes a pick-up device for picking up an agricultural bale from the ground. The pick-up device includes a sensing system configured to sense position and/or size of an object on the ground as the agricultural apparatus travels towards the object, a pick-up mechanism engageable with opposite sides of the object and operable to lift the object, and a controller configured to determine a position of the pick-up mechanism relative to the object based on signals received from the sensing system prior to picking-up the object, and to operate the pick-up mechanism when the pick-up mechanism is positioned correctly relative to the object.

A merger apparatus including a pick-up header; a conveyor with a conveyor belt; a skid shoe disposed below the pick-up header and the conveyor; and an operative connection between the pick-up header and the skid shoe that enables the merger apparatus to articulate independently of an external frame underneath the conveyor, such that loose material transported by the conveyor belt that lags beneath the return side may fall to the ground keeping the return side of the conveyor belt free from obstructions.

A bale loading apparatus for use in the agricultural applications that enables conversion from a small bale pickup and transport vehicle to a big bale pickup and transport vehicle. A conveyor lifts big bales from the ground in the field onto the receiving table of a bale transport vehicle. A rotating and sliding motion enables the positioning of the big bale lengthwise across the receiving table of the bale transport vehicle. A control system for managing the big bale loading process is also provided.