A method for determining parameters associated with bale charges formed within agricultural balers includes transmitting microwave signals through a charge of crop material located within a pre-compression chamber of an agricultural baler or into a wall of the pre-compression chamber. Additionally, the method includes determining at least one wave-related property associated with the microwave signals as transmitted through the charge of crop material or into the wall of the pre-compression chamber, and estimating a filling degree of at least a portion of the pre-compression chamber based at least in part on the at least one wave-related property associated with the microwave signals.

A baler including a frame, and a compression system coupled to the frame, where the compression system at least partially defines a compression chamber. The baler also includes a feed pan at least partially defining a pre-compression chamber in operable communication with the compression chamber, where the feed pan includes an inlet defining an inlet area and an outlet defining an outlet area, and where the outlet of the pre-compression chamber is open to the compression chamber of the compression system. The baler also includes at least one actuator coupled to the feed pan, and a controller in operable communication with the at least one actuator, and where the controller is configured to adjust the inlet area and the outlet area independently.

A baler for use with a forming bale having a first bale attribute. The baler including a frame, and a compression system coupled to the frame where the compression system at least partially defines a compression chamber sized to receive at least a portion of the forming bale therein. The baler also includes a feed pan at least partially defining a pre-compression chamber, and where the shape of the pre-compression is adjustable, and where the pre-compression chamber is open to the compression chamber. The baler also includes a sensor configured to output signals representative of the first bale attribute, and a controller in operable communication with the feed pan and the sensor, and where the controller is configured to actively adjust the shape of the pre-compression chamber based at least in part upon the first bale attribute of the forming bale.

A baling machine includes a pre-baling chamber and a rotative packer/stuffer including at least one retractable and extendable tine including at least one stuffer tine supported on at least a first reciprocable support. The at least one stuffer tine sequentially penetrates, moves in, and retracts from the pre-baling chamber when activated by at least one stuffer activator. The packer-stuffer includes at last one sensor that senses a vector or pseudovector quantity acting on at least one rotative component. The baling machine also includes at least one processor for estimating from the sensed quantity the amount of plant matter in the pre-baling chamber or a related variable, comparing this to a threshold corresponding to desired filling of the pre-baling chamber, and causing the stuffer activator to initiate stuffing when the estimated plant matter or related variable attains or exceeds the threshold.

An agricultural baler including a bale case having a wall portion with an opening for introducing crop material; a plunger disposed moving in the bale case to compact the crop material into bales; a duct for transporting the crop material to the entrance opening; and a stuffer unit operably associated with the duct and including a fork assembly. The stuffer unit includes tines and a drive mechanism acting on the fork assembly. The drive mechanism includes a first drive member configured for a reciprocating motion along a path of movement; a second drive member configured for a reciprocating motion along the path of movement of the first drive member and operatively connected to the fork assembly; and a selectively operable coupling arrangement configured for selectively coupling the second drive member either to the first drive member or to a stationary part of the baler.

An agricultural baler includes a baler chassis and a stuffer mechanism. The stuffer mechanism includes a fork and a motor. The fork is shiftably supported to move along a loading duct during each of a series of stuffing strokes. The fork is operable in a sweeping position, where the fork extends at least partly into the duct, to provide a full stuffing stroke by loading a charge of crop material from the loading duct into a baling chamber. The fork is shiftable by the motor from the sweeping position to a retracted position, where the fork is moved out of the duct. The fork is shiftable into the retracted position for at least part of a respective stuffing stroke where at least some of the charge of crop material in the loading duct is not loaded into the baling chamber.

A baling system operable to receive loose material, form the loose material into an individual charge, and compress the individual charge with one or more other charges to form a bale. The baling system includes a forming chamber and a plunger operable to move in a reciprocating manner within the forming chamber from a front-dead-center position in which a plunger face is furthest re) from the bale to a rear-dead-center position in which the plunger face contacts and compresses the bale. The system includes a feeder el component operable to pre-compress the loose material to form the individual charge and then move the individual charge into the forming chamber, the feeder component including a feeder chute having a feeder chute outlet connected to the forming chamber. The feeder component is operable to pre-compress the loose material into the individual charge and then move the individual charge into the forming chamber for compression by the plunger into the bale. The system includes a moisture sensor operable to determine a moisture content of the individual charge in the feeder chute, wherein at least a portion of the moisture sensor is positioned in the plunger face. In one embodiment, the moisture sensor is a near infra-red sensor operable to use near infra-red radiation to determine the moisture content.

A baler (10) has a stuffer chute assembly (22) with upper and lower curved walls (44, 46) forming a stuffer chamber (24). A rear portion (54) of the upper wall (44) extends downwardly and forwardly from a baling chamber (12) and a forward portion (50) extends above an inlet opening to the stuffer chamber (24). The upper wall (44) has a plurality of laterally spaced-apart wrappers (52, 56), with adjacent wrappers forming slots (70, 72) extending generally from said crop receiving inlet opening to an outlet opening (48) for cooperation with tines (40) of a feeding mechanism (36). The wrappers (52, 56) are movable relative to the lower wall (46) at a forward end (60) and at a rearward end (66) of the upper wall (44) so as to change a cross-sectional dimension of the stuffer chamber (24). The baler (10) has a forward wall adjusting mechanism (80) for setting a forward end (60) of the upper wall (44) in a predetermined position, and a rear wall adjusting mechanism (110) for setting a rear end (66) of the upper wall (44).

A square baler (30) includes a chassis (32), a plunger (36), and a variable speed transmission (42). The plunger assembly (36) includes a reciprocating plunger head (76) slidably mounted relative to the chassis (32) and operable to reciprocate within a chamber (54) to apply a compressive force against the material. The transmission (42) includes drive (86) and driven components (90) and an endless drive element (98) that drivingly interconnects the components. The driven component is drivingly connected to the plunger head. The drive component is operable to be driven by a prime mover at a drive input speed. At least one of the components has an adjustable operating diameter so that the driven component has a variable output speed.

An agricultural baler system has a plunger, a bale chamber, a pre-compression chamber and a stuffer unit, for moving crop from the pre-compression chamber to the bale chamber. The stuffer unit includes a stuffer fork trigger mechanism, an actuator and a controller. The actuator is coupled to the stuffer fork trigger mechanism. The controller is in controlling connection with the actuator. The actuator is configured to arm the stuffer fork trigger mechanism by moving the actuator between a first position and a second position. The actuator is further configured to be held in the first position and/or the second position with substantially no energy use.