A scraper assembly for a baler includes a mounting plate attached to a face of a plunger. The mounting plate includes an annular countersunk region and a concentric mounting bore. A follower plate includes an annular aperture. A scraper plate is attached to the follower plate for scraping a wall of a compression chamber. A cam insert includes a first annular projection seated within the annular aperture of the follower plate, and a second annular projection seated within the annular countersunk region of the mounting plate. The cam insert further includes a through bore extending through the second annular projection. The second annular projection and the through bore are eccentric from a center of the annular aperture and the first annular projection. A threaded fastener extends through the through bore of the cam insert and into threaded engagement with the mounting bore in the mounting plate.

A bale identification assembly includes binding material (52) used by a knotter system to bind a formed bale (14), the binding material (52) comprising identification tags (62) at spaced intervals along the binding material. A read module (66) transmits interrogator signals and also receives authentication replies from the identification tags. A position sensor is used to predict passage of identification tags (62) through the knotter mechanism and a bale length sensor provides a signal representing bale length. A controller receives signals from the bale length sensor and the position sensor and generates a signal to alter the length of the bale (14) by causing an additional flake to be added to the bale by the plunger (34) or the bale to be finished with fewer flakes to prevent the knotter system from tying a knot in the binding material such that the identification tag is positioned in a portion of the binding material used to form the knot.

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.

An agricultural system includes a baler with a plunger and a sensor for sensing a plunger-related value; a vehicle including a power source operable to convey power to the plunger; and a CVT arranged to drive the plunger. In order to balance a fluctuating load of the plunger over the working cycle, an electronic control unit (ECU) is coupled to the sensor and to the CVT and is configured to receive the signal from the sensor and to cause the CVT to modify a gear ratio of the CVT based on the signal from the sensor and on a mathematical model defining a CVT gear ratio variation profile derived from an expected load applied by crop on the plunger over its operating cycle.

Systems and methods for controlling a configuration of a bale chute of a baler and, particularly, a square baler are disclosed. In some implementations, methods include determining a condition of a baler to determine whether a bale chute of the baler is to be extended or retracted.

Systems and methods for controlling a configuration of a bale chute of a baler and, particularly, a square baler are disclosed. In some implementations, methods include determining a condition of a baler to determine whether a bale chute of the baler is to be extended or retracted.

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.

An agricultural baler. The agricultural baler includes a baling chamber including a first segment, a plunger, and a baling chamber. The agricultural baler further includes a controller and a pre-compression chamber configured for gathering crop material, periodically forming a slice of the crop material, and pushing the slice towards the baling chamber into the first segment of the baling chamber. The agricultural baler further includes a slice-presence-detecting sensor disposed in an upper region of the first segment of the baling chamber, the slice-presence-detecting sensor comprising an output operationally connected to the controller. The plunger is configured for reciprocally moving in the baling chamber to compress slices of crop material into a bale. The controller is configured for adjusting a synchronization between the periodically forming and pushing of the slice in the pre-compression chamber and the reciprocally moving of the plunger.

A crop baler comprises a frame, a pressing chamber for crop, into which a stuffer can be introduced in order to compress the crop into a bale, a drive for producing a reciprocating movement of the stuffer, and a countermass coupled to the drive and configured to move in a counteracting direction to the movement of the stuffer, the countermass at least approximately compensates movement of the frame induced by the reciprocating mass of the stuffer and the drive unit thereof due to inertia. Alternatively or additionally, a flywheel mass of the drive can have a variable moment of inertia to similarly compensate movement of the frame induced by the reciprocating mass of the stuffer.