An agricultural baler includes a main bale chamber and a plunger reciprocally movable within the main bale chamber. The plunger has a duty cycle. A flywheel is associated with the movement of the plunger, and a driveline is associated with the flywheel and couplable with a power take-off of a traction unit. The baler is characterized by an auxiliary power system coupled with the driveline. The auxiliary power system includes a power indicator providing a plurality of output signals, each representing a parameter associated with power usage during the duty cycle of the plunger. A power device receives power from or transfers power to the driveline. An electrical processing circuit is coupled with the power indicator and the power device. The electrical processing circuit receives each output signal and controls operation of the power device, based on at least one output signal from at least one previous duty cycle.

A bale collection system and method for receiving and storing a bale. The bale collection system including a baler having a rear aperture through which a bale may be ejected, a trough defining a storage bay sized to receive one or more bales therein, where the trough is coupled to the baler and movable with respect thereto between a first position, where no bale is positioned within the storage bay, and a second position where a bale is at least partially positioned within the storage bay, and where the first position is different than the second position. The bale collection system also includes a resistance element operatively coupled to the frame and configured to at least partially control the movement of the frame between the first and second positions.

An accumulator is coupled to an agricultural baler and is configured to support a crop package exiting the agricultural baler. The accumulator includes a frame including a first end, a second end, and a support structure positioned between the first and the second ends. The accumulator also includes a crop package moving assembly moveably coupled to the frame in a first direction and a second direction. The accumulator further includes a carriage coupled to the first end of the frame and configured to move relative to the frame between a retracted position and an extended position. The carriage is configured to move into the extended position to support the crop package. The carriage is configured to move into the retracted position in response to the crop package moving assembly moving in the second direction.

The disclosure provides a control system for agricultural equipment. The agricultural equipment includes a baler configured to produce a crop package. The control system includes a crop package barrier coupled to the baler and movable between a closed position and an open position. The control system also includes a crop package transfer system configured to move the crop package. The control system further includes a barrier control system configured to restrict movement of the crop package barrier as the crop package barrier is moving toward the open position from the closed position in response to at least one signal indicating the crop package is in an unpreferred location.

The disclosure provides a control system for agricultural equipment. The agricultural equipment includes a baler configured to produce a crop package. The control system includes a crop package barrier coupled to the baler and movable between a closed position and an open position. The control system also includes a crop package transfer system configured to move the crop package. The control system further includes a barrier control system configured to restrict movement of the crop package barrier as the crop package barrier is moving toward the open position from the closed position in response to at least one signal indicating the crop package is in an unpreferred location.

An agricultural baler includes: a chassis; a plurality of wheels carried by the chassis; at least one electric wheel motor coupled to at least one of the plurality of wheels and configured to drive the at least one coupled wheel; an apron assembly including a plurality of chains driven by a plurality of rolls and configured to form a bale, the plurality of rolls including a starter roll; an electric drive motor coupled to the starter roll and configured to drive the starter roll; and an electrical power system carried by the chassis and having at least one battery electrically coupled to the at least one electric wheel motor and the electric drive motor.

A method for storing information corresponding to a baled crop during a baling process includes providing a harvesting machine including a control unit, a sensor, and a bale tag reader. The method also includes forming the baled crop with a bale tag by the harvesting machine, identifying the baled crop by the control unit with a bale identifier, and sensing a characteristic of the baled crop by the sensor. The method further includes detecting a bale tag identifier associated with the bale tag by the bale tag reader, communicating the characteristic and bale tag identifier to the control unit, corresponding the characteristic, bale tag identifier and bale identifier of the baled crop to one another, and storing the characteristic, bale tag identifier and bale identifier in an electronic storage unit that is in electrical communication with the control unit.

A system for determining an amount of and applying a preservative to an individual charge of crop material, wherein the charge is combined with other charges to form a bale. Loose crop material is collected and packed into a feeder chute in such a manner as to pre-compress the material to form the charge. A moisture content of the charge is measured by a sensor while the charge is still in the feeder chute. The charge is moved into a forming chamber, and a control unit determines a correct amount of a preservative to apply to the charge based on the moisture content. The correct amount of the preservative is applied to the charge either before or after the charge is incorporated into the bale. Thus, the system measures the moisture content of each charge, and measures the moisture content of the same charge to which the preservative is applied.

A system for ejecting a bale from a baler, wherein the ejection process is controlled by a control unit with input from various sensors and from a remote operator located on a tractor. The control unit automatically positions a chute, controls a power take-off from the tractor, depressurizes and opens a chamber door, ties the bale, selects and causes ejector teeth to project into a forming chamber to engage the bale, causes the ejector teeth to move toward a discharge outlet such that the engaged bale moves with them toward and through the discharge outlet, and determines when the bale has fully ejected from the baler. The remote operator may choose to eject only the bale or to eject the entire contents of the forming chamber, and if the former, the control unit determines the bale's length and selects a subset of the ejector teeth that corresponds to that length.

The present invention provides an improved mechanism for centering implements in agricultural fields by providing a laser guidance system with a laser attached to the implement. The laser may operate to emit a beam in order to produce a spot or beam onto the field which an equipment operator may visually target to improve steering of the implement. The laser may be centered on the implement, and the beam produced by the laser may be directed forward within a steering range of the implement and within a field of view of the equipment operator.