A method of loading bales into a bale processing chamber of a bale processor. The bale processing chamber is mounted on a chamber frame mounted on wheels for travel on a ground surface in a forward operating travel direction. A bale fork is pivotally mounted on the chamber frame such that in a lowered position the bale fork is oriented substantially horizontally and rests on the ground surface. The chamber frame is moved rearward such that the bale fork slides under a bale resting on the ground surface with a bale axis oriented substantially horizontally in a first direction substantially perpendicular to the operating travel direction. The bale fork and the bale supported thereon are raised above the ground surface. The bale fork is turned such that the bale axis turns to a second direction substantially parallel to the operating travel direction while maintaining the bale rearward of the bale processing chamber. The bale fork is raised to a raised position where the bale falls into the bale processing chamber with the bale axis oriented in the second direction.

A method of loading bales into a bale processing chamber of a bale processor. The bale processing chamber is mounted on a chamber frame mounted on wheels for travel on a ground surface in a forward operating travel direction. A bale fork is pivotally mounted on the chamber frame such that in a lowered position the bale fork is oriented substantially horizontally and rests on the ground surface. The chamber frame is moved rearward such that the bale fork slides under a bale resting on the ground surface with a bale axis oriented substantially horizontally in a first direction substantially perpendicular to the operating travel direction. The bale fork and the bale supported thereon are raised above the ground surface. The bale fork is turned such that the bale axis turns to a second direction substantially parallel to the operating travel direction while maintaining the bale rearward of the bale processing chamber. The bale fork is raised to a raised position where the bale falls into the bale processing chamber with the bale axis oriented in the second direction.

A cutter device for an agricultural harvester comprises a rotor with a plurality of tines, a knife that is adjustable between a cutting position and a non-cutting position, and a positioning device that controls movement of the knife. The positioning device is adjustable between (i) a first position in which it positions the knife in the cutting position, (ii) a second position in which it positions the knife in the non-cutting position, and (iii) a third position in which it is disengaged from the knife to allow movement of the knife independently of the positioning device. The positioning device is configured to engage the knife and prevent significant movement of the knife independently of the positioning device when the positioning device is in the first position and at intermediate positions between the first position and the second position.

A cutter device for an agricultural harvester comprises a rotor with a plurality of tines, a knife that is adjustable between a cutting position and a non-cutting position, and a positioning device that controls movement of the knife. The positioning device is adjustable between (i) a first position in which it positions the knife in the cutting position, (ii) a second position in which it positions the knife in the non-cutting position, and (iii) a third position in which it is disengaged from the knife to allow movement of the knife independently of the positioning device. The positioning device is configured to engage the knife and prevent significant movement of the knife independently of the positioning device when the positioning device is in the first position and at intermediate positions between the first position and the second position.

A cutter device for an agricultural harvester, including: a rotor with a plurality of tines; a sub-assembly including a pivot shaft, a knife, and a first bottom plate located beneath the rotor in a working condition; a support frame; a positioning device mounted to the support frame, and a control mechanism mounted to the support frame. The sub-assembly is moveably mounted to the support frame and is arranged to move relative to the support frame in a lateral direction that is transverse to the forward moving direction of the cutter device between i) a working position in which the sub-assembly is aligned with the support frame in a manner that enables the knife to be engageable by the positioning device, and ii) a maintenance position in which the knife is laterally spaced apart from the positioning device and the sub-assembly protrudes laterally outwards from the support frame.

A cutter device for an agricultural harvester includes: a rotor with a plurality of tines, the rotor being rotatable to transfer agricultural crop along a feed path; a knife, the position of the knife being adjustable; a bottom plate located beneath the rotor, the feed path being located between the rotor and the bottom plate, and the bottom plate including an opening through which the knife extends when in a cutting position; a control mechanism including a control element which is movable between primary and secondary positions. The control element control movements of the knife between a first position in which the knife is in a cutting position in the feed path, a second position in which the knife is substantially out of the feed path in a non-cutting position, and a third position in which the knife is located at an intermediate position between the cutting and non-cutting positions.

Bale handling apparatus and associated methods are described. According to one aspect, a bale handling apparatus includes a primary chassis frame, wheels coupled with the primary chassis frame, a grapple system supported by the primary chassis frame, wherein the grapple system includes a plurality of grapples which move between open and closed positions, a hoist assembly supported by the primary chassis frame, wherein the hoist assembly comprises a load bed, and a lift device configured to move the load bed between a first position and a second position, wherein the grapples are configured to move from the open position to the closed position to engage a bale of a vertically arranged stack which is adjacent to the load bed positioned in the second position, and wherein the lift device moves the load bed from the second position to the first position with the grapples engaged with the bale.

Bale handling apparatus and associated methods are described. According to one aspect, a bale handling apparatus includes a primary chassis frame, wheels coupled with the primary chassis frame, a grapple system supported by the primary chassis frame, wherein the grapple system includes a plurality of grapples which move between open and closed positions, a hoist assembly supported by the primary chassis frame, wherein the hoist assembly comprises a load bed, and a lift device configured to move the load bed between a first position and a second position, wherein the grapples are configured to move from the open position to the closed position to engage a bale of a vertically arranged stack which is adjacent to the load bed positioned in the second position, and wherein the lift device moves the load bed from the second position to the first position with the grapples engaged with the bale.

A crop cutting device including a crop guiding surface including parallel slots. A row of knives pivotally mounted below the guiding surface is pivotable between a retracted inoperative position in which it is located below the guiding surface and an extended operative position, wherein the knives project above the guiding surface. An actuating mechanism includes movable operating members. Each operating member is associated with a respective knife and is movable from a first position in which the knife is in its retracted position to a second position in which the knife is in its extended position. Further, there is included a lifting mechanism for raising at least a part of each knife above the guiding surface, while the operating members are in their first position.

A rotor apparatus for an agricultural machine which includes a pick-up apparatus for picking up hay from the ground and a chamber for receiving the picked-up hay, is configured to feed the hay picked-up from the ground to the compression chamber. The rotor apparatus comprises: a rotary shaft, a plurality of feeding blades pairs, each having a plurality of fins distributed on an outer perimeter of the respective blade, wherein the feeding blades pairs are arranged on the rotary shaft in a way that, for each pair of feeding blades, the fins are offset from the corresponding fins of an adjacent pair of feeding blades, so that, for each pair of feeding blades, each fin is misaligned with any other fin of the other pairs of feeding blades.