A bale identification assembly for use with an agricultural baler (18) includes a first supply roll mounted on the baler providing a binding material (52) used by the knotter system to bind the formed bale, the binding material (52) on the first supply roll comprising identification tags (62) at spaced intervals along the binding material. The bale identification assembly includes a second supply roll mounted on the baler (18) providing a binding material without identification tags, wherein the knotter system combines the binding material with identification tags (62) from the first supply roll with the binding material without identification tags from the second supply roll to bind the formed bale. The bale identification assembly includes a read module with one or more antennas configured to transmit interrogator signals and also receive authentication replies from the identification tags (62).

A knotter system for performing a first knot forming cycle and a second knot forming cycle. The knotter system includes a needle for delivering a needle twine, a tucker arm for delivering a tucker twine, a twine receiver for holding the needle twine and the tucker twine, a billhook, a cutting arm, a twine finger for guiding at least the needle twine. The system further includes a drive to make the billhook perform first and second full rotations during the first and second knot forming cycles, respectively, and to move the twine finger at least a first time during the first knot forming cycle and a second time during the second knot forming cycle. The twine finger is configured such that during the second knot forming cycle the needle twine is moved away from the tucker twine in order to drape it adjacent to the tucker twine on the billhook.

A bale identification assembly includes binding material used by a knotter system to bind a formed bale, the binding material including identification tags at spaced intervals along the binding material. A read module transmits interrogator signals and also receives authentication replies from the identification tags. A position sensor is used to predict passage of identification tags 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 by causing an additional flake to be added to the bale by the plunger 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 bale compression device for receiving and compressing a bale of material. The device includes a press configured to compress the bale of material to a required compressed dimension, a binding applicator configured to apply a plurality of bindings around the bale of material prior to the bale being compressed, and a connector for connecting ends of each of the bindings to form a plurality of complete loops around the perimeter of the bale so that the plurality of loops act to hold the bale in a compressed state. The binding applicator acts to withdraw excess binding as the press compresses the bale, prior to the connector connecting the ends of each of the bindings, such that the complete loops are formed when the bale reaches its required compressed dimension.

An agricultural baler including a movable density door; a fluid cylinder for moving the density door and including a fluid chamber and a piston disposed in the fluid chamber having piston and rod sides, and a cylinder rod coupled to the piston on the rod side; a fluid supply circuit for suppling working fluid to the fluid cylinder, the fluid supply circuit selectively connectable to the fluid cylinder such that, in a first fluid supply mode, the fluid supply circuit is connected to the fluid cylinder to supply working fluid to only one side of the fluid chamber and that, in a second fluid supply mode, the fluid supply circuit is connected to the fluid cylinder to supply working fluid to both the piston and rod sides of the fluid chamber. A control unit configured to: receive density-data; determine a supply-mode-control-signal; and provide the supply-mode-control-signal to the fluid supply circuit.

A crop baler with a stuffer flywheel mass for baling a crop, the baler comprising: a supporting frame that can be moved across a field; a crop pick-up configured to pick up the crop from a ground of the field; a conveyor configured to convey the crop picked up by the crop pick-up; a pressing chamber having a stuffer configured to compress the crop conveyed into the pressing chamber by the conveyor into a form of a bale; and a drive for producing a reciprocating movement of the stuffer, the drive further comprising a flywheel mass with a variable moment of inertia.

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.