A method for determining a quality of an agricultural bale produced by an agricultural baler, the method comprising the steps of: receiving a first bale parameter signal indicative of a first bale parameter of the agricultural bale; receiving a second bale parameter signal indicative of a second bale parameter of the agricultural bale, wherein the first bale parameter and the second bale parameter each represents a different physical property of the agricultural bale; determining, based on the respective first bale parameter signal and the second bale parameter signal, a bale quality parameter indicative of a perceived quality of the agricultural bale; and providing an electronic signal representative of the bale quality parameter.

A baling press for baling cotton gin trash and other particulate biomass feedstock. The baling press generally includes an infeed chute assembly, a compression ram assembly, an extrusion chamber assembly, a strapping storage and dispensing assembly, and a strapping insertion assembly. The present invention also relates to methods of producing a bale with the baling press and a bale generated by the baling press and described methods.

A system and method for physically associating an identifying element with a bale, wherein the element includes a unique identifier and includes or can be used to find calibration and evaluation information. A baler receives, compresses, shapes, and secures plant material into the bale. An NIR testing system, which is associated with the calibration information, receives and analyzes near-infrared radiation emitted by the plant material, and generates the evaluation information reflecting properties of the material. An element securement system physically secures to the bale the element which associates the unique identifier with the bale, wherein the unique identifier is associated with the calibration information for the NIR testing system and the evaluation information for the plant material. The element may be an RFID tag, and an element writing mechanism may electronically transfer the calibration information and/or the evaluation information to the element so that they can be read directly therefrom.

A square baler is disclosed. The square baler comprises: at least one ram arranged movably between end positions in a pressing channel, and a cutting rotor, and a drive train which is designed to drive at least the ram and the cutting rotor together, a torque input connection through which torque may be supplied to the drive train, and a first power split, such as a bevel gear stage, which is connected to the torque input connection. The drive train comprises at least one reduction gear associated with the ram. The reduction gear associated with the ram and the cutting rotor are connected in parallel to each other to the first power split. At least one side gear is connected between the first power split and the at least one reduction gear associated with the ram. And, at least one flywheel is connected between the at least one reduction gear associated with the ram and the at least one side gear.

A baling system for baling crop material includes a baling chamber. Moveable doors partly define the chamber and the shape of the bale. Hydraulic tension cylinders extend and retract to apply a force to the moveable doors and the growing bale, and transducers measure the lengths of the tension cylinders. An electronic control unit receives the lengths from the transducers, and communicates via a display at least a relative difference between the lengths for consideration in steering the baling system. In particular, the lengths being equal indicates the growing bale is substantially straight and the baling system should be steered straight, and the lengths being unequal indicates the growing bale is developing a curvature and the baling system should be steered in the direction of the cylinder having the shorter length. The transducers may be located external or internal to the cylinders, and may measure the lengths continuously or periodically.

A baler having a compression system for forming a bale includes a plunger that reciprocates within a baling chamber between an extended position and a retracted position. The baler also includes a controller configured to detect and calculate the amount of work exerted by the plunger as it reciprocates within the baling chamber. The controller generally calculates the work exerted by the plunger by determining the force applied to the plunger and the distance the plunger has traveled with respect to the baling chamber.

Density control system for an agricultural baler having a baling chamber including a plurality of walls with at least one movable wall section, an intake duct leading into the baling chamber, and a plunger for compressing charges of crop material to a package in the chamber, an actuator for adjusting the position of the at least one movable wall section in response to an output of the density control system to vary the density of said package, wherein the density control system has a sensor for measuring the position of the at least one movable wall section, a comparator for comparing said position with a threshold position and a decision module configured to stop the movement of the actuator means when the position exceeds the threshold position.

A square baler has a baling chamber, a plunger reciprocable at one end of the baling chamber, a pre-compression chamber within which charges of crop are amassed and pre-compressed by a rotor prior to transfer into the baling chamber, and a pickup roller having radially projecting tines for picking up crop from the ground and advancing the crop to the rotor. A torque sensor is connected to at least one tine of the pickup roller to produce an electrical output signal indicative of the torque experienced by the pickup roller, and a processing circuit is operative to estimate the rate of crop flow into the chute by analyzing the electrical output of the torque sensor only at times when the position of the tine lies within a predetermined angular position of the pickup roller.

A rectangular baler including a bale chamber having a plurality of walls including a movable wall section, an actuator for exerting a pressure on the movable wall section, a plunger for compressing crop material, and a control system configured to control the plunger to perform cyclic plunger strokes such that in each stroke the plunger force (F) exerted by the plunger on the crop material increases to reach a maximum plunger force (Fmax) to compress a newly inserted slice of crop material. The control system includes a first module to measure, at consecutive moments during a plunger stroke, a plurality of first values for the plunger force exerted by the plunger and/or for the pressure (Pd) in the actuator; and a control module to control at least one baling setting influencing the compressing of the crop material in the bale chamber as a function of the plurality of first values.

Cargo of rectangular bales 22 of switchgrass or miscanthus unchopped stalks having a cargo payload density of between 14.6 and 20.5 lb/ft.sup.3, loaded on a semitrailer truck 16, and preferably having an energy value of at least 240 million Btu.