A baler including a feeder duct and a feeder operable within the feeder duct. The feeder includes a tine bar holding member having rotatably mounted thereon at least one tine bar having mounted thereon a set of tines. The tine bar is rotatable about its own axis relative to the tine bar holding member and is rotatable together with the tine bar holding member about an offset axis. The feeder further includes a sun gear co-axial with and rotatable about the offset axis relative to the tine bar holding member; a mechanical coupling coupling the tine bar to the sun gear; and an adjustment system configured for active adjustment of the angular position of the sun gear about the offset axis as the tine bar is rotated about the offset axis.

A rotor feeder unit for an agricultural machine, such as an agricultural baler. The rotor feeder unit includes a rotor feeder, and a drive for driving the rotor feeder. The drive of the rotor feeder unit include an input that is configured to be coupled to a power source, an output coupled to the rotor feeder for rotating the rotor feeder about its axis of rotation, and a variable ratio transmission coupling the input and the output. The variable ratio transmission includes a variable-diameter input pulley, a variable-diameter output pulley, and a belt arranged between the input pulley and the output pulley.

An agricultural baler has a flywheel that is connected via a cardan coupling to a PTO of a tractor, the cardan coupling includes a torque-limiter adapted for disengaging the flywheel from the PTO when a predetermined torque is exceeded, wherein the cardan coupling further includes a transmission switchable between a startup state and a running state, in the startup state the transmission is configured to only partially transmit rotational movement of the PTO to the flywheel while in the running state the transmission is configured to fully transmit rotational movement of the PTO to the flywheel.

A stuffer assembly includes a clutch assembly for selectively coupling an input shaft to an output shaft of a drive mechanism, the clutch assembly including a first rotary element and a second rotary element, one of which is provided on the input shaft and the other one on the output shaft, a plurality of engagement elements, and an electronically controllable actuator configured to engage and disengage the plurality of engagement elements with both of the first rotary element and the second rotary element.

A baler implement includes a gear assembly having an input shaft coupled to a power input, and an output shaft coupled to a flywheel. The gear assembly includes a first input gear coupled to the input shaft and a first output gear coupled to the output shaft to define a first gear ratio, and a second input gear coupled to the input shaft and a second output gear coupled to the output shaft to define a second gear ratio. A first torque control device interconnects the input shaft and one of the first input gear and the second input gear. A second torque control device interconnects the output shaft and one of the first output gear and the second output gear. One of the first torque control device and the second torque control device is controllable to switch between the first gear ratio and the second gear ratio.

A method of controlling operation of a powered device is provided, comprising determining whether the device is experiencing a cyclical load profile including high load conditions and low load conditions, applying a first power component to the device using an engine, the first power component corresponding to an average power required by the cyclical load profile, and applying a second power component to the device using a motor/generator, a sum of the first power component and the second power component corresponding to a power required by the powered device during the high load conditions.

A drive system for an agricultural work machine having a primary drive system configured to drive a performance system for performing a crop preparation or handling operation including a fluid motor, a fluid pump and a tensioner system. The fluid motor is configured to produce a drive force and to be driven by a flow of fluid moving through the motor. The fluid pump is operatively connected to the fluid motor and is configured to drive the fluid motor. The tensioner system is operatively connected to the fluid motor and to the fluid pump, wherein the direction of fluid flow through the fluid motor adjusts the application of at least one force applied to a belt in the drive system. The fluid motor is configured to adjust the force applied to the belt by regulating a belt tension in proportion to a torque provided by the fluid motor.

A combination of a towing vehicle and a baler, includes a drive train for driving the towing vehicle and a PTO unit. The combination includes a control unit connected to the PTO unit. The PTO unit is mechanically connected to the baler to drive a baling unit and a pick-up unit. The baling unit can be driven with a first energy value, and the pick-up unit can be driven with a second energy value. The control unit is configured to determine a total energy value from a energy consumption signal or a PTO consumption signal. The control unit is also configured to compare the total energy value with a baler consumption value and to set and/or adjust the PTO unit with a first actuating signal if the total energy value is different from the baler consumption value.

A combination includes a towing vehicle and a baler. The towing vehicle includes a drive train, and the baler includes a pick-up unit and a baling unit. The baling unit can be driven with a first energy value and the pick-up unit can be driven with a second energy value. A control unit is configured to receive or determine an energy consumption signal or a PTO consumption signal and to determine a total energy value with the energy consumption signal or the PTO consumption signal. The control unit is also configured to compare the total energy value with a baler consumption value and to set and/or adjust a driving signal for controlling a speed of the combination if the total energy value is different from the baler consumption value.

The present invention relates in general to working machines with working units which are subject to fluctuating loads or have a fluctuating power consumption. The invention relates in particular to a drive train assembly for driving such a working unit, the drive train assembly having a flywheel accumulator for mitigating the load impacts or load fluctuations. According to the invention, a starting aid for easier starting up of the flywheel accumulator into its desired operating speed range is provided, the starting aid having a planetary transmission, which is connected in terms of drive to the flywheel accumulator, and a control actuator for braking and/or accelerating a planetary transmission element in order to adjust the step-up/step-down ratio of the planetary transmission when starting up the flywheel accumulator. Furthermore, for refined smoothing of the power consumption in the started-up working mode, a control device is provided which accelerates and can brake the flywheel accumulator cyclically by adjusting the planetary transmission in accordance with the operating fluctuations of the working unit.