Machine for forming a round bale of a windrowed material

Claim 2

A machine for forming a round bale of windrowed fibrous material comprising: a. a portable frame, b. a first continuous belt movably supported on said frame for movement longitudinally thereof and including a linear upper run; c. a series of continuous belts movably supported on said frame above said first belt for travel longitudinally and vertically relative to said frame, said series of belts having lower runs adjacent the upper run of said first belt, d. means on said frame for picking up and delivering a windrowed fibrous material to one end of the upper run of said first belt for travel between said upper run and lower runs, e. means on said frame for confining the delivered material between selected opposite portions of said upper run and lower runs, f. means for moving said upper run of the first belt in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the lower runs of said series of belts whereby the material confined between said upper run and lower runs is rotated to form a round bale, g. means movably supporting said series of belts on said frame including a pair of rollers with a first roller of said pair of rollers extending transversely of and adjacent to the upper run of said first belt, h. means supporting said first roller on the frame for movement in a horizontal path adjacent the upper run of said first belt to a stop position wherein said first roller is located outwardly from and adjacent the other end of said upper run with the bottom side portion thereof below the plane of said uppeR run, i. a second roller of said pair of rollers extended transversely of and adjacent to the upper run of said first belt at a position between said first roller and said pickup means, j. said confining means including said first and second rollers which cooperate to hold the bale being formed against movement longitudinally of said upper run, and k. coacting means on said frame and on said first roller for defining said stop position of said first roller.

Claim 3

The machine for forming a round bale according to claim 1 wherein: a. said coacting means includes a pair of transversely spaced track members on said portable frame arranged at opposite sides of said first belt, b. a pair of wheels corresponding to said track members and ridable thereon, and c. means rotatably mounting said wheels at opposite ends of said first roller in axial alignment with said first roller, d. said track members having terminal sections projected outwardly from the other end of said upper run, each of said terminal sections having an upper surface formed with a recessed portion for receiving a corresponding wheel therein, and each recessed portion and corresponding wheel being of a relative size and shape so that when a wheel is within a corresponding recessed portion said first roller is in the stop position therefor.

Claim 4

A machine for forming a round bale of a windrowed fibrous material comprising: a. a portable frame including a pair of transversely spaced side members, b. a conveyor means mounted on and extended longitudinally of said portable frame and between said side members with the upper surface of said conveyor means and the top surfaces of said side members lying in substantially a common plane, said side members having extensions projected outwardly beyond one end of said conveyor means, c. means on said frame for picking up and delivering the windrowed fibrous material onto said conveyor means at the other end thereof, d. a pair of longitudinally spaced rollers on said frame extended transversely of and adjacent the upper surface of said conveyor means to define therebetween a bale forming zone, e. means supporting a first one of said rollers on said frame for movement in a horizontal path adjacent said upper surface toward and away from the second one of said rollers including a pair of wheels corresponding to said side members and mounted at opposite ends of said first roller in axial alignment therewith for riding engagement on the top surface of a corresponding side member, f. said side member extensions having transversely opposite pockets formed in the top surfaces thereof adjacent to and outwardly from said one end of the conveyor means, said pockets of a size to receive a corresponding wheel therein, g. a series of continuous belts supported on said portable frame for travel in an upright plane extended longitudinally of said conveyor means, said belts having lower portions trained about the lower portions of said pair of rollers engageable with the material moved by the conveyor means into said bale forming zone, h. means for moving the lower portions of said belts in a direction opposite to the direction of the upper surface of said conveyor means whereby material in said bale forming zone is rotated between the lower portions of said belts and upper surface to form a round bale, and i. means for extending said lower belt portions upwardly between said pair of rollers for travel about the upper peripheral portion of a bale being formed concurrently with the movement of said first roller away from said second roller to a stop position defined by the dropping of said wheels into said pockets.

Claim 5

A machine for forming a round bale of a windrowed fibrous material comprising: a. a portable frame including a pair of transversely spaced side members, b. a conveyor means mounted on and extended longitudinally of said portable frame and between said side members with the upper surface of said conveyor means and the top surfaces of said side members lying in substantially a common plane, said side members having extensions projected outwardly beyond one end of said conveyor means, c. means on said frame for picking up and delivering the windrowed fibrous material onto said conveyor means at the other end thereof, d. a pair of longitudinally spaced rollers on said frame extended transversely of and adjacent the upper surface of said conveyor means to define therebetween a bale forming zone, e. means supporting a first one of said rollers on said frame for movement in a horizontal path adjacent said upper surface toward and away from the second one of said rollers including a pair of wheels corresponding to said side members and mounted at opposite ends of said first roller in axial alignment therewith for riding engagement on the top surface of a corresponding side member, f. said side member extensions having transversely opposite pockets formed in the top surfaces thereof adjacent to and outwardly from said one end of the conveyor means, said pockets of a size to receive a corresponding wheel therein, g. a series of continuous belts supported on said portable frame for travel in an upright plane extended longitudinally of said conveyor means, said belts having lower portions trained about the lower portions of said pair of rollers engageable with the material moved by the conveyor means into said bale forming zone, h. means for moving the lower portions of said belts in a direction opposite to the direction of the upper surface of said conveyor means whereby material in said bale forming zone is rotated between the lower portions of said belts and upper surface to form a round bale, and i. means for extending said lower belt portions upwardly between said pair of rollers for travel about the upper peripheral portion of a bale being formed concurrently with the movement of said first roller away from said second roller to a stop position defined by the dropping of said wheels into said pockets.

Claim 6

A machine for forming a round bale of a windrowed fibrous material comprising: a. a portable frame, b. means at one end of said frame for picking up the windrowed fibrous material, c. a conveyor means on said frame for receiving material from said pickup means for movement towArd the other end of said frame, d. a frame assembly including a pair of upright frame structures extended transversely of and above said conveyor means, e. means rigidly mounting a first one of said frame structures on said portable frame at said one end thereof, f. means pivotally connecting together the upper ends of said two frame structures for pivotal translatory movement of the second one of said frame structures to open and closed positions relative to said first frame structure, said frame structures relatively constructed such that when said second frame structure is pivotally moved to the closed position therefor said frame assembly is of a generally polygonal shape in side elevation, g. a plurality of continuous belts rotatably supported for movement about said frame assembly, said belts spaced transversely of said conveyor means and each of said belts having the lowermost portions thereof adjacent said conveyor means when the second frame structure is in the closed position therefor, h. a roller corresponding to and mounted at the lower end of each frame structure, said pair of rollers extended transversely of and adjacent to said conveyor means and defining the lowermost portions of said belts, said belts engageable with the lower side portions of said rollers, i. means on said frame for confining the fibrous material in a bale forming zone located between selected opposite portions of said conveyor means and said belts and between said pair of rollers, and j. coacting means on said portable frame and said second frame structure for guiding the movement of the roller on said second frame structure in a horizontal path adjacent the upper surface of said conveyor means to a completed bale forming position wherein said roller on the second frame structure is located outwardly from and adjacent the other end of the conveyor means with the lower side portion thereof below the upper surface of the conveyor means.

Claim 7

A machine for forming a round bale of a windrowed fibrous material comprising: a. a portable frame, b. means at one end of said frame for picking up the windrowed fibrous material, c. a conveyor means on said frame for receiving material from said pickup means for movement towArd the other end of said frame, d. a frame assembly including a pair of upright frame structures extended transversely of and above said conveyor means, e. means rigidly mounting a first one of said frame structures on said portable frame at said one end thereof, f. means pivotally connecting together the upper ends of said two frame structures for pivotal translatory movement of the second one of said frame structures to open and closed positions relative to said first frame structure, said frame structures relatively constructed such that when said second frame structure is pivotally moved to the closed position therefor said frame assembly is of a generally polygonal shape in side elevation, g. a plurality of continuous belts rotatably supported for movement about said frame assembly, said belts spaced transversely of said conveyor means and each of said belts having the lowermost portions thereof adjacent said conveyor means when the second frame structure is in the closed position therefor, h. a roller corresponding to and mounted at the lower end of each frame structure, said pair of rollers extended transversely of and adjacent to said conveyor means and defining the lowermost portions of said belts, said belts engageable with the lower side portions of said rollers, i. means on said frame for confining the fibrous material in a bale forming zone located between selected opposite portions of said conveyor means and said belts and between said pair of rollers, and j. coacting means on said portable frame and said second frame structure for guiding the movement of the roller on said second frame structure in a horizontal path adjacent the upper surface of said conveyor means to a completed bale forming position wherein said roller on the second frame structure is located outwardly from and adjacent the other end of the conveyor means with the lower side portion thereof below the upper surface of the conveyor means.