Baler

The baler is used to compress in agriculture accumulating hay, straw or silage bales. So it can be stored to save space. Balers are pulled by a tractor and driven by the PTO.

Today, usually round or square bales (weight in hay to 400 kg / piece, silage to over 1000 kg / piece ) are pressed. Square bales can be moved with the front loader of a tractor or telescopic handlers, while round bales over short distances can also be rolled.

The bales can be either bound with cords or nets, distinguishing in the latter between " edge to edge " and "cover edge". For each of these two methods, a special press is needed.

• 2.2.1 baler
• 2.2.2 Low-pressure press

Round baler

The most common baler is the baler. This was introduced in 1972 by the Vermeer Company. A precursor of the round baler presented Allis -Chalmers 1947 Roto Baler before, but the bales were significantly smaller.

To prepare these cylindrical bale the hay is rolled up in a simple way in her. This is done by rubber- filled belt ( press with variable chamber ) or by steel rollers ( fixed chamber baler ). If the bale reaches a certain size, it is tied with ropes or nets before the rear section of the press opens and the bale can roll out. The pads have a diameter of 120 to 180 cm and 120 cm wide. The weight is between 200 kg and loosely pressed straw and 1000 kg for grass silage with a dry weight of only 20%. Especially silage bales are then welded to the bale wrapping device and can be stored outdoors. Alternatively, there is balers with integrated bale wrapper.

While the manufacturer has remained with the greatest importance in the United States Vermeer, these presses are sold in Germany today by the manufacturers Kuhn, Deutz -Fahr, Claas, Krone, New Holland, John Deere, Fendt, Welger Lely and.

Square baler

Large

Another baler produces large square bales, which are fixed with about six knotted cords. These bales weigh considerably more than round bales because they are pressed much harder. The width of 80 to 120 cm and height of 50 to 130 cm are determined by the design of the press. The length of the barrel of 50 to 300 cm is adjustable. The first big baler was introduced in 1978 by the Hesston Corporation.

Technology

Using a pick is the added material to be pressed and pushed together with a little screw transversely to the direction of travel. It happens a optional switchable cutting. Then the packer tines follow. These are material gate eccentrically mounted on a shaft. They compress the material to be pressed against retaining fingers. Once the set pressure is reached, give this restraining finger their way into the press channel free. The press channel leads along through the machine. From the front of the plunger presses (also called hammer ) it had been handed down by material further back. The plunger moves about once every second to the rear. The shock load of the drive is tempered by a flywheel. This 300 -pound wheel rotates with the input speed of 1000 rpm directly behind the PTO input. The bale chamber is narrowed by preloaded hydraulic cylinder rear. At the top of the press are the knotter. In the back of sitting about a meter long Garnnadeln that pierce the baling twine through the bales and specify the knotter. The elaborately built knotter are kept clean by fan of short stalks, which would affect its function. The knotter be distinguished in Deering knotter and Cormick - knotter. About the roll chute bales leave the press. There is a thumb wheel, which measures the barrel length and thus triggers the Knotervorgang on the roller chute. For road transport of the press channel is released, in which the pressure is released from the cylinders. There is also an optional ball ejector, which actively promotes to the last bale backwards. The chute is then folded up and locked.

Small

Baler

The so-called highly compressed bales which were pressed mainly in the 1960er/1970er-Jahren, are interesting with its mass of 10 to 15kg mainly for hobby, small and horse farmers without large machinery. This relatively lightweight bales have the advantage that they can be moved by one person and therefore do not require a front loader or serious conversions. Because of good portion control and because of the flexible storage facility (eg on the roof floor ) they have especially because of the demand of the horse owners for some farmers still have an economic significance. In addition, they are also used as insulation and building materials at straw bale house. These bales are tied with two to four strings and have approximate dimensions of 40 × 50 × 100 cm. Because of the relatively high costs of dealing with many small bales they are not used by large farms longer.

Small bales are formed in the following steps: The material to be pressed is received by means of a transversely arranged to the direction of the rotating drum with flexible spring tines, the so-called pick-up from the ground and transported to the overlying duct, the width of the pick taken -up Pressguts equivalent. In this channel, a so-called feeder fork moves (as tines or screw conveyor is formed ) and pushes the material to be pressed into the bale chamber in which a piston is busy with a knife in the direction of travel in front and moves back. The counter blade is located in the piston passage, so that the pressed material is cut on the subsequent bale width. The piston pushes the hay or straw to the back and compresses it into a bale there.

This area is designed as a thumb wheel " measuring device " that triggers the binding mechanism when a certain amount of hay. Using the thumb wheel, the barrel length and thus the weight to be adjusted. When the binding process is initiated, two stand around curved needles through the pressed material in the bale chamber. You run the Pressgarn about the weavers and slide back. The weavers are now carrying out the actual binding process. After binding, the Pressgarn is cut by sharp, located on the knotter knife.

By the production of the next bale the bound bale is pushed out of the bale chamber and falls behind the press on the ground. To avoid the labor- consuming collection of those loose small bales on the field, but a trailer is usually attached directly to the press. For this purpose, initially, the bales were pressed by a duct located at the discharge by the following bale and had to be carefully stacked by one or two workers on the trailer. To save labor, the bales are increasingly since about 1980 by two hydraulically driven counter-rotating rubber bands, the so-called " ball thrower ", " thrown " onto the trailer. The trailer must be equipped for it to absorb the incoming bales with a cage -like attachment.

Optionally can be mounted one controlled by the knotter bale counter. This is particularly important when the pressing action takes place as wage labor.

All movements in a high pressure press must be timed precisely least one another, as this can lead to considerable damage to the machine otherwise. Damage may lead to: vaulted chains or sheared fasteners of the gears on the hubs of the various drive components. The typical damage pattern found, for example by destroying the piston reaping teeth or bent needles weavers.

The automatic baler for small square bales today does not differ significantly from the model from the year 1940.

Low-pressure press

The low-pressure press was first made ​​in the USA of New Holland and used a small gasoline engine as an energy source. The basis for this is provided the invented in 1937 baler with Doppelschnürung and automatic recording of the crop. Their previous models required the manual binding bales. The previous models of these models in turn were permanently installed and were driven by a V-belt. The hay had to be brought to the press and filled manually. The only significant change since 1940 was the replacement of the internal combustion engine by the PTO of the tractor towing.