GB1378139A - Bale packing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

1378139 Bundling bales O A SILK 15 Feb 1972 [16 Nov 1970] 23827/70 Heading B5F [Also in Division B8] Bale packing apparatus comprising a hollow structure providing a chamber 1 for a quantity of bales, means to compress the bales together, and means to bind the compressed bales to form a bound pack of bales. Bales may be fed down a shoot from a baling machine to a platform 7 or picked up from the ground as the apparatus is towed by a tractor. When a bale contacts a lever 12 a pusher 10 is actuated to push the bale on to a platform 30 in the chamber and against binding material 50. Each reciprocation of the pusher indexes a ratchet wheel 28 by one tooth, and after a set number of bales have been pushed on the platform an arm 29 on the wheel actuates a valve 31 to feed hydraulic fluid to a ram 40 which through levers 34 lifts the platform by the height of a bale. This raised platform pivots a lever 44 which actuates the valve 31 to lower the platform while the bales are held raised by catches 48. After the last layer of bales have been fed on to the platform the raising of the platform compresses the bales until the pressure in the ram 40 rises to trigger off reciprocation of needles 52 mounted on chains 56 to carry the binding matrial to knotters 51. Return movement of the chains 56 releases catches 83 holding a door 8 which is pivoted to the top of the chamber shut. A ram 90 pivots the opposite side wall inwardly to push the bound bales out. In modifications the bales may be manually inserted into the chamber and there may be other compression means instead of or additional to the platform 30.