Apparatus for facilitating lateral shifting of baler tongue

摘要

An implement, such as a baler, has a mobile frame, a forwardly extending tongue attachable at its forward end to a vehicle for towing the baler and connected at its rearward end to the frame for lateral movement relative to the frame and improved apparatus for facilitating the lateral shifting of the tongue relative to the frame. A forwardly protruding flange is disposed on the lower forward end of the bale case of the baler frame. The improved apparatus includes a wear plate which is replaceably attached to the bottom side of the bale case flange and a roller element mounted on the portion of the tongue which underlies the wear plate. The roller element maintains the wear plate in spaced relationship above the tongue while at the same time provides load-bearing rolling contact with the wear plate. The roller element is cylindrical in shape and rotatably mounted on a shaft element. The shaft element is mounted within the hollow interior of the tongue below an opening formed in the upper side of the tongue such that an upper circumferential portion of the roller element extends upwardly through the opening and above the upper side of the tongue to where the roller element makes the rolling contact with the wear plate.