Agricultural Baler and Method for Preventing and Removing a Plugging in the Feeder Duct of an Agricultural Baler

摘要

A method for preventing or removing a plugging of a feeder duct of a baler. The baler includes a bale chamber including bottom wall in which an inlet opening is formed therein, and a feeder duct including a top wall and a bottom wall extending between a lower end and a upper end of the feeder duct, the top wall providing an upper boundary of the feeder duct and the bottom wall providing a lower boundary of the feeder duct. The method includes steps of increasing a distance between the top wall and the bottom wall of the feeder duct in at least a part of the feeder duct, while leaving an upper boundary provided by the top wall of the feeder duct and a lower boundary provided by the bottom wall of the feeder duct intact, and operating a feeder in the feeder duct.

主权项

1. A method for preventing or removing a plugging of a feeder duct of a baler, the baler comprising:
a bale chamber comprising a bottom wall in which an inlet opening is formed therein; a feeder duct communicating with the bale chamber through the inlet opening for charges of crop material to be transferred from the feeder duct into the bale chamber, the feeder duct comprising an upper end facing generally upwardly and communicating with the inlet opening in the bale chamber and a lower end facing generally in a forward direction, the feeder duct further comprising a top wall and a bottom wall extending between the lower end and the upper end of the feeder duct, the top wall providing an upper boundary of the feeder duct and the bottom wall providing a lower boundary of the feeder duct; a plunger reciprocable within the bale chamber to compress successive charges of crop material received from the feeder duct to form a bale; and a feeder operable within the feeder duct to accumulate a charge of crop material therein and then stuff that accumulated charge into the bale chamber, wherein the method comprises steps of:
increasing a distance between the top wall and the bottom wall of the feeder duct in at least a part of the feeder duct, while leaving the upper boundary provided by the top wall of the feeder duct and the lower boundary provided by the bottom wall of the feeder duct intact;causing the feeder to operate in the feeder duct with the increased distance between the top wall and the bottom wall;monitoring a crop pressure in the feeder duct as a function of the location along the length of the feeder duct; andincreasing the distance between the top wall and the bottom wall of the feeder duct in the at least part of the feeder duct where the crop pressure exceeds a predetermined pressure.