US 12,376,528 B2
Square baler needle lockout device
Patrick L Cherney, Hesston, KS (US); and Kelly B. Booton, Lehigh, KS (US)
Assigned to AGCO Corporation, Duluth, GA (US)
Appl. No. 17/758,079
Filed by AGCO Corporation, Duluth, GA (US)
PCT Filed Oct. 8, 2020, PCT No. PCT/IB2020/059460
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jun. 28, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/136989, PCT Pub. Date Jul. 8, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/955,127, filed on Dec. 30, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2023/0031888 A1, Feb. 2, 2023
Int. Cl. A01F 15/14 (2006.01)
CPC A01F 15/145 (2013.01) 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A baler for forming crop material into a bale, said baler comprising:
a chassis presenting a baling chamber in which the bale is formed; and
a bale binding mechanism configured to wrap twine around the bale, said bale binding mechanism including:
a baling needle shiftable relative to the baling chamber, with the needle being shiftable to advance twine along an end of the bale;
a drive shaft supported by the chassis to power the needle;
a clutch shiftable between an engaged condition in which the clutch drivingly interconnects the drive shaft and the needle, and a disengaged condition in which the clutch prevents the drive shaft from driving the needle; and
a trip mechanism including a trip cam, a drive wheel, and a lockout device;
said trip cam being shiftable between a trip condition associated with engagement of the clutch and a metering condition associated with disengagement of the clutch;
said drive wheel being operable to shift the trip cam when in the metering condition;
said trip cam being shiftable from the metering condition to the trip condition to engage the clutch when the bale is formed to a desired size;
said lockout device removably engaging the trip cam to restrict the metering cam from shifting into the trip condition;
said trip cam presenting a cam opening that removably receives the lockout device for engagement therewith;
said trip cam presenting a driven surface extending along the cam opening;
said driven surface being engaged by the drive wheel in the metering condition,
said drive wheel being disengaged from the driven surface when the trip cam is in the trip condition.
 
10. A baler for forming crop material into a bale, said baler comprising:
a chassis presenting a baling chamber in which the bale is formed; and
a bale binding mechanism configured to wrap twine around the bale, said bale binding mechanism including:
a baling needle shiftable relative to the baling chamber, with the needle being shiftable to advance twine along an end of the bale;
a drive shaft supported by the chassis to power the needle;
a clutch shiftable between an engaged condition in which the clutch drivingly interconnects the drive shaft and the needle, and a disengaged condition in which the clutch prevents the drive shaft from driving the needle; and
a trip mechanism including a trip cam, a drive wheel, and a lockout device;
said trip cam being shiftable between a trip condition associated with engagement of the clutch and a metering condition associated with disengagement of the clutch;
said drive wheel being operable to shift the trip cam when in the metering condition;
said trip cam being shiftable from the metering condition to the trip condition to engage the clutch when the bale is formed to a desired size;
said lockout device removably engaging the trip cam to restrict the metering cam from shifting into the trip condition;
said trip cam presenting a driven surface engaged by the drive wheel in the metering condition;
said drive wheel being disengaged from the driven surface when the trip cam is in the trip condition;
said driven surface defining a path along which the trip cam is driven by the drive wheel while in the metering condition;
said trip cam moving in a direction transverse to the path when shifting between the metering condition and the trip condition;
said lockout device being shiftably engaged with the trip cam to restrict shifting movement of the trip cam relative to the lockout device along the path.