Bale accumulator and bale accumulation methods

Abstract

A bale accumulator for grouping bales for group baling includes a platform, a depositor mounted adjacent to the platform for sequentially depositing bale sets onto the platform, each bale set when deposited onto the platform comprises a pair of bales positioned upright and side-by-side in a packing orientation so that their corresponding long sides are axially juxtaposed, and a packer apparatus mounted adjacent to the platform for packing one bale set at a time from the platform into a group baler trailing the platform each time a bale set is deposited onto the platform from the depositor without changing the packing orientation of the bales of each bale set.

1 . A bale accumulator for grouping bales for group baling, comprising:
 a platform, the platform includes a landing area;   a group baler, the group baler trails the platform and the landing area is ahead of the group baler;   a depositor mounted adjacent to the platform for sequentially depositing bale sets onto the landing area of the platform ahead of the group baler before being packed into the group baler, each bale set when deposited onto the landing area of the platform before being packed into the group baler comprises a pair of bales positioned upright and side-by-side in a packing orientation on the landing area of the platform ahead of the group baler so that their corresponding long sides are axially juxtaposed; and   a packer apparatus mounted adjacent to the platform ahead of the group baler, the packer apparatus for packing one bale set at a time rearwardly along a linear drive path from deposited onto the landing area of the platform ahead of the group baler to into the group baler each time a bale set is deposited onto the landing area of the platform ahead of the group baler from the depositor without changing the packing orientation of the bales of each bale set.   
     
     
         2 . The bale accumulator according to  claim 1 , wherein the packer apparatus comprises:
 a ram for ramming a bale set along the linear drive path from the landing area of the platform to into the group baler each time the ram actuates; and   a first sensor and a second sensor operatively coupled to the ram and to the landing area of the platform via a control unit, wherein the control unit automatically actuates the ram each time the first sensor and the second sensor sense a first bale and a second bale, respectively, deposited onto the landing area of the platform as a bale set.   
     
     
         3 . The bale accumulator of  claim 2 , wherein the ram comprises:
 a drive assembly drivenly coupled to a packer frame;   the packer frame is driven by the drive assembly from a starting position to a ramming position, for engaging and ramming a bale set from deposited onto the landing area of the platform to into the group baler along the linear drive path, and back to the starting position from the ramming position, each time the drive assembly actuates.   
     
     
         4 . The bale accumulator according to  claim 3 , wherein the drive assembly comprises a cylinder assembly including a cylinder and an operating rod, the packer frame is mounted on the operating rod, the operating rod is mounted partially within the cylinder for movement in reciprocal directions, and the packer frame moves in reciprocal directions between the starting and ramming positions upon actuation of the operating rod in reciprocal directions. 
     
     
         5 . The bale accumulator according to  claim 1 , wherein the depositor is upright relative to the platform for sequentially gravity depositing bale sets onto the landing area of the platform. 
     
     
         6 . A bale accumulator for grouping bales for group baling, comprising:
 a platform, the platform includes a landing area;   a group baler, the group baler trails the platform and the landing area is ahead of the group baler;   a depositor frame mounted adjacent to the platform, the depositor frame includes a pair of bale-receiving areas for alternately depositing bales onto the landing area of the platform into bale sets ahead of the group baler before being packed into the group baler, each bale set when deposited onto the landing area of the platform before being packed into the group baler comprises a pair of bales positioned upright and side-by-side in a packing orientation on the landing area ahead of the group baler so that their corresponding long sides are juxtaposed, and a gate, the gate is movable between alternate positions for alternately directing bales into the bale-receiving areas, and the gate moves alternately from one to the other of the alternate positions each time a bale passes the gate; and   a packer apparatus mounted adjacent to the platform ahead of the group baler, the packer apparatus for packing one bale set at a time rearwardly along a linear drive path from deposited onto the landing area of the platform ahead of the group baler to into the group baler each time a bale set is deposited onto the landing area of the platform ahead of the group baler from the bale-receiving areas of the depositor frame without changing the packing orientation of the bales of each bale set.   
     
     
         7 . The bale accumulator according to  claim 6 , wherein the packer apparatus comprises:
 a ram for ramming a bale set along the linear drive path from deposited onto the landing area of the platform to into the group baler each time the ram actuates; and   a first sensor and a second sensor operatively coupled to the ram and to the landing area of the platform via a control unit, wherein the control unit automatically actuates the ram each time the first sensor and the second sensor sense a first bale and a second bale, respectively, deposited onto the landing area of the platform as a bale set.   
     
     
         8 . The bale accumulator of  claim 7 , wherein the ram comprises:
 a drive assembly drivenly coupled to a packer frame;   the packer frame is driven by the drive assembly from a starting position to a ramming position, for engaging and ramming a bale set from deposited onto the landing area of the platform to into the group baler along the linear drive path, and back to the starting position from the ramming position, each time the drive assembly actuates.   
     
     
         9 . The bale accumulator according to  claim 8 , wherein the drive assembly comprises a cylinder assembly including a cylinder and an operating rod, the packer frame is mounted on the operating rod, the operating rod is mounted partially within the cylinder for movement in reciprocal directions, and the packer frame moves in reciprocal directions between the starting and ramming positions upon actuation of the operating rod in reciprocal directions. 
     
     
         10 . The bale accumulator according to  claim 6 , wherein the bale-receiving areas of the depositor frame are upright relative to the platform for gravity depositing bale sets onto the landing area of the platform. 
     
     
         11 . A bale-accumulation method, comprising:
 providing a platform associated with a ram, and a group baler, the platform includes a landing area, the group baler trails the platform, the landing area and the ram are ahead of the group baler, and the landing area of the platform is between the group baler and the ram;   sequentially depositing bale sets onto the landing area of the platform ahead of the group baler between the ram and the group baler before being deposited into the group baler, each one of the bale sets when deposited onto the landing area of the platform before being deposited into the group baler comprises a pair of bales positioned upright and side-by-side in a packing orientation on the landing area of the platform ahead of the group baler so that their corresponding long sides are juxtaposed; and   actuating the ram packing one bale set at a time rearwardly along a linear drive path from deposited onto the landing area of the platform ahead of the group baler to into the group baler each time a bale set is deposited onto the landing area of the platform without changing the packing orientation of the bales of each bale set.   
     
     
         12 . The bale-accumulation method according to  claim 11 , wherein the step of sequentially depositing bale sets onto the landing area of the platform between the ram and the group baler further comprises:
 providing a depositor frame including bale-receiving areas for alternately depositing bales onto the landing area of platform between the ram and the group baler when bales are applied alternately to the bale-receiving areas; and   applying bales alternately to the bale-receiving areas.   
     
     
         13 . The bale-accumulator according to  claim 12 , wherein the step of applying bales alternately to the bale-receiving areas further includes gravity feeding bales alternately to the bale-receiving areas. 
     
     
         14 . The bale-accumulation method according to  claim 12 , wherein the step of actuating the ram packing one bale set at a time from deposited onto the landing area of the platform to into the group baler each time a bale set is deposited onto the landing area of the platform without changing the packing orientation of the bales of each bale set further comprises:
 providing a first sensor and a second sensor operatively coupled to the ram and to the landing area of platform via a control unit; and   the control unit automatically actuating the ram each time the first sensor and the second sensor sense a first bale and a second bale, respectively, deposited onto the landing area of the platform as a bale set.