Big Baler Picks Up Hay With Air

Big baler picks up hay with air HAY & FORAGE HARVESTING Balers (6) 11-6-1 You've never seen anything like this new big square baler that uses air power to transfer hay from the windrow to the bale-packing chamber. "It far surpasses the performance of any big square baler on the market," says inventor Cordell Lundahl, Logan, Utah. Lundahl is also inventor of the Hesston Stakhand, the stripper combine featured in FARM SHOW's last issue (Vol. 11, No. 5), and the Auger Mower featured elsewhere in this issue. At various times in his career the innovative farm engineer has been under contract with both Hesston and Deere Co. to produce new products. Lundahl says his main goal in designing the baler was to make it simpler with fewer moving parts and less horsepower requirements than other big square balers. He says his baler weighs just half as much as either Hesston or New Holland's square balers and can be operated by an 80 hp. tractor versus a 120 to 140 hp. tractor. Key to the'baler is the air-powered venturi-type pickup which transfers hay back to the bale-packing chamber without a single conveyor or roller touching the hay. A nylon-bristle pickup brush runs along the ground, flipping hay up into the air stream created by two big 15,000 cfm blowers that suck the hay in and carry it up and over an arched "bridge". Hay accumulates in a chamber above the packing plunger. When enough hay fills the chamber, it automatically drops down into the packing chamber and a ram packs it. The packing ram only runs when the preset amount of hay drops into the chamber, unlike other balers that run continuously. "That means that when you're turning or sitting still you don't have to continue powering the plunger. All that's running are the blowers. And because there are no conveyors or other parts to move the hay back to the bale chamber, it's much less complicated and causes less damage and leaf loss. Suction by the blowers is so strong they actually pick leaves up off the ground," says Lundahl. As the bale forms in the bale chamber, density of the bale is measured by pressure against the rear door of the baler. Density can be adjusted, depending on the crop and whether or not you're baling hay or straw. Once formed, the bale is forced out the rear door by the next bale as it's being formed, eliminating the need for a kick-out mechanism. The bale-packing plunger is powered hydraulically. In operation it runs every 4 to 6 sec. or whenever enough hay accumulates in the holding chamber. Thanks to a new 120 gpm hydraulic system that Lundahl designed, the baler uses hydraulics to pack the bale. "That means this baler has fewer parts and requires far less maintenance than a mechanically-powered square baler," he notes. The baler makes a 3 by 4 by 8-ft. bale, which Lundahl says stacks better on trucks than a 4 by 4-ft. bale. The plunger is fitted with four 4-in. dia. metal spikes 4 ft. long that create air holes in the ends of the bale to aid drying of higher moisture hay. Lundahl hopes to team up with a manufacturer to produce the new baler. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ezra Lundahl, Inc., P.O. Box 268, 710 North Sixth West, Logan, Utah 84321 (ph 801 753-4700).

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