Large round bales have become an exceedingly popular package in which to store a variety of crop materials, ranging from alfalfa to corn stalks. The large cylindrical configuration and generally uniform density of the bales enhance their weathering characteristics, allowing the bales to remain in the field until needed. Additionally, the bales concentrate large quantities of crop material in individual packages, reducing the time required to gather and transport a given amount of crop material when needed. Further, other than a tractor operator, no manual labor is required to gather and transport the bales from the field. In sum, the benefits of large round bales are consistent with the continuing trend toward highly mechanized agricultural operations.
Conventional large round balers require discharge of a completed bale before formation of a new bale is started. Such requirement consumes a significant amount of the total baling time.
Several proposed designs exist in the prior art of round balers which appear to be capable of continuous operation. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,035,999 and 4,499,714. However, neither of these proposed designs has achieved commercial acceptance. Apparently, the projected increases in productivity expected to be gained using balers of these designs were outweighed by the complexity, costs, and other unresolved problems associated therewith.