US20070101694A1 - Netwrap Feed and Cut Mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

A baler having an inlet area for receiving netwrap wherein it is a short distance between the drum roller and the closest belt roller. The netwrap guide at bottom of baler includes a feed pan having flexible net guides that are narrower than the bale forming belts. This netwrap guide has supporting cross members underneath it but there are no cross members in close vicinity to the lower belt roller to keep excess crop from accumulating there. There is also a netwrap guide at front of the baler for feeding netwrap material into contact with the periphery of a formed bale, including a guide positioned generally above the pickup for directing crop material previously inserted into the bale formation chamber and the netwrap material away from the pickup. The baler also has a novel netwrap feeding and cutting mechanism.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
• This application is a Divisional of U.S. Ser. No. 10/719,460 filed Nov. 21, 2003, entitled NETWRAP FEED AND CUT MECHANISM, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
• The principles disclosed relate to improvements to round balers used for harvest of agricultural crops. More particularly, the invention relates to improved reliability of the mechanism that feeds netwrap and controls tension of the netwrap to a formed cylindrical bale for wrapping the bale, as necessary to achieve a high level of reliability. The invention further relates to a feed mechanism that is configured to minimize potential negative influences related to crop material buildup and to minimize the potential for the netwrap material to be affected by the balers's pickup assembly. It further relates to the mechanism that severs the netwrap at the conclusion of the wrap cycle.
BACKGROUND
• Many mechanisms have been developed for wrapping bales with netwrap, which is a sheet material typically in the form of light, very thin web material. Examples that utilize feed rollers are disclosed in R. M. Van Ginhoven et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,366,665; C. Clostermeyer et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,599,844; Krone et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,604,855; H. D. Antsey et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,402; J. L. Raes U.S. Pat. No. 4,729,213; DE 92 11 541; and J. H. Merritt U.S. Pat. No. 4,729,213 and commonly assigned Van Zee U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,208. The use of feed rollers to feed this light, unstable material has inherent limitations. A mechanism that does not utilize feed rollers is disclosed in Underhill U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,642. It is particularly adapted for feeding the netwrap into the front of a round baler. Another mechanism that does not utilize feed rollers, and is adapted for feeding netting into the rear portion of a baler is disclosed in Van den Wildenberg EP 0 820 691.
• The supply roll of the netting material is known to be wider than the length of the cylindrical bale. Mechanisms have been developed to improve the feeding of this wide netwrap material. One early example is shown in Van den Wildenberg U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,008. Later mechanisms, to more reliably wrap the netwrap material around the edges of the bale, are disclosed in McClure et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,550,218 and Myers et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,504. The mechanism disclosed in Myers includes an element that interacts with the formed bale and cooperates with the lower idler roller that defines the net entry point, to provide space for entry of the outer edge of the netting material into the baler such that the outer edge does not contact the bale until some distance from the idler roller. The use of such an element, located near a roller at the bottom of a baler, was previously known, as disclosed in Meyer U.S. Pat. No. 4,910,949 as a wedge member that interacts with the formed bale to affect the sides of the bale.
• In addition to feeding the material to the baler, the netwrap mechanism must sever the material, after the desired amount of netwarp has been dispensed. The Van den Wildenberg reference discloses a cutting mechanism comprising several moving parts that must work together to cut the netwrap.
SUMMARY
• The present invention provides a reliable cost effective mechanism for feeding netwrap material from a supply roll, wider than the length of the cylindrical bale forming chamber, without the use of feed rollers, in combination with a simplified mechanism for cutting the netwrap.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of an empty round baler;
• FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of a round baler with a full-sized bale therein;
• FIG. 3 is a partial schematic side view of the secondary inlet illustrating the configuration of the netwrap guides;
• FIG. 3ais a partial isometric view of the net feed pan;
• FIG. 3bis an enlarged view ofarea3bas identified inFIG. 3;
• FIG. 3cis an isometric view showing the front net guide;
• FIG. 3dis an enlarged side view likeFIG. 1 but showing the pickup, lower forming roller and one of the belt rollers;
• FIG. 3eis a view likeFIG. 3d,but showing an alternate form of the wedge member;
• FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view as would be viewed taken along viewing plane4-4 shown inFIG. 3b;
• FIG. 4ais a cross sectional view as would be viewed along viewing plane4a-4ashown inFIG. 3b;
• FIG. 4bis a cross sectional view as would be viewed alongviewing plane4b-4bshown inFIG. 3e;
• FIG. 5 is a partial schematic section of the baler illustrating the netwrap mechanism in the cut/hold position;
• FIG. 6 is a partial schematic section of the baler illustrating the netwrap mechanism in the power feed position;
• FIG. 7 is a partial schematic section of the baler illustrating the netwrap mechanism in the tensioning position;
• FIG. 8 is an isometric view showing the driver and its actuator; and
• FIG. 9 is an isometric view showing the net knife.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
• With reference now to the various figures in which identical elements are numbered identically throughout, a description of various exemplary aspects of the present invention will now be provided. The preferred embodiments are shown in the drawings and described with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiments disclosed. Any references, herein, to directions will be determined by facing in the direction of travel of the baler during normal operation.
• FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic side view of a round baler, illustrating the main functional components. A number ofbale forming belts20, of a known flat configuration typically approximately ¼ to ½ inch in thickness and four to fourteen inches in width, are routed over several belt rollers that are in fixedpositions including rollers32,34,36,38,42,44,46 and48. These fixed belt rollers are supported by bearings, in any known method, that are mounted to a left side panel and a right side panel; the panels are not shown as many configurations of the panels are well known. The length of the rollers affects the spacing between the side panels and the length of the bale forming chamber and subsequent bale that that will be formed.
• At least one of these rollers is rotated, typically by a chain drive. There are many known configurations for the drive system. The drive configuration illustrated inFIG. 1 includes a drive system that powers thebale forming belts20 including two drive rollers:roller36, driven bysprocket50 androller32, driven bysprocket54.Sprockets50 and54 are driven bychain52 andchain56 which are both coupled tosprocket58; mounted to, and driven by,shaft60.Shaft60 is connected to the output shaft of right-angle gearbox62. The input shaft of right-angle gearbox62 is connected todriveline64, that transfers power from a towing vehicle, not shown.
• The drive configuration further includes a drive to lowerbale forming roller72 includingsprocket66, mounted to shaft ofroller32, which is coupled tosprocket70 bychain68.Sprocket70 is mounted to and drivesroller72.
• The drive system further includes additional chain drives, not shown, to power thepickup assembly80 and astarter roller55.
• Pickup80 functions to liftcrop material206 from the ground and into engagement withroller72.Roller72 transfers the crop rearward, into engagement with thebelts20. A rear,vertical section22 ofbelts20 is powered to move in an upward direction resulting from the powered rotation ofrollers36 and32. As the crop contacts thisrear section22 it will be lifted. Gravity and the downward movement of a front,vertical section24 ofbelts20 will tend to encourage the crop to fall back towardsstarter roller55 which is turning in a clockwise direction. The material is thus directed back towardsroller72 which again feeds it rearward. The outside edges of the cylindrical bale will contact the side panels andwedge204, as the bale forms. In this manner the powered elements cooperate to roll the windrow of crop into a cylindrical bale.
• As the bale begins to expand, therearward section22 andforward section24 ofbelts20 begin to envelop the bale. Thebelts20 are able to envelop the circumference of and stay in contact with the bale as thebelt tightener82 andbelt tightener rollers84,86 and88 rotate counterclockwise as illustrated inFIG. 2, with a nearly formedbale200. Many mechanisms are known to be useful in controlling the movement and position of the belt tightener rollers.
• Once a bale has reached its desired size, a wrapping material is applied to the outer circumference while it is still in the baler. After the bale is thus wrapped, the tailgate, which comprises a portion of the side panels androllers42,44, and46, will pivot aroundtailgate pivot94, allowing the finished bale to drop out of the baler.
• The known wrapping materials include either rope-like twine made from either natural fibers or various types of plastic, or sheet-type netwrap typically made of a type of plastic material. In some of the claims “protective material” is a generic term used to describe material such as netwrap, but which could include many other things such as a sheet of plastic or fabric, for example. These other materials are fully equivalent to netwrap so it is to be understood that “netwrap” and “protective material” can be used interchangeably in the context of this invention. Twine is typically inserted into acrop inlet area90 of the baler by a mechanism not shown, and applied in a spiral fashion by moving a twine arm, not shown, from one side panel across to the opposite side panel while the bale is rotating.
• Sheet-type netwrap is known to be applied to the bale by inserting it into the baler at any available area, one known entry point being the rear of the baler, in asecondary inlet area92, located betweenroller72 androller46, as illustrated inFIG. 2, bynetwrap mechanism250 of the present invention. Netwrap is typically supplied in aroll302 that is typically wider than the bale chamber. The netwrap material tends to neck-down between the supply roll and theinlet area92, yet remains wide enough to sufficiently cover the bale once the material is wrapped around the bale one time. However, since the netwrap is only secured to the bale by the interlacing of its strands with the discontinuous surface of the crop material, it is typically desirable to apply at minimum one and three-fourths to two wraps of the netwrap material. Several functions are critical to assure successful wrapping including:
• 1) feeding of the netwrap material in a manner to control of the width of the netwrap material, in order to minimize the amount that it necks-down, to maximize coverage;
• 2) feeding of the netwrap material in a manner to allow control of the length delivered to the bale including a mechanism that will reliably sever the netting material after the proper amount has been applied to the bale, and also hold the cut edge in a position as necessary to direct the leading edge for the next bale;
• 3) feeding of the netwrap material in a manner to allow control of a leading edge of the netting material from the supply roll to the bale, the associated mechanism having a self-cleaning ability in order to minimize the amount of stray crop material that can build-up in any areas where the netting may travel, to avoid the damage that this stray crop material can cause to the netting material;
• 4) application of adequate tension as the netting material is applied to the bale; and
• 5) control of the leading edge of the netwrap as it travels around bale for the initial time, to minimize the potential for entanglement with elements of the baler, in particular the pickup.
• The process of wrapping a bale with netwrap mechanism of the present invention starts when the power feed system, which will be described later, directs a leading edge of netwrap from a held position near thesupply roll302, to thefeed pan96 which is illustrated inFIGS. 3 and 3a.
• Feed pan96 includes anetwrap guide98 located near toroller46, preferably oneguide98 for eachbaler belt20. Note:FIG. 3aonly shows one baler belt and only two netwrap guides, for clarity. There may befewer guides98 than there are baler belts. Thefeed pan96 will include the proper number of components as required by the specific baler: a baler constructed to form a 4′ wide bale, for instance, will usually include a different number of belts than a baler constructed to form a 5′ wide bale, and the net feed pan for a 5′ wide baler will thus usually include a different number of netwrap guides than a net feed pan for a 4′ wide baler. Each netwrap guide98 is narrower than the baler belts, and mounted below thebelt20, supported by aframe102 which is also narrower than thebelt20 and fixedly connected to cross-members includingpivot shaft100, reinforcingrod104 and reinforcingrod106. In this manner the netwrap guides98 are mounted in a cantilevered fashion so that there are no cross-members100,104 or106 in close proximity toroller46.
• Referring again toFIG. 3, thepivot shaft100 of the illustrated embodiment, the cross-member that is closest toroller46, is located a distance “D” in a range of 2 to 30 inches and is preferably 10 to 12 inches behind, and horizontally offset from,roller46. The horizontal offset is important because the movement of thebelts20, combined with gravity, results in forcing the majority of the stray crop material towardsroller46. Thus, any cross-member in close proximity, and particularly within close proximity along the horizontal axis, toroller46 may restrict the stray material. Any restriction may result in eventual build-up to the point that it can interfere with the travel of the netwrap, either disrupting the movement of the leading edge, or damaging the netwrap material as it is applied to the bale. For example thesupport bar96, and thestructure90 above it, inFIG. 8 of U.S. Patent Application Publication US 2003/0005663 provides a place for the crop to drop down from the baling chamber and accumulate on, creating a problem. From this illustration it will be appreciated that it is important to keep structural members out of that area to eliminate that problem.
• The flexible net guides98 are in a spaced relation to thelower roller46 such that the flexible net guides98 are supported by a cross-member100 spaced a minimum horizontal distance from thelower roller46 equal to the diameter of thelower roller46.
• Also inFIG. 3 is a dimension “d” which is the distance between thedrum roller72 and thebelt roller46. The distance “d” between thedrum roller72 andbelt roller46 is less than the radius of thebelt roller46, thereby forming a inlet for a leading edge of the protective material capable of reliably feeding the protective material to a place in the baling chamber where it can be wrapped around the bale. If this distance “d” is greater than the radius of theroller46, some of the crop being transferred by thedrum roller72 to the baling chamber will travel down to the ground between thedrum roller72 and theclosest belt roller46 and be lost instead of being part of thebale200.
• In addition, the netwrap guides are constructed of spring steel, or any material capable of allowing frequent deflections, in order to move and thus to further minimize restriction to stray crop material that falls out of the baler, betweenbelts20. Any material that does fall between the belts is thus able to fall to the ground.
• Spring108 attaches to reinforcingrod106 to rotate thenet feed pan96 around thepivot shaft100, rotationally attached to the sides of the baler, until atop edge110 contacts thebaler belt20 atroller44.
• The upper portion of thenet feed pan96 extends beyond thetop edge110 creating a type offunnel112 that feeds the netwrap material into the pinch point created where thetop edge110 contacts thebaler belts20. As the leading edge of the netwrap material is fed by the power feed system to funnel112, it will be placed into contact with thebaler belts20 at thecontact point110, subsequently following along with the moving baler belts along the length of thenet feed pan96.
• One aspect of the present invention affects the quality of coverage of the netwrap onto the bale. The quality of coverage is affected by the configuration of theinlet area92 defined by relationship ofroller46,roller72,wedge204, guides98, and the formingbale200.
• Inlet area92 is illustrated inFIG. 3bas defined at the front byroller72, at the top by thebottom portion202 ofbale200 and at the rear byroller46, which is indirectly in contact withbale200 asbelts20 are positioned between theroller46 andbale200. Thesides208 of thecylindrical bale200 are in contact with thefront side panels16, and with abale wedge204 on each end.Bale wedge204, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,910,949 which is incorporated herein by reference, functions to deflect thesides208 of thebale200 inward and upward, near thebottom perimeter202, as illustrated inFIG. 4. It has been found that this slight deflection is sufficient to providespace210 required to allow thenetwrap material304 to engage thebale200 at aplace212 across the bale, within thesecondary inlet92, as it is guided aroundroller46 by netwrap guides98.
• FIG. 4aillustrates a partial cross sectional view along line4a-4aofFIG. 3blooking down towards the net guides98, showing the nettingmaterial304 traveling through thenet feed pan96 from approximatelypoint306 to point308, identified inFIG. 4a,at a width that is greater than the width between thetailgate side panels18. As thenet material304 follows thebelts20 aroundroller46, as guided byguides98, it is forced to be narrower to properly engage thebale200, in the same area as the previously identifiedspace210 where thebale200 is slightly defelected away from theside panel16 bywedge204.
• FIG. 4billustrates a partial cross sectional view alongline4b-4bofFIG. 3elooking down towards the net guides98, showing the nettingmaterial304 traveling through thenet feed pan96 from approximatelypoint306 to point308, identified inFIG. 4a,at a width that is greater than the width between thetailgate side panels18. As thenet material304 follows thebelts20 aroundroller46, as guided byguides98, it is forced to be narrower to properly engage thebale200, in the same area as the previously identifiedspace210 where thebale200 is slightly deflected away from theside panel16 by wedge204a,which is slightly different than thewedge204 shown inFIGS. 3band4a.Accordingly the void210aformed is a slightly different shape and at a slightly different place than thevoid210.
• When the leading edge reaches theinlet92, an initial length ofnetwrap material304 will have been dispensed, sufficient to partially wrap abale200. The process continues by guiding the leading edge ofnetwrap material304 though theinlet92 so that it contacts the formed bale, whereby the rotation of thebale200 will trap thenetwrap material304 between the outer perimeter of the bale and thebelts20. As thebale200 continues to rotate, thenetwrap material304 will be aggressively pulled from thesupply roll302. At that time the power feed system can be disengaged, and it is desirable to apply a significant drag so that the netwrap will be under tension as it is applied to the bale.
• Referring toFIGS. 1 and 2 as the leading edge ofnetwrap material304 travels around the bale, with thebelts20, it will eventually reach the bottom of the frontvertical section24 ofbelts20, in the vicinity ofbelt roller32 andstarter roller55. At this point the leading edge ofnetwrap material304 can become unstable, and there is a possibility for it to come into contact with thepickup teeth81 ofpickup80. When this happens the netting can become partially entangled in thepickup80, which will damage the wrap material. To reduce the frequency of this entanglement, aguide500 shown inFIG. 2 is disposed below thestart roller55 to direct the leading edge back towards thedrum roller72, and away from contact with thepickup80.
• FIG. 3cis an isometric view from inside the baler looking towards theguide500, and illustrates a first embodiment of the guide, including a plurality ofrigid bars502 that extend in a generally horizontal direction to a position where they will contact the leading edge as it travels through this position.FIG. 3dshows an alternative embodiment having avertical element504, that may be a flexible sheet-type material, such as belt-type material, that extends to thepickup80 to block the path of the leading edge ofnetwrap material304.
• After the desired amount ofnetwrap material304 has been dispensed, the netwrap is severed by the netwrap feed mechanism250 (FIG. 2) of the present invention, as will be described later, near thesupply roll302. Thenetwrap material304 that is stretched between theinlet point92 and the severing mechanism, incluidngknife400, is pulled into the baler, finishing the wrap cycle.
• The power feed, tension and cut functions, of the netwrap wrapping process, are provided by thenetwrap mechanism250.FIGS. 5-7 illustrate thenetwrap mechanism250 in 3 basic positions of a netwrap cycle:FIG. 5 is the cut/hold position,FIG. 6 is the powered feed position, andFIG. 7 is the tensioning position. The operation of thenetwrap mechanism250 typically begins with theleading edge300 of thenetwrap material304 held in position in preparation to begin feeding, as will be required to wrap the next finished bale, as illustrated inFIG. 5.
• In this cut/hold configuration ofFIG. 5, a length ofnetwrap material304, extending from aroll302 ofnetwrap material304 to theleading edge300, is routed around anet spreader roll440 and overnet pan420 where it is held against astationary knife400 bycross member470 ofdriver460. Thenetwrap mechanism250 will be in this position during most of the baling process.
• Once thebale200 is formed to the desired size, the bale wrap cycle will be initiated when thedriver460 is pivoted clockwise around itspivot tube462. Asdriver460 rotates from the position shown inFIG. 5 to the position shown inFIG. 6, driverollers464 engageslot424 ofnet pan420, causingnet pan420 to rotate aroundpivot tube422 to the powered feed position shown inFIG. 6. This movement could be controlled by any of a number of mechanical drive elements. The preferred embodiment of the drive mechanism is illustrated inFIG. 8 as a linearelectrical actuator441 that is anchored to theside panel18 of thenet wrap attachment250.Driver460 is mounted on bushings, not shown, inareas466 that mount to theside panels18 of thenetwrap mechanism250. It further includesside plates468 that supportcross members470 andspreader roller440.Side plates468support drive rollers464 that are further supported byarms467.
• Driver460 is rotated clockwise aboutpivot tube462 as theactuator441 on one end is retracted, the opposite end of thepivot tube472 is used to activatelinkage474 that controls a force applied to abrake rotor476.Brake rotor476 is connected to the roll ofnetwrap302. In this manner, as the driver is rotated fully clockwise, actuator is fully retracted, to the powered feed position shown inFIG. 6, thedrive rollers464 have engagedslots424 ofside plates426 ofnet pan420 pushing it into engagement with thebaler belts20.Net spreader roller440 has been moved to release any residual tension in thenetting material304 and the brake force is released on thenet supply roll302. Thus, as thenet pan420 contacts the movingbelts20, theleading edge300 of the nettingmaterial304 is fed to thefunnel112 ofnet pan96 as the netting material is pulled from thenet supply roll302 under minimal tension.
• Once theleading edge300 is fed through theinlet area92 as shown inFIGS. 2 and 3b,and the nettingmaterial304 is trapped between thebaler belts20 and the formedbale200, it will be aggressively pulled from thesupply roll302, and thenetwrap mechanism250 will no longer need to power feed as shown inFIG. 6 and can move to theFIG. 7 tensioning position. Proper sequence of thenetwrap mechanism250 needs to insure that theleading edge300 has been inserted into theinlet area92, during the power feed portion of the cycle. Many techniques could be used to control this sequencing. One technique is to simply use a timing technique. The distance between thestationary knife400 and theinlet area92 determines the amount of netting that needs to be fed off of thesupply roll302 during the power feed portion of the cycle, in order to insure that theleading edge300 will be at the inlet area.
• Since thebaler belts20 travel with a known range of speeds, as is necessary for proper operation of the baler, it is possible to determine the minimum time required for power feed, and the control system will hold thenetwrap mechanism250 in the power feed position for at least that amount of time. Another technique is to approximately monitor the amount of netting that is dispensed, for instance by moitoring the rotation of the brake rotor that is fixed to the netting supply roll. When the required amount of netting has been dispensd, to insure that the leading edge is trapped between that bale and belts, the netting supply roll will have rotated through a known angle of rotation.
• Thenetwrap mechanism250 will move to the tensioning position shown inFIG. 7, after the required duration in the power feed position ofFIG. 6, as theactuator441 is partially extended, movingdriver460 counter-clockwise, causing movement ofdrive roller464 and related movement ofplate426 such thatnet pan420 moves away from engagement with thebelts20, to the position shown inFIG. 7.Net pan420 is held in this position, because it is spring loaded or biased to rotate clockwise as viewed inFIG. 7.
• Brake mechanism474, shown inFIG. 8, is simultaneously activated such that thebrake476 is applied to thenet roll302 when the mechanism is in the position shown inFIG. 7. Thebrake mechanism474 is also activated by a linkage, not shown, connected toarm480, in a well known manner such that the brake force is affected by the size of the net supply roll; as the net material is pulled off thesupply roll302, and it gets smaller, the amount of brake force is reduced such that the net tension is held approximately constant.
• Themechanism250 will be held in thisFIG. 7 tensioning position, with the brake applied, restricting rotation ofnet supply roll302 to put the nettingmaterial304 under tension, while an appropriate amount of nettingmaterial304 is dispensed. After the appropriate duration, theactuator441 will extend further, to reposition themechanism250 into the cut/hold position illustrated inFIG. 5 wherein thecross member470 ofdriver460 deflects the path of the nettingmaterial304 such that it travels through approximately a 90 degree angle overnet knife402, which will cause thenetting material304 to be severed. At the same time,cross member470 will trap theleading edge300, for the next wrap cycle, against aspring member404 where it will be securely held.
• With regard to the forgoing description, it is to be understood that changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of the construction materials employed and the size, shape and arrangement of the parts without departing from the scope of the present invention. As used herein, the term “netwarp” is intended to include all sheet-type wrapping materials including tackified plastic materials and untackfied plastic materials. It is intended that these specific and depicted aspects be considered exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the invention be indicated by the broad meaning of the following claims.

Claims (6)

1-13. (canceled)

14. A method of engaging netwrap material, stored on a netwrap roll, onto a cylindrical bale inside a bale chamber, said baler comprising a drum roller and a belt roller about which belts for forming the cylindrical bale are wrapped, the drum roller disposed forward of the belt roller, said method comprising:

unrolling the netwrap material from the netwrap roll;

directing the netwrap material operatively around a portion of the belt roller behind the drum roller;

passing the netwrap material through a region between the drum roller and the belt roller;

engaging the netwrap material onto the cylindrical bale; and

wherein the baler includes at least one netwrap material guide disposed between the netwrap roll and the belt roller, the method additionally comprising supporting the netwrap material from below with the at least one netwrap material guide as the netwrap material passes from the netwrap roll to the belt roller.

15. (canceled)

16. The method ofclaim 14 additionally comprising:

installing the belt roller a distance behind the drum roller; and

providing a gap between said belt roller and drum roller less than a diameter of the belt roller.

17. The method ofclaim 14 wherein the baler includes at least one arcuate wedge member having an upper surface and a lower surface, said at least one arcuate wedge member used for forming a space to allow the netwrap material to engage the cylindrical bale, said method including:

(a) defining the lower surface of the at least one arcuate wedge member as a circular arc shape concentric with the drum roller;

(b) defining the upper surface of the at least one arcuate wedge member as a circular arc shape, a center of said circular arc being to the rear of the baler compared to an axis of rotation of the drum roller; and

(c) truncating the upper and lower surfaces of the at least one arcuate wedge member behind an intersection of the upper surface and the lower surface.

18-23. (canceled)

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