Stuffer center crank bearing

1. A stuffer mechanism for a round baler, said stuffer mechanism comprising:

a frame assembly connected to said baler, said frame assembly having spaced apart opposing first and second end plates defining a stuffer width therebetween;

at least two feeder finger assemblies, each having an elongate base with an orbital axis of rotation and a plurality of feeder fingers extending away from said base generally parallel to and uniformly spaced therealong, said axes of rotation of said at least two feeder finger assemblies being generally parallel;

a crankshaft having spaced apart first and second ends and a central axis of rotation, said first and second ends being rotatably supported and axially restrained, respectively, by said first and second end plates;

at least two generally parallel and equal length elongate crankpins spaced axially apart and generally end to end between said first and second end plates, each of said at least two crankpins rotatably connected to one of said bases along said orbital axis of rotation; and

at least one crankshaft support structure supported by said frame assembly, located between said at least two crankpins and respective said at least two feeder finger assemblies, said crankshaft support structure defining a thickness dimension along said central axis of rotation as being no greater than said uniform spacing between adjacent feeder fingers, said at least one crankshaft support structure having a first crank arm plate, a second crank arm plate, a connector shaft connecting said first and second crank arm plates, a bearing rotatably supporting and axially restraining said connector shaft, a bearing housing supporting said bearing, and a support plate connecting said bearing housing to said frame assembly wherein said first and second crank arm plates may move axially relative to said connector shaft during rotation of said crankshaft.

2. The stuffer mechanism of claim 1 , wherein said spacing between adjacent feeder fingers is less than four inches.

3. The stuffer mechanism of claim 1 , wherein said spacing between adjacent feeder fingers is approximately two and five-eights (2-⅝) inches.

4. The stuffer mechanism of claim 1 , wherein said stuffer width is greater than four feet.

5. The stuffer mechanism of claim 1 , wherein said connector shaft and said first and second crankshaft end plates are connected by a torque transferring connection.

6. The stuffer mechanism of claim 5 wherein said torque transferring connection is a splined connection.

7. The stuffer mechanism of claim 6 , wherein said splined connection comprises an involute spline.

8. The stuffer mechanism of claim 1 , wherein said bearing is self-aligning.

9. In a round baler for traversing a field to form cylindrical bales of crop material, said baler having

a main frame;

at least two wheels connected to and supporting said main frame above a surface of the field;

a bale-forming chamber connected to and supported by said main frame, said chamber having a generally transverse opening for permitting ingress of crop material;

a pickup apparatus for picking up crop material from said field and feeding rearwardly along a path in the direction of said transverse opening; and

a stuffer apparatus transversely disposed between said pickup apparatus and said transverse opening, said stuffer apparatus having a frame assembly connected to said round baler an a feeder table structure with a plurality of feeder finger openings; the improvement comprising:

opposing first and second end plates connected to said frame assembly, spaced apart thereby defining a stuffer width therebetween;

at least two feeder finger assemblies, each having an elongate base with an orbital axis of rotation and a plurality of feeder fingers extending away from said base generally parallel to and uniformly spaced therealong, said axes of rotation of said at least two feeder finger assemblies being generally parallel;

a crankshaft having spaced apart first and second ends and a central axis of rotation, said first and second ends being rotatably supported respectively by said first and second end plates;

at least two generally parallel and equal length elongate crankpins spaced axially apart and generally end to end between said first and second end plates, each of said at least two crankpins rotatably connected to one of said bases along said orbital axis of rotation such that spacing between feeder finger on adjacent said feeder finger assemblies is approximately equal to said uniform spacing; and

at least one crankshaft support structure supported by said frame assembly, located between said at least two crankpins and respective said at least two feeder finger assemblies, said crankshaft support structure defining a thickness dimension along said central axis of rotations as being no greater than said uniform spacing between adjacent feeder fingers.

10. The improvement of claim 9 , wherein said spacing between adjacent feeder fingers is less than four inches.

11. The improvement of claim 9 , wherein said spacing between adjacent feeder fingers is approximately two and five-eights (2-⅝) inches.

12. The improvement of claim 9 , wherein said stuffer width is greater than four feet.

13. The improvement of claim 9 , wherein said crankshaft support structure further comprises a first crank arm plate, a second crank arm plate, a connector shaft connecting said first and second crank arm plates, a bearing rotatably supporting said connector shaft, a bearing housing supporting said bearing, and a support plate connecting said bearing housing to said frame assembly.

14. The improvement of claim 13 , wherein said first and second crank arm plates may move axially relative to said connector shaft.

15. The improvement of claim 14 , wherein said connector shaft and said first and second crankshaft end plates are connected by a torque transferring connection.

16. The improvement of claim 15 wherein said torque transferring connection is a splined connection.

17. The improvement of claim 16 , wherein said splined connection comprises an involute spline.

18. The improvement of claim 13 , wherein said bearing is self-aligning.