Tractor PTO control for round baler net damage
An agricultural baler includes a bale chamber, a tailgate arranged in a rear section of the bale chamber, and a controller. The tailgate moves between a closed position and an open position to eject a bale from the baler. The controller receives a signal indicating the bale status and, in response to the signal, stops the power take-off (“PTO”) operation of a tractor connected to the baler or restarts the PTO operation.
1 . An agricultural baler, comprising:
a bale chamber;
a tailgate arranged in a rear section of the bale chamber, the tailgate being configured to move between a closed position and an open position to eject a bale from the agricultural baler;
a controller operatively connected to the agricultural baler, the controller being configured to:
(a) receive a first signal indicating that the bale has completed wrapping and the tailgate has begun to move to the open position but has not yet reached the open position;
(b) in response to the first signal, stop a power take-off (“PTO”) operation of a tractor connected to the agricultural baler;
(c) receive a second signal indicating that the tailgate has reached the open position; and
(d) in response to the second signal, restart the PTO operation of the tractor connected to the agricultural baler.
2 . The agricultural baler of claim 1 , further comprising a hydraulic system connected to the tailgate and configured to move the tailgate between the closed position and the open position.
3 . The agricultural baler of claim 2 , wherein the signals are received from at least one of a first sensor detecting an open angle of the tailgate or a second sensor detecting a pressure in a hydraulic circuit.
4 . The agricultural baler of claim 3 , wherein the controller is configured to stop the PTO operation of the tractor when the pressure in the hydraulic circuit is higher than a first predetermined value.
5 . The agricultural baler of claim 4 , wherein the controller is configured to restart the PTO operation of the tractor when the pressure in the hydraulic circuit is higher than a second predetermined value.
6 . The agricultural baler of claim 3 , wherein the open angle of the tailgate is an angle between a side wall of the agricultural baler and a tailgate wall of the tailgate.
7 . The agricultural baler of claim 3 , wherein the open angle is in a range of 0 degrees and 87 degrees.
8 . The agricultural baler of claim 7 , wherein the controller is configured to stop the PTO operation of the tractor when the open angle is at least 5 degrees.
9 . The agricultural baler of claim 7 , wherein the controller is configured to restart the PTO operation of the tractor when the open angle is 87 degrees.
10 . The agricultural baler of claim 1 , wherein the first signal is a net-wrap-complete signal received from the controller, said net-wrap-complete signal indicating that the bale is completely wrapped with net.
11 . The agricultural baler of claim 10 , wherein the controller is configured to stop the PTO operation of the tractor after receiving the net-wrap-complete signal.
12 . The agricultural baler of claim 1 , wherein the PTO operation is stopped automatically in response to the first signal.
13 . An agricultural vehicle comprising the agricultural baler of claim 1 .
14 . The agricultural baler of claim 1 , wherein the second signal further indicates that the tailgate has not yet moved to the closed position.