Bale discharge system for baling apparatus

Abstract

A bale ejection system includes a pawl having a planar structure. The pawl includes a mounting hole extending therethrough. A center of the mounting hole defines an axis of rotation. The planar structure of the pawl includes a cam surface and a material engagement surface disposed opposite the cam surface. The cam surface and the material engagement surface extend away from the axis of rotation and converge to define a distal end spaced from the axis of rotation. The material engagement surface defines a crop engagement tooth positioned between the distal end of the planar structure and the axis of rotation. The crop engagement tooth and the distal end of the planar structure are operable to engage crop material of a bale when the planar structure is rotated into engagement with the bale to move the bale along a longitudinal axis of a baling implement.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to a baling machine having a bale ejection system. BACKGROUND

[0002] Some baling machines, such as large square balers, create bales in a compression chamber having a parallelepiped shape. As bales are formed, the bales are moved from the compression chamber onto an unloading chute. Subsequently produced bales push previously formed bales off the unloading chute to eject the previously formed bales from the baling machine and onto the ground, a trailer, a packaging apparatus, etc. However, if no subsequent bale is formed, the last bale is not ejected from the unloading chute.

[0003] To eject the last formed bale, the baling machine can include a bale ejection system. The bale ejection system can include a pawl that is wedged into a bale to engage the bale when moved longitudinally rearward and is retracted to disengage the bale when moved longitudinally forward. The bale ejection system can be continuously operated in a cyclical manner to move the bale rearward until the bale is ejected from the bale chute. SUMMARY

[0004] A bale ejection system for a baling machine is provided. The bale ejection system includes a frame and a pin secured to the frame. A carrier is connected to the frame. The carrier is movable relative to the frame along a longitudinal axis of the frame. The carrier defines an elongated slot extending along the longitudinal axis of the frame. The pin extends through the elongated slot transverse to the longitudinal axis. A pawl is movable with the carrier along the longitudinal axis. The pawl is rotatably attached to the carrier for rotation about an axis of rotation. The pawl includes a cam surface that contacts the pin. The pawl further includes a material engagement surface disposed opposite the cam surface. The cam surface and the material engagement surface extend away from the axis of rotation and converge to define a distal end of the pawl that is spaced apart from the axis of rotation along the longitudinal axis. The material engagement surface defines a crop engagement tooth positioned between the axis of rotation and the distal end of the pawl along the longitudinal axis.

[0005] In one embodiment, the crop engagement tooth includes a single tooth disposed between the axis of rotation and the distal end of the pawl. In an alternative embodiment, the crop engagement tooth includes a plurality of teeth disposed between the axis of rotation and the distal end of the pawl.

[0006] In one aspect of the disclosure, the crop engagement tooth forms a concave notch facing away from the axis of rotation for engaging crop material of a formed bale. The concave notch includes a peak top and a valley bottom. When the pawl is placed in a retracted position, the peak top is positioned closer to the distal end of the pawl than the valley bottom, and the valley bottom is positioned closer to the axis of rotation than the peak top.

[0007] In one aspect of the disclosure, the cam surface can include a substantially arcuate profile oriented perpendicular to the rotational axis. In one implementation, the arcuate profile of the cam surface can define a radius in a range between 150 mm and 210 mm.

[0008] In one aspect of the disclosure, movement of the carrier and the pawl along the longitudinal axis moves the cam surface against the pin, causing the pawl to rotate about the rotational axis between a retracted position and an engaged position. When the pawl is placed in the retracted position, the pawl is positioned outside of a bale formation plane. The bale formation plane is a surface defined by a wall structure that supports a bale. The bale is positioned inside of the bale formation plane. When the pawl is placed in the engaged position, the pawl extends past the bale formation plane to position the distal end of the pawl and the crop engagement teeth inside of the bale formation plane for engaging the crop material of a formed bale.

[0009] In one aspect of the disclosure, the cam profile can be shaped to position the pawl relative to the bale formation plane when the pawl is placed in the engaged position such that a line extending between the distal end of the pawl and the rotational axis intersects the bale formation plane to form an acute angle between the line and the bale formation plane. In one implementation, the acute angle is greater than twenty degrees (20°).

[0010] In one aspect of the disclosure, the cam profile can be shaped to cause a total rotation angle of the pawl about the rotational axis. The total rotation angle is measured between the retracted position and the engaged position. In one implementation, the total rotation angle is between 25 degrees and 45 degrees.

[0011] In one aspect of the disclosure, the rotational axis is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. In another aspect of the disclosure, both the rotational axis and the longitudinal axis are positioned substantially horizontally.

[0012] In one aspect of the disclosure, the bale ejection system is included in a baling implement. The baling implement includes a frame extending along a longitudinal axis between a front end and a rear end of the frame relative to a direction of travel of the baling implement during a harvesting operation. The baling implement includes a compression chamber configured to form crop material into a bale. The bale ejection system is operable to move the bale rearward along the longitudinal axis.

[0013] A pawl for a bale ejection system of a baling implement is also provided. The pawl includes a planar structure. The planar structure includes a mounting hole extending through the planar structure. A center of the mounting hole defines an axis of rotation. The planar structure includes a cam surface and a material engagement surface disposed opposite the cam surface. The cam surface and the material engagement surface extend away from the axis of rotation and converge to define a distal end spaced apart from the axis of rotation. The material engagement surface defines a crop engagement tooth positioned between the distal end of the planar structure and the axis of rotation. The distal end of the planar structure and the crop engagement tooth are operable to engage the crop material of the bale when the planar structure is rotated into engagement with the bale.

[0014] Accordingly, when the pawl is moved into the engaged position, both the distal end of the pawl and the crop engagement tooth are operable to engage and / or interlock with the crop material of the bale. Accordingly, the pawls described herein that include a crop engagement tooth can better grip the bale than previously known pawls that only grip the bale with the distal end of the pawl. The increased gripping force provided by the pawls described herein that include a crop engagement tooth increases the force that the pawl can apply to the bale to move the bale, thereby reducing rip-out of the crop.

[0015] The above features and advantages of the present teachings and other features and advantages of the present teachings will be apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate by way of example the principles of the present teachings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 is a schematic side view of a baling machine.

[0017] Figure 2 is a schematic partial perspective view of a baling implement showing a bale ejection system.

[0018] Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view of the bale ejection system in a retracted position.

[0019] Figure 4 is a schematic perspective view of the bale ejection system in an engaged position.

[0020] FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of a pawl of the bale ejection system.

[0021] FIG. 6 is a schematic side view of an alternative embodiment of the pawl. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] Those skilled in the art will recognize that terms such as “above,” “below,” “upward,” “downward,” “top,” and “bottom,” are used descriptively with reference to the accompanying drawings and do not represent a limitation on the scope of this disclosure as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, the teachings are described herein with respect to functional and / or logical block components and / or various processing steps. It should be understood that such block components can consist of any number of hardware, software, and / or firmware components configured to perform specific functions.

[0023] Terms of degree, such as “approximately,” “substantially,” or “approximately,” are understood by those skilled in the art to refer to a reasonable range beyond a given value or direction, such as general tolerances or positional relationships associated with the manufacture, assembly, and use of the described embodiments.

[0024] Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals indicate the same parts throughout several views, the packing machinery is generally shown at position 20. (Refer to...) Figure 1 The packing machine 20 is shown as a large square packing machine 20. However, it should be understood that the teachings of this disclosure can be applied to other packing machine platforms, such as circular packing machines, and are not limited to the exemplary embodiments of the large square packing machine 20 shown in the drawings and described herein.

[0025] A traction unit or vehicle (e.g., but not limited to a tractor) may be attached to the baling implement 20 to pull and power it. However, it should be understood that in other embodiments, the baling implement 20 may be self-propelled, in which case the traction unit and the baling implement 20 are configured as a single self-propelled vehicle.

[0026] like Figure 1 As depicted, the baling machine 20 can move across the field and collect and process crop materials to form bales. The bales can then be discharged from the rear of the baling machine 20.

[0027] refer to Figure 1 An exemplary embodiment of the packing apparatus 20 includes a frame 22. During operation, the frame 22 extends along a longitudinal axis 24 between a front end 26 and a rear end 28 relative to the direction of travel 30 of the packing apparatus 20. One or more ground engagement devices 32 (e.g., but not limited to wheels) are attached to the frame 22 and support the packing apparatus 20 on the ground. The packing apparatus 20 includes an input shaft 34, such as a power take-off (PTO) shaft, which can receive rotational power from a power source (e.g., a tractor).

[0028] The packing apparatus 20 includes a housing 36 or body that typically conceals various internal components of the packing apparatus 20. The housing 36 is attached to and supported by a frame 22. The housing 36 includes multiple wall portions or panels that form and / or define a compression chamber 38. The compression chamber 38 may also be referred to as a packing machine chamber. The compression chamber 38 is configured to form a bundle therein. In the accompanying drawings and in the exemplary embodiments shown herein, the bundle includes a parallelepiped or rectangular shape.

[0029] The baling machine 20 includes a pickup mechanism 40. The pickup mechanism 40 is positioned near the front end 26 of the frame 22. The pickup mechanism 40 collects crop material from the ground and guides the collected crop material toward and into the inlet of a pre-compression channel 42, which stores a large quantity of collected crop material. The feeder system 44 includes multiple forks that periodically move the crop material from the pre-compression channel 42 into a compression chamber 38. The pickup may include, but is not limited to, tines, forks, screw propellers, conveyors, baffles, etc., for collecting and moving crop material.

[0030] The baler 20 may be equipped with a pre-cutter positioned between the pick-up mechanism 40 and the pre-compression channel 42. Thus, relative to the direction of travel 30 of the crop material, the pre-cutter can be positioned downstream of the pick-up mechanism 40 and upstream of the pre-compression channel 42. The pre-cutter cuts or chops the crop material into small pieces.

[0031] The input shaft 34 or PTO shaft is connected to the input end of the transmission 48 to provide rotational power to the baling apparatus 20 from a tractor, other associated vehicle, or power source. The transmission 48 includes a gearbox 50 that converts the rotational motion of the input shaft 34 along the generally longitudinal axis 24 of the baling apparatus 20 into the output end of the transmission 48 having rotational motion along the generally transverse axis of the baling apparatus 20.

[0032] The baling apparatus 20 includes a crank arm 52 connected to the output end of a drive mechanism 48. A connecting rod 54 connects the crank arm 52 and a plunger 56 to each other. The crank arm 52 rotates based on the output end of the drive mechanism 48, and as the crank arm 52 rotates, the plunger 56 moves in a reciprocating motion within a compression chamber 38. The plunger 56 extends into the compression chamber 38 to compress the crop material, and then retracts at least partially from the compression chamber 38, at which point the feeder system 44 moves more crop material into the compression chamber 38.

[0033] When the bundling is completed within the compression chamber 38, the knotter system 58 wraps multiple ropes around the bundle to secure its shape. When the baling machine 20 is configured as a large square baler, as described herein, the knotter system 58 wraps ropes around the longitudinal extent or longest length of the bundle, with each rope wrapped around the bundle. The knotter system 58 ties each end of the strands of each corresponding rope together to form a knot, securing each corresponding rope in place.

[0034] In the exemplary embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings and described herein, completed bales are pushed away from the rear end 28 of the baling machine 20 by subsequently formed bales and onto the ground, trailer, etc. The baling machine 20 may be equipped with a bale discharge system 60 to discharge the bales (the last bales of the harvest period) or when no subsequent bales are available to push the bales away from the rear end 28 of the baling machine 20. The bale discharge system 60 may be engaged to move the bales rearward along the longitudinal axis 24 and discharge them from the compression chamber 38.

[0035] refer to Figure 2 The bale discharge system 60 is shown integrated into the bottom wall 62 of the compression chamber 38. However, it should be understood that in other embodiments, the bale discharge system 60 may be integrated into an additional wall panel or other wall panel of the compression chamber 38.

[0036] Pin 64 is secured to frame 22. Pin 64 extends generally along a longitudinal axis 24 that is transverse or perpendicular to frame 22. Pin 64 may be directly or indirectly attached to frame 22 and remain fixed relative to frame 22. In the embodiment shown in the drawings, pin 64 is shown as having a circular cross-section perpendicular to longitudinal axis 24. However, it should be understood that pin 64 may have a cross-sectional shape different from the exemplary circular cross-section shown and described herein.

[0037] A support member 66 is connected to a frame 22. The support member 66 is movable relative to the frame 22 along a longitudinal axis 24 of the frame 22. The support member 66 can be movably connected to the frame 22 in a suitable manner, thereby enabling longitudinal movement relative to the frame 22. For example, the support member 66 can be slidably mounted to the frame 22. The support member 66 defines an elongated slot 68 extending along the longitudinal axis 24 of the frame 22. A pin 64 extends through the elongated slot 68. The support member 66 is movable relative to the pin 64 such that the pin 64 can move within the elongated slot 68 and between a first end 70 and a second end 72 of the elongated slot 68. The first end 70 of the elongated slot is positioned toward the front end 26 of the frame 22, while the second end 72 of the elongated slot is positioned toward the rear end 28 of the frame 22.

[0038] The bundle ejection system 60 may further include an actuator 74. The actuator 74 can interconnect the frame 22 and the carrier 66. The actuator 74 is controllable to extend and retract, thereby moving the carrier 66 relative to the frame 22 along the longitudinal axis 24 of the frame 22. The actuator 74 may include, but is not limited to, a hydraulic linear actuator 74, a pneumatic linear actuator 74, an electric linear actuator 74, etc. Furthermore, the actuator 74 may include a linear or nonlinear actuator 74 connected to one or more gears and / or levers to achieve linear movement of the carrier 66 along the longitudinal axis 24, such as, but not limited to, an electric motor, a hydraulic motor, etc.

[0039] Pawl 76 is attached to carrier 66 and is movable together with carrier 66 along longitudinal axis 24 and relative to frame 22. Pawl 76 is rotatably attached to carrier 66 to rotate about axis of rotation 78. Axis of rotation 78 is substantially perpendicular to longitudinal axis 24. As shown in the exemplary embodiment described herein, where the bale discharge system 60 is integrated into the bottom wall 62 of compression chamber 38, axis of rotation 78 is positioned horizontally relative to the ground. However, it should be understood that in other embodiments, for example, where bale discharge system 60 is integrated into the side wall of compression chamber 38, axis of rotation 78 may be positioned vertically relative to the ground.

[0040] In the exemplary embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings and described herein, the pawl 76 includes a planar or plate structure 80. The planar structure 80 of the pawl 76 includes a mounting hole 82 extending through the planar structure 80. The mounting hole 82 is parallel to the axis of rotation 78. Fasteners 84 (e.g., but not limited to bolts, shafts, rivets, etc.) can extend through their mounting holes 82 and secure the pawl 76 to the carrier 66. The center of the mounting hole 82 defines the axis of rotation 78.

[0041] The pawl 76 includes a cam surface 86 configured to contact or abut against the pin 64. The pawl 76 further includes a material engagement surface 88 disposed opposite to the cam surface 86. The material engagement surface 88 is the surface 76 of the engagement material of the pawl. The material may include, but is not limited to, beaded material, crop material, or bundles of beaded and / or crop material. In the exemplary embodiments shown in the figures and described herein, both the cam surface 86 and the material engagement surface 88 can be considered as edge surfaces of the planar structure 80 of the pawl 76. The cam surface 86 and the material engagement surface 88 extend outward from the axis of rotation 78 and converge to define a distal end 90 of the planar structure 80 of the pawl 76. The cam surface 86 and the material engagement surface 88 terminate at the distal end 90 of the planar structure 80 of the pawl 76. The distal end 90 of the pawl 76 is spaced apart from the axis of rotation 78 along the longitudinal axis 24.

[0042] The movement of the carrier 66 and the pawl 76 along the longitudinal axis 24 causes the cam surface 86 to move against the pin 64. The movement of the pin 64 along the longitudinal axis 24 of the cam surface 86 causes the pawl 76 to move as follows: Figure 3 The retraction position shown and as Figure 4 The engagement positions shown rotate about the axis of rotation 78. When in the retracted position, the pawl 76 is positioned on the outer side 92 of the bundle forming plane 94. The bundle forming plane 94 can be considered as a plane defined by the wall surface forming the compression chamber 38, for example, the bottom wall 62 in the exemplary embodiments shown in the figures and described herein. The bundle is formed on the inner side 96 of the bundle forming plane 94. Therefore, the outer side 92 of the bundle forming plane 94 is positioned outside the region or volume of the compression chamber 38 forming the bundle, i.e., outside the bundle, while the inner side 96 of the bundle forming plane 94 is positioned within the region or volume of the compression chamber 38 forming the bundle.

[0043] The initial rearward movement of the carrier 66 and the pawl 76 causes the pawl 76 to move from the position shown in the image. Figure 3 The retraction position shown is moved to the position shown in the figure. Figure 4 The engagement position is shown. It should be understood that the rearward direction is the direction of movement toward the rear end 28 of the frame 22. When the pawl 76 is positioned in the engagement position, the pawl 76 extends through the bale-forming plane 94 to position the distal end 90 of the pawl 76 inside the bale-forming plane 94 to engage the formed bale of crop material and move the bale through the pawl 76 and the carrier 66. Once the pawl 76 is in the engagement position, the carrier 66 continues to move rearward along the longitudinal axis 24, maintaining engagement between the pawl 76 and the bale and moving the bale rearward relative to the compression chamber 38 to expel the bale.

[0044] The initial movement of the carrier 66 and the pawl 76 in the forward direction along the longitudinal axis 24 causes the pawl 76 to move from the forward direction as shown in the figure. Figure 4 Rotate and move to the engagement position shown. Figure 3 In the retracted position shown. It should be understood that the forward direction is the direction of movement toward the front end 26 of the frame 22. When the pawl 76 is in the retracted position, the distal end 90 of the pawl 76 is positioned on the outside 92 of the bundle forming plane 94 and does not engage the bundle. Once the pawl 76 is in the retracted position, the carrier 66 continues to move forward along the longitudinal axis 24, maintaining disengagement between the pawl 76 and the bundle and moving the carrier 66 and the pawl 76 relative to the compression chamber 38 to reset the carrier 66 and the pawl 76 for subsequent discharge stroke.

[0045] To improve the mechanical interaction and / or engagement between the pawl 76 and the bundled crop material, the material engagement surface 88 defines crop engagement teeth 98. Crop engagement teeth 98 may include, but are not limited to, pointed edges, nails, spears, barbs, etc., for piercing the bundle and mechanically interlocking with the bundled crop material. Crop engagement teeth 98 are positioned on the material engagement surface 88, along the longitudinal axis 24, between the rotation axis 78 and the distal end 90 of the pawl 76. Similar to the distal end 90 of the pawl 76, when the pawl 76 is in the engaged position, the crop engagement teeth 98 are positioned inside the bundle forming plane 94 96, and when the pawl 76 is in the retracted position, the crop engagement teeth 98 are positioned outside the bundle forming plane 94 92.

[0046] In one embodiment, the crop engagement tooth 98 comprises a single tooth. However, in other embodiments as shown in FIG. 6, the crop engagement tooth 98 may comprise multiple teeth 98. For example, the pawl 76 may comprise two crop engagement teeth 98, three crop engagement teeth 98, four crop engagement teeth 98, etc. Therefore, it should be understood that the crop engagement tooth 98 may comprise one crop engagement tooth 98 as shown in FIG. 5, or may comprise multiple crop engagement teeth 98 as shown in FIG. 6. Additionally, it should be understood that the crop engagement tooth 98 is distinct from and separate from the distal end 90 of the pawl 76. When the distal end 90 of the pawl 76 engages the bundled crop material, in addition to the distal end 90 of the pawl 76, the crop engagement tooth 98 also operates to provide increased engagement / interaction between the pawl 76 and the bundle. The increased engagement and / or interaction between the pawl 76 and the bale increases the moving force that the pawl 76 can apply to the bale for moving the bale, thereby reducing the chance that crop material may be torn from the bale and / or the bale may be otherwise damaged during discharge operations.

[0047] Referring to Figure 5, the crop engagement tooth 98 forms a notch 100 opposite to the rotation axis 78 for engaging the formed bundle of crop material. The notch 100 includes a peak 102 and a valley 104. When the pawl 76 is in the retracted position, the peak 102 is positioned closer to the distal end 90 of the pawl 76 than the valley 104. Conversely, when the pawl 76 is in the retracted position, the valley 104 is positioned closer to the rotation axis 78 than the peak 102. A reference line 106 may extend between the distal end 90 of the planar structure 80 of the pawl 76 and the rotation axis 78. The peak 102 of the crop engagement tooth 98 is positioned farther from the reference line 106 than the valley 104.

[0048] The cam surface 86 can be configured to deeply position the distal end 90 of the pawl 76 and the crop engagement tooth 98 within the bale to maximize the mechanical interaction or locking that occurs between the pawl 76 and the crop material in the bale.

[0049] Referring to Figure 5, the pawl 76 is shown in the engaged position using a solid line and in the retracted position using a dashed line. The cam surface 86 may include a generally arcuate profile 108 oriented perpendicular to the axis of rotation 78. In the exemplary embodiments shown in the figures and described herein, the arcuate profile 108 of the cam surface 86 may be defined by a radius 110 ranging from 150 mm to 210 mm. It should be understood that the radius 110 of the arcuate profile 108 may differ from that shown in the figures and described herein. It should be understood that a shorter radius 110 of the arcuate profile 108 tends to increase the penetration of the distal end 90 of the pawl 76 into the bale. To generate good mechanical interaction between the bale and the crop engagement teeth 98, the pawl 76 may rotate further about the axis of rotation 78, rather than engaging the bale using only the distal end 90 of the pawl 76.

[0050] Referring to Figure 5, the cam profile is shaped such that when the pawl 76 is in the engaged position, it positions the pawl 76 relative to the bundle forming plane 94, such that a reference line 106 extending between the distal end 90 of the pawl 76 and the rotation axis 78 intersects the bundle forming plane 94, forming an acute angle 112 between the reference line and the bundle forming plane. To deeply position the distal end 90 of the pawl 76 and the crop engagement teeth 98 on the material engagement surface 88 within the bundle, maximizing the mechanical interaction or locking between the pawl 76 and the crop material in the bundle, the acute angle 112 can be greater than twenty degrees (20°). Furthermore, to achieve the aforementioned acute angle 112, the cam profile can be shaped such that the total rotation angle of the pawl 76 about the rotation axis 78 is between 25 degrees and 45 degrees. The total rotation angle of the pawl 76 is the total angle of movement of the pawl 76 as it moves between the engaged and retracted positions.

[0051] As used herein, “for example” is used to list examples in a non-exhaustive manner and has the same meaning as alternative descriptive phrases such as “including,” “including but not limited to,” and “including but not limited to.” As used herein, unless otherwise limited or modified, listed elements are separated by conjunctions (e.g., “and”) and preceded by the phrases “one or more,” “at least one,” “at least,” or similar phrases, indicating a configuration or arrangement that may include individual elements in the list or any combination thereof. For example, “at least one of A, B, and C” and “one or more of A, B, and C” each mean only A, only B, only C, or any combination of two or more of A, B, and C (A and B; A and C; B and C; or A, B, and C). As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, “comprising,” “including,” and similar phrases are intended to specify the presence of the stated feature, step, operation, element, and / or component, but do not exclude the presence of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0052] Detailed description and figures or drawings are provided to support and illustrate this disclosure, but the scope of this disclosure is defined only by the claims. While some best modes and other embodiments for carrying out the teachings of the claims have been described in detail, various alternative designs and embodiments exist for practicing the disclosure as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A bundle discharge system (60) for a packing machine (20), the bundle discharge system (60) comprising: Framework (22); Pin (64), said pin (64) is fixed to said frame (22); A support member (66) is connected to the frame (22) and is movable relative to the frame (22) along the longitudinal axis (24) of the frame (22), wherein the support member (66) defines an elongated slot (68) extending along the longitudinal axis (24) of the frame (22), wherein a pin (64) extends through the elongated slot (68). Pawl (76), which is movable along the longitudinal axis (24) with the carrier (66) and rotatably attached to the carrier (66) for rotating about the axis of rotation (78); The pawl (76) includes a cam surface (86) and a material engagement surface (88). The cam surface (86) contacts the pin (64), and the material engagement surface (88) is disposed opposite to the cam surface (86). The cam surface (86) and the material engagement surface (88) terminate at the distal end (90) of the pawl (76), and the distal end (90) of the pawl (76) is spaced apart from the rotation axis (78) along the longitudinal axis (24). The material engagement surface (88) defines a crop engagement tooth (98), which is positioned along the longitudinal axis (24) between the rotation axis (78) and the distal end (90) of the pawl (76).

2. The bundle discharge system (60) according to claim 1, wherein, The crop joining tooth (98) includes multiple teeth (98).

3. The bundle discharge system (60) according to claim 1, wherein, The crop joining teeth (98) form a notch (100) opposite to the axis of rotation (78) for joining the crop material of the formed bundle.

4. The bundle discharge system (60) according to claim 3, wherein, The notch (100) includes a peak (102) and a valley (104), wherein when the pawl (76) is in the retracted position, the peak (102) is positioned closer to the distal end (90) of the pawl (76) than the valley (104); and wherein when the pawl (76) is in the retracted position, the valley (104) is positioned closer to the axis of rotation (78) than the peak (102).

5. The bundle discharge system (60) according to claim 1, wherein, The cam surface (86) includes a generally arcuate profile (108) oriented perpendicular to the axis of rotation (78).

6. The bundle discharge system (60) according to claim 5, wherein, The arcuate profile (108) of the cam surface (86) is defined by a radius between 150 mm and 210 mm.

7. The bundle discharge system (60) according to claim 1, wherein, The movement of the carrier (66) and the pawl (76) along the longitudinal axis (24) causes the cam surface (86) to move against the pin (64), causing the pawl (76) to rotate about the axis of rotation (78) between a retracted position and an engaged position, in which the pawl (76) is positioned outside the bundle forming plane; in the engaged position, the pawl (76) extends beyond the bundle forming plane to position the distal end (90) of the pawl (76) and the crop engagement tooth (98) inside the bundle forming plane for engaging the crop material in the formed bundle.

8. The bundle discharge system (60) according to claim 7, wherein, The cam surface is shaped such that when the pawl (76) is in the engagement position, the pawl (76) is positioned relative to the bundle forming plane such that a line (106) extending between the distal end (90) of the pawl (76) and the axis of rotation (78) intersects the bundle forming plane to form an acute angle (112) between the line (106) and the bundle forming plane, wherein the acute angle (112) is greater than 20 degrees.

9. The bundle discharge system (60) according to claim 7, wherein, The cam surface is shaped such that the total rotation angle of the pawl (76) around the axis of rotation (78) is between 25 degrees and 45 degrees.

10. The bundle discharge system (60) according to claim 1, wherein, The rotation axis (78) is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis (24), and the rotation axis (78) and the longitudinal axis (24) are positioned substantially horizontally.

11. A pawl (76) for a bundle ejection system (60) of a packing machine (20), said bundle ejection system (60) being a bundle ejection system (60) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, said pawl (76) comprising: A planar structure (80) defines a mounting hole (82) extending through the planar structure, wherein the center of the mounting hole (82) defines a rotation axis (78). The planar structure (80) includes a cam surface (86) and a material engagement surface (88) disposed opposite to the cam surface (86), wherein the cam surface (86) and the material engagement surface (88) extend away from the rotation axis (78) and converge to define a distal end (90) spaced apart from the rotation axis (78); and The material engagement surface (88) defines crop engagement teeth (98), which are positioned between the distal end (90) of the planar structure (80) and the axis of rotation (78). When the planar structure (80) is rotated to engage with a bundle, the distal end (90) of the planar structure (80) and the crop engagement teeth (98) are operable to engage the crop material of the bundle.

12. The pawl (76) according to claim 11, wherein, The crop engagement tooth (98) forms a notch (100) opposite to the axis of rotation (78), wherein the notch (100) includes a peak (102) and a valley (104), wherein the peak (102) is positioned closer to the distal end (90) of the planar structure (80) than the valley (104).

13. The pawl (76) according to claim 11, wherein, The cam surface (86) includes a generally arcuate profile (108) oriented perpendicular to the axis of rotation (78).

14. The pawl (76) according to claim 13, wherein, The arcuate profile (108) of the cam surface (86) is defined by a radius between 150 mm and 210 mm.

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