IES63853B2 - A bale wrapping machine - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention concerns machines for wrapping large bales 24 of fodder, particularly, square or rectangular bales. The machine is of the kind comprising a turntable 6 which is rotatable about a vertical axis and which rotates the bale about the vertical axis, conveying means to turn the bale about a horizontal axis, and means 16 for continuously supplying a strip 17 of wrapping mateial to the bale as the bale is simultaneously turned through the two axes, to wrap the wrapping mateiral around the bale. The conveying means is in the form of an endless conveyor belt 12 suspended above the turntable and having a substantial sag which defines a cradle to receive the bale, and which assumes a substantially u-shape or v-shape when a bale is placed on the belt. The belt travels about four rollers comprising two lower rollers 210, 211 disposed transversely of the turntable and located forwardly and rearwardly of the turntable respectively, and two upper rollers 212, 213 spaced above and parallel to the lower rollers. There is an adjusting roller located between each one of the lower rollers and the corresponding upper roller, about which the belt also travels. Sliding bearings are provided to displace the adjusting rollers towards or away from each other to increase or decrease the sag in the belt, and for displacing the adjusting rollers out of parallel to control tracking of the conveyor belt. Pivoting side restraining roller assemblies are also provided.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The invention relates to a bale wrapping machine. The invention is particularly concerned with a machine for wrapping bales of silage, hay, straw and the like (hereinafter referred to as fodder) with a plastics film.

BACKGROUND ART It has become conventional practice in agriculture to form fodder into cylindrical-shaped bales which are then wrapped in a plastics film.

This is a particularly suitable method of manufacturing silage because the silage is kept air-tight within the wrapped bale which, typically, is wrapped with up to six plies of plastics. The cylindrically shaped bales are commonly called big round bales. Machines for wrapping big round bales with a plastics film are described, for example, in British Patent Specifications Nos. 2191984A, 2228245A and EP 0208034A (GB 2159489B).

Bale wrapping machines of the kind described comprise a wheeled chassis which may be towed by a tractor. The chassis carries a tipping platform which, in turn, supports a turntable. The turntable is rotatable about a vertical axis. The turntable carries a pair of spaced rollers each of which rotates about a horizontal axis. An endless belt is stretched between the rollers and rotates with the rollers. In order to wrap a large round bale of fodder material with plastics film, the round bale is lifted onto the turntable by means of lifting arms. The bale rests on the endless belt. The free end of a roll of plastics film is attached to the bale and the turntable is then rotated about a generally vertical axis to cause the sheet of film to be wrapped around the bale. However, if no movement of the bale about its longitudinal axis were to occur the bale would merely 1397S - 2 be wrapped with a single band having the thickness of the width of the plastics film. However, on each rotation of the turntable the endless belt is caused to move for a predetermined distance which, in turn, causes the bale to roll about its surface, i.e. about a horizontal axis. This rolling of the bale on the belt allows a new area of bale to be wrapped by the film on each rotation of the turntable, thus eventually achieving a complete covering of the bale with a substantial degree of overlap of the plastics film.

More recently, there has been a tendency for farmers to use baler machines which form the fodder into large bales of a substantially rectangular or square shape. Such machines include Ford New Holland D1000, Hesston 4600, Hesston 4700, Welger Delta 4000, Mengele SB 8580, Claas Quadrant, Deutz Fahr G.P. 3.612. The bales produced by these machines are commonly referred to as big square bales. These bales may, in fact, have a cross-section which is either square or rectangular. These bales present a problem because they cannot adequately be wrapped with film using conventional big bale wrapping machines.

Our International (PCT) Application No. 92/20210 discloses apparatus for wrapping large rectangular or square bales of fodder with a strip of wrapping material, comprising a turntable which is rotatable about a substantially vertical axis and which is adapted to support the bale and rotate the bale about said vertical axis, conveying means including a substantially horizontally-disposed movable conveyor floor on said turntable adapted to turn the bale about a substantially horizontal axis, and means for continuously supplying a strip of wrapping material to the bale as the bale is simultaneously turned through said two axes to wrap the wrapping material around the bale, characterised in that the conveying means includes means forwardly of the conveyor floor for imparting an upward motion to a leading portion of the bale to be wrapped and means located rearwardly of the conveyor floor for imparting a downward motion to the bale, whereby the bale is tumbled on the conveyor floor about a horizontal axis of the bale. By forwardly is meant forwardly with respect to the direction of travel of the conveyor floor, and by rearwardly is meant rearwardly with respect to the direction of travel of the conveyor floor. - 3 In one arrangement the means for imparting an upward motion to a leading portion of the bale, comprises a plurality of driven rollers disposed in parallel arrangement in an array which is inclined upwardly from the upper surface of the conveyor floor while the means for imparting a downward motion to the bale comprises a driven roller disposed rearwardly of the conveyor floor. Alternatively, the means for imparting an upward motion to a leading edge portion of the bale may comprise an inclined conveyor belt or the like. The means for importing a downward motion may also comprise an inclined conveyor belt.

The conveying means includes a conveyor belt disposed substantially horizontally on the floor of the turntable, and rotatable about two rollers extending transversely of the turntable and located to the front and rear respectively of the conveyor floor and turntable.

In another arrangement described in PCT WO 92/20210, there is provided apparatus for wrapping a large rectangular or square bale of fodder with a strip of wrapping material, comprising a turntable which is rotatable about a substantially vertical axis and which is adapted to support the bale and rotate the bale about said vertical axis, conveying means to turn the bale about a substantially horizontal axis, and means for continuously supplying a strip of wrapping material to the bale as the bale is simultaneously turned through said two axes to wrap the wrapping material around the bale, wherein the conveying means comprises an endless conveyor belt suspended above the turntable and adapted to assume a substantially u-shape or v-shape when a bale is placed on the belt and drive means for the belt such that a forward portion of the belt travels upwardly in an upwardly inclined path while a rearward portion of the belt travels downwardly in a downwardly inclined path whereby the bale is turned about a horizontal axis of the bale.

The conveyor belt is suspended from parallel rollers spaced above the turntable, one roller being located forwardly of the turntable and the other rearwardly of the turntable, and at least one of said rollers is driven to cause the belt to travel about said rollers. - 4 Suitably the belt travels about four rollers comprising two lower rollers disposed transversely of the turntable and located forwardly and rearwardly of the turntable respectively, and two upper rollers spaced above and parallel to the lower rollers, and wherein at least one of said upper rollers is a driven roller. There is considerable sag in the conveyor belt to allow it to assume the u-shape or v-shape discussed above. The belt thus forms a cradle in which the bale is nested. The sag in the conveyor belt is such that the belt comes into contact with at least two adjoining side surfaces of the bale at all times during the turning of the bale about its horizontal axis.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the invention to provide improvements in the aforesaid bale wrapping machine.

Accordingly, the invention provides apparatus for wrapping a large rectangular or square bale of fodder with a strip of wrapping material, comprising a turntable which is rotatable about a substantially vertical axis and which is adapted to support the bale and rotate the bale about said vertical axis, conveying means to turn the bale about a substantially horizontal axis, and means for continuously supplying a strip of wrapping material to the bale as the bale is simultaneously turned through said two axes to wrap the wrapping material around the bale, wherein the conveying means comprises an endless conveyor belt suspended above the turntable and having a substantial sag which defines a cradle to receive the bale, and which assumes a substantially u-shape or v-shape when a bale is placed on the belt, wherein the belt travels about four rollers comprising two lower rollers disposed transversely of the turntable and located forwardly and rearwardly of the turntable respectively, and two upper rollers spaced above and parallel to the lower rollers, and wherein there is an adjusting roller located between each one of said lower rollers and the corresponding upper roller, about which the belt also travels, and means being provided to displace said adjusting rollers towards or away from each other to increase or decrease the sag in the belt. - 5 The apparatus may include means, such as sliding bearings for the rollers, for displacing said adjusting rollers out of parallel with each other so as to vary the tension in one side of the conveyor belt relative to the other side.

Preferably at least one of said upper rollers is pivotable outwardly away from the opposite upper roller, whereby the distance between said upper rollers is increased so as to accommodate larger bales between the rollers and/or whereby the wrapped bale may be off-loaded from the belt over said pivoted roller.

The invention also includes apparatus for wrapping a large rectangular or square bale of fodder with a strip of wrapping material, comprising a turntable which is rotatable about a substantially vertical axis and which is adapted to support the bale and rotate the bale about said vertical axis, conveying means to turn the bale about a substantially horizontal axis, and means for continuously supplying a strip of wrapping material to the bale as the bale is simultaneously turned through said two axes to wrap the wrapping material around the bale, wherein the apparatus includes bale restraining roller assemblies disposed to each side of the conveying means and adapted to maintain the bale on the conveying means during the wrapping process, wherein at least one of said roller assemblies is outwardly pivotable to permit unloading of the wrapped bale over said roller assembly when outwardly pivoted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Some embodiments of the invention are hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a first embodiment of a bale wrapping machine of the invention; Figure 2 shows a side elevation, to a larger scale, of a detail of the machine of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a side elevation showing the drive arrangement for the - 6 embodiment of Figure 1; Figure 4 is an elevation of the side opposite to that of Figure 2; Figure 5 shows, to an enlarged scale, an elevation of restraining rollers; Figure 6 is a side view of the rollers of Figure 5; Figure 7 shows the rollers of Figure 6 in a partially pivoted position; Figure 8 is a side elevation of a second embodiment of the invention; Figure 9 is a rear elevation of the embodiment of Figure 8; Figure 10 is a view, similar to Figure 8, to a smaller scale; Figure 11 is a plan view of Figure 10; and Figure 12 shows the machine of Figure 8 in a tipped position.

The prior art machines are described in detail in the applicants' Irish Complete Patent Specification No. 3854/89 (GB. 2241916A), in PCT W0 92/20210 and in Irish Patent Application No. 1631/91, the contents of which are incorporated herein by way of reference.

A first embodiment of bale wrapping apparatus according to the invention is hereinafter described with reference to Figures 1 to 7 of the accompanying drawings.

As shown in Figure 1, the bale wrapping machine comprises a chassis 1 having a pair of wheels 2. The chassis is provided with a hitch 3 for attachment to a tractor. A tipping platform 4 is mounted on the chassis 1. The tipping platform is pivotally connected to a bracket 5 at the rear of the chassis 1 such that the tipping platform may be tipped to unload the wrapped bale. - 7 A turntable 6 is mounted on the platform 4. The platform 4 is provided centrally with a main bearing which is bolted onto the platform. The main bearing carries a central spindle of the turntable 6. The underside of the turntable 6 is fitted with wheels 9 which are adapted to run upon the upper surface of the tipping platform 4, as the turntable 6 rotates. The turntable 6 has a superstructure 10.

Forwardly of the chassis 1 is mounted an upright 15 on which is mounted a film dispensing system 16. The dispenser system 16 includes a known dispenser and pretensioning unit through which sheeting of plastics film 17 is fed and stretched.

Although not shown in Figure 1, a film handling device of the kind described in Figure 8 of PCT WO 92/20210, is provided at the side of the machine to collect and cut the sheeting 17 at the end of the wrapping process.

The embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 7 is particularly suitable for wrapping large rectangular bales, such as bales having a length of 1.20 m made by following balers: Claas Quadrant 1200, Deutz Fahr 4.12 and Fortschritt 550.

In the arrangement shown in this embodiment, the bale 24, which typically has a height of 1.2 m and a width of 1.2 m, as shown in Figure 2 and a depth of approximately 0.70m is turned about its transverse axis A by an endless belt 12 which travels around a series of rollers as hereinafter described.

The disposition of the rollers for controlling and driving the belt 12 is shown more clearly in Figure 2. As shown in Figure 2, the superstructure 10 contains a horizontal frame provided with upwardly and outwardly inclined arms 13 which define a cradle or well 25 in which the bale to be wrapped is received.

The rollers comprise a first pair of rollers 210, 211 which are spaced-apart to the front and to the rear of the machine respectively. The rollers 230, 231 are mounted for rotation about - 8 horizontal axis in bearings 230 and 231 mounted on the inclined arms 13. The rollers 210, 211 extend transversely across the bed of the machine and are substantially parallel to each other. Corresponding bearings 230, 231 are provided in the opposite side of the machine as shown in Figure 4.

The arms 13 are each provided with channel-shaped extension members 232, 233. The upper ends of these channel members carry bearings 234, 235 in which upper rollers 212, 213 are journalled for rotation about horizontal axis. As shown in the drawing, roller 212 extends transversely of the bed of the machine and is spaced from, and extends parallel to, roller 213. The rollers 212, 213 are positioned above the rollers 230 and 211, respectively, and spaced therefrom. The rollers 212 and 213 are spaced apart a distance greater than the distance between the rollers 230 and 231. Thus a line drawn between the central axis of the roller 230 and that of roller 212 would be inclined upwardly and outwardly from the bed of the machine.

Similarly, a line drawn been the axis of roller 211 and that of roller 213 would also be inclined upwardly and outwardly from the bed of the machine.

Adjustable rollers 236, 237 are provided intermediate the rollers 210, 212 and 211, 213, respectively. The rollers 236, 237 also extend transversely of the machine and are held, at each end in sliding bearings 238, 239, respectively.

As described more fully below in relation to Figure 11, the adjustable roller 236 is a belt adjusting roller while the adjustable roller 237 is a tracking adjusting roller for adjusting the tracking of the belt 12. The rollers 236, 237 are adapted to slide towards or away from each other by means of the sliding bearings 238, 239. The bearings can be adjusted by means of a screw nut 240 movable along a threaded rod 241 see (Fig. 11).

As shown most clearly in Figures 2 to 4, the conveyor belt 12 is an endless belt which travels around the outside of rollers 210, 211, 213 and 212, but to the inside of rollers 236 and 237. Thus, by adjusting the rollers 236 and 237 towards each other, the tension in the belt 12 - 9 is increased. The lower rollers 210, 211 are freely rotatable non-driven idler rollers, as is the upper roller 213. The adjustable rollers 236 and 237 are also freely rotatable. The upper roller 212 is a driven roller and it is this roller which imparts drive to the conveyor belt 12.

The drive arrangement for the roller 212 is shown in Figure 3. The drive for the rollers is taken from a centrally disposed sprocket 108 which is fitted to the end of a drive shaft (not shown) which in turn is rotated through an indexing assembly which is described in detail in relation to Figures 10 to 15 of PCT W0 92/20210 and in Irish Patent Application No. 1631/91. The drive from the sprocket 108 is transmitted by means of a belt 109 to a larger sprocket 242 mounted for rotation on the top outer corner of the front arm 13. A smaller sprocket 243 affixed to and co-axial with the sprocket 243 transmits the drive via a belt 244 to a sprocket 245 affixed to the end of the roller 212. The drive is thus an intermittent stepwise forward movement as discussed fully in relation to Figure 17 of our PCT W0 92/20210 and Irish Patent Application No. 1631/91.

As shown in Figure 2, the extension channel 32 and roller 212 are hingeable outwardly, in the direction of the arrow B, about pivot 246. This outwardly pivoting movement takes place against the bias of a spring 247 (see Figure 3) located between a spigot 248 on the channel member 232 and a bracket 249 on the superstructure 10. The sprockets 242, 243 are disposed co-axially with the pivot 246 such that the roller 212 can pivot outwardly without upsetting the tension in the drive belt 244.

In operation of the machine, a bale 24 is placed on the belt 12 with the narrow edge of the bale resting on the belt. The movement of the belt 12 is substantially as described with reference to Figures 30 to 34 of PCT W0 92/20210. The considerable slack in the belt 12 causes the belt to assume a pronounced sag of substantially U-shape as shown in Figure 2 or a substantially V-shape (as shown in Figure 31, of PCT W0 92/20210) depending upon the disposition of the bale at any point in its rotation on the belt. The rollers 240 and 241 are adjusted as required depending upon the size of the bale 24. The belt 12 is - 10 driven by the roller 212 in the direction of the arrows shown in Figure 2 and rotation of the bale 24 on the belt 12, and the wrapping of the bale 24, takes place as described in relation to Figures 30 to 34 of PCT W0 92/20210.

Where the bale 24 is particularly large, along the longitudinal axis of the machine, it can be accommodated due to the outwardly pivoting movement of the roller 212 which effectively increases the distance between the roller 212 and roller 213. A rubber pad 250 is provided on the top surface of the forward arm 13 to dampen the return pivoting of the assembly 232, 212.

As shown more clearly in Figures 5 to 7, the machine includes a pair of spaced side restraining rollers 35 at each lateral side of the cradle 25. These rollers are substantially similar to those described in relation to Figures 18 and 19 of PCT W0 92/20210. The purpose of these rollers is to maintain the bale on the belt during wrapping, and to restrain the bale from falling sideways off the belt. The main differences between the side restraining roller assembly of Figures 5 to 7 and those described in Figures 18 and 19 of PCT W0 92/20210 is that in the arrangement shown in Figure 5, there are four horizontal rollers 35 and two vertical rollers 36. More importantly, the roller assembly 35, 36 is outwardly pivotable relative to bracket assembly 38, about a pivot 251, as shown in Figure 7.

This outward pivotal movement of the roller assembly 35, 36, in the direction of the arrow shown in Figure 41, is controlled by means of a compression spring 252 and oil damper 253. The purpose of this arrangement is that it permits unloading of the bale 24 at the end of the wrapping process over the side of the machine rather than the end of the machine. The bale is thus tipped over the roller assembly 35, which pivots outwardly to accommodate this. The spring damper arrangement 252, 253, returns the roller assembly 35, 36 to its original upright position after the bale has been tipped off. The off-loading of the wrapped bale to one side of the machine, over the spring-loaded roller assembly, instead of over the end rollers as in the prior art is of importance, because it ensures that the off-loaded - 11 bale will land flat on its side rather than on its end. This reduces the risk of film damage, and increases the safety to onlookers in the field.

Because of the side off-loading of the bale, the film handling device (referred to above) is positioned at the side rather than at the front end of the machine.

A second embodiment, shown in Figures 8 to 12, has the same conveyor belt travel arrangement as that shown in Figures 1 to 7 and like numerals denote like parts. The chassis for this machine may be the same as that shown in Figure 1. This machine is particularly suitable for wrapping rectangular bales which are laid flat on the belt 12.

Thus the bales laid on the belt typically have a height of 0.6m, a width of 0.9m (see Fig. 8) and a depth of 1.7m (see Figure 9). That is the transverse dimension of the bale as it lies across the bale wrapping machine is 1.7m. In this arrangement, as can be seen in Figure 8, the bottom rollers 210, 211 are spaced further apart from each other than are the top rollers 212, 213. The extension channel members 232 of the embodiment of Figure 2 are replaced in this embodiment by frame-like structures 232a and 233a on which the bearings for the rollers 212, 213 and the adjusting rollers 238, 237 are mounted.

The arrangement for adjusting the tension in the belt 12 and the tracking of the belt 12 over the conveyor rollers 210, 211, 213 and 212 are illustrated in Figure 11. It will be seen from this figure that not only are adjusting rollers 238 and 237 movable towards and away from each other, but each end of each roller 237, 238 is independently adjustable. Thus, as shown in Figure 11, the rollers 238 and 237 may be moved out of parallel with the rollers 210-213.

The setting of the adjustable bearings for these rollers is of importance in achieving the correct tracking of the continuous belt 12, and in controlling the depth of sag in the top part of the belt. The depth of the sag in the belt 12, and thus the depth of the cradle 25, is critical to the proper overlap of the wrapping film during the wrapping of the bale. If the bale 24 is too low in the cradle 25, a proper overlap of the wrapping film will not be obtained in the center - 12 portion of the bale. On the other hand, if the bale is too high, control of bale rotation on the belt may not be achieved. The adjusting rollers 237, 238 allow the optimum bale wrapping and rotation control to be achieved.

Another important feature of the adjusting rollers 237, 238 is that they permit adjustment of the tracking of the belt 12 over the conveyor rollers. The continuous belt 12 has a natural tendency to float due to variations in bale shape, centrifugal forces and the like. For example, it has been found that when a bale is placed on the belt 12, it tends to move sideways until it abuts one of the sets of the restraining rollers 36. This causes an unequal pressure on the belt 12 and the belt 12 tends to be pushed sideways in a direction opposite to the sideways motion of the bale. This can be corrected by adjusting the rollers 237, 238, out of parallel with the conveyor rollers, as shown in Figure 11. This has the effect of placing less tension on one side of the belt than the other. A typical setting for the adjustable bearings of the rollers 237, 238 is shown in Figure 11. In the case of roller 238, one end of the roller is not adjusted at all, whereas the other end is adjusted by 28 mm. In the case of roller 237, one end is not adjusted whereas the other end is adjusted by 16 mm. Thus, the rollers 237, 238 are no longer truly parallel to each other nor are they parallel to the conveyor rollers.

The same adjusting arrangement is provided in connection with the embodiment of Figures 1 to 7 described above.

In the same manner as with the embodiment shown in Figure 2, the roller assembly 212 can pivot outwardly in the direction of the arrow B in Figure 8. In this embodiment because the roller 212 is in-set relative to the roller 210, the weight of the roller biases the assembly inwardly, and the restraining spring 247 is not required.

In this embodiment, when the bale is wrapped it is off-loaded over the roller 212, at the rear of the machine, as shown in Figure 12. The machine is shown in a tipped position in Figure 12. In the tipped position the weight of the bale 24 comes on the top roller 212 and causes the whole roller assembly to hinge outwards about the pivot - 13 246. This increases the distance between the rollers 212, and 213 to considerably reduce the sag in the belt 12, such that the bale 24 slides over the roller 212 and onto the ground. When the bale has been off-loaded and the bale wrapping machine has been returned to the horizontal, the roller assembly 212 returns to the upright position. The damper 250 absorbs any shocks caused by this return. The damper 250 also absorbs shocks when a bale 24 is loaded on the belt 12. The pivoting of the roller assembly also permits the drive roller 212 to move inwardly and outwardly to accommodate different bale sizes.

As shown in Figure 12, the drive arrangement for the roller 212 is similar to that described above in relation to Figure 3 and like numerals denote like parts.

The pronounced sag in the conveyor belt 12 has a deep cradling effect on the bale, allowing more bale surface area in contact with the belt. This improves wrapping performance, and control of the bale during the wrapping process. It improves bale rotation characteristics during wrapping, and enhances the ability of the machine to handle and wrap misshapen, or extra long bales.

The depth of the sag is from 35 to 45% of the height of the bale, preferably about 40% of bale height. Thus for a bale which is 600 mm high, the belt sag will be between 230-250 mm. Where the bale is 1200 mm high, the sag is from 340 mm to 360 mm. The depth of the sag corresponds to the depth of the cradle or well, i.e. it is the depth vertically, when the bale is lying flat as shown in Figure 8, between a line joining the tops of the rollers 212, 213 and the lowermost part of the belt 12.

Claims (5)

1. Apparatus for wrapping a large rectangular or square bale of fodder with a strip of wrapping material, comprising a turntable which is rotatable about a substantially vertical axis and which is adapted to support the bale and rotate the bale about said vertical axis, conveying means to turn the bale about a substantially horizontal axis, and means for continuously supplying a strip of wrapping material to the bale as the bale is simultaneously turned through said two axes to wrap the wrapping material around the bale, wherein the conveying means comprises an endless conveyor belt suspended above the turntable and having a substantial sag which defines a cradle to receive the bale, and which assumes a substantially u-shape or v-shape when a bale is placed on the belt, wherein the belt travels about four rollers comprising two lower rollers disposed transversely of the turntable and located forwardly and rearwardly of the turntable respectively, and two upper rollers spaced above and parallel to the lower rollers, and wherein there is an adjusting roller located between each one of said lower rollers and the corresponding upper roller, about which the belt also travels, and means being provided to displace said adjusting rollers towards or away from each other to increase or decrease the sag in the belt.

2. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, including means, such as sliding bearings for the rollers, for displacing said adjusting rollers out of parallel with each other so as to vary the tension in one side of the conveyor belt relative to the other side.

3. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein at least one of said upper rollers is pivotable outwardly away from the opposite upper roller, whereby the distance between said upper rollers is increased so as to accommodate larger bales between the rollers and/or whereby the wrapped bale may be off-loaded from the belt over said pivoted roller.

4. Apparatus for wrapping a large rectangular or square bale of fodder with a strip of wrapping material, comprising a turntable which is rotatable about a substantially vertical axis and which is - 15 adapted to support the bale and rotate the bale about said vertical axis, conveying means to turn the bale about a substantially horizontal axis, and means for continuously supplying a strip of wrapping material to the bale as the bale is simultaneously turned through said two axes to wrap the wrapping material around the bale, wherein the apparatus includes bale restraining roller assemblies disposed to each side of the conveying means and adapted to maintain the bale in the conveying means during the wrapping process, wherein at least one of said roller assemblies is outwardly pivotable to permit unloading of the wrapped bale over said roller assembly when outwardly pivoted.

5. A bale wrapping machine substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, Figures 1 to 7 or Figures 8 to 12 of the accompanying drawings.