DRIVE ARRANGEMENT FOR POWERING PLUNGER AND AUXILIARY FUNCTIONS OF LARGE RECTANGULAR BALER

A first embodiment of a drive arrangement for a large rectangular baler includes hydraulic pump and motor sets, and second and third embodiments include only gear and shaft arrangements, for driving the plunger for compressing th e crop being baled, and for driving all of the auxiliary functions. In all embodiments, power delivered by a main shaft is divided between an auxiliary function drive sha ft and a plunger drive shaft. In the first and second embodiments, a flywheel is located for smoothing the power flow to the plunger drive arrangement, and in the third embodiment the flywheel is located for smoothing power flow to both the plunger drive arrangement and the auxiliary function drive arrangement. In all embodiments, the rotation of the shaft carrying the flywheel due to the inertia of the flywheel is ineffective for driving the plunger and auxiliary function drive arrangement s when power to the main drive shaft is cut off.