INTEGRATED CROP BAFFLE AND HOLD DOWN ASSEMBLY USED WITH BALER PICK-UP AND SUSPENSION FOR SAME

A large round baler includes a crop pick-up having a tined reel for lifting a windrow of crop to a secondary feeder which moves the crop into the baling chamber. Crop feeding is aided by an integrated crop baffle and hold-down assembly suspended from the baler frame for vertical floating movement by a trailing four-bar linkage arrangement. The baffle is located ahead of the pick-up tin e reel, and the compressor rods extending rearwardly over the reel from a location close to an upper rear region of the baffle to a region beneath a bale starter roll. The linkage arrangement controls the movement of the integrated crop baffle and hold-dow n assembly such that the assembly quickly adjusts to varying windrow thickness , and so that interference between the starter roll and the rear sections of the crop hold-down compressor is avoided.