The machine that compresses cut and raked hay, straw or silage into compact bales for handling and storage. A knotter-equipped stationary baler grew out of reaper technology in the 1870s; the pickup baler followed in the 1930s and the round baler reached mass production only in 1947, though a working round-bale press had already been built and patented decades earlier.
Popular credit for the first round baler goes to Allis-Chalmers' 1947 Roto-Baler, but the Nebraska Luebben family had already built and refined a rolling round-bale press from 1892, patented by Ummo Luebben in 1910; Allis-Chalmers licensed and refined the Luebben design rather than inventing the mechanism outright.
Facts
Introduced Year OriginA knotter-equipped hay press grew out of reaper technology in the 1870s (Withington, commercialized by Cyrus McCormick); pickup balers followed in the 1930s and the first round baler reached mass production only in 1947, with Allis-Chalmers' Roto-Baler, built on a design the Luebben family had already patented. 1 Connections
Associated With
the pitchfork was the manual tool for turning and loading hay before mechanized balers took over that handling
a windrower cuts and arranges hay or forage into rows for a baler to pick up afterward
Sources
1. Baler (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHistory section
In 1872, a reaper that used a knotter device to bundle and bind hay was invented by Charles Withington; this was commercialized in 1874 by Cyrus McCormick.
Round baler section
the first round baler did not see production until 1947 when Allis-Chalmers introduced the Roto-Baler
Lead section
A baler, or hay baler, is a piece of farm machinery used to compress a cut and raked crop into compact bales that are easy to handle, transport, and store.
View the Source Who Invented the Round Hay Baler? (Farm Collector)
Farm CollectorAllis-Chalmers Roto-Baler sectionQuote, Allis-Chalmers Roto-Baler section
the Allis-Chalmers Tractor Division Manager Harry Merritt acquired the rights to Luebben's baler for the company to use
Dissenting Readings (1 dissenting reading)
Description
The Luebben family of Sutton, Nebraska built and continually improved a rolling round-bale press from 1892, patented by Ummo Luebben in 1910. Allis-Chalmers acquired rights to the Luebben design in 1939 and refined it into the Roto-Baler it introduced in 1947, so the machine popularly credited as the first round baler was a commercialization of an existing design rather than a new invention.
A dissenting reading, from Ummo LuebbenWho Invented the Round Hay Baler? (Farm Collector), Farm Collector
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