A baler is provided, including a baling chamber that includes a bale-forming channel including at least one adjustable friction control element； a plunger mounted within the channel； a rotary drive mechanism to drive reciprocating movement of the plunger； a control system to control operation of the baler and being configured to determine an actual maximum torque value (MTV) associated with the mechanism, to compare the actual MTV with a selected desired MTV, and to adjust the control element to regulate the actual MTV according to the selected desired MTV； a sensor that senses a force value； and a sensor that senses a cyclical position of a component of the mechanism, the control system being further configured to determine the actual MTV by measuring the force value, sensing the cyclical position of the component, and deriving the actual MTV from the measured force value and the sensed cyclical position.
