An agricultural baler includes a main bale chamber, a plunger, a gear box, and a stuffer unit. The plunger is reciprocally movable within the main bale chamber. The stuffer unit is driven by the plunger and the gear box, and is movable through a stuffer cycle for transferring crop material in charges into the main bale chamber. The agricultural baler further includes a hydraulic brake associated with and configured for acting as a brake on the stuffer unit during a portion of the stuffer cycle.