Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02487635 2002-06-19
BALE PROCESSOR
FIELD OF INVENTION:
The invention relates to an improved apparatus for disintegrating bales
of agricultural material such as hay.
BACKGROUND:
Bale processors, including processors of the type having a tub with a
longitudinally disposed disintegration flail roller and two bale support
rollers (as
disclosed in Canadian Patent No. 2,086,569 owned by the applicant herein) are
known. Additionally, processors that include a driven feeder chain or conveyor
belt
to to rotate the bale such that different portions of the baled material are
exposed to the
disintegration flail roller are also known.
The majority of the bale processors known to the inventors are only
adapted to process one type of bale configuration commonly used in the
industry
(i.e. "round" or "square"). Furthermore, primarily due to the large size and
weight of
modern "square" bales (which have a rectangular configuration), problems may
be
encountered with operational flexibility and durability of some processors.
Moreover,
the majority of the processors known to the inventors are only adapted to
discharge
out of one side of the processor.
Moreover, the majority of flail rollers known to the inventors are
designed with a series of flails pivotally mounted in straight rows along the
length of
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the flail roller. When the flails engage the baled material with significant
force, the
flails are forced backwards and come into contact with the flail drum. This
action is
commonly referred to as "back slap". When back slap occurs, the center of
gravity
of the flail drum is altered which results in the flail drum becoming out of
balance and
vibrations in the system. Furthermore, the tip speed of the flail is also
reduced which
results in reduced processing speed and throw distance.
In addition, the majority of bale processors known to the inventors are
mounted to the end walls of the bale processors by a set of bearings. However,
during operation, the flail roller and the end walls of the bale processor
vibrate.
l0 These vibrations induce stresses on the housings of the bearings which
mount the
flail drum.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION:
It is an object of the present invention to provide a bale processor.
According to one aspect of the invention, the invention provides an
apparatus for processing baled crop material comprising:
a chassis;
a bale receptacle mounted on the chassis, said receptacle having a
front wall and a rear wall a first side wall on a first side and a second side
wall on a
second side connected together to form an open top into which a bale can be
fed;
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the first side wall and the second side wall each being generally
inclined inwardly and downwardly from the open top toward a bottom of the
receptacle;
the first and second side walls being mounted so as to remain in fixed
position during loading and feeding of a bale such that the bale is loaded
from above
through the open top;
a bottom discharge section of the receptacle being provided at the
bottom of the side walls and including a discharge opening on the first side
of the
receptacle underneath the first side wall and opposite to said second side
wall;
a flail roller mounted in the bottom discharge section of the bale
receptacle for rotation about an axis of the roller which axis extends along
the
receptacle from the front wall to the rear wall;
the flail roller having a plurality of flails arranged to rotate with the
roller
around the axis to carry the baled material of the bale and to discharge the
processed baled material out of the bale receptacle through the discharge
opening;
the flail roller being arranged to rotate in a direction so as to carry the
baled material from the second side wall underneath the roller to the
discharge
opening underneath the first side wall;
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a plurality of parallel grate bars at spaced positions along the flail roller
between which the flails extend, the grate bars each extending from a position
on
the first side wall above the discharge opening to the second side wall;
a driven roller mounted in the bale receptacle for driven rotation about
its axis with its axis parallel to the axis of the flail roller, the driven
roller being
spaced inwardly of the inclined second side wall, said driven roller being
adapted to
engage and provide support for a bale in the bale receptacle inwardly of the
second
wall and above said flail roller;
the driven roller having outwardly extending bale engaging members
1 o thereon to engage the bale and to provide rotational force to the bale in
the bale
receptacle to rotate the bale and to expose different parts thereof to the
flail roller
when the bale is being processed;
the second side wall and the driven roller being arranged such that the
bale is supported against downward movement on the second side of the grate
bars
at least primarily by the driven roller;
at least one freely rotatable, non-driven rotatable member in the bale
receptacle inwardly of the inclined first side wall with an axis of rotation
parallel to
the axis of the flail roller, said non-driven rotatable member being adapted
to engage
and provide support for a bale in the bale receptacle above said flail roller;
CA 02487635 2002-06-19
the first side wall being arranged such that the bale is supported
against downward movement on the first side of the grate bars at least partly
by the
at least one non-driven rotatable member.
The invention also provides a method for processing baled materials
5 generally as defined above.
Brief Description of the Drawings:
Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described by way
of example with reference to the attached drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a left side perspective view of a bale processor according to
1 o an embodiment of the invention.
Figure 2 is a cut away front view of a bale processor according to an
embodiment of the invention.
Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments:
As shown in Figure 1, the bale processor has a receptacle comprising
a processing tub 1 mounted on a chassis 3. The tub 1 has symmetrical end walls
5
and 7 and side walls 9 and 11 of differing configurations. A discharge opening
13 is
provided at the bottom of side wall 11. A discharge door 12 is pivotally
attached to
side wall 11 above the discharge opening 13. The discharge door 12 is raised
and
lowered to direct the processed baled material as it is ejected from the
discharge
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opening 13. The discharge door 12 can be adjusted manually or actuated through
a
hydraulic or electric system of any suitable type known in the art.
In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, side wall 11 is located on the left
side of the bale processor. As discussed below, the processing tub 1 and the
chassis 3 are designed such that the processing tub can be rotated 180 degrees
to
position side wall 11 on the right side of the processor.
The processing tub 1 is sized such that a large square bale, or,
alternatively, two round bales, may be positioned lengthwise therein for
processing.
Typically, an inside width of approximately 7.5 feet (side wall 9 to side wall
11 ) and
l0 in inside length of at least 10 feet (from end wall 5 to end wall 7) is
sufficient to
accommodate most large bales in this manner.
As shown in Figure 2, a disintegrator is mounted within the processing
tub 1. In the embodiment illustrated, the disintegrator comprises a flail
roller 17
extending the length of the processing tub 1 and mounted in the bottom
thereof. The
flail roller 17 is rotatable about its longitudinal axis such that a series of
flails 19
pivotally mounted thereon extend to engage and separate the baled material
contained within the processing tub 1. In the embodiment shown, the flail
roller 17 is
slightly offset from the center of the processing tub 1. The offset of the
flail roller 17
provides balance to the apparatus due to the differing configurations of side
walls 9
and 11 as well as the location of a driven feed roller 22 which is discussed
in greater
detail below.
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The flail roller is provided with a plurality of flail mounts 42. The flail
mounts 42 are spaced longitudinally along the periphery of the flail roller 17
in two
opposing spiral configurations. The flails 19 are pivotally mounted to the
flail mounts
42. The flail roller has a pivot diameter 44, being the distance between
opposing flail
mounts 42, and each flail has a flail length 46. During operation, the flail
roller has a
sweep distance 48 measured between the tips of the two opposing flails 19. For
improved performance in processing speed, throw distance and durability of the
flail
roller 17, the flail roller is provided with a pivot diameter equal to or
greater than 15
3/8 inches and a flail length to pivot diameter ratio of less than 0.5.
However, the
length of the flails must be of sufficient length to extend to engage the
baled material
positioned in the processing tub 1. The reduction of the flail length to pivot
diameter
reduces the change in the center of gravity of the flail roller 17 which
results from the
back slap of the flails 19. The spiral configuration of the flails 19 on the
flail roller 17
also reduces the number of flails in contact with the baled material at one
time.
Thus, the change in the center of gravity resulting from back slap of the
flails 19 is
further reduced. In addition, the reduction in the flail length to pivot
diameter ratio
results in the change in sweep diameter resulting from back slap of the flails
19
being reduced thereby reducing the effect of back slap on the tip speed of
flails 19.
The flail roller 17 is rotated by a power source (not shown). As shown
2 o in Figure 1, the flail roller 17 may be adapted to be detachably connected
to a PTO
drive of a tractor. To that end, an axial rod 18 is provided on the end of the
flail roller
17 and extends through a set of bearings 21 mounted on end wall 5. As will be
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discussed in greater detail below, the opposing end of the flail roller is
mounted to
end wall 7 in a similar manner.
In the arrangement shown in Figures 1 and 2, during operation, the flail
roller 17 is rotated in a clockwise direction (viewed from the rear of the
machine).
Accordingly, the flail roller 17 can be connected directly to the PTO of most
tractors.
The axial rod 18 is splined at the end thereof for insertion into a female
splined
connection of a standard PTO of a tractor. Alternative power sources, such as
a
reversible hydraulic motor, may be used to drive the flail roller 17 without
departing
from the invention in its broadest aspect.
As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the processing tub 1 is provided with a
manipulator comprising a single driven feed roller 22. In the embodiment
shown, the
driven feed roller 22 is located above and to the left of the flail roller 17
(when
viewed from the front of the processor) and extends the length of the
processing tub
1. The driven feed roller 22 is rotatable about its longitudinal axis and has
manipulating members comprising teeth 23 and flanges 25 extending radially
therefrom. The side wall 9 extends inwardly and downwardly under the driven
feed
roller 22 towards the flail roller 17 to direct baled material passing between
the
driven feed roller 22 and the side wall 9 into the flail roller 17 for
disintegration.
As shown in Figure 1, the driven feed roller 22 is rotated about its
longitudinal axis by a reversible hydraulic motor 33. The driven feed roller
22 is
mounted to end wall 5 by a roller mount 29 secured on the end wall by an
adjustable
hanger 36. A set of bearings 31 is positioned within the roller mount 29 to
support
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the driven feed roller 22 while permitting rotation thereof. The
specifications for the
bearings 31 are selected depending upon the typical load conditions of the
driven
feed roller 22 during operation. The adjustable hanger 36 is manually adjusted
to
move the roller mount within a rectangular shaped hole 34 in end wall 5 to
move the
v 5 driven feed roller 22 towards or away from the flail roller 17 while
maintaining the
driven feed roller parallel to the side wall 9. It will be understood by those
skilled in
the art that the adjustable hanger could be replaced by a hydraulic or
electric system
to move the driven feed roller 22. As shown in Figure 1, the opposing end of
the
driven feed roller is mounted to end wall 7 in an identical manner as
described
l0 above.
The hydraulic motor 33 is mounted to a motor mount 35 secured at the
upper end thereof to the adjustable hanger 36 and the roller mount 29. The
hydraulic motor 33 is detachably connected to the end of driven feed roller
22.
Specifically, the driven feed roller 22 has an axial rod 37 extending from
each end
15 thereof. Each axial rod 37 has a splined female connection adapted to
releasably
receive a splined rotatable shaft 38 of the hydraulic motor 33. The motor
mount 35
prevents rotation of the body of hydraulic motor 33 during operation and
maintains
the rotatable shaft 38 engaged with axial rod 37. Alternative connection
assemblies
for detachably connecting the hydraulic motor to the driven feed roller would
be
20 known to those skilled in the art.
As shown in Figures 1 and 2, side wall 11 has a wall portion slanted
inwardly and downwardly towards the flail roller 17 and is spaced from the
driven flail
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to
roller 22 such that it provides a passive support means for the baled material
deposited within the processing tub 1. In the embodiment shown in the
drawings,
the passive support means includes a set of three rollers 27 to facilitate
rotation of
the baled material contained within the processing tub 1. It will be
understood by a
person skilled in the art that the set of three rollers 27 could be replaced
with a
combination of one or more rollers without departing from the invention in its
broadest aspect. Alternatively, the set of rollers 27 can be removed and the
portion
of the inner surface of the portion of side wall 11 sloping inwardly and
downwardly
towards the flail roller would itself provide the passive support means for
the baled
1 o crop material. In a further alternative, a combination of one or more
rollers and/or a
portion of the inner surface of side wall 11 could provide the passive support
means.
In a further alternative, a baffle or one or more non-driven rollers can be
provided
within the processing tub 1 to provide a passive support means.
During operation, as the flail roller 17 is rotated, flails 19 extends
radially to engage the baled crop material positioned between the driven feed
roller
22 and the set of rollers 27, separating it from the baled material and
discharging the
disintegrated material through the discharge opening 13. As the driven feed
roller
22 is rotated, the teeth 23 and flanges 25 engage the baled material contained
within
the processing tub 1 to rotate the baled material thereby exposing different
sections
thereof to the flails 19 for disintegration. The set of rollers 27 supports
the baled
crop material and facilitate rotation thereof. The hydraulic motor 33 is
reversible
such that the driven feed roller 22 can rotate the baled material in both
directions.
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As shown in Figure 2, a set of feed control rods 30 are provided within
the processing tub 1 above the flail roller 17. The feed control rods 30 are
mounted
to the side walls 9 and 11 of the processing tub 1 and are axially spaced
along the
length of the processing tub 1 such that, in operation the flails 19 extend
therebetween to engaged the baled material within the processing tub. The
height
of the feed control rods 30 above the flail roller 17 can be adjusted to alter
the rate at
which the baled material is disintegrated and discharged from the processing
tub 1.
The height is adjusted by movement of the location of mounts 32 connecting the
feed control rods 30 to the side walls 9 and 11. In one embodiment, a series
of
l0 mounting locations is provided on each of the side walls 9 and 11 which can
be used
to mount the feed control rods 30 by use of a locking pin or other
arrangement.
Alternatively, the height of the feed control rods 30 can be actuated by
movement of
mounts 32 through a hydraulic or electric system of any suitable type known in
the
art.
The feed control rods 30 minimize clogging and damage of the flail
roller 17 for undisintegrated baled material passing between the driven feed
roller 22
and the passive support means. The feed control rods support any such material
as
it is disintegrated by the flails 19. In addition the feed control rods also
provide
support when bales of different configurations, such as square bales, are
deposited
within the tub processing tub 1 for disintegration.
An upper portion 34 of side wall 11 is pivotally attached thereto to
facilitate loading of large square bales widthwise within the processing tub.
The
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upper portion 34 of side wall 11 can be lowered to a generally horizontal
position.
The large square bale is then positioned within the processing tub and along
the
upper portion 34 of side wall 11. Once the large square bale is in position,
the upper
portion 34 of the side wall 11 is raised to its generally vertical position
thereby
positioning the bale within the processing tub 1 for disintegration. The upper
portion
34 of side wall 11 can be raised or lowered either manually or actuated
through a
hydraulic or electric system of the type known in the art. Alternatively, the
upper
portion of side wall 9 could be pivotally mounted thereto to facilitate
loading of large
square bales in a similar manner.
The chassis 3 includes a hitch 41 mounted at the front thereof and an
axle 43 positioned near the rear. Axle 43 has a hollow center portion 45
extending
transversely across and secured to chassis 3 and end portions 47 adapted to be
inserted therein on each side of the chassis 3. A ground-engaging wheel 40 is
attached to each end portion 47. Each end portion 47 is adapted to slide
axially
within the center portion 45 to adjust the width of axle 43. End portions 47
are
lockable at the desired location by insertion of a locking pin 49 through
holes
provided in the center portion 45 and in the end portions 47. Accordingly, the
axle
43 can be widened to provide the apparatus with more stability over uneven
terrain
or narrowed to facilitate transport along a road or highway. Furthermore, the
axle 43
can be widened to improve stability of the bale while large or more than one
bale is
loaded into the processing tub 1.
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An axle 43 is also provided with jack mounts 51 to facilitate connection
to a jack assembly (not shown). Each jack mount comprises a square bracket 53
with a hole 55 in the top bottom thereof. The square bracket 53 is sized to
accept
the male connection of the jack assembly. A locking pin (not shown) is
inserted
through the holes 55 to maintain the jack assembly connected during operation.
The
jack assembly is used to raise a side of the bale processor such that the
width of the
axle 43 can be adjusted as set out above.
The chassis 3 includes a second axle 70 positioned between the front
of the chassis and axle 43. The second axle is provided with a ground engaging
1 o wheel 72 on each end thereof and includes a hollow center portion 74 and
end
portions 76 of the type shown for axle 43 such that the width of the axle is
adjustable
for stability and for ease of transport as described for axle 43. The second
axle 70 is
included to disperse the weight of the processing tub 1 and the baled material
container therein from the axle 43 and hitch 41.
The processing tub 1 is detachably connected to the chassis 3 such
that apparatus can be converted from a left side discharge arrangement as
shown in
Figure 1 to a right side discharge arrangement or vice-a-versa. The processing
tub
1 has front to back symmetry to facilitate the conversion.
In the left side discharge arrangement, three support legs 57 are bolted
2 0 to the right side of the chassis 3 by a U-shaped bolts 59. The processing
tub 1 is
connected to the upper part of support legs 57 by bolts. Each of end walls 5
and 7
of the processing tub 1 are provided with brackets 65 and 67 at the bottom
thereof
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14
for connecting the processing tub 1 to the chassis 3 by U-shaped bolts 69. In
an
arrangement as a result of the configuration of the chassis 3, bracket 67 on
end wall
7 and bracket 65 on end wall 5 are use to connect the processing tub 1 to the
left
side of chassis 3.
The bale processor is converted to the right side discharge
arrangement by disconnecting the processing tub 1 from the chassis 3 and the
support legs 57. The support legs 57 are subsequently disconnected from the
chassis 3 and moved to the left side of the chassis 3 and secured thereto by U-
shaped bolts 59. The processing tub 1 is rotated by 180 degrees thereby
positioning
1o side wall 11 on the right side of the chassis. Side wall 9 is positioned on
top of
support legs 57 and secured thereto by bolts. The processing tub 1 is attached
to
the right side of chassis 3 by securing bracket 67 on end wall 5 and bracket
65 on
end wall 7 to the right side of the chassis with U-shaped bolts 69.
Prior to conversion of the apparatus from the left side discharge
arrangement to the right side discharge arrangement the hydraulic motor 33 and
hydraulic motor mount 35 must be disconnected and the flail drum 17
disconnected
from the power source. Any other hydraulics or other systems would also be
disconnected. Once the processing tub 1 is arranged in the right side
discharge
arrangement, the hydraulic motor 33 and motor mount 35 are connected to end
wall
7 of the processing tub 1 now located at the front of the chassis 3 in the
same
manner as discussed above. As bearings 31 are provided in each roller mount
29,
CA 02487635 2002-06-19
the driven feed roller does not have to be removed to move the bearings from
one
end of the driven feed rollers to the other.
Any other hydraulics or other systems are then re-connected to the
bale processor once the processing tub 1 is secured to the chassis. In
particular,
5 the power source is connected to an axial rod 20 of the flail roller 17
extending
through a set of bearings 23 provided in end wall 7 as shown in Figure 11.
However, in the embodiment shown, in the right side discharge arrangement, the
flail roller 17 must be rotated in a counter-clockwise direction (when viewed
from the
rear) during operation. Accordingly, if the power source rotates in a
clockwise
1o direction (i.e. a PTO of a standard tractor) a rotation conversion device
must be
positioned between the power source and the flail roller 17.
The rotation conversion device comprises a gearbox 71 of the type
commonly used in the industry. The gearbox 71 is positioned on a dampener 73
to
reduce the load on bearings 23 and the power source due to the weight of the
15 rotation conversion device. In addition, the dampener 73 also serves to
absorb the
vibrations and rotation of the gearbox 71 during acceleration or deceleration,
especially during the start-up and shut down.
The dampener 73 is mounted to the chassis 3 by brackets 75 secured
to the chassis by U-shaped bolts 77. An upper support 79 having a lip 81 is
secured
to each of the brackets 75. A cross support 83 is secured to bottom of gearbox
71
and extends between brackets 75. The cross support 83 is mounted at opposing
ends thereof to each of the upper supports 79 by bolts 85 which extend through
the
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cross support and through lips 81. Upper compression springs 87 are axially
mounted on each of bolts 85 between the cross supports 83 and the lips 81 of
upper
supports 79. Lower compression springs 89 are axially positioned on each of
bolts
85 below lips 81 and maintained in position by a nut 91.
The upper compression springs 87 are compressed to exert a slight
upper pressure on the gearbox 71 to remove the stress from the weight of the
gearbox from bearings 23 and the power source. Furthermore, during operation,
as
the gearbox 71 rotates, opposing upper and lower compressions springs 87 and
89
co-operate to return the cross support 83, and thus the gearbox 71, to a level
position.
Gearboxes known in the art are typically provided with a male splined
connectors for connecting to input and output shafts. Accordingly, axial rod
20 is
provided with a female splined connector adapted to receive the male splined
connector of gearbox 71. A connection arm 93 is attached to the top of the
gearbox
71 at one end thereof and secured to a bracket 95 mounted on the processing
tub 1
at the other end. The connection arm prevents the gearbox 71 from pulling away
from the processing tub 1 and disconnecting from the axial rod 20.
It will be understood by those skilled in the art that alternative rotation
conversion devices, such as a belt or chain arrangement, may be used without
departing from the invention in its broadest aspect.
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1~
An adjustable fork lift 97 is mounted on the rear of chassis 3 for raising
baled material into the processing tub 1. The adjustability of the fork lift
97 permits
bales of different configurations to be lifted into the processing tub 1. The
fork lift 97
is mounted to each side of the chassis 3 by a mounting bracket 99 secured to
the
chassis by U-shaped bolts 101. A fork lift frame 103 is pivotally attached to
each of
the mounting brackets 99. Hydraulic cylinders 105 are pivotally mounted
between
the fork lift frame 103 and mounting brackets 99 to raise and lower the fork
lift frame.
Two forks 107 are mounted to a bottom cross bar 109 of the fork lift
frame 103 by curved brackets 111. The curved brackets 111 are adapted to slide
l0 axially along the cross bar 109 to adjust the separation between the two
forks 107.
Each side of the cross bar 109 is provided with a series of adjustment holes
113 to
receive a locking pin 115 which is inserted through a hole 117 provided in the
front
of curved brackets 111 to lock the forks 107 at the desired location.
The length of each fork 107 is also adjustable. Each fork 107 includes
a rear section 119 and a front section 121 mounted on the rear section by
square
brackets 123. The square brackets 123 slide axially along the rear section 119
to
adjust the length of the fork 107. Each square bracket 123 is provided with
holes
125 on opposing sides thereof and the rear section 119 is provided with a
series of
adjustment holes 127. The fork 107 can be locked at a desired length by
insertion of
a locking pin or bolt through the holes 125 in the square brackets 123 and one
of the
adjustment holes 127 in the rear section 119.
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The front section 121 of each fork 107 has a bale carrier 129 extending
inwardly towards the opposing fork. The bale carriers 129 are the main contact
surface for the baled material and prevent the baled material from passing
between
the forks 107 as it is loaded into the processing tub 1. A bale spear 131 is
also
mounted on the cross bar 109 between the two forks 107. As the baled material
is
positioned on forks 107 and slides toward cross bar 109, the bale spear 131
punctures the baled material to maintain the baled material in position as it
is raised
into the processing tub 1.
In an alternative embodiment the flail roller 17 mounts within the
1o processing tub 1. The processing tub 1 is mounted on chassis 3 in the left
side
discharge arrangement. A front mounting bracket 50 is secured to the front end
of
chassis 3 by U-shaped bolts 54 adjacent to end wall 5. The front mounting
bracket
50 has a cross-member 58 with a set of bearings 56 mounted thereon. The front
mounting bracket 50 is designed such that the cross-member 58 is position in
front
of a hole provided in end wall 5 of the processing tub. The axial rod 18
extends
through the hole in end wall 5 and through bearings 56, thereby supporting the
front
end of flail roller 17. The axial rod 18 is sized such that a portion thereof
extends
from the bearings 56 for connection to the power source.
A rear mounting bracket 52 is secured to the rear end of chassis 3
2 0 adjacent to end wall 7 by U-shaped bolts 101 which also secures the fork
lift
mounting brackets 99 to chassis 3. The rear mounting bracket 52 has a cross-
member 62 with a set of bearings 60 mounted thereon. The rear mounting bracket
CA 02487635 2002-06-19
19
50 is designed such that the cross-member 62 is positioned behind a hole
provided
in end wall 7 of the processing tub. The axial rod 20 extends through the hole
in end
wall 7 and through bearings 60, thereby supporting the rear end of flail
roller 17.
For conversion from the left side discharge arrangement to the right
side discharge arrangement, the front and rear mounting brackets 50 and 52 are
disconnected from the chassis 3. The processing tub 1 is then disconnected
from
the chassis 3 and rotated 180 degrees as discussed above. Once the processing
tub 1 is reconnected to chassis 3 the front and rear mounting brackets 50 and
52 are
reconnected to the chassis such that axial rod 20 is positioned in bearings 56
and
l0 axial rod 18 is positioned in bearings 60.
Mounting the flail roller 17 alleviates the stress caused on the bearings
21 and 23 due to vibrations in end walls 5 and 7.
It will be understood by those skilled in the art that numerous
alterations, modifications and variations to the above embodiments can be made
without departing from the invention as claimed.
