Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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The present invention relates to article handling app-
aratus and more particularly relates to apparatus for handling
bales such as large round hay bales and is a divislon of Appli-
ation Number 321,327 filed 13 February 1979.
Heavy and bulky article equipment has usually been
designed only with respect to the particular type of article and
to handle the article in a very limited way. Thus, there is one
piece of equipment to pick up individual articles, a second piece
of equipment to transport a plurality of articles, a third
piece of equipment to unload the articles from the transporter
and a fourth piece of equipment to stack the articles. This is
generally the case for equipment designed to handle the modern
large round hay bales. Whereas the conventional box-shaped
hay bale was relatively small and weighed less than 50 pounds,
the round hay bale is made with a diameter of 5 or 6 feet and
commonly weighs between 600 and 3,000 lbs. depending upon material
density and moisture content and is approximately 5 feet long.
Commercial farm equipment exists in which the large
round hay bales are wound in situ at the same time the hay
is being harvested. Modern farming techniques call for the
baler to follow or be part of the hay harves-ting equipment and
form the large hay bales and deposit them in a plurality of
rows. The hay bales are then collected, usually by a forklift
and deposited on a transporting piece of equipment. After the
bales have been taken to the storage location another piece
of equipment is usually required to unload the transporter and
yet another piece of equipment is required to stack the hay
bales. Finally, still another piece of apparatus is usually
used for unrolling the hay and distributing the hay to live-
stock, such as cattle.
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Prior art devices for lifting, transporting, stackinq,
unrolling and otherwise handling the large round hay bales
are disclosed in the following United States Patents: Adam,
No. 4,117,9~0 which discloses a side self-loading, rear self-
discharging trailer for transporting a number of round hay
bales; Grillot, No. 4,088,272 which discloses a bale self-
loader and shredder; McFarland, No. 4,084,707 which discloses
a round bale, self-loading, transporting, and unrolling machine;
Smith, No. 4,037,741 which discloses a bale loading and trans-
porting apparatus having a feed rack structure for allowing
livestock to feed on the bales; Godberson, No. 3,968,940 which
discloses apparatus mountable on a three-point hitch of a
trailer for engaging, lifting, transporting, and unwinding
a single round bale of hay; Brummit, No. 3,908,846, which
discloses a large round bale handling apparatus mountable
on a three-point hitch of a tractor for engaging, lifting,
transporting, and unwinding a single round hay bale; Waske
et al, No. 3,897,880 and Hostetler, No. 3,896,956, each of
which discloses a device mountable on a pick-up truck or en-
gaging, lifting, and transporting a single bale of hay. In
addition, French Patent No. 2,337,496 and Canadian Patent
980,731 disclose further devices mountable on a three-point
hitch of a tractor for handling round hay bales. Finally,
United States Patents Nos.3,902,612 to Hall and 3,820,673
to McVaugh disclose specifically designed trucks for loading
and transporting cable reels.
A study of the devices depicted in the aforedescribed
patents and of some commercially available machines reveals
several deficiencies. Although some of these machines per-
form a number of functions regarding the handling of hay
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bales, none of the machines combine into one apparatus the
features of self-loading; the ability to load in the hay
baler path; the ability to transport and unload the hay
bales; the ability to stack the hay bales; the ability to
retrieve hay bales arranged in a line; and the ability to
unwind the hay bales. In addition, several of the devices
employing chain conveyers for bale movement cause damage to
the hay and the twine as the hay bales are being handled.
In addition, many serious accidents have occurred through
improper use of those machines employing a front end loader
and many of the self-feeding systems result in a large a-
mount of hay wastage and excessive intake as well as signi-
ficant losses in transporting of the bales.
The present invention overcomes the foregoing and
other deficiencies of the prior art devices and provides a
machine for automatically loading, stacking and retrieving
large articles. If the articles are large round hay bales,
the present invention is also capable of unrolling and feed-
ing the hay. It is also a function and advantage of the pre-
sent invention that all of the foregoing functions are capa-
ble of being performed by a single, relatively inexpensive,
remarkably sturdy machine. In one particular embodiment
of the present invention, a trailer-type machine using hy-
draulic and/or electrical motive forces is easily attach-
able to be pulled by any self-propelled vehicle such as a
tractor or a pick-up truck, and the hydraulics and electri-
cal connections are easily connected to the pulling vehicle.
The present invention, when used with large round
hay bales, is capable of loading at least four bales placed
in a line in the field while following the path of the hay
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6698
baler and is capable of safely transporting the bales to a
storage area and stacking them on end in a two or three high
stack. A stack of at least four bales can be retrieved at
a time and loaded onto the present apparatus for transporta-
tion to the animal feed area where the bales can be unrolled
one at a time. With the present invention, the hay bales
are easily and efficiently handled with a minimum of damage
to the hay bale and a minimum of hay loss.
In one aspect of the present invention, a bale hand-
ling apparatus comprises an elongate main frame having front
and rear ends and which is capable of holding a plurality of
articles or bales and a means for movably supporting the
frame for movement over the ground. The apparatus also has
bale engaging means for releasably engaging a bale and for
loading and unloading the engaged bale respectively onto
and off the frame from one end thereof, and a tilting means
having a transverse axis of rotation for tilting the frame
with respect to the supporting means about the transverse
axis such that a bale loaded onto one end of the frame can
be slid to the other end of the frame in order for a second
bale to be loa2ed onto the frame at the first end.
In another aspect of the present invention, consid-
eration is given to the limited hydraulic capability of the
conventional farm equipment. A conventional farm tractor has
a maximum number of external hydraulic functions which it can
support, typically four for a farm tractor having a dual hy-
draulic system. Therefore, it is a further object of the
present invention to provide a multi-function bale handling
apparatus which limits the total number of hydraulically
operated implements to a minimum. In one aspect of the in-
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vention, the bale handling apparatus uses four hydraulic
actuators to perform six functions, namely: a first hydr-
aulic actuator to open and close two bale grasping arms;
a second hydraulic actuator to transversely move a loaded
bale from one side of the frame to the other side of the
frame; a third hydraulic actuator to move a previously
loaded bale from one end of the frame to the other end of
the frame; and finally a fourth hydraulic actuator which,
in combination with a cam and cam follower and a radius
arm performs the compound functions of lowering and lift-
ing the bale engaging arm adjacent a bale which is situated
on the ground, of swinging or pivoting the bale engaging
arms from a position along side the frame to a position
parallel to the frame while raising the bale engaging arms
to a position above the frame so that a bale can be placed
thereon.
A further aspect of the present invention is directed
to a bale handling apparatus which comprises an elongate
frame having front and rear ends and capable of holdins a
plurality of longitudinally arranged bales and means for
movably supporting the frame over the ground. The bale
handling apparatus further comprises bale engaging means for
releasably engaging a bale wherein the bale engaging means
comprises a support member, means for pivotably mounting the
support member to the frame for substantially horizontal pi-
votal movement, about a generally vertical axis, and means
for pivoting the support member horizontally and rotating
the support member vertically about a horizontal aixs. The
pivoting and rotating means further comprises a hydraulic
motor means and a cam assembly such that through actuation
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of just the hydraulic means, the support member is both
pivotably swung and rotated.
In another aspect of the present invention, the
number of hydraulic actuators is minimized as a result of
the hydraulic actuator which operates the grasping movement
of the arms of the bale engaging means being alinged along
a horizontal, pivotal axis of the bale engaging means. This
aspect of the invention is particularly useful for a bale
handling apparatus which is removably mountable in the bed
of a conventional half-ton or three-quarter ton pick-up truck.
In this aspect of the present invention, the bale handling
apparatus comprises an elongate frame having front and rear
ends and capable of holding a plurality of longitudinally
arranged bales, bale engaging means pivotably mounted on
the frame for releasably engaging a bale and for loading and
unloading the engaged bale respectively onto and off the
frame at one end thereof, and means for moving a first load-
ed bale from said one end of the frame to the other end of
the frame. The bale engaging means includes a substantially
horizontally extending member and two arms pivotably attched
near respective ends thereof to the corresponding ends of---
the support member. A single fluid actuating means for sim-
ultaneously pivoting the two arms is connected between the
respective terminal ends of the arms and extends through the
pivotal axis of the support member.
In a further aspect of the invention, a bale handling
apparatus comprising an elongate, mobile trailer having a
frame and a means for movably supporting the trailer over
the ground. The apparatus also has a tiltable bed mounted
to the frame, the bed being capable of supporting a plurality
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of bales oriented in one direction. Means are provided for
pivotably mounting the bed to the frame for tilting about an
axis generally perpendicular to the firstmentioned direction.
Means are additiorally provided for tilting the bed about
the second axis such that the oriented bales are unloaded
from the trailer in a vertical stacked arrangement onto a
supporting surface such as the ground.
The foregoing and other objects, features and advan-
tages of the present invention are discussed in or are appa-
rent from the description and drawings of the presently pre-
ferred embodiments of the invention found hereinbelow.
The invention will now be described by way of example
only, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in
which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view taken from a photograph
of a prototype according to one embodiment of the present in-
vention adapted for the handling of large cylindrical bales
and which is embodied in a powerless, trailer-type vehicle;
Figure 2 is a plan view, with parts removed, taken
from a scaled blueprint of a slightly different trailer-type,
round hay bale handling apparatus than that shown in Figure l;
Figure 3 is a side elevational view taken from a scaled
blueprint of the hay bale handling apparatus depicted in Fig-
ure 2;
Figure 4 is a side elevational view, similar to Fig-
ure 3, taken from a scaled blueprint, but with the bale en-
gaging means retracted to the trailer loading position;
Figure 5 is an end elevational view, partly in cross-
section taken along line 5-5 of Figure 2;
Figure 6 is a side elevational view, with parts removed
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taken from a scaled blueprint, depicting the trailer bed
in a tilted position;
Figure 7 is a side elevational view, taken from a
scaled blueprint, of a box swivel assembly which contains a
cam for causing the initial rotation about a horizontal axis
of the arms of the bale engaging means during lifting of a
bale;
Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view, taken from a
scaled blueprint, taken along lines 8-8 of Figures 7 and ~;
Figure 9 is a top plan view, taken from a scaled blue-
print of the box swivel assembly shown in Figure 7;
Figure 10 is an enlarged view, taken from a scaled
blueprint, of the circled area of Figure 2 showing the co-op-
eration between the cam and roller cam follower and the pivot
points and motion control strut of the bale engaging assembly;
Figure lO(a) is an enlarged detail view, taken from
a scaled hlueprint, of the bar-lifting equalizer shown in
Figure 10;
Figure lO(b) is an enlarged detail view taken from
a scaled blueprint, of the trunnion shown in Figure 10;
Figure lO(c) is an enlarged detail view taken from
a scaled blueprint, of the bracket and lever hinge shown in
Figure 10;
Figure lO(d) is a detail section taken on line B-B
of Figure 10 with some parts removed for clarify;
Figure 11 is a perspective view depicting the assembly
of the components according to Figures lO(a) - lO(c), with
some co-operating parts shown in phantom outline to provide
co-relation with Figures 10 and lO(d);
Figure 12 is a plan view showing the pivoting of the
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bale engaging assembly and an engaged bale depicted in dash
lines as the bale is rotated through sixty of the ninety de-
grees it is moved as it is being off loaded from the bed of
the carriage assembly;
Figures 13-19 are schematic representations depict-
ing the handling of a bale with the embodiment of the present
invention depicted in Figure 1. These figures respectively
depict a ground supported bale being engaged, the bale being
loaded onto the carriage assembly, a second bale being loaded
onto the carriage assembly, the two previously loaded bales
being shifted from the forward part of the carriage assembly
to the mirrorred part by the tilting of the c~rriage assembly,
loading the fourth bale, off loading all four bales in a
stacked arrangement by pivoting the bed of the carriage assem-
bly, and unrolling a bale to the side, such that, as the car-
riage assembly is moved forward the supporting wheels do not
pass over the unrolled hay;
Figure 20 is a plan view taken from a scaled blue-
print, of another embodiment of the present invention in
which the bale handling apparatus is shown positioned in the
bed of a pick-up truck;
Figure 21 is a side elevational view, taken from a
scaled blueprint, of the embodiment of the invention depict-
ed in Figure 20;
Figure 22 is an end elevational view, taken from a
scaled blueprint, of the embodiment of the invention depict-
ed in Figure 20.
With reference now to the drawings in which like
numerals represent like elements through the several views,
and in particular with reference to Figure 1, a bale handling
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apparatus according to the present invention in the embodiment
of a non-powered trailer 30 is depicted. ~railer 30 is com-
prised of a carriage assembly 32 and a yoke assembly 34 de-
signed to be attached to a self-propelled vehicle, such as
a conventional farm tractor (not shown) which has a conven-
tional dual hydraulic system. Carriage assembly 32 is com-
prised of a wheeled base assembly 36 having two, two-wheeled
transverse axle assemblies 38 and 40 and an elongate base
frame 42, and a bale support platform 44 pivotably mounted
at the rearward portion thereof to base assembly 36.
sale support platform 44 includes a support bed 46,
and two transversely arranged, rearwardly disposed bale
pans 48 and 50 which are spaced apart and fixedly mounted to
the rearward half of support bed 46. A forward bale pan 52
is mounted for transverse movement on support bed 46 with a
conventional hydraulically operated orbit motor (not shown)
and roller chains 54. Forward bale pan 52 is movably by the
orbit motor and roller chains 54 between a first position
in which it is in longitudinal alignment with the right
rear bale pan 50 and a second position in which it is in
longitudinal alignment with left rear bale pan 48. All three
bale pans 48, 50 and 52 have a shallow, flat bottomed U-shaped
transverse cross-section and open ends, and can be made from
thick sheet metal.
Longitudinally movably mounted to support bed 46
and shown in the rearward position is a fork assembly 56
comprised of a base member 58 and four tines 60 rig~dly
mounted to base member 58 and disposed substantially perpen-
dicular thereto. Base member 58 is rigidly attached to a
- 30 longitudinally movable trolley 64 depicted at a rearward
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position and movable therefrom to approximately the trans-
verse midline of support bed 46 by a conventional hydrauli-
cally operated orbit motor 66 and roller chains 68.
Pivotably n,ounted to the forward right hand corner
of base frame 42 is a bale engaging means depicted in Fig-
ure 1 in the longitudinally extending or transport position.
Bale engaging means 70 is comprised of two, spaced apart
bale grasping arms 72 and 74 pivotably mounted near corres-
ponding proximal end portions 75 and 78 to corresponding
ends of a support beam 80, and a hydraulic cylinder 82 con-
nected between proximal end portions 75 and 78 of arms
72 and 74. Rotatably mounted to the distal ends of arms
72 and 74 through a swinging like asse~bly 84 are triangu-
larly shaped, bale grasping plates 86 having inwardly pro-
jecting spikes 88 mounted on the inwardly facing surfaces
thereof.
For exemplary purposes only, the specifications for
the prototype trailer 30 depicted in Figure 1 can include
an overall length of 19 feet 4 inches and an overall empty
width of 11 feet. A trailer made of all metal construction
would weigh empty a little less than two and a half tons
and would be capable of supporting four, two thousand pound
round hay bales.
With reference now to Figures 2-6, a slightly modi-
fied trailer according to the present invention, with parts
removed for clarity, is depicted. The detailed description
of the components of a presently preferred embodiment of
the present invention will be given with respect to a slight-
ly modified trailer 30' depicted in these figures. However,
for the sake of convenience, the same numerals willbeused
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to identify the various components as were used in Figure 1.
As is clearly shown in Figures 2, 3 and 5, base frame
42 of wheeled base assembly 36 is comprised essentially of
a plurality of sp~ced apart longitudinal, channel-shaped
beams 100 and a plurality of transverse, channel-shaped beams
102, and is mounted from axle assemblies 38 and 40 with trans-
versely spaced leaf springs 104 and 106. Likewise, support
platform 44 is comprised of a criss-cross pattern of longi-
tudinal beams 108 and transverse beams 110 and is pivotably
ld connected to base frame 42 with a pair of spaced apart, axial-
ly aligned axles 112. A pair of tilting hydraulic cylinders
114 are transversely spaced apart and connected at their cor-
responding forward ends to a base frame transverse beam 102
and connected at their corresponding rear ends to a support
platform transverse beam 110. Extention of hydraulic cylin-
ders 114 results in the tilting of support platform 44 about
axles 112. Axles 112 and the positioning and extension length
of tilting cylinders 114 are selected such that the support
platform can be rotated through an angle of approximately
95 such that the bottoms of tines 60 engage the ground as
shown in dashed lines in Figure 6. Pivotably mounted to the
sides of support bed 46 and extending upwardly and outwardly
therefrom are a long guide rail 116 and a short guide rail
118. When not needed, guide rails 116 and 118 can be rota-
ted to a substantially vertical position and locked in place
to a longitudinal beam 108 with a lock bolt 120 (See Figure
S). Guide rails 116 and 118 are retained in their operation-
al positions by the engagement of the terminal ends thereof
with corresponding angle irons 122.
With particular reference to Figure 2, it can be seen
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that fork assembly 56 is fixedly attached to the rear end
of support bed 44 and that trolley 62 is connected through
brace member 64 to a further transversely extending base
member 124 having upstanding plates 126 rigidly mounted to
corresponding end portions of base member 124. Longitudi-
nal trolley 62 is mounted in two parallel, spaced apart
rails 128 with four tapered rollers 130. As mentioned a-
bove, trolley 62 is moved along rails 128 with an orbit
motor and roller chain assembly (not shown in Figure 2).
Also shown in Figure 2 is a lateral trolley 132 gen-
erally rollably mounted on two parallel, spaced apart and
laterally extending rails 134 with four tapered rollers 136.
Also mentioned above, lateral trolley 132 is positioned with
an orbit hydraulic motor and roller chain assembly. Forward
bale pan 52 is removably mounted onto lateral trolley 132 and
is used for transversely positioning a round hay bale. Longi-
tudinal trolley 62 is used for moving two rearwardly located
round hay bales to a forward position through the engagement
of plates 126 with the hay bales.
With reference now to Figures 2-5 and 7-10, the unique
mounting means for mounting the bale engaging means 70 to base
frame 42 will now be described in greater detail. A box swi-
vel assembly 138 having a rear mounting plate 140 is rigidly
attached to a base frame transverse beam 102 with mounting
means such as bolts 142 extending through orifices 144 of
mounting plate 140. Box swivel assembly 138 includes top
and bottom, vertically spaced apart bearing plates 146 and
147 having coaxially aligned bearing cups 148 with orifices
140 located at the outward side thereof. Box swivel assem-
bly 138 further comprises an inward side 152 which extends
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vertically between top and bottom bearing plates 146 and 147.
The remaining front and outward side of box swivel assembly
138 is open. Mounted to the forward portion of side 152 are
forward and rearward curved cam plates 154 and 156 forming
a vertical camming channel 158 therebetween. Top bearing
plate 146 is larger than and extends more forwardly than
bottom bearing plate 147 such that top bearing plate forms
a top cover over camming channel 158 and the bottom of cam-
ming cahnnel 148 is left open.
With particular reference to Figures 2 and 4, as des-
cribed hereinbefore, bale engaging means 70 is comprised of
a support beam 80 and two grasping arms 72 and 74. It is
noted for the sake of convention that the inward and outward
directions and the forward and rearward directions as shown
in plan in Figure 2 and are with respect to carriage assem-
bly 32.
As shown in Figure 10, a stop bolt 161(b) is provid-
ed to enable adjustment of the bale grasping arms. Bolt 161(b)
is attached to extend through plate 161(c), Figures 10 and 20
extension of the bolt through lock-nut 161(d) determines the
degree of adjustment.
Support beam 80 more particularly includes a horizon-
tally extending, hollow frame member 160 having a square
cross-section and two generally H-shaped journal boxes 161
and 162 and 16~ rigidly mounted to each end thereof. Journal
boxes 161 and 162 each has an aligned bore 163 extending com-
pletely through the distal ends of each side thereof. As
shown more clearly in Figures 2 and 10, locking pin bores
161(a) and 162(a) respectively are provided to accommodate
pins (not shown) which may be introduced to secure either
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698
of grasping arms 72 and 74 in a fixed position s~ that the
fixed arm can penetrate between two adjacent bales while
the free, unpinned arm will move to grasp the appropriate
bale. Perpendicu]arly, rigidly mounted near one end of
frame member 160, and extending in the opposite direction
of bale grasping arms 72 and 74, are two parallely extending
connecting members or support arms, an inwardly disposed
connecting member 164 and an outwardly disposed connecting
member 165. At the mid-portion of each connecting member
are two co-axially aligned bores which define a horizontal
axis of rotation A of bale engaging means 70. Also rigidly
mounted to the same side of frame member, but located be-
tween outward connecting member 165 and journal box 162,
are two brackets 166 and 167. Each grasping arm is comprised
of an angular shank portion 168 made from a square metal tube
and having a vertical bore (not shown) at the proximal end
thereof, grasping plate 86 pivotably attached to the distal
end at the inside face thereof, as described more fully here-
inbelow, and two journal plates 169 rigidly mounted at one
end thereof to the other end of shank portion 168 along the
top and bottom thereof as as to extend coaxailly therebeyond.
As depicted in Figure 2, journal plates 168 are pivotably
mounted inside the extending sides of the corresponding
frame member journal box 161 or 162 with a pivot pin 170
which also extends through the journal box bore 163 in the
proximal end of shank portion 168. At the free end of each
journal plate 168 are coaxially, vertically aligned bores
171 for receiving the connecting linkage of a hydraulic
motor means s~ch as a hydraulic cylinder 172. Bores 171
are also vertically positioned on either slde of horizon-
f-~ - 16 - f~
liZ6698
tal axis of rotation A.
Hydraulic cylinder 172 is comprised of a double
acting piston and cylinder arrangement with outwardly extend-
ing, articulated ]inkage comprised of an outward shaft 173
and an inward shaft 174. Outward shaft 173 is pivotably
connected at the outward end thereof to bore 171 at the
end of arm 74, and at the inward end thereof to the end of
cylinder 172 and a pivotal support link 175, the other end
of which is pivotably connected to outer bracket 167. In-
ward shaft 174 is pivotably connected at the inward end
thereof to bore 171 at the end of arm 72, extends through
the coaxially aligned bores in connecting member 164 and 165
and is pivotably connected at the outward end thereof to the
piston tail of cylinder 172 and a pivotal support link 176,
the other end of which is pivotably connected to inner brac-
ket 166. Thus it can be seen that as cylinder 172 contracts,
the rearward ends of arms 72 and 74 are pulled toward each
other, thereby opening the outer ends thereof so as to per-
mit a bale to be disposed therebetween. Extension of cylin-
der 172 reverses the sequence and permits the spikes 88 of
bale grasping plates 86 to be forced into the bale as the
bale is grasped by arms 72 and 74. It may however be neces-
sary, as shown only in Figure 4, to introduce a synchroniz-
ing link 176(A) between support links 174 and 176, the ef-
fect of this would be to ensure that arms 72 and 74 will
move in an equalized manner during opening and closing.
With reference now in particular to Figures 10~10(d),
and also Figures 3 and 4, the means for vertically and hori-
zontally pivoting of bale grasping means will now be des-
cribed. Extending through both bores of connecting members
.~ - 17 - '~
164 and 165 and rigidly attached thereto is a bearing sleeve
177. Journalled around bearing sleeve 176 is one end of a
trunnion 178. The other end of trunnion 178, in turn is ro-
tatably mounted ir bearing cups 118 of box swivel assembly
138 for rotation about a vertical axis at the centre of bore
150. Thus, support beam 80 of bale engaging means 70 is pi-
votably mounted to base frame 42 at the forward right hand
corner thereof (as seen in Figure 2) through trunnion 178
and box swivel assembly 318. Trunnion 178 in one embodiment
is comprised of a steel tube having a first short pipe extend-
ing through one end and a second short pipe extending through
the other end in a direction perpendicular to the first pipe
so that one end of trunnion 178 can be rotated about hori-
zontal axis A and the other end can be rotated about a ver-
tical axis in box swivel assembly 138. An exemplary dis-
tance between the axes in the trunnion end pipes is 9 in-
ches with one short pipe being 7~ inches long and the other
one being 8 3/4 inches long.
Horizontal swinging movement of bale engaging means
70 is caused by the extension of a single hydraulic cylin-
der 180, one end of which is pivotably attached to base frame
42 at brackets 181, and the othex end of which is universal-
ly journalled with a ball and socket connection 182 to a
lever-hinge bracket 183. Lever-hinge bracket 183 has a
box-shaped housing 184 with an open bottom and spaced apart
co-axially aligned bearing cups 185 in either side for being
pivotably mounted around bearing sleeve 177 on either side
of trunnion 178. Angularly extending from the top of hous-
ing 184 is a lever portion 185, the distal end of which re-
ceives ball and socket connection 182. At the lower portion
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of the back of housing 184, just below horizontal pivot axis
A is an orifice through which a bolt 186 is mounted substan-
tially triangularly-shaped guide plate 187 at the upper ver-
tex thereof (as s~own in Figure 4) to lever-hinge bracket 183.
The lower two vertices of guide plate 187 are enlarged into
bosses 188 and 189 which can selectively engage the underside
portions of inwardly connecting member 164 and outwardly con-
necting member 165 as bale engaging means 70 is swung, there-
by causing vertical pivoting of arms 74 and 76 into the first
lifting phase of the operation, as support beam 80 is rotated.
rnhus looking specifically at Figure lO(d), when the
inner edge 183(b) of the lever hinge bracket 183 contacts
stop block 183(a), which is in this embodiment fixedly at-
tached as by welding to trunnion 178, this essentially com-
mences the rotation phase, edge 183(b) and the block 183(a)
remaining in contact while the cylinder 180 is under load.
It may however be necessary, as shown schematically in Figure
lO(d) to provide one or more springs 178(a) operably extend-
ing between trunnion 178 and bracket 183. Such springs would
ensure that the edge 183(b) and the block 183(a) remain sub-
stantially in contact during the upward and downward operat-
ing modes. As will be apparent, when lowering in the verti-
cal phase, bracket 183 moves away from block 183(a), the cy-
linder 180 is then acting on bracket 183 which at this in-
stance can be considered as a free floating lever which may
not without springs 178(a) cause the arms 72 and 74 on their
supporting beam 80 to move downwardly in unison therewith
Support beam 80 is also connected to base frame 42
through a strut 190 that is attached at one end through a
heavy duty ball and socket joint 191 to the distal, rearward
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~iZ6698
end of outward connection member 165 and that is pivotably
attached at the outer end to a flange 192 on frame 42 through
a second heavy duty ball and socket joint 192, the fourth
and last connection between the base frame 42 and support
beam 80 is a cam follower or roller 194 that is rotatably
mounted to the distal, rearward end of inward connection
member 164 (as best seen in Figure 4) and the engagement
thereof into and in ca~ming channel 158 as bale engaging
means is swung to its outward position (clockwise in Figure
10 10).
The interactions among cam follower 194 and cam plates
154 and 156, strut 190, guide p~ate 187 and lever-hinge brac-
ket 183, and cylinder 180 is as follows. When bale engaging
means (see Figure 4) is in its rearward loading position,
bale engaging arms are in a substantially vertical position
with bale grasping plates inclined over support bed 46 (Fig-
ures 1 and 5), cylinder 180 is contracted and cam follower
194 is disengaged from camming channel 158. As soon as cylin-
- der 180 begins to expand, the force is applied to support beam
20 80 at the horizontal plane of rotation axis A through lever-
hinge bracket 183, which is above the lower pivotal conne-c-
tion of strut l90 (Figures 4 and 5). The restrictive action
of strut 190 results in a counter clockwise movement being
(as seen in Figure 5) applied to the end of connecting mem-
ber 165 below the horizontal pivot of support beam 80. Hence
arms 72 and 74 begin to be lowered. The lowering of arms
72 and 74 continues as cylinder 180 is extended and as con-
necting member 165 is rotated counter-clockwise from its
initial vertical position shown in Figure 5 to the horizon-
tal position shown in Figure 3. The arc of travel of strut
-- 20 --
~2~98
ball and socket connection 191 ~s shown at 195, in Figure 2.
Also as outwardly connecting member 165 is raised, inward
connecting member 164 is similarly raised and swung from
its depending position shown in Figure 4 to its horizontal
position shown in plan in Figure 10. At a point in between,
cam follower 194 at the end of inwardly connecting member
164 enters the bottom of camming channel 158 (see Figure 8).
Upon further extension of cylinder 180, cam follower 194 en-
gages cam plates 156 and 154 and is constrained by them.
Cam follower 194 is first prevented from further rearward
motion by rear cam plate 156 and as it is raised, it is forced
forward applying a supplementary counter clockwise rotational
movement to beam 80 and causing further lowering of arms 72
and 74 (see dashed lines in Figure 3). Because the counter
clockwise rotational movement exerted by strut l90 is a
trigonometric function, it becomes increasing less as for-
ward connecting arm nears its horizontal position. However,
at this point, the camming action on cam follower comes into
being and assist the action of strut 190.
As mentioned above, the swinging force resulting
from operation of cylinder 180 is applied through lever-hinge
bracket 183 at a point thereto which is rearward and above
the axis rotation thereof (i.e., of rotational axis A) (see
Figures 4 and 10). Therefore, a force assisting the rotation
of arms 72 and 74 is applied through lever-hinge bracket 183
to guide plate 187 which is located forward and below rota-
tional axis A, and thence through bosses 188 and 189 thereof
to the underside (as seen in Figure 10) of connecting members
164 and 165 respectively.
Thus, it can be seen that support beam 80 is swung
~ 21 -
6~
horizontal about a pivot in box swivel assembly 138 and is ro-
tated about axis A through the action of a single hydraulic
cylinder working in combination with other non-hydraulically
affective means. In addition, so that only one hydraulic
cylinder need be used to operate both grasping arms 72 and
74, hydraulic cylinder 180 extends through the orifices in
arms 172 and 174 and through corresponding, concentric ori-
fices in bearing hinge 178 such that hydraulic cylinder 180
drives through the axis of rotation of frame member 160.
With reference to Figure 5, as mentioned above,bale
engaging means 70 includes a bale grasping plate 86 pivotably
mounted through a swinging link assembly 84 to the distal end
of each grasping arm 72 and 74. Swinging link
assembly 84 permits bale engaging means 70 to be useable
with a plurality of bale diameters. In the embodiment de-
picted in Figure 5, swinging link assembly 84 is comprised
of a generally triangularly shaped link 198 having a first
pivot 200 for rotatably mounting bale grasping plate 86
thereto and a second pivot 202 for being rotatably mounted
to the terminal ends of bale grasping arm 72 or 74. Located
near second pivot 202 at the terminal end of bale grasping
arm 74 but spaced slightly inwardly thereof and located on
the outward side of bale grasping arms 74 as depicted in
Figure 5 is a flange 204 having an orifice therein. A pair
of orifices 206 are located in the lower corners of link 198.
A locking bolt 208 when inserted through one of orifices 206
and the flange orifice coaxially align~d therewith, locks
bale grasping plate 86 into either an upright position as
shown in solid lines or a downward position as shown in
dashed lines in Figure 5, for the handling of larger or small-
~ - 22 - ~
1~26698
er bales, respectively.
As shown in Figure 3 in dashed lines, a stabilizer
wheel 210 can be provided at the forward end of trailer 30
to provide stability thereof when depositing the first bale
or unloading the last bale. With trailer 30 unladen, sta-
bilizer wheel 210 will preferably be approximately three in-
ches above the ground and hence be out of the way during
transporting of trailer 30.
The operation of a bale handling apparatus according
to the present invention in one embodiment for handling large
round bales is depicted in Figures 13-19. In these figures,
the present invention is embodied in trailer 30 which is
connected by a yoke assembly 34 to the draw bar 250 of a
tractor, only the large wheel of which is shown at 252. As
seen in Figure 13, bale engaging means 70 is in the engaging
position and control valve 224 is operated so as to supply
pressurized fluid to the appropriate end of bale squeeze
hydraulic cylinder 172 so as to first open up arms 72 and 74
such that bale grasping plates 86 can be placed on either end
of a first ground supported hay bale 300 upon the forward
movement of tractor 252. Control 224 is then positioned so
as to supply pressurized fluid to the other side of bale
squeeze cylinder 172 and thereby engage grasping arms 72 and
74 with each end of hay bale 300.
As soon as first hay bale 300 has been engaged with
engaging means 70, control valve 224 is operated so as to
supply pressure to the appropriate side of bale lift and ro-
tate cylinder 180 for the retraction thereof. As cylinder
180 begins to retract, because of camming action on roller
194 and of the interplay of strut 190 and guide plate 187,
- 23 -
arms 72 and 74 are rotated vertically and swung horizontally
so as to raise bale 300 to a second loading position at the
near forward end of trailer 30. It has been assumed that
lateral trolley 132 has been appropriately positioned so
that bale 300 can be received. When bale 300 is positioned
as shown in Figure 14, arms 72 and 74 are over their pivot
point so that upon the actuation of bale squeeze cylinder
172, bale 300 will be released into the appropriately posi-
tioned forward bale pan 52. As soon as bale 300 is located
in pan 52, control valve 222 is actuated so as to position
the pan to the distal lateral side, thereby transferring a
bale 300 to the far left side of trailer 30.
As soon as first hay bale 300 has been positioned
to the other side of trailer 30, a second hay bale 302 can
be loaded onto the near side of trailer 30, as shown in Fig-
ure 15, using the same sequence of steps as described above.
The two bales 300 and 302 are now in position to be moved
to the rear of trailer 30. This is accomplished by bring-
ing fork assembly 56, mounted on trolley 62 up to the back
of bales 300 and 302. Control valve 238 is then actuated
to supply pressurized hydraulic fluid to deck tipping cyIin-
ders 114 which in turn tilts bale support platform 44 to an
angle well above the angle of response of the bales, as shown
in Figure 16. Bales 300 and 302 are then transferred by gra-
vity to left rear bale pan 48 and right rear bale pan 50,
respectively, movement being controlled by the fork assembly
56 which is moved hydraulically to the rear of the trailer
30. In this regard, it is noted that control valve 238 is
operated so that only the desired angle of tilt of support
platform 44 is obtained.
- 24 -
~2ti69~
The support platform ~4 is then lowered and the
aforementioned procedure is repeated to load two more bales,
304 and 306, onto the forward portion of trailer 30. The
bales are then transported to the desired storage area where-
upon control 238 is again actuated, but this time for a suf-
ficiently long enough period of time so that deck tipping
hydraulic cylinders 114 extend all the way. This results
in bale support platform 44 being rotated clockwise approxi-
mately 90-95 until tines 60 rest on the ground. If trailer
30 is then pulled forward by tractor 252, a stack of four
bales 308 will be formed. Obviously, a stack of bales can
be loaded onto trailer 30 simply by reversing the aforemen-
tioned steps, reference being had to Figure 18.
Finally, referring to Figure 19, the bale handling
apparatus according to the present invention can also unroll
a bale of hay by off loading a bale, such as bale 306, and
placing it on the ground forward of and along side of trailer
30. With bale engaging arms 72 and 74 still engaged with
bale 306, grasping plate 86 rotates about first pivot 200.
As soon as bale 306 has been unravelled, bale 304 can be off
loaded and also unravelled. Thereupon, lanyard 235 is ac-
tuated by the operator and pressurized fluid is admitted
to the appropriate side of orbit motor 66. Orbit motor 66
thereupon moves longitudinal trolley 62 forwardly and with
tines 60 in engagement with bales 302, they will be moved
forward to the front of trailer 30. As mentioned above,
longitudinal trolley 62 can be returned to its rearward
position with springs as soon as the hydraulic pressure is
released from forward motor 66. Alternatively, orbit motor
66 can be positively driven to return longitudinal trolley
~ 5 - ~
66~il
62 to its rearward position.
With reference now to Figures 20, 21 and 22, a se-
cond embodiment of the bale handling apparatus according to
the present invention is depicted at 400 and which is designed
to fit in the bed of a conventional pick-up truck, shown in
dashed and dotted lines at 402. Apparatus 400 is comprised
of bale engaging means 470 which is substantially similar to
bale engaging means 70 depicted in Figures 2-6. Therefore,
bale engaging means 470 will not be described further except
to note that two hydraulic arm rotating cylinders 404 and 405
are utilized and are connected through a pivotal coupling 408
to a flange 410 which in turn is rigidly attached to support
beam 480. Bale grasping arms 472 and 474 are substantially
the same as arms 72 and 74 and are similarly mounted to the
respective ends of support beam 480. In addition, it is
noted that the arms-rotating hy~raulic cylinder 580 also
drives through the pivot axis of bale engaging means 470.
This feature of driving through the pivot axis of bale en-
gaging means 470 is important since it enables one cylinder
580 to be applied as the prime mover for both of the baler
grasping arms 472 and 474, without restricting the angular
rotation of arms 472 and 474, as would be the case if cylin-
der 580 were connected for example to the underside of bale
engag1ng means 70.
~ The apparatus in addition to bale engaging means 470
is also comprised of an elongate frame 420 that is sized to
fit in the bed of truck 402 and be attached thereto with
means such as chains 422. Frame 420 is comprised of an angled
base plate 424 having a large, flat, horizontally extending
section 426 sized to fit between the wheelwells of the bed
~ - ~ 3
.
~lZ6698
of truck 402 and a rear downward depending section 427 which
engages the end of the bed of truck 402 and limits forward
movement of frame 420. Frame 420 further comprises a for-
ward vertical housing 428 for containing the hydraulic equip-
ment depicted schematically therein. Frame 420 also privides
a longitudinally extending track section which includes two
parallel, spaced apart tracks 430.
Slidably mounted on tracks 430 is a bale receiving
cradle 432, the forward end of which is attached to a hydrau-
lically operated cylinder 434.
The operation of bale handling apparatus 400, once it
has been loaded and secured to a pick-up truck 402, is rela-
tively simple. Truck 402 is backed up to a round hay bale
disposed on the ground and arms 472 and 474 are rotated apart
to the dashed position shown in Figure 22 by supplying pres-
surized hydraulic fluid to the appropriate side of bale
squeezing cylinder 580. Then, bale rotating cylinders 404
and 406 are supplied witn pressurized hydraulic fluid to the
appropriate side thereof so as to rotate support beam 470 and
arms 472 and 474 to a position such as shown in dashed lines
in Figure 21. When the height of grasping plates 86 has been
adjusted with cylinders 404 and 406, cylinder 580 is extended
and arms 472 and 474 engage the round hay bale. Cylinders 404
and 406 are then actuated to rotate support beam 480 counter-
clockwise as shown in Figure 21 and position the hay bale on
cradle 432. After actuating hydraulic cylinder 434 to posi-
tion the hay bale to the forward position as shown in Figure
21, a second hay bale can be loaded in a similar manner and
rest on a stationary, supporting cradle 440. However, be-
cause of the smallness of the bed of truck 402, the second
'~ - 27 - t~
~lZ669~
bale cannot be fully loaded thereon and consequently, arms
472 and 474 will have to remain engaged with the second hay
bale as it is being transported.
Finally, it is noted that the hay bale can be unrolled
in much the same way as the apparatus depicted in Figures 2-6,
namely by placing a hay bale on the ground and with bale grasp-
ing plates 86 still engaged, driving truck 402 in the forward
direction, thereby permitting the hay bale to unroll.
Although the present invention has been described with
respect to presently preferred embodiments thereof, it should
be obvious to those skilled in the art that the scope and spi-
rit of the present invention covers obvious modifications
thereto.
For example, the apparatus according to the invention
could be utilized to grasp the bales across their diameter,
- thus permitting the bales to be loaded onto the trailer
frame with the longitudinal axis of the bale installed trans-
versally of the frame.
Alternatively, tilting of the frame with respect to
the supporting chassis could be affected about the longitu-
dinal axis of the chassis so as to permit side stacking of
a plurality of bales.
Furthermore, by hinging the tines mounted on the back
of the frame, bales could be slid off the rear of the trailer
upon tilting of same about the transverse axis of the chassis.
Accordingly, this description is to be construed as
illustrative only and is for the purpose of teaching those
28 skilled in the art the manner of carrying out the invention.
