AU2004200730B2

AU2004200730B2 - Bale Feed-out Apparatus

Info

Publication number: AU2004200730B2
Application number: AU2004200730A
Authority: AU
Inventors: David Haswell Wood
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-03-11
Filing date: 2004-02-26
Publication date: 2007-05-24
Anticipated expiration: 2024-02-26
Also published as: AU2004200730A1

Description

3, MAR, 2004 9:46 WRAY AND ASSOCIATES NO. 730 P, 2 P/00/0 1128/5/91 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor Address for service is: David Haswell Wood David Haswell Wood WRAY ASSOCIATES Level 4, The Quadrant 1 William Street Perth, WA 6000 Attorney code: WR Invention Title: Bale Feed-out Apparatus Details of Associated Provisional Application No(s): 2003901125 11 March 2003 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:- 1 COMS ID No: SMBI-00645980 Received by IP Australia: Time 12:39 Date 2004-03-03 -2- "Bale Feed-out Apparatus" Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for feeding out hay from a compressed bale. It is particularly adapted for use with bales of cuboid shape. It is especially applicable for use with larger size bales such as those now commonly produced for the export market. Such bales are too large for easy manipulation by hand.

Background Art The production and distribution of hay has been revolutionised in the last decade or so by the introduction of the large cuboid bale. Such bales typically have an end face of 1.2 metres by 1.2 metres and are of length of approximately 2.4 metres. Such bales are now the common form of production for the export market and are progressively replacing previous types of bales, such as the rolled bale in the domestic market. In some areas, the large bales are somewhat smaller, having an end face of approximately 80cm by 80cm. These are also considerably larger than the old style of cuboid bale which had an end face of approx. 40cm by 35 cm.

While the introduction of the large bales has been found to offer many commercial advantages particularly in relation to transportation, the size and weight of the bales (approx. 0.7 tonne) has meant that special equipment is required to handle them around the farm area, particularly for distribution. To a large extent, farmers distribute such bales by placing one or more of them (usually two) on a trailer, towing the trailer to a point in the field where hay is to be distributed, manually distributing a portion and then driving to the next point of distribution and distributing another portion in like manner. Such a process is very time consuming and labour intensive.

A number of attempts have been made to provide a trailer mechanism which distributes the hay in a more automated manner. While such devices have given -3an improved productivity on the farm, the devices have frequently been relatively complicated and therefore expensive to manufacture. As a result their adoption has not been widespread.

Disclosure of the Invention Accordingly, the invention resides in a bale feed-out apparatus comprising a support adapted to be supported by a vehicle to be movable over the ground, a carriage and a feed-out element, the support having a two opposed ends, the support being adapted to receive and support at least one large bale for slidable support along the support between the ends, the carriage being supported relative to the support between the intended position of the bale and one end of the support and being movable along the support towards the other end, a cable linking the carriage and a winch, the cable extending from the winch to a pulley disposed adjacent the other end of the vehicle, passing around the pulley and connected to carriage, the cable intended in use to cause rotation of the pulley and movement of the carriage towards the other end on activation of the winch, the carriage being adapted to bear upon the bale to cause the movement of the bale with said movement of the carriage, the feed-out element having a substantially circular toothed outer perimeter and supported from the pulley to be coaxial therewith and rotatable with the pulley, the outer perimeter having a greater diameter than the diameter of the pulley, the feed-out element located such that the outer perimeter will engage with the bale as the bale is caused to move from the support past the other end of the support with said movement of the carriage..

According to a preferred feature of the invention the bale has a cuboid configuration and in use is supported by the support to be longitudinally aligned between the ends.

According to a preferred feature of the invention the bale feed out apparatus further comprises retention means proximate the other end of the support, the retention means being adapted to resiliently engage an outer edge portion of the an end face of the bale on passage of the bale form the other end until the bale -4has been urged to travel beyond the other end to a position at which the retention means are not engaged with the end face. According to a preferred feature of the invention the retention means comprises a frame mounted proximate the end of the support and located substantially parallel to at least one side face of the bale, the frame supporting a set of retention fingers located at spaced intervals along the frame, the fingers being resiliently biased to a first position at which they extend from the frame to extend partially across the path of the bale along the support wherein on engagement of the with the bale with its passage beyond the other end the retention fingers are adapted to pivot from the first position against the biasing applied to the retention fingers. According to a preferred feature of the invention the frame comprises a pair of side members and an upper member and has an inner profile substantially corresponding to the cross-sectional configuration of the bale wherein the bale is caused to pass through the frame on its passage from the other end. According to a preferred feature of the invention the spacing of the upper member relative to the support can be varied.

According to a preferred feature of the invention the pulley and the feed-out element are supported by a common shaft.

According to a preferred feature of the invention the outer perimeter of the pulley is disposed below the other end of the support.

According to a preferred feature of the invention a plurality of feed-out elements are provided in spaced relation from each other.

According to a preferred feature of the invention the carriage includes a thrust member adapted to engage the bale and adapted to apply thrust to the bale when the winch is activated.

According to a preferred feature of the invention wherein the support means comprises a plurality of substantially parallel rails aligned in the direction in which the bale is urged to travel. According to a preferred feature of the invention the carriage is supported by the rails. According to one embodiment of the invention the carriage incorporates a set of sliders which are slidably supported by the rails.

According to another embodiment of the invention the carriage incorporates a set of wheels which are supported by the rails.

The invention will be more fully understood in light of the following description of one specific embodiment.

Brief Description of the Drawings The description is made with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: Figure 1 is lower perspective view of a bale feed-out apparatus according to the embodiment; Figure 2 is an upper perspective view of a bale feed-out apparatus according to the embodiment, showing the position of bales upon the apparatus; Figure 3 is an upper perspective view of the forward mechanisms of a bale feedout apparatus according to the embodiment; Figure 4 is a rear perspective view of a bale feed-out apparatus according to the embodiment; Figure 5 is a lower perspective view of the rearward mechanisms of a bale feedout apparatus according to the embodiment; Figure 6 is side elevation of bale feed-out apparatus according to the embodiment showing the separating of the end biscuit from the bale.

Detailed description of preferred embodiment The embodiment of the invention is directed to a bale feed-out apparatus adapted to feed out a portion of a large bale upon selective operation by an operator.

-6- The embodiment of the bale feed-out apparatus is shown in figures 1 to 5. The bale feed-out apparatus 11 comprises a support 14 in a form of a pair of channelsection rails 15 adapted to be mounted to a farm vehicle 12 such as a trailer or a truck. The rails 15 are oriented parallel to each other and are aligned longitudinally relative to the vehicle 12. Each rail 15 is arranged with its central web-section 16 disposed vertically and on the outer side relative to the vehicle to thereby provide an upper flange 17 which is disposed relative to the upper flange 17 of the opposed rail 15 to provide a horizontal support plane adapted to receive and support one or more large cuboid bales 13 oriented longitudinally along the support 14. The bales 13 are conventionally 1.2 metres high, 1.2 metres wide and 2.4 metres long, although bales having a height of 80cm and width of 80 cm may also be distributed using the present apparatus. The number of bales 13 which can be supported by the mechanism will depend upon the length of the vehicle 12 chosen but typically the apparatus will be adapted to support two bales, aligned end to end. In addition, such bales are comprised of a plurality of portions or segments called biscuits 18 which comes about as a result their manner of production during the baling process which will be understood by aperson skilled in the art of the invention. It will be seen later that the presence of these biscuits is important to the means of distributions provided by the invention.

The bale feed-out apparatus 11 further comprises a thrusting means in the form of a carriage 22 adapted to abut the forward end of the or the forward-most bale 13 and to be propelled rearwardly by a drive cable 24 connected to the carriage 22. The carriage 22 comprises a base 25 supporting a pair of opposed slide members 26 adapted to slide within the channel of a respective rail 15 to thereby enable the base 25 to be moveable along the support 14. The carriage 22 further comprises an abutment sub-frame 27 comprising a pair of vertical members 28 and a horizontal cross-member 29 mounted at the upper ends of the vertical members 28, the abutment sub-frame 27 adapted to engagingly abut the forward end of a bale supported on the support 14 to apply a driving force to the bale when the carriage 22 is propelled by the drive cable 24. In an alternative adaptation of the embodiment, the slide members 26 are replaced by wheels adapted to run in the channel of the rails The drive cable 24 is connected to the base 25 at a point midway between the levels of the upper and lower flanges of the rails 15 to keep the cable 24 clear of the bales and minimise unnecessary torques placed upon the base The drive cable 24 extends to the rear of the vehicle 12 to engage a pulley 31 mounted on a horizontal lay shaft 32 aligned transversely to the fore aft direction of the vehicle 12. The lay shaft 32 is mounted to the vehicle at height so that the upper tangential point of the pulley 31 is disposed at a height intermediate the levels of the upper and lower flanges of the rails 15, so that the drive cable 24 extends from the base 25 to the pulley 31 substantially parallel to the horizontal support plane. The drive cable 24 wraps around the pulley 31 to be directed forwardly to a motorised first winch 41 mounted at the forward end of the vehicle 12. The motorised first winch 41 is electrically operated and adapted to be controlled by the operator from the cabin of the vehicle or at an altemative, convenient location. In use, the operator operates the first winch 41 to drive the carriage 22 rearwardly to thereby urge the bale rearwardly for distribution. A limit switch is mounted adjacent the rear of the trailer and adapted to be engaged by the carriage when it is at the end of its rearward travel. When the carriage contacts the limit switch, the power to the motorised first winch is interrupted, and the carriage stops.

The bale feed-out apparatus 11 further comprises a pair of feed-out elements in the form of sprockets 51 mounted on the lay shaft 32 to either side of the pulley 31. The sprockets 51 are of a substantially larger diameter than the diameter of the pulley 31 and the sprockets 51 are sized so that the upper-most point of path of rotation of the outer ends of the sprocket teeth are positioned above the plane of the support. The sprockets 51 comprise an array of teeth 52 about their circumference and are thereby adapted to act upon the lower surface of the bale on their rotation as the bale is pushed from the end of the support. However, as the teeth 52 are not intended to penetrate into the bale to any significant depth but merely engage the surface of the bale, a simple gear sprocket such as that which would be used with a drive chain such as a motorcycle chain or similar industrial chain would suffice. Such a sprocket has the advantage that it is relatively inexpensive as a suitable mass-produced sprocket can be selected, yet very durable when used in the application.

A carriage-return means is provided comprising a second winch 62 at the front of the vehicle 12 supporting a return cable 63 which is connected to the front end of the base 25. The return cable 63 is withdrawn from the second winch 62 while the carriage 22 is moved rearwardly. When the bales are completely fed from the apparatus, the carriage 22 is retumed to its forward most position by operating the second winch 62. The second winch 62 may be operated by hand as shown in the drawings, or in alternative adaptation it is motorised.

The bale feed-out apparatus further comprises a segmenting frame 71 mounted to the rear of the vehicle 12. The segmenting frame 71 comprises opposed vertical side members 72 mounted to each side of the vehicle with an upper cross member 74 between the upper ends 73 of the vertical side members 72, to thereby provide a rectangular frame having height and width a little greater than the corresponding height and width of the bale and through which a bale may be expelled from the vehicle. The vertical side members 71 each comprise two submembers, the upper sub-member 76 adapted to slide within the lower submember 78 and to be clamped by a screwed clamp 78. In this way, the height of the upper cross member 74 may be adjusted for use with bales of different sizes.

Each of the three members of the segmenting frame 71 supports a plurality of segmenting fingers 75. The segmenting fingers 75 comprise metal plates extending inwardly from the segmenting frame elements when in the relaxed state to a distance so that they will engage a bale as it is moved rearwardly through the segmenting frame 71. The segmenting fingers 75 are mounted to be rotatable about their supports so that they will be deflected rearwardly relative to the vehicle as the bale moves rearwardly past them. The segmenting fingers also incorporate resilient return springs 76 adapted to urge the segmenting fingers 75 to be returned to their relaxed position, the springs 76 exerting sufficient force to apply a significant force to the bale when deflected.

-9- It has even been found that bales having end dimension of 80cm x 80 cm can be effectively distributed by the apparatus intended for the bales of end dimension of 1.2m x 1.2m. With these smaller bales, with the upper cross member 72 lowered appropriately, the segmenting fingers on the upper cross member 72 provide sufficient holding force to hold the end biscuit in place until the bale has been moved rearward to a sufficient extent.

In addition guide rails 81 are provided along the side of the vehicle. The guide rails extend horizontally from the forward end of the vehicle to the rear end of the vehicle, engaging the vertical side members 72 of the segmenting frame 71. The guide rails 81 stand somewhat above the horizontal support plane and are adapted to guide the bales as they travel rearwardly to ensure they pass through the segmenting frame 71.

In use, with the carriage 22 at its forward most position one or more bales are loaded longitudinally to the support rails 15 and aligned relative to the segmenting frame 71. The carriage 22 is then moved rearwardly by operation of the motorised first winch to contact the forward most end of the forward bale. The vehicle is moved to a point in the field where hay is to be discharged. The motorised first winch is activated by the operator and the bales are moved rearwardly propelled by the carriagewhich is driven by the drive cable operated by the motorised first winch. The outer edge portions of the rear end of the rear most bale contact the segmenting fingers and as the bale is moved rearwardly the segmenting fingers are deflected rearwardly rotating about their supports against the force exerted by the return springs. At the same time the distribution sprockets engage the lower face of the bale. Since the distribution sprockets have a greater diameter than the diameter of the pulley, the sprockets have a higher circumferential speed than the circumferential speed of the pulley.

However, the circumferential speed of the pulley corresponds with the speed of movement of the bales being driven by the propelling frame. Thus the sprockets contact the lower surface of the end of the bale and tend to move it rearwardly at a speed greater than that at which the bale is moving. As a result, the end portion of the bale is spread apart by the sprockets as the bale moves rearwardly.

SAs the bale continues to move rearwardly the end portion is held to the bale by the spring loaded segmenting fingers until the bale is extended beyond the segmenting fingers by the length of one biscuit. At that stage, the biscuit breaks away and falls to the ground, urged partly by the distribution sprockets. Because

O

the lower end of the biscuit has been broken up by the distribution sprockets, the biscuit tends to break up when it hits the ground and is thereby much better distributed for consumption by the livestock. This distribution is achieved even Omore effectively if the vehicle is moving when the biscuit breaks away.

SThe action of the present sprocket on the bale contrasts very significantly with prior art where a drive is provided with long fingers which penetrates significantly into the bale, kicking portions of the bale upwardly as it rotates. Such devices work against the weight of the bale and therefore require significant power to drive them. In contrast, the present invention utilises the weight of the bale to ensure adequate engagement of the bale with the sprocket, while requiring only small additional power to provide effective separation of the end portion.

In a further embodiment, (not shown), the bale feed out apparatus is designed to support two or even more bales side by side. Such embodiments are particularly practicable for use with the smaller bales of 80cm x 80cm ends where the force provided by the upper segmenting fingers is sufficient to support the end biscuit.

With such arrangements, it is necessary to provide additional distribution sprockets, but otherwise, the apparatus is as described above.

The bale feed-out apparatus according to the embodiment provides a distribution mechanism for hay stored in large bales which is very much simpler than that of prior art devices yet is even more effective. In particular, because the distribution sprockets need engage the surface region of the bale, only, a simple, low powered drive for them is all that is required. The simplest arrangement is achieved where they are placed on the lay shaft supporting the pulley. In this way, an apparatus is provided that is easily mounted at the rear of the vehicle and has minimal number of components. The apparatus is therefore inexpensive, effective in operation and reliable in its use due to the simplicity of its construction. The device will therefore be of considerably lower cost than prior -11 art devices and which will lead to increased adoption of the device than has been

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;the case with the prior art. Even further, not only can the hay be distributed while Sthe vehicle is moving, distribution is actually achieved more effectively while the vehicle is moving. This avoids any need for the operator to stop the vehicle 0 during a distribution run, thereby saving considerable time.

Modifications and variations as would be known to the skilled addressee are 0considered to be within the scope of this invention and it should be appreciated that the present invention need not be limited to the particular scope of the embodiment described above.

Throughout the specification, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers

Claims

1. A bale feed-out apparatus comprising a support adapted to be supported by a vehicle to be movable over the ground, a carriage and a feed-out element, the support having a two opposed ends, the support being adapted to receive and support at least one large bale for slidable support along the support between the ends, the carriage being supported relative to the support between the intended position of the bale and one end of the support and being movable along the support towards the other end, a cable linking the carriage and a winch, the cable extending from the winch to a pulley disposed adjacent the other end of the vehicle, passing around the pulley and connected to carriage, the cable intended in use to cause rotation of the pulley and movement of the carriage towards the other end on activation of the winch, the carriage being adapted to bear upon the bale to cause the movement of the bale with said movement of the carriage, the feed-out element having a substantially circular toothed outer perimeter and supported from the pulley to be coaxial therewith and rotatable with the pulley, the outer perimeter having a greater diameter than the diameter of the pulley, the feed-out element located such that the outer perimeter will engage with the bale as the bale is caused to move from the support past the other end of the support with said movement of the carriage..

2. A bale feed-out apparatus as claimed at claimed 1 wherein the bale has a cuboid configuration and in use is supported by the support to be longitudinally aligned between the ends.

3. A bale feed-out apparatus as claimed at claim 1 or 2 wherein the bale feed out apparatus further comprises retention means proximate the other end of the support, the retention means being adapted to resiliently engage an outer edge portion of the an end face of the bale on passage of the bale form the other end until the bale has been urged to travel beyond the other end to a position at which the retention means are not engaged with the end face. -13-

4. A bale feed-out apparatus as claimed at claim 3 wherein the retention means comprises a frame mounted proximate the end of the support and located substantially parallel to at least one side face of the bale, the frame supporting a set of retention fingers located at spaced intervals along the frame, the fingers being resiliently biased to a first position at which they extend from the frame to extend partially across the path of the bale along the support wherein on engagement of the with the bale with its passage beyond the other end the retention fingers are adapted to pivot from the first position against the biasing applied to the retention fingers

5. A bale feed-out apparatus as claimed at claim 4 wherein the frame comprises a pair of side members and an upper member and has an inner profile substantially corresponding to the cross-sectional configuration of the bale wherein the bale is caused to pass through the frame on its passage from the other end

6. A bale feed-out apparatus as claimed at claim 5 wherein the spacing of the upper member relative to the support can be varied.

7. .A bale feed-out apparatus as claimed at any one the previous claims wherein the pulley and the feed-out element are supported by a common shaft.

8. A bale feed-out apparatus as claimed at any one the previous claims wherein the outer perimeter of the pulley is disposed below the other end of the support.

9. A bale feed-out apparatus as claimed at any one the previous claims wherein a plurality of feed-out elements are provided in spaced relation from each other.

10. A bale feed-out apparatus as claimed at any one the previous claims wherein the carriage includes a thrust member adapted to engage the bale and adapted to apply thrust to the bale when the winch is activated. -14-

11. A bale feed-out apparatus as claimed at any one the previous claims wherein the support means comprises a plurality of substantially parallel rails aligned in the direction in which the bale is urged to travel.

12. A bale feed-out apparatus as claimed at claim 11 wherein the carriage is supported by the rails.

13. A bale feed-out apparatus as claimed at claim 12 wherein the carriage incorporates a set of sliders which are slidably supported by the rails.

14. A bale feed-out apparatus as claimed at claim 12 wherein the carriage incorporates a set of wheels which are supported by the rails.

15. A bale feed-out apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated this 26 th day of February 2004 David Haswell Wood. Applicant Wray Associates Perth, Western Australia Patent Attorneys for the Applicant(s)