CA2869159C - Self-propelled self-loading feed mixer - Google Patents
Self-propelled self-loading feed mixer Download PDFInfo
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- CA2869159C CA2869159C CA2869159A CA2869159A CA2869159C CA 2869159 C CA2869159 C CA 2869159C CA 2869159 A CA2869159 A CA 2869159A CA 2869159 A CA2869159 A CA 2869159A CA 2869159 C CA2869159 C CA 2869159C
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- feed
- arm
- flail
- drum
- chopper
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- 239000004615 ingredient Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 43
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 17
- 238000005520 cutting process Methods 0.000 claims description 2
- 239000004460 silage Substances 0.000 description 7
- 238000007599 discharging Methods 0.000 description 6
- 235000015097 nutrients Nutrition 0.000 description 6
- 241001465754 Metazoa Species 0.000 description 5
- 241000196324 Embryophyta Species 0.000 description 4
- 239000008188 pellet Substances 0.000 description 4
- 238000003860 storage Methods 0.000 description 3
- 239000010902 straw Substances 0.000 description 3
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000004463 hay Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 2
- 241000424725 Heide Species 0.000 description 1
- 241000219823 Medicago Species 0.000 description 1
- 235000017587 Medicago sativa ssp. sativa Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 230000003213 activating effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000003674 animal food additive Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000029087 digestion Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000006052 feed supplement Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000012787 harvest procedure Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000003306 harvesting Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000002245 particle Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000000284 resting effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000013589 supplement Substances 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
- A01K—ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
- A01K5/00—Feeding devices for stock or game ; Feeding wagons; Feeding stacks
- A01K5/001—Fodder distributors with mixer or shredder
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
- A01K—ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
- A01K5/00—Feeding devices for stock or game ; Feeding wagons; Feeding stacks
- A01K5/001—Fodder distributors with mixer or shredder
- A01K5/004—Fodder distributors with mixer or shredder with mixing or shredding element rotating on vertical axis
Landscapes
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Environmental Sciences (AREA)
- Birds (AREA)
- Animal Husbandry (AREA)
- Biodiversity & Conservation Biology (AREA)
- Apparatuses For Bulk Treatment Of Fruits And Vegetables And Apparatuses For Preparing Feeds (AREA)
Abstract
A self-propelled mixer vehicle has an operator's station at a forward end, a mounted tank with a mixing mechanism inside the tank, and a discharge system to discharge mixed feed. A forward extending feed input arm has an arm actuator is operative to move a front end of the feed input arm up and down. A feed arm conveyor extends along the feed input arm and a feed chopper mounted on a front end thereof forward of the feed arm conveyor input moves feed ingredients into the conveyor. A grapple fork is pivotally mounted to the feed input arm. The grapple fork is configured to engage a bale stored in the bale stack and secure it to the feed input arm. The feed chopper can include a flail drum at the front thereof to remove material from bales. The mixed feed discharge is located beside or forward of the operator's station.
Description
SELF-PROPELLED SELF-LOADING FEED MIXER
This disclosure relates to the field of animal feed mixers and in particular an improved self-propelled, self-loading feed mixer.
BACKGROUND
Proper feed with the required nutrients is an important element in animal husbandry.
Such nutrients are typically derived from numerous different source ingredients such as baled hay and straw, silage, grain, various feed additives and supplements, and the like.
Instead of distributing these nutrient sources separately to the animals, it is typically desirable to mix the source ingredients together in the proper proportions to achieve a uniform feed ration where essentially each mouthful of feed contains the same balanced proportion of each nutrient.
United States Patent Number 7,079,123 to Lepage et al. discloses a bale processor of a typical type with a tank to hold a bale of crop material, and a flail drum which removes crop material from the bale and breaks it up for easier digestion by animals, and which includes a system for discharging grain with the baled crop material to provide a mixed ration.
More elaborate mixers are also known, commonly called TMR (total mixed ration) mixers, where all the feed ingredients needed for a ration for an animal are mixed thoroughly and evenly, and then discharged. Such a feed mixer is disclosed for example in United States Published Patent Application Number 2005/0036402 of Knight.
In using such a mixer, a weight of each of the nutrient sources being used is calculated as a proportion of the total capacity of the mixer, and then the calculated weight of each nutrient source is added to the mixer tank. The mixer will often include a scale so that the weight of each ingredient added may be readily determined and controlled.
Large 1393093v1 1 diameter, typically conical augers are then rotated to lift and move the ingredients around inside the tank until same are thoroughly mixed, and then the mixed ration is discharged from a chute into a feed bunk or the like as the mixer is towed along beside the feed bunk. The Knight mixer has vertically oriented augers however such TMR mixers are also known where the mixing augers are oriented horizontally.
Use of the mixer of Knight requires a tractor to tow the mixer and provide power to rotate the augers and discharge mechanism. The various ingredients are typically stored at the feeding location in silage pits, pellet piles, bale stacks, grain bins, and the like and so a separate loader vehicle is also required to move each ingredient from its storage location into the mixer tank. To avoid the requirement for a separate loading vehicle self-loading mixers have been developed, such as disclosed for example in United States Patent Numbers 4,330,091 to Rozeboom et al. and 4,428,537 to von der Heide.
It is also know to mount the mixer on a self-propelled vehicle and to provide a vertically movable feed input arm with a rotating chopper head on the forward end thereof and a conveyor extending along the arm from the chopper head to a discharge above the tank interior. The chopper head comprises a chopper drum rotatably mounted on a rotational axis perpendicular to the arm, and with chopper blades fixed to and extending out from the surface of the drum. The mixer vehicle is maneuvered such that the chopper head engages the feed ingredient and the rotating head removes the ingredient from the storage location, such as silage from a silage pit, pellets from a pile, or hay from a hay bale, and throws same onto the conveyor which then discharges into the tank. A scale is visible to the operator so that the operator will know when the desired amount of each ingredient has been transferred into the tank. Grain can be added to the mixer tank from a grain bin with a conventional conveyor or overhead chute.
Such self-propelled TMR mixers are self-contained, requiring neither a towing tractor or a loading vehicle, and thus reduce capital and labor costs, while also typically reducing 1393093v1 2 the time required to fill the mixer tank. For example Faresin Industries of Breganze, Vicenza, Veneto, Italy, and RMH Lachish of Sderot, Israel, and Storti S.p.A of Belfiore, Verona, Italy, as well as numerous other companies manufacture such self-propelled TMR mixers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present disclosure provides a feed mixing apparatus that overcomes problems in the prior art.
In a first embodiment the present disclosure provides a feed mixing apparatus for loading and mixing feed ingredients, the feed ingredients including bales of crop material stored in a bale stack. The apparatus comprises a self-propelled mixer vehicle with an operator's station at a forward end of the mixer vehicle. A tank mounted is on the mixer vehicle, with a mixing mechanism inside the tank, and a discharge system is operative to selectively discharge mixed feed from an interior of the tank through a discharge opening. A feed input arm is movably mounted to the mixer vehicle such that the feed input arm extends forward from the tank beside the operator's station, and an arm actuator is operative to move a front end of the feed input arm up and down. The feed input arm comprises a feed arm conveyor extending along a longitudinal axis of the feed input arm from a feed arm conveyor input at a front location on the feed input arm to a feed arm conveyor discharge oriented to discharge into the tank. The feed input arm comprises a feed chopper on a front end thereof forward of the feed arm conveyor input, the feed chopper operative to move feed ingredients from a feed source into the feed arm conveyor input. A grapple fork is pivotally mounted to the feed input arm, and a grapple actuator is operative to selectively pivot the grapple fork about a fork pivot axis toward the front end of the feed input arm and away from the front end of the feed input arm.
The grapple fork is configured to engage a bale stored in the bale stack and push the bale 1393093v1 3 toward the front end of the feed input arm such that the bale is secured to the feed input arm.
In a second embodiment the present disclosure provides a feed mixing apparatus for loading and mixing feed ingredients, the feed ingredients including bales of crop material stored in a bale stack. The apparatus comprises a self-propelled mixer vehicle with an operator's station at a forward end of the mixer vehicle. A tank is mounted on the mixer vehicle, with a mixing mechanism inside the tank, and a discharge system is operative to selectively discharge mixed feed from an interior of the tank through a discharge opening. A feed input arm is movably mounted to the mixer vehicle such that the feed input arm extends forward from the tank beside the operator's station, and an arm actuator is operative to move a front end of the feed input arm up and down. The feed input arm comprises a feed arm conveyor extending along a longitudinal axis of the feed input arm from a feed arm conveyor input at a front location on the feed input arm to a feed arm conveyor discharge located to discharge into the tank. The feed input arm comprises a feed chopper on a front end thereof forward of the feed arm conveyor input, and the feed chopper is operative to move feed ingredients from a feed source into the feed arm conveyor input. A dispensing conveyor is configured to receive mixed feed at the discharge opening and convey the mixed feed to a dispensing conveyor discharge located beside or forward of the operator's station.
The feed mixing apparatus of the present disclosure provides improved handling and processing of baled crop material. The apparatus is maneuvered next to the bale stack, with the grapple fork moved away from the chopper head at the front end of the feed input arm, and with the chopper head and grapple fork encompassing a bale. The grapple fork is moved toward the chopper head to secure the bale and then the bale can be lifted down and rested on the ground where the chopper head is then engaged with the bale.
The pivotally mounted flail blades effectively remove and break up the long stalks of the baled plant material, and a secondary blade drum can further break up the stalks if 1393093v1 4 desired. Orienting the mixed feed discharge beside or forward of the operator's station allows the operator to look generally forward in the direction of travel while discharging mixed feed, allowing for improved control of the location of the discharge.
Safety is also improved as the operator is able to more readily able to discern anything that might be in the path of the moving apparatus rather than looking rearward in a mirror or with a turned head. Operator comfort is also improved by providing the discharge in a location where the operator does not have to turn.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
While the invention is claimed in the concluding portions hereof, preferred embodiments are provided in the accompanying detailed description which may be best understood in conjunction with the accompanying diagrams where like parts in each of the several diagrams are labeled with like numbers, and where:
Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective front left view of an embodiment of the feed mixing apparatus of the present disclosure, showing the grapple fork in an closed position moved toward the feed chopper;
Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective front left view of the embodiment of Fig. 1 showing the grapple fork in an open position moved away from the feed chopper from the closed position, and also showing the addition of a rear discharge opening;
Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective rear left view of the embodiment of Fig.
lremoving a bale from a bale stack;
Fig. 4 is a schematic perspective front left view of the embodiment of Fig. 1 showing the grapple fork in a closed position securing a bale to the feed input arm;
1393093v1 5 Fig. 5 is a schematic perspective rear bottom view of the embodiment of Fig. 1 showing the grapple fork in a closed position securing a bale to the feed input arm, and showing the spikes extended to engage the bale, and also showing the dispensing conveyor with front and rear discharges;
Fig. 6 is a schematic top view showing an arrangement of the flail drum and secondary blade drum of a feed chopper;
Fig. 7 is a schematic top view showing an alternate arrangement of the flail drum and secondary blade drum of a feed chopper;
Fig. 8 is a schematic top view showing a further alternate arrangement of the flail drum and secondary blade drum of a feed chopper;
Fig. 9 is a schematic sectional view along line 9-9 in Fig. 8 showing a twine cutter.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS
Figs. 1 ¨ 5 schematically illustrate an embodiment of a feed mixing apparatus 1 of the present disclosure for loading and mixing feed ingredients where the feed ingredients include bales of crop material stored in a bale stack. The apparatus 1 is of the type commonly referred to as a TMR mixer, for Total Mixed Ration where feed ingredients such as grain, silage, hay, straw, granular supplements, and the like are placed in the tank and mixed into a uniform ration.
The apparatus 1 comprises a self-propelled mixer vehicle 3 with an operator's station 5 at a forward end of the mixer vehicle. A tank 7 is mounted on the mixer vehicle 3, and a mixing mechanism 9 inside the tank 7 mixes feed ingredients that are placed in the tank 7. A discharge system 11 is operative to selectively discharge mixed feed from an 1393093v1 6 interior of the tank 7 through a discharge opening 13. In such TMR mixers, the discharge system 11 comprises typically, as illustrated, a door 15 that covers the discharge opening 13 during mixing, and an actuator 17 to move the door 15 to open the opening 13. The action of the mixing mechanism 9 moves the mixed feed to and through the opening 13 when the door 15 is open.
A feed input arm 19 is movably mounted to the mixer vehicle 3 such that the feed input arm 19 extends forward from the tank 7 beside the operator's station 5, and an arm actuator 21 is operative to move a front end of the feed input arm 19 up to a raised position, such as shown in Fig. 3 and down to a lowered position resting on the ground.
The feed input arm 19 comprises a feed arm conveyor 23 extending along a longitudinal axis LA of the feed input arm 19 from a feed arm conveyor input 23A at a front location on the feed input arm 19 to a feed arm conveyor discharge 23B oriented to discharge into the tank 7. The feed input arm 19 also comprises a feed chopper 25 on a front end thereof forward of the feed arm conveyor input 23A. The feed chopper 25 is operative to move feed ingredients from a feed source into the feed arm conveyor input 23A
as it moves up and down with the feed input arm 19 along the face of a pile of feed ingredients.
A grapple fork 27 is pivotally mounted to the feed input arm 19, and a grapple actuator 29 is operative to selectively pivot the grapple fork about a fork pivot axis FPA either toward the front end of the feed input arm 19 or away from the front end of the feed input arm 19. The grapple fork 27 is configured to engage a bale 31 stored in the bale stack 33, as schematically illustrated in Fig. 3, and push the bale 31 toward the front end of the feed input arm 19 such that the bale 31 is secured to the feed input arm 19, as schematically illustrated in Fig. 4. In the illustrated apparatus 1 the fork pivot axis FPA
is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis LA of the feed input arm 19, and the grapple fork 27 is configured to push the bale toward the feed chopper 25.
The 1393093v1 7 illustrated bales 31 are cylindrical, known commonly as "round bales", however the grapple fork 27 can also readily handle cubic bales, commonly known as "square bales".
To more securely hold the bale 31, the illustrated apparatus 1 includes a pair of spikes 35 movably mounted under a bottom side of the feed chopper 25 such that a longitudinal axis LAS of the spike is aligned with the longitudinal axis LA of the feed input arm 19.
A spike actuator 37, as seen in Fig. 5, is operative to selectively move the spikes 35 between an extended position seen in Fig. 1 where the spike extends forward of the feed chopper 25 to engage a bale, and a retracted position as seen in Fig. 2 where the pointed outer ends of the spikes 35 are close to or under the feed chopper 25.
The grapple fork 27 allows the operator to remove bales from a bale stack 33 and lower them to the ground where the feed chopper 25 can then be used to remove material from the bale 31 and transfer same to the feed arm conveyor 23 and into the tank 7.
No separate loader equipment is needed to move the bales from the stack 33 for processing, allowing the self-propelled apparatus 1 to be a one person operation for virtually all feed ingredients.
Some feed ingredients stored in a pile such as silage, which is partially chopped during harvest, or alfalfa pellets are readily removed from the pile and chopped further by the chopper blades fixed to the chopper drum. Baled hay and straw however are more problematic as the plant material is not chopped during the harvest process and so the plant stalks are typically quite long and may not be chopped effectively by the fixed chopper blades, which can then cause the machine to plug.
To more effectively deal with baled crop material the feed chopper 25 of the apparatus 1 comprises a flail drum 39 rotatably mounted to the front end of the feed input arm 19 about a flail rotational axis RA oriented substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis LA of the feed input arm 19, and a plurality of flail blades 41 pivotally attached to 1393093v1 5 the outer surface of the flail drum 39 about flail pivot axes FPA oriented substantially parallel to the flail rotational axis FRA, and a flail drive, such as a hydraulic motor 43, belt arrangement, or the like is operative to rotate the flail drum 39. The flail blades 41 will also effectively move silage, pellets, and like feed ingredients from storage locations into and through the feed chopper 25.
In order to further reduce the size of particles of baled feed ingredients, Fig. 6 schematically illustrates the feed chopper 25 further comprising a secondary blade drum 45 rotatably mounted to the feed input arm 19 rearward of the flail drum 39 about a secondary blade rotational axis BRA, and a plurality of secondary blades 47 extending out from an outer surface of the secondary blade drum 45. A secondary blade drive, such as a hydraulic motor 49, belt arrangement, or the like, is operative to rotate the secondary blade drum 45. The secondary blade drum 45 is configured to receive feed ingredients from the flail drum 39 and discharge feed ingredients into the feed arm conveyor input 23A. The secondary blades 47 can be fixed to the outer surface of the secondary blade drum 45 or can be pivotally attached to the outer surface of the secondary blade drum 45 in a manner similar to the flail blades 41.
In the illustrated feed chopper 25, the secondary blade drum 45 discharges feed ingredients directly into the feed arm conveyor input 23A only on one side, and so a chopper conveyor 51 rearward of the secondary blade drum 45 receives feed ingredients from the secondary blade drum 45 and conveys same laterally to the feed arm conveyor input 23A. The chopper conveyor 51 is schematically illustrated as an auger conveyor which would be suitable for conveying the chopped feed material either from bales or other sources.
Fig. 7 schematically illustrates an alternate feed chopper 25 with the flail drum 39' with flail blades 41' and secondary blade drum 45' with secondary blades 47' arranged such that the secondary blade drum 45' is offset laterally from the flail drum 39' and where the 1393093v1 9 secondary blade rotational axis BRA is oriented at an angle N with respect to the flail rotational axis FRA, and comprising a chopper conveyor 51' rearward of the flail drum 39' that receives feed ingredients from the flail drum 39' and conveys same laterally toward the secondary blade drum 45' which in turn receives the feed ingredients and chops and discharges same into the feed arm conveyor input 23A.
Fig. 8 schematically illustrates a further alternate arrangement of a feed chopper 25" with the flail drum 39" with flail blades 41" and secondary blade drum 45" with secondary blades 47" arranged such that the secondary blade drum 45" is again offset laterally from the flail drum 39" and where the secondary blade rotational axis BRA is oriented at an angle N with respect to the flail rotational axis FRA, and comprising a chopper conveyor 51" rearward of the flail drum 39" that receives feed ingredients from the flail drum 39"
and conveys same laterally toward the secondary blade drum 45" which in turn receives the feed ingredients and chops and discharges same into the feed arm conveyor input 23A.
It is contemplated that the secondary blade rotational axis BRA will typically be oriented at an angle N of between 20 and 50 degrees with respect to the flail rotational axis FRA.
The illustrated feed choppers 25, 25', 25" include a flail housing 53 enclosing a rear portion of the flail drum 39, 39', 39". The flail housing defines an open front side configured to expose a front portion of the flail drum39, 39', 39" to the bales 31 or other stored feed ingredients, and includes right and left side panels 53R, 53L and top and bottom panels 53T, 53B extending between the right and left side panels.
Fig. 9 schematically illustrates a twine cutter 55 as can be installed on the feed chopper 25" of Fig. 8. The twine cutter 55 comprises a guide 57 extending along substantially a length of the bottom panels 53B between the right and left side panels 53R, 53L, and a knife 59 engaged in the guide 57 and configured such that the knife 59 can slide along a 1393093v1 10 length of the flail drum 39" from the right side panel 53R to the left side panel 53L and such that a cutting edge of the knife 59 contacts twine 61 wrapped around an outer surface of the flail drum 39"; and a knife actuator, such as the manually manipulated handle 71 shown in Fig. 8, operative to move the knife 59 along the guide 57.
In the illustrated twine cutter 55 the flail drum includes a knife groove 63 and the knife 59 travels along the groove 63 and cuts twine 61 wrapped around the surface of the flail drum 39".
Control of the feed discharge, as well as operator comfort and safety are improved in the feed mixing apparatus 1 by discharging the mixed feed beside or forward of the operator's station 5. The operator can then keep his eyes forward and look down or down and somewhat forward to watch the discharging mixed feed and guide the apparatus 1, instead of watching the discharge behind the operator's statioOn in a rear view mirror as is the ease in the prior art. Thus the apparatus 1 comprises, as schematically illustrated in Fig. 1, a dispensing conveyor 65 configured to receive mixed feed at the discharge opening 13 and, passing under the operator's station 5, convey the mixed feed to a dispensing conveyor discharge 67 located beside or forward of the operator's station 5.
The bottom view of Fig. 5 schematically illustrates the apparatus 1 with a dispensing conveyor 65' configured to convey mixed feed to either of front and rear dispensing conveyor discharges 67F and 67R. The operator's station 5 is offset to the left side of the tank 7, and the dispensing conveyor 65' is configured to selectively convey the mixed feed to a front dispensing conveyor discharge 67F located beside or forward of the operator's station 5 and to a rear dispensing conveyor discharge 67R located at a rear end of the tank 7 on the left side of the tank such that same is visible to the operator in a mirror. It is contemplated that the front dispensing conveyor discharge 67F
will be used most often however it is also contemplated that the apparatus may need to be maneuvered into some tight spaces in some facilities and it may therefore be convenient to have a rear dispensing conveyor discharge 67R as well.
1393093v1 11 Instead of providing the dispensing conveyor 65' with front and rear dispensing conveyor discharges 67F, 67R Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a discharge system 11' that is operative to selectively discharge mixed feed from an interior of the tank 7 through front and rear discharge openings 13F, 13R by opening one of the doors 15F, 15R by activating the corresponding actuator 17F, 17R. The dispensing conveyor 65 is configured to receive mixed feed at the first discharge opening 13F and convey same to the front dispensing conveyor discharge 67F. The second discharge 13R opening is at a rear end of the left side of the tank 7, again in view of the operator via a mirror, and a short conveyor 69 conveys the mixed feed laterally out of the path of the rear wheels.
The feed mixing apparatus 1 of the present disclosure provides improved handling and processing of baled crop material. Simply attacking the stack 33 of bales 31 with the feed chopper is not practical, as the chopper would cut the twine or wrap that holds the bales together on several bales as it moves up and down the stack, with the loosened material falling in disarray. The grapple fork 27 allows the apparatus 1 to remove a single bale 31 from a stack 33 without assistance from another loader, and move the bale to a location suitable for disintegrating same with the feed chopper 25. The pivotally mounted flail blades 41 more effectively remove and break up the long stalks of the baled plant material, and a secondary blade drum 45 with either fixed or pivotally attached secondary blades 47 can be provided to further break up the stalks if desired.
The feed mixing apparatus 1 of the present disclosure also provides improved control of the feed discharge as well as improved safety and comfort for the operator by providing a dispensing conveyor 67 configured to receive mixed feed at the discharge opening 13 and convey the mixed feed to a dispensing conveyor discharge 67 located beside or forward of the operator's station 5 so the operator can look generally forward while discharging mixed feed and thus be able to more readily discern the location of the discharge as well as anything that might be in the path of the moving apparatus 1. A further discharge 1393093v1 12 location can be provided at the rear end of the apparatus 1 to allow for discharging of mixed feed in confined areas.
The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention.
Further, since numerous changes and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all such suitable changes or modifications in structure or operation which may be resorted to are intended to fall within the scope of the claimed invention.
1393093v1 13
This disclosure relates to the field of animal feed mixers and in particular an improved self-propelled, self-loading feed mixer.
BACKGROUND
Proper feed with the required nutrients is an important element in animal husbandry.
Such nutrients are typically derived from numerous different source ingredients such as baled hay and straw, silage, grain, various feed additives and supplements, and the like.
Instead of distributing these nutrient sources separately to the animals, it is typically desirable to mix the source ingredients together in the proper proportions to achieve a uniform feed ration where essentially each mouthful of feed contains the same balanced proportion of each nutrient.
United States Patent Number 7,079,123 to Lepage et al. discloses a bale processor of a typical type with a tank to hold a bale of crop material, and a flail drum which removes crop material from the bale and breaks it up for easier digestion by animals, and which includes a system for discharging grain with the baled crop material to provide a mixed ration.
More elaborate mixers are also known, commonly called TMR (total mixed ration) mixers, where all the feed ingredients needed for a ration for an animal are mixed thoroughly and evenly, and then discharged. Such a feed mixer is disclosed for example in United States Published Patent Application Number 2005/0036402 of Knight.
In using such a mixer, a weight of each of the nutrient sources being used is calculated as a proportion of the total capacity of the mixer, and then the calculated weight of each nutrient source is added to the mixer tank. The mixer will often include a scale so that the weight of each ingredient added may be readily determined and controlled.
Large 1393093v1 1 diameter, typically conical augers are then rotated to lift and move the ingredients around inside the tank until same are thoroughly mixed, and then the mixed ration is discharged from a chute into a feed bunk or the like as the mixer is towed along beside the feed bunk. The Knight mixer has vertically oriented augers however such TMR mixers are also known where the mixing augers are oriented horizontally.
Use of the mixer of Knight requires a tractor to tow the mixer and provide power to rotate the augers and discharge mechanism. The various ingredients are typically stored at the feeding location in silage pits, pellet piles, bale stacks, grain bins, and the like and so a separate loader vehicle is also required to move each ingredient from its storage location into the mixer tank. To avoid the requirement for a separate loading vehicle self-loading mixers have been developed, such as disclosed for example in United States Patent Numbers 4,330,091 to Rozeboom et al. and 4,428,537 to von der Heide.
It is also know to mount the mixer on a self-propelled vehicle and to provide a vertically movable feed input arm with a rotating chopper head on the forward end thereof and a conveyor extending along the arm from the chopper head to a discharge above the tank interior. The chopper head comprises a chopper drum rotatably mounted on a rotational axis perpendicular to the arm, and with chopper blades fixed to and extending out from the surface of the drum. The mixer vehicle is maneuvered such that the chopper head engages the feed ingredient and the rotating head removes the ingredient from the storage location, such as silage from a silage pit, pellets from a pile, or hay from a hay bale, and throws same onto the conveyor which then discharges into the tank. A scale is visible to the operator so that the operator will know when the desired amount of each ingredient has been transferred into the tank. Grain can be added to the mixer tank from a grain bin with a conventional conveyor or overhead chute.
Such self-propelled TMR mixers are self-contained, requiring neither a towing tractor or a loading vehicle, and thus reduce capital and labor costs, while also typically reducing 1393093v1 2 the time required to fill the mixer tank. For example Faresin Industries of Breganze, Vicenza, Veneto, Italy, and RMH Lachish of Sderot, Israel, and Storti S.p.A of Belfiore, Verona, Italy, as well as numerous other companies manufacture such self-propelled TMR mixers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present disclosure provides a feed mixing apparatus that overcomes problems in the prior art.
In a first embodiment the present disclosure provides a feed mixing apparatus for loading and mixing feed ingredients, the feed ingredients including bales of crop material stored in a bale stack. The apparatus comprises a self-propelled mixer vehicle with an operator's station at a forward end of the mixer vehicle. A tank mounted is on the mixer vehicle, with a mixing mechanism inside the tank, and a discharge system is operative to selectively discharge mixed feed from an interior of the tank through a discharge opening. A feed input arm is movably mounted to the mixer vehicle such that the feed input arm extends forward from the tank beside the operator's station, and an arm actuator is operative to move a front end of the feed input arm up and down. The feed input arm comprises a feed arm conveyor extending along a longitudinal axis of the feed input arm from a feed arm conveyor input at a front location on the feed input arm to a feed arm conveyor discharge oriented to discharge into the tank. The feed input arm comprises a feed chopper on a front end thereof forward of the feed arm conveyor input, the feed chopper operative to move feed ingredients from a feed source into the feed arm conveyor input. A grapple fork is pivotally mounted to the feed input arm, and a grapple actuator is operative to selectively pivot the grapple fork about a fork pivot axis toward the front end of the feed input arm and away from the front end of the feed input arm.
The grapple fork is configured to engage a bale stored in the bale stack and push the bale 1393093v1 3 toward the front end of the feed input arm such that the bale is secured to the feed input arm.
In a second embodiment the present disclosure provides a feed mixing apparatus for loading and mixing feed ingredients, the feed ingredients including bales of crop material stored in a bale stack. The apparatus comprises a self-propelled mixer vehicle with an operator's station at a forward end of the mixer vehicle. A tank is mounted on the mixer vehicle, with a mixing mechanism inside the tank, and a discharge system is operative to selectively discharge mixed feed from an interior of the tank through a discharge opening. A feed input arm is movably mounted to the mixer vehicle such that the feed input arm extends forward from the tank beside the operator's station, and an arm actuator is operative to move a front end of the feed input arm up and down. The feed input arm comprises a feed arm conveyor extending along a longitudinal axis of the feed input arm from a feed arm conveyor input at a front location on the feed input arm to a feed arm conveyor discharge located to discharge into the tank. The feed input arm comprises a feed chopper on a front end thereof forward of the feed arm conveyor input, and the feed chopper is operative to move feed ingredients from a feed source into the feed arm conveyor input. A dispensing conveyor is configured to receive mixed feed at the discharge opening and convey the mixed feed to a dispensing conveyor discharge located beside or forward of the operator's station.
The feed mixing apparatus of the present disclosure provides improved handling and processing of baled crop material. The apparatus is maneuvered next to the bale stack, with the grapple fork moved away from the chopper head at the front end of the feed input arm, and with the chopper head and grapple fork encompassing a bale. The grapple fork is moved toward the chopper head to secure the bale and then the bale can be lifted down and rested on the ground where the chopper head is then engaged with the bale.
The pivotally mounted flail blades effectively remove and break up the long stalks of the baled plant material, and a secondary blade drum can further break up the stalks if 1393093v1 4 desired. Orienting the mixed feed discharge beside or forward of the operator's station allows the operator to look generally forward in the direction of travel while discharging mixed feed, allowing for improved control of the location of the discharge.
Safety is also improved as the operator is able to more readily able to discern anything that might be in the path of the moving apparatus rather than looking rearward in a mirror or with a turned head. Operator comfort is also improved by providing the discharge in a location where the operator does not have to turn.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
While the invention is claimed in the concluding portions hereof, preferred embodiments are provided in the accompanying detailed description which may be best understood in conjunction with the accompanying diagrams where like parts in each of the several diagrams are labeled with like numbers, and where:
Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective front left view of an embodiment of the feed mixing apparatus of the present disclosure, showing the grapple fork in an closed position moved toward the feed chopper;
Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective front left view of the embodiment of Fig. 1 showing the grapple fork in an open position moved away from the feed chopper from the closed position, and also showing the addition of a rear discharge opening;
Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective rear left view of the embodiment of Fig.
lremoving a bale from a bale stack;
Fig. 4 is a schematic perspective front left view of the embodiment of Fig. 1 showing the grapple fork in a closed position securing a bale to the feed input arm;
1393093v1 5 Fig. 5 is a schematic perspective rear bottom view of the embodiment of Fig. 1 showing the grapple fork in a closed position securing a bale to the feed input arm, and showing the spikes extended to engage the bale, and also showing the dispensing conveyor with front and rear discharges;
Fig. 6 is a schematic top view showing an arrangement of the flail drum and secondary blade drum of a feed chopper;
Fig. 7 is a schematic top view showing an alternate arrangement of the flail drum and secondary blade drum of a feed chopper;
Fig. 8 is a schematic top view showing a further alternate arrangement of the flail drum and secondary blade drum of a feed chopper;
Fig. 9 is a schematic sectional view along line 9-9 in Fig. 8 showing a twine cutter.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS
Figs. 1 ¨ 5 schematically illustrate an embodiment of a feed mixing apparatus 1 of the present disclosure for loading and mixing feed ingredients where the feed ingredients include bales of crop material stored in a bale stack. The apparatus 1 is of the type commonly referred to as a TMR mixer, for Total Mixed Ration where feed ingredients such as grain, silage, hay, straw, granular supplements, and the like are placed in the tank and mixed into a uniform ration.
The apparatus 1 comprises a self-propelled mixer vehicle 3 with an operator's station 5 at a forward end of the mixer vehicle. A tank 7 is mounted on the mixer vehicle 3, and a mixing mechanism 9 inside the tank 7 mixes feed ingredients that are placed in the tank 7. A discharge system 11 is operative to selectively discharge mixed feed from an 1393093v1 6 interior of the tank 7 through a discharge opening 13. In such TMR mixers, the discharge system 11 comprises typically, as illustrated, a door 15 that covers the discharge opening 13 during mixing, and an actuator 17 to move the door 15 to open the opening 13. The action of the mixing mechanism 9 moves the mixed feed to and through the opening 13 when the door 15 is open.
A feed input arm 19 is movably mounted to the mixer vehicle 3 such that the feed input arm 19 extends forward from the tank 7 beside the operator's station 5, and an arm actuator 21 is operative to move a front end of the feed input arm 19 up to a raised position, such as shown in Fig. 3 and down to a lowered position resting on the ground.
The feed input arm 19 comprises a feed arm conveyor 23 extending along a longitudinal axis LA of the feed input arm 19 from a feed arm conveyor input 23A at a front location on the feed input arm 19 to a feed arm conveyor discharge 23B oriented to discharge into the tank 7. The feed input arm 19 also comprises a feed chopper 25 on a front end thereof forward of the feed arm conveyor input 23A. The feed chopper 25 is operative to move feed ingredients from a feed source into the feed arm conveyor input 23A
as it moves up and down with the feed input arm 19 along the face of a pile of feed ingredients.
A grapple fork 27 is pivotally mounted to the feed input arm 19, and a grapple actuator 29 is operative to selectively pivot the grapple fork about a fork pivot axis FPA either toward the front end of the feed input arm 19 or away from the front end of the feed input arm 19. The grapple fork 27 is configured to engage a bale 31 stored in the bale stack 33, as schematically illustrated in Fig. 3, and push the bale 31 toward the front end of the feed input arm 19 such that the bale 31 is secured to the feed input arm 19, as schematically illustrated in Fig. 4. In the illustrated apparatus 1 the fork pivot axis FPA
is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis LA of the feed input arm 19, and the grapple fork 27 is configured to push the bale toward the feed chopper 25.
The 1393093v1 7 illustrated bales 31 are cylindrical, known commonly as "round bales", however the grapple fork 27 can also readily handle cubic bales, commonly known as "square bales".
To more securely hold the bale 31, the illustrated apparatus 1 includes a pair of spikes 35 movably mounted under a bottom side of the feed chopper 25 such that a longitudinal axis LAS of the spike is aligned with the longitudinal axis LA of the feed input arm 19.
A spike actuator 37, as seen in Fig. 5, is operative to selectively move the spikes 35 between an extended position seen in Fig. 1 where the spike extends forward of the feed chopper 25 to engage a bale, and a retracted position as seen in Fig. 2 where the pointed outer ends of the spikes 35 are close to or under the feed chopper 25.
The grapple fork 27 allows the operator to remove bales from a bale stack 33 and lower them to the ground where the feed chopper 25 can then be used to remove material from the bale 31 and transfer same to the feed arm conveyor 23 and into the tank 7.
No separate loader equipment is needed to move the bales from the stack 33 for processing, allowing the self-propelled apparatus 1 to be a one person operation for virtually all feed ingredients.
Some feed ingredients stored in a pile such as silage, which is partially chopped during harvest, or alfalfa pellets are readily removed from the pile and chopped further by the chopper blades fixed to the chopper drum. Baled hay and straw however are more problematic as the plant material is not chopped during the harvest process and so the plant stalks are typically quite long and may not be chopped effectively by the fixed chopper blades, which can then cause the machine to plug.
To more effectively deal with baled crop material the feed chopper 25 of the apparatus 1 comprises a flail drum 39 rotatably mounted to the front end of the feed input arm 19 about a flail rotational axis RA oriented substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis LA of the feed input arm 19, and a plurality of flail blades 41 pivotally attached to 1393093v1 5 the outer surface of the flail drum 39 about flail pivot axes FPA oriented substantially parallel to the flail rotational axis FRA, and a flail drive, such as a hydraulic motor 43, belt arrangement, or the like is operative to rotate the flail drum 39. The flail blades 41 will also effectively move silage, pellets, and like feed ingredients from storage locations into and through the feed chopper 25.
In order to further reduce the size of particles of baled feed ingredients, Fig. 6 schematically illustrates the feed chopper 25 further comprising a secondary blade drum 45 rotatably mounted to the feed input arm 19 rearward of the flail drum 39 about a secondary blade rotational axis BRA, and a plurality of secondary blades 47 extending out from an outer surface of the secondary blade drum 45. A secondary blade drive, such as a hydraulic motor 49, belt arrangement, or the like, is operative to rotate the secondary blade drum 45. The secondary blade drum 45 is configured to receive feed ingredients from the flail drum 39 and discharge feed ingredients into the feed arm conveyor input 23A. The secondary blades 47 can be fixed to the outer surface of the secondary blade drum 45 or can be pivotally attached to the outer surface of the secondary blade drum 45 in a manner similar to the flail blades 41.
In the illustrated feed chopper 25, the secondary blade drum 45 discharges feed ingredients directly into the feed arm conveyor input 23A only on one side, and so a chopper conveyor 51 rearward of the secondary blade drum 45 receives feed ingredients from the secondary blade drum 45 and conveys same laterally to the feed arm conveyor input 23A. The chopper conveyor 51 is schematically illustrated as an auger conveyor which would be suitable for conveying the chopped feed material either from bales or other sources.
Fig. 7 schematically illustrates an alternate feed chopper 25 with the flail drum 39' with flail blades 41' and secondary blade drum 45' with secondary blades 47' arranged such that the secondary blade drum 45' is offset laterally from the flail drum 39' and where the 1393093v1 9 secondary blade rotational axis BRA is oriented at an angle N with respect to the flail rotational axis FRA, and comprising a chopper conveyor 51' rearward of the flail drum 39' that receives feed ingredients from the flail drum 39' and conveys same laterally toward the secondary blade drum 45' which in turn receives the feed ingredients and chops and discharges same into the feed arm conveyor input 23A.
Fig. 8 schematically illustrates a further alternate arrangement of a feed chopper 25" with the flail drum 39" with flail blades 41" and secondary blade drum 45" with secondary blades 47" arranged such that the secondary blade drum 45" is again offset laterally from the flail drum 39" and where the secondary blade rotational axis BRA is oriented at an angle N with respect to the flail rotational axis FRA, and comprising a chopper conveyor 51" rearward of the flail drum 39" that receives feed ingredients from the flail drum 39"
and conveys same laterally toward the secondary blade drum 45" which in turn receives the feed ingredients and chops and discharges same into the feed arm conveyor input 23A.
It is contemplated that the secondary blade rotational axis BRA will typically be oriented at an angle N of between 20 and 50 degrees with respect to the flail rotational axis FRA.
The illustrated feed choppers 25, 25', 25" include a flail housing 53 enclosing a rear portion of the flail drum 39, 39', 39". The flail housing defines an open front side configured to expose a front portion of the flail drum39, 39', 39" to the bales 31 or other stored feed ingredients, and includes right and left side panels 53R, 53L and top and bottom panels 53T, 53B extending between the right and left side panels.
Fig. 9 schematically illustrates a twine cutter 55 as can be installed on the feed chopper 25" of Fig. 8. The twine cutter 55 comprises a guide 57 extending along substantially a length of the bottom panels 53B between the right and left side panels 53R, 53L, and a knife 59 engaged in the guide 57 and configured such that the knife 59 can slide along a 1393093v1 10 length of the flail drum 39" from the right side panel 53R to the left side panel 53L and such that a cutting edge of the knife 59 contacts twine 61 wrapped around an outer surface of the flail drum 39"; and a knife actuator, such as the manually manipulated handle 71 shown in Fig. 8, operative to move the knife 59 along the guide 57.
In the illustrated twine cutter 55 the flail drum includes a knife groove 63 and the knife 59 travels along the groove 63 and cuts twine 61 wrapped around the surface of the flail drum 39".
Control of the feed discharge, as well as operator comfort and safety are improved in the feed mixing apparatus 1 by discharging the mixed feed beside or forward of the operator's station 5. The operator can then keep his eyes forward and look down or down and somewhat forward to watch the discharging mixed feed and guide the apparatus 1, instead of watching the discharge behind the operator's statioOn in a rear view mirror as is the ease in the prior art. Thus the apparatus 1 comprises, as schematically illustrated in Fig. 1, a dispensing conveyor 65 configured to receive mixed feed at the discharge opening 13 and, passing under the operator's station 5, convey the mixed feed to a dispensing conveyor discharge 67 located beside or forward of the operator's station 5.
The bottom view of Fig. 5 schematically illustrates the apparatus 1 with a dispensing conveyor 65' configured to convey mixed feed to either of front and rear dispensing conveyor discharges 67F and 67R. The operator's station 5 is offset to the left side of the tank 7, and the dispensing conveyor 65' is configured to selectively convey the mixed feed to a front dispensing conveyor discharge 67F located beside or forward of the operator's station 5 and to a rear dispensing conveyor discharge 67R located at a rear end of the tank 7 on the left side of the tank such that same is visible to the operator in a mirror. It is contemplated that the front dispensing conveyor discharge 67F
will be used most often however it is also contemplated that the apparatus may need to be maneuvered into some tight spaces in some facilities and it may therefore be convenient to have a rear dispensing conveyor discharge 67R as well.
1393093v1 11 Instead of providing the dispensing conveyor 65' with front and rear dispensing conveyor discharges 67F, 67R Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a discharge system 11' that is operative to selectively discharge mixed feed from an interior of the tank 7 through front and rear discharge openings 13F, 13R by opening one of the doors 15F, 15R by activating the corresponding actuator 17F, 17R. The dispensing conveyor 65 is configured to receive mixed feed at the first discharge opening 13F and convey same to the front dispensing conveyor discharge 67F. The second discharge 13R opening is at a rear end of the left side of the tank 7, again in view of the operator via a mirror, and a short conveyor 69 conveys the mixed feed laterally out of the path of the rear wheels.
The feed mixing apparatus 1 of the present disclosure provides improved handling and processing of baled crop material. Simply attacking the stack 33 of bales 31 with the feed chopper is not practical, as the chopper would cut the twine or wrap that holds the bales together on several bales as it moves up and down the stack, with the loosened material falling in disarray. The grapple fork 27 allows the apparatus 1 to remove a single bale 31 from a stack 33 without assistance from another loader, and move the bale to a location suitable for disintegrating same with the feed chopper 25. The pivotally mounted flail blades 41 more effectively remove and break up the long stalks of the baled plant material, and a secondary blade drum 45 with either fixed or pivotally attached secondary blades 47 can be provided to further break up the stalks if desired.
The feed mixing apparatus 1 of the present disclosure also provides improved control of the feed discharge as well as improved safety and comfort for the operator by providing a dispensing conveyor 67 configured to receive mixed feed at the discharge opening 13 and convey the mixed feed to a dispensing conveyor discharge 67 located beside or forward of the operator's station 5 so the operator can look generally forward while discharging mixed feed and thus be able to more readily discern the location of the discharge as well as anything that might be in the path of the moving apparatus 1. A further discharge 1393093v1 12 location can be provided at the rear end of the apparatus 1 to allow for discharging of mixed feed in confined areas.
The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention.
Further, since numerous changes and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all such suitable changes or modifications in structure or operation which may be resorted to are intended to fall within the scope of the claimed invention.
1393093v1 13
Claims (10)
1. A grapple fork apparatus for loading feed ingredients, the feed ingredients including bales of crop material stored in a bale stack, the apparatus comprising.
a feed input arm movably mounted to a vehicle such that the feed input arm extends forward from the vehicle, and an arm actuator operative to move a front end of the feed arm up and down;
a grapple fork pivotally mounted to the feed input arm, and a grapple actuator operative to selectively pivot the grapple fork about a fork pivot axis toward the front end of the feed input arm and away from the front end of the feed input arm, wherein the grapple fork is configured to engage a bale stored in the bale stack and push the bale toward the front end of the feed input arm such that the bale is secured to the feed input arm; and a spike movably mounted under a bottom side of the front end of the feed input arm such that a longitudinal axis of the spike is substantially aligned with the longitudinal axis of the feed input arm, and a spike actuator operative to selectively move the spike between an extended position, where the spike extends forward of the front end of the feed arm to engage a bale, and a retracted position.
a feed input arm movably mounted to a vehicle such that the feed input arm extends forward from the vehicle, and an arm actuator operative to move a front end of the feed arm up and down;
a grapple fork pivotally mounted to the feed input arm, and a grapple actuator operative to selectively pivot the grapple fork about a fork pivot axis toward the front end of the feed input arm and away from the front end of the feed input arm, wherein the grapple fork is configured to engage a bale stored in the bale stack and push the bale toward the front end of the feed input arm such that the bale is secured to the feed input arm; and a spike movably mounted under a bottom side of the front end of the feed input arm such that a longitudinal axis of the spike is substantially aligned with the longitudinal axis of the feed input arm, and a spike actuator operative to selectively move the spike between an extended position, where the spike extends forward of the front end of the feed arm to engage a bale, and a retracted position.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the fork pivot axis is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the feed input ann.
3 The apparatus of any one of claims 1 and 2 wherein the feed input arm comprises a feed arm conveyor extending along a longitudinal axis of the feed input ann from a feed arm conveyor input at a front location on the feed input arm to a feed arm conveyor discharge oriented to discharge into a tank mounted on the vehicle;
the feed input arm comprising a feed chopper on a front end thereof forward of the feed arm conveyor input, the feed chopper operative to move feed ingredients from a feed source into the feed arm conveyor input.
the feed input arm comprising a feed chopper on a front end thereof forward of the feed arm conveyor input, the feed chopper operative to move feed ingredients from a feed source into the feed arm conveyor input.
4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the feed chopper comprises a flail drum rotatably mounted to the front end of the feed input arm about a flail rotational axis oriented substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the feed input arm, and a plurality of flail blades pivotally attached to an outer surface of the flail drum about flail pivot axes oriented substantially parallel to the flail rotational axis, and a flail drive operative to rotate the flail drum
5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the feed chopper further comprises a secondary blade drum rotatably mounted to the feed input arm rearward of the flail drum about a secondary blade rotational axis, and a plurality of secondary blades extending out from an outer surface of the secondary blade drum, and a secondary blade drive operative to rotate the secondary blade drum, and wherein the secondary blade drum is configured to receive feed ingredients from the flail drum and discharge feed ingredients into the feed arm conveyor input
6 The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the secondary blades are one of fixed to the outer surface of the secondary blade drum and pivotally attached to the outer surface of the secondary blade drum.
7. The apparatus of any one of claims 5 and 6 wherein the feed chopper comprises a chopper conveyor rearward of the secondary blade drum and operative to receive feed ingredients from the secondary blade drum and convey same laterally to the feed arm conveyor input.
8. The apparatus of any one of claims 5 and 6 wherein the secondary blade drum is offset laterally from the flail drum, and comprising a chopper conveyor rearward of the flail drum and operative to receive feed ingredients from the flail drum and convey same laterally toward the secondary blade drum.
9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the secondary blade rotational axis is oriented at an angle of between 20 and 50 degrees with respect to the flail rotational axis.
10. The apparatus of any one of claims 4 - 9 where the feed chopper includes a flail housing enclosing a rear portion of the flail drum, the flail housing defining an open front side configured to expose a front portion of the flail drum, the flail housing including right and left side panels, and top and bottom panels extending between the right and left side panels, and wherein the feed chopper further comprises a twine cutter, the twine cutter comprising.
a guide extending along substantially a length of one of the top and bottom panels between the right and left side panels;
a knife engaged in the guide and configured such that the knife can slide along a length of the flail drum from the right side panel to the left side panel and such that a cutting edge of the knife contacts twine wrapped around an outer surface of the flail drum; and a knife actuator operative to move the knife along the guide
a guide extending along substantially a length of one of the top and bottom panels between the right and left side panels;
a knife engaged in the guide and configured such that the knife can slide along a length of the flail drum from the right side panel to the left side panel and such that a cutting edge of the knife contacts twine wrapped around an outer surface of the flail drum; and a knife actuator operative to move the knife along the guide
Priority Applications (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA2869159A CA2869159C (en) | 2014-11-03 | 2014-11-03 | Self-propelled self-loading feed mixer |
| PCT/CA2015/000201 WO2016070261A1 (en) | 2014-11-03 | 2015-03-30 | Self-propelled self-loading feed mixer |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA2869159A CA2869159C (en) | 2014-11-03 | 2014-11-03 | Self-propelled self-loading feed mixer |
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| CA2869159A1 CA2869159A1 (en) | 2016-05-03 |
| CA2869159C true CA2869159C (en) | 2017-01-17 |
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| WO (1) | WO2016070261A1 (en) |
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| CN108377921A (en) * | 2018-04-25 | 2018-08-10 | 泰安意美特机械有限公司 | It is a kind of large size pasture with it is self-propelled take to stir spread all-in-one machine |
| CN112691576A (en) * | 2021-01-20 | 2021-04-23 | 陈春娣 | Environment-friendly mixing arrangement for biodegradable materials |
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| US4369927A (en) * | 1980-06-20 | 1983-01-25 | Rozeboom Antonie G | Self-loading feed mixer and transport apparatus with improved grinding and loading mechanism |
| EP2197266A2 (en) * | 2007-11-05 | 2010-06-23 | Lachish Industries Ltd | Cutter-mixer-feeder |
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| WO2016070261A1 (en) | 2016-05-12 |
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