GB1566859A - Bale handling apparatus - Google Patents

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO BALE HANDLING APPARATUS (71) I, RAYMOND JOHN PARSONS, a British Subject, of New Manor Hall Farm, Mill Street, Gislingham, Eye, Suffolk, do hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to bale-handling apparatus, and in particular to apparatus which is intended to be towed behind a bale-tying machine and to receive and collate the bales ejected therefrom.

When clearing straw from a field, it is usual for the straw to be gathered and fed to a bale-tying machine, which compresses the straw into cuboid bales and then ties cords around the compressed bales so that the bales hold their shape. Often, the bales thus tied are simply ejected from the rear of the tying machine and allowed to fall on the ground; separately, a tractor towing a trailer is used to gather the bales for transport to the required site. In an attempt to reduce the time and effort required to collect such bales, a sledge sometimes is towed behind a bale-tying machine to receive the bales ejected from the machine. The sledge can be towed to a suitable point in the field where the bales are off-loaded for subsequent collection. Recently, devices which automatically collate the bales into groups of four or eight have become available, these devices being intended to be towed behind a bale-tying machine and to receive the bales ejected therefrom. The bales are automatically grouped typically into two rows of four bales each and when such a group has been assembled, they are ejected from the device and left lying in the field for subsequent collection. To assist such collection, mechanical grabs have also been designed, specifically intended to pick up such groups of eight bales and to load them on to a suitable vehicle.

It is a principal aim of this invention to provide an improved apparatus suitable for towing behind a bale-tying machine so as to receive bales from the machine and automatically to collate them into groups of four or eight.

According to this invention, there is provided bale-handling apparatus for collating bales into groups, which apparatus comprises a frame adapted for towing over the ground and defining four openbottomed compartments each for receiving a bale and arranged side by side, one pair of adjacent compartments having associated therewith first gate means and the other pair of adjacent compartments having associated therewith similar first gate means, each first gate means comprising a gate element pivotally mounted on the frame adjacent the front of the compartment and movable between two positions to direct a bale into one compartment of the associated pair when in one position and into the other compartment of the pair when in the other position, a spring adapted to bias the gate element to its one position and trigger means including a trigger element arranged at the rear of said one compartment so as to be engaged and moved rearwardly by the rear face of a bale as the bale moves fully into the one compartment, the trigger element being connected by a resilientlydeformable coupling to the gate means so that when the trigger element has been moved rearwardly, the associated gate element is urged to its other position against its spring bias, there being a receiver for bales fed to the apparatus and including second gate means comprising a deflector plate hinged for movement between a first position in which a received bale is directed to one of the first gate means and a second position in which a received bale is fed to the other first gate means, the deflector plate being arranged so that it is moved from one of its positions to the other of its positions automatically as a bale is directed thereby to one or the other of the first gate means.

It will be appreciated that the apparatus of this invention is intended to be towed behind a bale-tying machine and that the bales ejected therefrom are directed on to the receiver of the apparatus. When the apparatus is empty, the deflector plate of the receiver serves to direct the first received bale rearwardly to one of the two first gate means, and the bale is thereby directed into the one compartment of the pair associated with that first gate means.

The deflector plate is moved automatically by the first bale to its other position so that the next following bale is directed to the first gate means of the other pair and is thereby directed to the one compartmnt of that other pair. As the bales move rearwardly within the frame by virtue of the forward movement of the frame and the contact with the ground of the bales through the open bottoms of the compartments, the bales engage the trigger elements and drive those elements rearwardly, thereby operating the associated gate elements to their other positions. Thus, the next two bales are respectively directed to the other compartments of the two pairs, by the operation of the second and first gate means respectively.

It is preferred for the frame to have a movable rear gate. which gate may hinge from its normal position to allow bales to leave the compartments when four bales have been collated therein. Such a rear gate may be operated under the control of an operator so that the bales will be ejected only when at an appropriate point in a field, but instead the rear gate may be operated automatically by the rearward movement of the last bale of the four to be collated. For such an automatic operation, an operator may be provided with a manual over-ride, so as to inhibit the operation of the automatic arrangement if the bales would otherwise be released at an inappropriate point in the field.

A further possibility is for the frame to include a secondary bale collection area rearwardly of the four compartments, so that four bales released from the four compartments are allowed to move rearwardly into the secondary collection area and remain there for subsequent release from the frame. When the next four bales have been collated and released, they also may move into the secondary area, so that eight bales are collated into a group therewith. The secondary area may also have a tailgate which may be released either automatically or under the control of an operator to leave the group of eight bales at an appropriate point in the field. The operator may delay the release of the eight bales up to the point at which four further bales have been collated in the compartments, if he wishes, so that twelve bales in all are simultaneously released.

The spring adapted to bias the gate element of a first gate means serves to ensure that the gate element of the first gate means directs the first bale received thereby to the one compartment which has the trigger element of the trigger means. The resiliently-deformable coupling which connects the trigger element to the gate element serves to ensure that should there be a blockage or obstruction, for instance caused by a bale partially disintegrating, the first gate means will not be damaged thereby.

Moreover, the resiliently-deformable coupling provides a measure of shock absorption as the trigger element is engaged by a rearwardly-moving bale, so as to prevent high shock loads being imparted suddenly to the gate element, thus increasing the reliability of the first gate means.

The resiliently-deformable coupling preferably is in the form of a telescopic connection appropriately spring-loaded and disposed in a member interconnecting the trigger element with the associated gate element. An alternative possibility is for there to be a spring connector coupling one or both ends of a member extending between the trigger element and the gate element.

When a movable rear gate is provided to the four compartments, it is preferred for the rear gate to be hinged about a horizontal axis disposed higher than the normal height of bales within the compartments. In this way, when released, the rear gate may hinge upwardly and rearwardly out of the way of the bales as the bales move rearwardly relative to the frame, by virtue of the forward movement of the frame. Once the bales are clear of the rear gate, the rear gate may swing back to its original position under gravity and conveniently an automatic but releasable locking arrangement is provided to retain the rear gate in its normal position.

As mentioned above, a rear gate to the compartments may be released either automatically when four bales have been collated or manually under the control of an operator, when desired. For automatic operation, it is preferred for there to be a lever disposed within the other compartment of one of the pairs of compartments, which lever is operated as a bale enters that other compartment, so as to release the rear gate. Conveniently, the lever may be hinged about a horizontal axis and depend downwardly at the rear of the compartment, so that the lever is operated as the bale moves fully into the compartment.

It is preferred for the deflector plate of the second gate means to be pivotted about its rearward edge and to have an arm extending rearwardly of the pivotal connection, for engagement by a bale as a bale is deflected by the deflector plate to one or the other of the first gate means. Such engagement with the arm may then move the deflector plate from its first position to its second position, or vice versa. In a preferred construction, the arm comprises two rigid blades, each extending rearwardly from the pivotal connection but with the separation between the blades increasing further from the pivotal connection, so as to ensure continuous contact with a bale as the deflector plate is being moved by contact of the bale with the rigid blade.

As mentioned, bales sometimes disintegrate at least in part, and this can lead to damage of the second gate means when a disintegrating bale is followed rapidly by a bale which has become jammed on the second gate means. In order to reduce the likelihood of damage, it is preferred for the deflector plate to be pivotted to an arm, which is in itself hinged to the frame of the apparatus, releasable means being provided to retain the arm so that the deflector plate is in its normal operating position, but which means may be released to allow the deflector plate to swing clear should an obstruction occur.

By way of example only, one specific embodiment of bale collating apparatus constructed in accordance with this invention will now be described, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of the apparatus of this invention for collating bales from a bale-tying machine; Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on line II-II shown on Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a sectional view of a push-rod used in the apparatus of Figures 1 and 2.

The apparatus shown in the drawings is intended for towing behind a bale-tying machine in order to receive bales ejected rearwardly from the machine, and to assemble the bales into a "flat eight" - that is, an assembly of eight bales arranged in two rows of four bales each, all the bales being closely in contact with adjacent bales - for depositing at an appropriate point in a field.

The apparatus comprises a main frame 10 constructed for instance by welding from rolled hollow steel box sections (RHS) so as to define a front portion 11 and a rear portion 12, considering the normal intended direction of movement of the apparatus. At the front of the front portion 11, there is arranged a cross member 13 which carries a bracket 14 connectible to a tow-point on the back of a bale-tying machine not shown) whereby the apparatus of this invention may be towed behind the bale-tying machine in the direction of arrow A (Figure 2). A steerable front wheel can be provided if required, mounted with castor action on the cross-member 13.

Strut 15 (only one of which is visible in Figure 2) supports two plates 16 and 17, plate 16 being inclined upwardly and rearwardly from the front of the machine and plate 17 being joined to plate 16 and extending downwardly and rearwardly to side members 18 and 19 of the main frame 10. Plate 16 serves to received bales ejected from a bale-tying machine, and directs such bales on to plate 17 for distribution as described below.

The front portion 11 of the main frame 10 defines four compartments A,B,C and D for receiving bales, one in each compartment respectively. The compartments are defined by the side members 18 and 19 of the main frame 10 as well as by three longitudinal members 20 on the same level as the side members; the compartments are openbottomed, so that a bale when received in a compartment bears on the ground.

A sub-frame 21 is constructed over the compartments A to D and supports pivotally from its upper rear edge a reargate 22 which normally closes the rear of all the compartments but which may hinge in the direction of arrow B (Figure 2) about axis 23 to open the rear of all four compartments simultaneously. The reargate 22 is latched in the closed position shown in Figure 2 by means of a catch member 24 hooked over a cross member 25 of the reargate 22, the catch member 24 being pivoted to the sub-frame 21. A bell crank 26 is pivoted to the sub-frame 21 so that one limb thereof projects into the rear portion of compartment D. The other limb of the bell crank 26 is connected by a link 27 to the catch member 24, so that when a bale is received fully in compartment D, the one limb of the bell crank 26 is moved rearwardly, thus freeing the catch member 24 from the cross member 25 and allowing the reargate to pivot in the direction of arrow B to allow bales in the compartments A to D to move rearwardly with respect to the main frame 10 as the frame is moved forward over the ground.

Bales received on the plate 16 from a bale-tying machine are distributed into the four compartments A to D by means of two first gates 30 and 31 and a deflector plate 32.

Gate 30 is associated with compartments A and C and gate 31 is associated with compartments B and D. Each gate is movable between two positions, in the first of which (shown in solid lines in Figure 1) the two gates close the respective compartments C and D whilst compartments A and B remain open, and in the second of which (shown in chain lines) the gates open the respective compartment C and D and close the compartments A and B. To ensure that the apparatus initially is in the correct setting prior to receipt of a first bale, springs 33 are provided to bias the gates 30 and 31 to their first positions.

Levers 34 and 35 are respectively attached to the first gates 30 and 31 and are respectively connected by means of push rods 36 and 37 to operating trigger 38 and 39 respectively. The triggers 38 and 39 are both in the form of bell-cranks pivotted to the sub-frame 21, arranged so that the longer arm of each bell crank projects into the associated compartments A or B with the longer arm sloping downwardly and forwardly from the point of attachment to the sub-frame 21. Movement of the longer arm of either trigger rearwardly by a bale entering the respective compartments will thus move the associated gage 30 or 31 from its initial position to its other position, against the bias provided by spring 33.

The push rods 36 and 37 are arranged to provide shock-absorption between the trigger 38 or 39 and the respective gate 30 and 31. This is achieved as shown in Figure 3 by means of a telescopic joint, spring-urged to the expanded position. The push rod comprises a first member 40 defining a bore 41 and pivotted to the trigger 38 by means of a clevis pin 42. A second member 43 is slidably received in the bore 41 and is pivotted to lever 34 of the gate 30. The wall of the bore 41 is provided with a slot 44, there being a peg 45 mounted in the second member 43 and projecting through the slot 44. so as to retain the first and second members 40 and 43 interconnected. A compression spring 46 is located in the bore 41 and serves to urge the first and second members 40 and 43 apart.

The deflector plate 32 is rigidly attached to a shaft 47 journalled in a boss 48 provided at one end of an arm 49. The other end of the arm 49 is hinged to the central longitudinal member 20, so that the assembly of the arm and plate may hinge to the position shown in chain lines in Figure 2. The shaft 47 extends beyond the boss 48 and projects through an aperture in plate 17. The free end of the shaft 47 may be bifurcated and the legs of the bifurcation splayed slighlty, so that the legs engage behind the plate 17 and serve to retain the shaft, and hence the arm, in the position shown in solid lines in Figure 2. However, if sufficient force is applied to the deflector plate 32, the legs of the bifurcated free end may spring closer together and the shaft may move free of the plate 17, allowing the arm to hinge the deflector plate 32 to the second position shown in chain lines. Also attached to the shaft, adjacent the lower edge of the deflector plate 32, is a pair of spring blades 50, the two blades 50 extending generally rearwardly, at a small angle to one another.

The rear portion of the main frame 10 comprises a pair of side members 55, being extensions of the side members 18 and 19, the spacing between member 55 being narrower than that between the side members 18 and 19 in the region of the compartments A to D by an amount slightly less than the combined thickness of the three longitudinal members 20, so as to allow movement of the bales from the compartments into the rear portion.

Part-way along the length of the side members 55, there is provided a hinged connection 56, whereby the rearmost section of the rear portion 12 may be hinged upwardly, as shown in chain lines in Figure 2. The rearmost section is normally held in the position shown in solid lines in Figure 2 by means of releasable tie-bars 57, shown in part for clarity.

At the rear of the rear portion 12, there is provided a tailgate 58, which may hinge rearwardly and upwardly as shown by arrow C to open the rear of the rear portion. The second tailgate 58 is retained in the normal vertical disposition by means of a pair of second catch members 59 arranged one adjacent each side member 55. The arrangement of the second catchmember 59 is generally similar to that of the catch member 24, but the second catch members 59 are manually operable to release the tailgate 58 by means of a pull-cord 60 extending forwardly to the operator (usually seated on a tractor towing the bale-tying machine and the bale-collector of this invention), the pull-chord 60 being appropriately connected by suitable links to the catch members 59.

The side members 55 support a pair of ground wheels 61, on which the entire apparatus is supported in conjunction with the bracket 14.

In use, as the apparatus is towed in the direction of arrow A, a tied bale ejected from the bale-tying machine preceding the collating apparatus of this invention is received on plate 16 and is pushed therealong by the next following. When the greater part of the first bale overlies plate 17, the bale topples and falls under gravity down plate 17, to be deflected to one side or the other of the apparatus by means of the deflector plate 32. As the bale slides past the shaft 47 the bale contacts one of the rigid blades 50 and this serves to pivot the deflector plate 32 from its initial position to one side of the plate 17 to its second position, to the other side of the plate 17. This pivotting movement is shown by arrow D.

Immediately behind plate 17, the bale contacts the ground between the side members 18 and 19 and tends to remain station ary on the ground; the bale thus moves rearwardly with respect to the main frame 10. The bale (assuming the initial starting shown in Figure 1) is guided by first gate 30 into compartment A and as the bale reaches the rear portion of that compartment, trigger 38 is also moved rearwardly and the first gate is then moved to its second position by means of the push rod 36 and lever 34. The next following bale is guided by the deflector plate 32 to the other side of the apparatus and then by first gate 31 into compartment B. The second bale in turn moves the deflector plate 32 back to its initial position, and then drives the trigger 39 to move the first gate 31 to its second position by means of push rod 37 and lever The second bale which was guided into compartment B, also moved the deflector plate 32 back to its original position, by virtue of the engagement between the bale and the other rigid blade 50. Thus, the next following bale is moved into compartment C and the fourth bale is moved into compartment D. When the fourth bale moves fully rearwardly into compartment D, the bellcrank 26 is operated to open the reargate 22 and all four bales in the four compartments move rearwardly in to the rear portion 12 of the main frame 10, to engage the tailgate 58.

The four bales in the compartments are separated by a small distance, by virtue of the three longitudinal members 20, but as the bales move to the back of the rear portion 12, the side members 55 guide the bales to move closely into contact with one another.

A second set of four bales may be collated in precisely the same manner as that just described, and this second set may then move in to the rear portion 12 so as to form a group of eight bales, as shown in Figure 1.

Then, at an appropriate point in the field, the operator may pull on the pull-cord 60, to release the tailgate 58 and thus to deposit the bales for subsequent collection. If groups of four bales only are required either the operator may release the tailgate before a second group of four bales has been released into the rear portion from the compartments, or the rearmost section of the rear portion may be hinged upwardly so that release of the rear gate 22 deposits the bales in the field.

Not infrequently, a bale discharged from a bale-tying machine at least partially disintegrates and if this occurs, it can cause the apparatus to jam. Should such a jam occur in the region of the deflector plate 32, the arm 48 may pivot to its second position by springing the bifurcated free end portion of the shaft 47 out of the aperture in the plate 17. The deflector plate 32, rigid blades 50 and shaft 47 may thus move clear of any further bales and the likelihood of damage to these components is greatly reduced.

When the blockage has been cleared, the arm may be moved back to its original position, sprining the free end portion of the shaft 47 through the aperture in the plate 17 and, if necessary, prising apart the bifurcation. The shaft is thus restrained to be in the position shown in solid lines in Figure 2 until the next blockage occurs.

In a similar way, the telescopic connection in the push rods 36 and 37 serve to protect the first gates 30 and 31, as well as the associated operating mechanism, from damage. Should a blockage occur in the region of the gates 30 or 31, movement of the bell-cranks 26 is not inhibited as a bale moves rearwardly in the associated compartment, and the telescopic connection between the first and second members 40 and 43 will absorb the movement until the blockage has been cleared, allowing the gate to move to its second position.

WHAT I CLAIM IS: 1. Bale handling apparatus for collating bales into groups, which apparatus comprises a frame adapted for towing over the ground and defining four open-bottomed compartments each for receiving a bale and arranged side by side, one pair of adjacent compartments having associated therewith first gate means and the other pair of adjacent compartments having associated therewith similar first gate means, each first gate means comprising a gate element pivotally mounted on the frame adjacent the front of the compartment and movable between two positions to direct a bale into one compartment of the associated pair when in one position and into the other compartment of the pair when in the other position, a spring adapted to bias the gate element to its one position and trigger means including a trigger element arranged at the rear of said one compartment so as to be engaged and moved rearwardly by the rear face of a bale as the bale moves fully into the one compartment, the trigger element being connected by a resilientlydeformable coupling to the gate means so that when the trigger element has been moved rearwardly, the associated gate element is urged to its other position against its spring bias, there being a receiver for bales fed to the apparatus and including second gate means comprising a deflector plate hinged for movement between a first position in which a received bale is directed to one of the first gate means and a second position in which a received bale is fed to the other first gate means, the deflector plate being arranged so that it is moved from one of its positions to the other of its positions automatically as a bale is directed thereby to one or the other of the first gate

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (16)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. ary on the ground; the bale thus moves rearwardly with respect to the main frame 10. The bale (assuming the initial starting shown in Figure 1) is guided by first gate 30 into compartment A and as the bale reaches the rear portion of that compartment, trigger 38 is also moved rearwardly and the first gate is then moved to its second position by means of the push rod 36 and lever 34. The next following bale is guided by the deflector plate 32 to the other side of the apparatus and then by first gate 31 into compartment B. The second bale in turn moves the deflector plate 32 back to its initial position, and then drives the trigger 39 to move the first gate 31 to its second position by means of push rod 37 and lever The second bale which was guided into compartment B, also moved the deflector plate 32 back to its original position, by virtue of the engagement between the bale and the other rigid blade 50. Thus, the next following bale is moved into compartment C and the fourth bale is moved into compartment D. When the fourth bale moves fully rearwardly into compartment D, the bellcrank 26 is operated to open the reargate 22 and all four bales in the four compartments move rearwardly in to the rear portion 12 of the main frame 10, to engage the tailgate 58. The four bales in the compartments are separated by a small distance, by virtue of the three longitudinal members 20, but as the bales move to the back of the rear portion 12, the side members 55 guide the bales to move closely into contact with one another. A second set of four bales may be collated in precisely the same manner as that just described, and this second set may then move in to the rear portion 12 so as to form a group of eight bales, as shown in Figure 1. Then, at an appropriate point in the field, the operator may pull on the pull-cord 60, to release the tailgate 58 and thus to deposit the bales for subsequent collection. If groups of four bales only are required either the operator may release the tailgate before a second group of four bales has been released into the rear portion from the compartments, or the rearmost section of the rear portion may be hinged upwardly so that release of the rear gate 22 deposits the bales in the field. Not infrequently, a bale discharged from a bale-tying machine at least partially disintegrates and if this occurs, it can cause the apparatus to jam. Should such a jam occur in the region of the deflector plate 32, the arm 48 may pivot to its second position by springing the bifurcated free end portion of the shaft 47 out of the aperture in the plate 17. The deflector plate 32, rigid blades 50 and shaft 47 may thus move clear of any further bales and the likelihood of damage to these components is greatly reduced. When the blockage has been cleared, the arm may be moved back to its original position, sprining the free end portion of the shaft 47 through the aperture in the plate 17 and, if necessary, prising apart the bifurcation. The shaft is thus restrained to be in the position shown in solid lines in Figure 2 until the next blockage occurs. In a similar way, the telescopic connection in the push rods 36 and 37 serve to protect the first gates 30 and 31, as well as the associated operating mechanism, from damage. Should a blockage occur in the region of the gates 30 or 31, movement of the bell-cranks 26 is not inhibited as a bale moves rearwardly in the associated compartment, and the telescopic connection between the first and second members 40 and 43 will absorb the movement until the blockage has been cleared, allowing the gate to move to its second position. WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1. Bale handling apparatus for collating bales into groups, which apparatus comprises a frame adapted for towing over the ground and defining four open-bottomed compartments each for receiving a bale and arranged side by side, one pair of adjacent compartments having associated therewith first gate means and the other pair of adjacent compartments having associated therewith similar first gate means, each first gate means comprising a gate element pivotally mounted on the frame adjacent the front of the compartment and movable between two positions to direct a bale into one compartment of the associated pair when in one position and into the other compartment of the pair when in the other position, a spring adapted to bias the gate element to its one position and trigger means including a trigger element arranged at the rear of said one compartment so as to be engaged and moved rearwardly by the rear face of a bale as the bale moves fully into the one compartment, the trigger element being connected by a resilientlydeformable coupling to the gate means so that when the trigger element has been moved rearwardly, the associated gate element is urged to its other position against its spring bias, there being a receiver for bales fed to the apparatus and including second gate means comprising a deflector plate hinged for movement between a first position in which a received bale is directed to one of the first gate means and a second position in which a received bale is fed to the other first gate means, the deflector plate being arranged so that it is moved from one of its positions to the other of its positions automatically as a bale is directed thereby to one or the other of the first gate

means.

2. Bale-handling apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the frame has a movable rear gate, which gate may hinge from its normal position to allow bales to leave the compartments when four bales have been collated therein.

3. Bale-handling apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the rear gate is operated to open the compartments automatically by the rearward movement of the last bale of the four to be collated.

4. Bale-handling apparatus as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the rear gate is hinged about a horizontal axis disposed higher than the normal heights of bales within the compartments.

5. Bale-handling apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein a releasable automatically locking arrangement is provided to retain the rear gate in its normal position in which the rear of the compartment is blocked thereby.

6. Bale-handling apparatus as claimed in any of claims 2 to 5, wherein a lever is disposed within the other compartment of one of the pairs of compartments, which lever is operated as a bale enters that other compartment, so as to release the rear gate from its normal position in which the rear of the compartments is blocked thereby.

7. Bale-handling apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the lever is hinged about a horizontal axis and depends downwardly at the rear of said other compartment, so that the lever is operated as the bale moves fully into that compartment.

8. Bale-handling apparatus as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the frame includes secondary bale collection area rearwardly of the four compartments, so that four bales released from the four compartments are allowed to move rearwardly into the secondry collection area and remain there for subsequent releases from the frame.

9. Bale-handling apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the secondary area is of such a size that eight bales may be collated into a group therewithin.

10. Bale-handling apparatus as claimed in claim 4 or claim 9, wherein the secondary area has a tailgate which may be released to allow to leave a group of collected bales to be left at an appropriate point in a field.

11. Bale-handling apparatus as claimed in any of the preceding claims. wherein the resiliently-deformable coupling is in the form of a telecopic connection appropriately spring-loaded and disposed in a member interconnecting the trigger element with the associated gate element.

12. Bale-handling apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1 to 10, wherein the resiliently deformable coupling comprises a spring connector arranged at one or both ends of a member extending between the trigger element and the gate element.

13. Bale-handling apparatus as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the deflector plate of the second gate means is pivotted about its rearward edge and has an arm extending rearwardly of the pivotal connection, for engagement by a bale as the bale is deflected by the deflector plate to one or the other of the first gate means.

14. Bale-handling apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the arm comprises two rigid blades, each extending generally rearwardly from the pivotal connection but with the separation between the blades increasing further from the pivotal connection, so as to ensure continuous contact with a bale during the movement of the deflector plate by contact of the bale with one of the rigid blades.

15. Bale-handling apparatus as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the deflector plate is pivotted to an arm, which arm is hinged to the frame of the apparatus, releasable means being provided to retain the arm in a position in which the deflector plate is in its normal operating position, the releasable means being releasable should an obstruction occur to allow the deflector plate to swing clear of such an obstruction.

16. Bale-handling apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings.