GB2040865A

GB2040865A - Bale loading and transporting machine

Info

Publication number: GB2040865A
Application number: GB7944631A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: SCALVENZI A OFF MEC
Current assignee: SCALVENZI A OFF MEC
Priority date: 1978-12-29
Filing date: 1979-12-31
Publication date: 1980-09-03
Also published as: DE2950582A1; IT1192343B; GB2040865B; BE880855A; FR2445100B1; CH636306A5; ES486954A1; FR2445100A1; NL7909365A; IT7844817A0; YU316479A

Abstract

A machine for the loading, transporting and unloading cylindrical bales of forage, has a base frame (A) forming a wheeled trailer connectable behind a tractor. An extendable arm (15,16) is pivotally mounted on one side of the base frame (A), the arm (15,16) being displaceable hydraulically to lie close to the ground and having forwardly extending rods (17,18) for engaging a round bale to be loaded. The spacing between the rods (17, 18) is variable to enable a variety of sizes of bales to be accommodated. When a bale has been positioned between the rods (17,18), the arm (15, 16) is displaced to a substantially vertical position thereby loading the bale on the trailer. The trailer also has a displaceable frame (B) mounted on the base frame (A) and having endless chains (10) for transporting a bale, when loaded, towards the rear of the trailer to enable further bales to be loaded. To secure the bales during transportation a plurality of lateral displaceable tines (25) are provided. The bales may be unloaded individually or as a vertical stack, in which latter case frame (B) is hydraulically displaced on said base frame (A) into a vertical position and then the tines (25) release the stacked bales. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Machine for the loading, transporting and unloading of cylindrical bales of forage and the like The present invention is directed at a machine for the loading, transporting and unloading of cylindrical bales of forage and the like.

With regard to the mechanisation of farming, various types of machines adapted to the loading, transporting and unloading of bales of forage, straw and the like are already known. However, said machines are able to operate only on parallelopiped bales of forage of relatively small dimensions obtained by baling devices of conventional type, whilst the operating technique thereof becomes unsuitable for cylindrical bales of considerable weight and dimensions of the type produced by the most recent harvesting machines specifically intended for the formation of large cylindrical bales.

Hitherto in order to displace such cylindrical bales, recourse has been had to completely unsuitable devices, such as fork-lift trucks, hydraulic grabs or devices attached at three points to a tractor, which devices, however, involve a considerable loss of time, energy and labour.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a machine which makes it possible to solve all the problems involved in the loading, unloading and transporting and, possibly, reloading of cylindrical bales of every dimension, or shape, in a simple, rapid and rational manner effected underthe control of a single operator.

The machine according to the present invention is preferably able to effect the following series of operations: loading of the cylindrical bales in the field; transport of the bales to their destination; unloading for storage, with a horizontal arrangement of the individual bales; unloading for storage, with a vertical arrangement or stacking a plurality of bales; and reloading of a plurality of bales from a vertical stack for the transport thereof to the place of use.

According to the present invention there is provided a machine for the loading, transporting and unloading of cylindrical bales of forage, comprising a base frame on wheels, means for picking up and loading one cylindrical bale at a time, and means for aligning loaded bales, transferring them and for the unloading thereof, in which said pick-up means comprises an extensible arm pivotally mounted on one side of the base frame and provided with a pair of rods with a variable spacing between them, for the engagement of the bales to be picked up from the ground, said extensible arm being displaceable from a horizontal position close to the ground to a vertical position adjacent to said base frame, and said means of alignment, transfer and unloading comprise a displaceable frame pivoted on the base frame and displaceable, from a horizontal position of rest on said base frame to a vertical position, and having a pair of endless chains mounted longitudin ally on said displaceable frame for receiving and transferring the bales.

The present invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a machine according to the present invention; Figure 2 shows a cross-section of the machine of Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a front view of the machine of Figure 1 with a base frame shown in section; Figures 4, 5and 6 show schematically front views of three successive operative phases of the machine for loading cylindrical bales; and Figures 7, 8 and 9 show schematically in side views the phases of unloading the cylindrical bales according to two different methods.

The machine of the present invention comprises a base frame A with two girders 1 in spaced parallel relationship mounted on axles 2 with supporting wheels 3, and provided at the front with guide means 4, for the attachment of the machine to a farm tractor 5 (see Figures 7 to 9). A frame B is associated with the girders 1 and displaceable from a horizontal position, resting on said girders 1, to a vertical position and vice versa. The said displaceable frame B comprises two girders 6 intended to be supported on the girders 1 of the base frame A and connected by V-shaped cross pieces 6' having downwardly directed apices.

The girders 6 of the displaceable frame B are provided at the rear with hinge members 7 for pivoting them, by means of pivots 8, on the girders 1 of the base frame A. To each girder 6 there are also connected two hydraulic cylinders 9 intended for enabling the displacement of the frame B from the horizontal position to the vertical position. Two endless chains 10 are connected to the girders 6 of the displaceable frame B, one for each girder, the upper runs of these are provided with bearing and traction means 11. The said chains 10 are provided on corresponding toothed wheels, of which the driven rear wheels are actuated by associated hydraulic motors, whilst the driven front wheels 12' are mounted on a common shaft 14 which ensures the synchronous displacement of both chains 10, said shaft 14 being mounted and supported between the girders 6 of the displaceable frame B. The endless chains 10 substantially represent a moving surface for receiving cylindrical bales 30 and progressively displacing said bales between the front of the machine and the back during loading or unloading.

For loading the cylindrical bales 30 a folding arm 15 is provided, laterally of the base frame A, at the front part thereof, which is pivoted on a girder 1 of said base frame and provided with a secondary telescopic arm 16 of variable extension.

Secured tothe arms 15 and 16 aretwo rods 17 and 18 respectively, pointing in the travelling direction of the machine and together representing a fork for engaging and lifting one cylindrical bale, in turn, from the ground.

The telescopic arm 15 is actuated by a pneumatic actuating cylinder 19 secured to the base frame A by means of which arm 15, together with the secondary arm 16, is first moved downwardly so that the rods 17, 18 lie parallel to the ground, and then displaced upwardly to an approximately vertical position to bring the bales onto the loading surface. In its turn, the secondary arm 16 is engaged by a hydraulic actuating cylinder 20 intended for displacing the arm 16 in order to move the rod 18 away from and close to the rod 17, so as to be able to centre and collect a cylindrical bale, from time to time.

Secured to the base frame A at the opposite end of the arm 15, a member 21 is provided for retaining a bale which has been loaded and to assist the positioning thereof on the chains 10.

Finally, at the side of each girder 6 on the displaceable frame e, there is mounted, on supports 22, a longitudinal shaft 23 capable of rotation about its own axis and carrying a plurality of arms 24 with a plurality of tines 25 intended to penetrate into the bales, once they had been loaded, in order to retain them on the loading surface during transport.

At the front ends of the shafts 23, two stirrups 26 are connected together by a hydraulic cylinder 27, which is extensible and retractable so as to control the rotation of said shafts 23, so as to move the arms 24 with tines 25, at the sides of the displaceable frame B either into an inoperative position, or, in the opposite direction, into the position of engagement with the bales, hence retaining the bales on the machine.

The above described machine is drawn onto a field by a tractor to which it is connected so that from time to time it approaches a cylindrical bale 30 to be loaded in the direction of the axis of the bale itself.

For loading, the collecting arm 15, 16 is pivoted downwardly, as shown in Figure 4 of the drawings, so that the rods 17, 18 are located close to the ground whilst the tines 25 are pivoted down into an inoperative position. The machine is then brought close to the cylindrical bale 30 to be loaded so that the fixed rod 17 grazes the bale itself along a generatrix, whilst the other rod 18 is at the maximum distance from the first rod 17, obtained by displacing outwardly the telescopic arm 16 by means of the associated cylinder 20 (see Figure 4). When the bale is completely inserted between the two rods 17 and 18 and touches the arm 15, then, by means of the cylinder 20, the rod 18 is brought close to the bale 30 so as to engage it therewith independently of the diameter and the geometry of the bale 30, due to any deformation of the bale.

Subsequently, by means of the actuating cylinder 19, the arm 15, carrying the bale 30, is raised (see Figure 5) until the bale 30 is loaded, by being lowered onto the displaceable frame B (see Figure 6). The exact distance between the two transferring chains 10, and the lateral retaining device 21 ensure the alignment of the axis of the bale with that of the machine. At this point, by an operation of the hydraulic motors, a transfer of the bale, by means of the chains 10, is effected towards the rear of the machine sufficient to permit the loading of another bale 30, and so on until the machine is completely loaded.

When the loading phase is terminated, before proceeding to transport the bales, the hydraulic cylinder 27 is actuated in order to rotate the shafts 23 so as to bring the tines 25 into engagement with the bales (see Figure 6) in order to hold them, in alignment, on the machine.

The machine then permits two methods of unloading the bales, namely: unloading the bales with their axis horizontal; or unloading the bales with their axis vertical or stacked in a pile.

The first of these methods, which may be necessary either because of immediate use of the bales or for temporary stowing of the forage, is effected by first opening the tines 25 by rotating the associated shafts 23 by the cylinder 27 and then actuating the chains 10 for displacing and unloading the bales from the rear part of the machine. In such a case, the bales become disposed on the ground along a generatrix thereof (see Figure 7).

The second method of unloading, which may be adopted for example, when it is necessary to stack the bales, is effected by raising, by means of hydraulic cylinders 9, the displaceable frame B (see Figure 8), whilst the bales remain held by the tines 25. When the frame B is positioned vertically, it is sufficient to open the tines 25 because the bales, freed from their retaining action, are disposed on the ground stacked in a pile (see Figure 9).

From this last condition it is possible to subsequently pick up a pile of bales by simply placing the machine beside it with the displaceable frame disposed vertically and then closing the tines 25 to secure the bales on said frame by series of operations the opposite to those for unloading.

Claims

1. Amachineforthe loading, transporting and unloading of cylindrical bales of forage, comprising, a base frame on wheels, means for picking up and loading one cylindrical bale at a time, and means for aligning loaded bales, transferring them and for the unloading thereof, in which said pick-up means comprises an extensible arm pivotally mounted on one side of the base frame and provided with a pair of rods with a variable spacing between them, for the engagement of the bales to be picked up from the ground, said extensible arm being displaceable from a horizontal position close to the ground to a vertical position adjacent to said base frame, and said means of alignment, transfer and unloading comprise a displaceable frame pivoted on the base frame and displaceable, from a horizontal position of rest on said base frame to a vertical position, and having a pair of endless chains mounted longitudinally on said displaceable frame for receiving and transferring the bales.

2. A machine according to claim 1, wherein said pair of rods of the extensible arm are disposed in the direction of travel of the machine and at different heights, one of said rods being displaceable towards and away from the other.

3. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the displaceable frame comprises two parallel, spacedapart girders for resting on the base frame and connected by V-shaped cross pieces, said displaceable frame being pivotally mounted on said base frame.

4. A machine according to claim 3, wherein the pairs of chains extend along said girders of the displaceable frame.

5. A machine according to claim 3, wherein there are mounted on the sides of said girders of the displaceable frame, two longitudinal shafts capable of rotation about their own axes in directions opposed to each other, and a plurality of arms with tines are secured to said shafts, said arms being displaceable towards and away from the axis of said displaceable frame in orderto hold and release the bales loaded on said frame.

6. A machine according to claim 5, wherein the front ends of said shafts are provided with stirrups each connected by an extensible and retractable means for the displacement of the tines into an operative and inoperative position.

7. A machine for loading, transporting and unloading cylindrical bales of forage, substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.