GB2194769A

GB2194769A - Bale handling apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2194769A
Application number: GB08718031A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Harold Anstey Geatches
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1986-07-30
Filing date: 1987-07-30
Publication date: 1988-03-16
Also published as: GB8618531D0; GB8718031D0

Abstract

Apparatus for handling cylindrical bales, for example agricultural bales of hay, straw or silage, comprises lower bale-supporting members 19, 20 and an upper member 21 which is movable in a vertical plane between a bale holding position and a bale disengaging position. Preferably, two lower members and one upper member provide a three- zone bale-holding configuration arranged uniformly circumferentially about the bale and the lower members are laterally movable by a double acting hydraulic piston 25. The upper member is movable by a piston 21, and may move in concert with the lower members. The members are attached to a frame 14 mountable on a load handling vehicle. The members may have an friction coating, with upper member formed with a spike and the lower members with rollable sleeves 19a, 20a. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Bale handling apparatus This invention relates to bale handling apparatus, in particular for the handling of cylindrical bales of material in agricultural and other industries.

In agriculture, it is becoming increasingly common to store hay and straw in large-diameter cylindrical bales, typically of about 0.752m in diameter and 1-1.5m in length, rather than in the traditional rectangular bales. In particular, silage is often made by forming the freshly-cut grass or other raw material into such cylindrical bales and either placing each bale within a black plastics bag or wrapping it in a black plastics sheet material. The bagged or wrapped bales are then placed in a stack for the silage to form and for storage until required. Typically, bagged or wrapped bales stand on their sides rather than their ends and are handled by means of a tractor carrying an attachment including prongs or tines which pierce the plastics material and penetrate the bale which may then be lifted and moved to a desired location.The holes in the plastics material left after withdrawing the prongs or tines are subsequently patched over, but the patch seal is not necessarily weatherproof and in any case a patch constitutes only a single thickness, compared with several thicknesses or wrapping material in the case of the increasingly-popular wrapped bales.

One object of the present invention is to provide a bale handling apparatus in which the bale-supporting elements do not penetrate to the interior of the bale or through any bag or wrapping thereof.

According to the invention, a bale handling apparatus comprises upper and lower balesupporting members relatively movable towards and away from each other between a bale-engaging/disengaging position and a bale holding position.

Using such apparatus, a bale may be releasably held between the bale-supporting members and may therefore be picked up, moved and set down without penetration thereof by the said members.

Preferably, a bale handling apparatus according to the invention is attachable to a vehicle, for example a tractor via a front end loader.

It is preferred that the bale-supporting members of a bale handling apparatus according to the invention define a three-zone bale holding configuration including two bale-supporting members in a lower position and a single bale-supporting member in an upper position, the members being attached to a frame and at least the lower members extending from the frame at an angle of substantially 90". The upper member is preferably located on the frame above and midway between the lower members, thereby to support the bale in the region of its apex.Preferably also, the members are so spaced one from another that they support a bale at peripheral positions spaced apart by a substantially equal amount, so that radii at those positions subtend an angle of substantially 60". With this spacing, or at least with the two lower members having this spacing, the members will be positioned for avoiding contact with adjacent bales when placing or removing a bale in or from a stack. For this purpose, the lower members may be mounted for lateral movement on the frame towards and away from each other, to accommodate bales of different sizes and to facilitate the picking up of a bale, or alternatively apparatus according to the invention may be manufactured with the members having a particular spacing to accommodate a particular size of bale.Lateral movement or adjustment may be effected by means of screw adjusters or hydraulic pistons mounted on the frame and operatively attached to the inner end regions of the members. Preferably the members are attached to the frame so that they are self-aligning to facilitate rapid picking up or setting down of a bale with minimum damage thereto or to the wrapper thereof. For this purpose, the members may be arranged to co-operate in laterally moving apart on approaching a bale and moving tagether to a spacing at which the bale may be picked up. Optionally, the members may be pivotally attached to the frame about a vertical pivot access, the members being arranged to remain substantially parallel to each other irrespective of their angle to the frame.

The upper member or members may be movable relatively vertically between a baleholding position, in which a bale is stably held between the lower and upper members, and a bale-engaging/disengaging position, in which the lower member or members may be slid under a bale for the purpose of picking it up or setting it down. The upper member or members may be caused to move relatively vertically either in such a way that they remain substantially parallel to the lower members or may preferably be pivotally mounted on the frame, movement being controlled by, for example, a double-acting hydraulic piston assembly. In this arrangement, the upper member or members preferably include a bale-holding head portion which is hingeably connected to the members so as to remain substantially parallel to the lower members and hence to the surface of the bale.In a preferred arrangement, the lower members are laterally movable and the upper member or members is/are vertically pivotable, the lateral movement being carried out in conjunction with the vertical movement, whereby the upper and lower members move in concert between the baleengaging/disengaging and bale-holding positions.

The individual bale-support members may be circular in cross-section or flat, or may be laterally curved to accommodate and hold the curved edge of a bale. The lower member or members are preferably relatively slender and may be provided with rollable sleeves whereas the upper member or members may be relatively shorter and/or broader and may be constituted by an assembly of longitudinal and cross members. Optionally, the upper member may be provided with one or more dependent prongs or spikes to facilitate holding a bale in an upright position, particularly for placing bales of hay or straw in a feeder.

Optionally, at least the inner-facing surfaces of the bale-support members and especially the upper member or members may have applied thereto a coating or layer of a rubbery or other gripping material to enhance the ability of the members to hold a bale.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the appended drawings, of which Figure 1 is a front elevation in diagrammatic form of a bale handling apparatus according to the invention; Figure 2 is a side elevation in diagrammatic form of the apparatus of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a perspective view showing how a modified form of apparatus according to the invention is used to releasably hold a bale, and Figure 4 is a front elevation in diagrammatic form of a stack of bales showing how apparatus according to the invention may be used to place or remove a bale in or from the stack.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a bale handling apparatus consists of a frame 11 constituted by cross members 12 and 13, uprights 14, 15 and 16 and angled members 17 and 18.

The frame may be releasably attached to the loading points of an -agricultural tractor or other vehicle by attachment points (not shown) mounted at the rear of the frame. Projecting forwardly ofthe bottom of the frame are two lower bale-supporting members 19 and 20 shown as having a circular cross section with rollable sleeves 1 9a and 20a respectively. Pivotally mounted towards the upper part of the frame is an upper bale-supporting member 21 having a dependent end formation 22 formed with a curved lower bale-holding surface- 23. Pivoting is controlled by an hy drauiically-operated piston 24 between a lowered bale-holding position, shown in solid outline in Figure 2, and a raised bale-engaging disengaging position, shown in dashed outline in Figure 2.The members 19 and 20 are laterally movable by means of double-acting hydraulic piston 25 (Figure 1 only).

Referring to Figure 3, a bale 31 contained in a plastics wrapper is shown supported by lower members (one only visible at 32) and an upper member 33 in the bale-holding position.

Member 33 consists of an arm pivoted in a fork 34 attached to the frame and carrying a bale-holding assembly 35 curved to fit the surface of the bale. The assembly 35 is hingeably connected to the arm at 36 to enable the bale-holding assembly to remain parallel to members 32. The arm is actuated by means of a double-acting hydraulic piston 37.

Mechanical linkages (not shown) may be attached between the fork and the assembly to maintain the latter in the required position relative to the members 32. Although not shown in the drawings, the upper member pivots upwardly and the lower members may move laterally outwardly, in making the transition from the bale-holding position to the bale-engaging/disengaging position.

As shown in Figure 4, bale handling apparatus according to the invention may be used to hold a bale 41 and position it in or withdraw it from a stack of similar bales without the lower bale-supporting members 42 and 43 contacting adjacent bales. The cross-sectional shape of the lower bale-supporting members shown in Figure 4 is essentiaily rectangular, curved laterally on their inner (bale-supporting) faces. This arrangement permits a greater tolerance between the members and adjacent bales. In order to support a bale of diameter 1.2m, for example, the lower bale-supporting members should have their inner-facing opposed edges spaced at approximately 1 m apart, in order for the members to avoid contact with adjacent bales.

Claims

1. A bale handling apparatus comprising upper and lower bale-supporting members relatively movable towards and away from each other between a bale-engaging/disengaging position and a bale holding position.

2. Apparatus according to Claim 1, in which the bale-supporting members define a threezone bale-holding configuration.

3. Apparatus according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, in which the upper member or members is or are movable relatively vertically between the bale-engaging/disengaging and bale holding positions.

4. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, in which there are provided a pair of lower bale-supporting members which are laterally movable towards and away from each other between the bale-engaging/disengaging and bale holding positions.

5. Apparatus according to Claim 4, in which the lateral movement of the lower members from the bale-engaging/disengaging position to the bale holding position is in concert with the vertical movement of the upper member or members between the same positions.

6. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, in which a frame has attached thereto two lower bale-supporting members and a sin gle upper bale-supporting member, the upper member being located on the frame above and between the lower members.

7. Apparatus according to Claim 5 or Claim 6, in which the members are arranged to remain substantially parallel to each other irrespective of their angle to the frame.

7. Apparatus according to Claim 6, in which at least the lower members are spaced apart by an extent so that, in relation to a bale to be handled, radii from the centre of the bale to the lower members will subtend an angle of substantially 60".

8. Apparatus according to Claim 6 or Claim 7, in which the upper bale-supporting member is pivotally mounted on the frame for relative vertical movement between the bale-holding position and the bale engaging/disengaging position.

9. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, in which at least the inner surface of one or more of the bale-supporting members is provided with a coating or layer of a gripping material.

10. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, in which the or an upper bale-supporing member is provided with one or more dependent prongs or spikes.

11. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, in which the lower bale-supporting members are provided with rollable sleeves.

12. Apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 1-3 of the accompanying drawings.

CLAIMS Amendments to the claims have been filed, and have the following effect: New or textually amended claims have been filed as follows: Claims 5 to 12 above have been re-numbered as 8 to 15 and their appendancies corrected.

5. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, in which the lower bale-supporting members are self-aligning.

6. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, in which the lower bale-supporting members are pivotally attached to the frame about a vertical pivot axis.