GB2233955A - Trailer to act as bale transporter - Google Patents

Abstract

A trailer capable of picking up a bale of hay or silage from the ground, transporting it, and putting it back down, comprises two relatively movable parts 10, 11, part 10 having wheels 15 that can be braked via, e.g. ratchet 19, so that when the trailer is reversed or driven forward, tines 30, 31 can engage the bale, or be disengaged therefrom. <IMAGE>

Description

Title: "Trailer and Bale Transporter" Description of the Invention The present invention relates to a trailer for attachment to a vehicle or other motive force, said trailer being adapted for the transportation of bales and/or other loads.

The trailer or transporter, hereinafter referred to for convenience as a trailer, is intended primarily but not exclusively for use with vehicles that are not provided with a source of pressurised hydraulic fluid.

Bales of hay, straw or silage are now produced by machinery and may be of substantial size, in particular there are cylindrical bales produced and big "square" bales, the weights of which may be several hundred kilograms.

It is not possible to manually lift such a bale from the ground or other storage place onto a trailer and it is usual to use a hydraulic lift provided on an agricultural tractor or some other lift arrangement such as a suitably adapted forklift truck.

It is becoming increasingly common for small vehicles, commonly referred to as "all terrain vehicles" to be used for agricultural purposes and whereas such vehicles do not have the power and weight of usual agricultural tractors they are capable of towing small loads but are generally speaking not provided with a source of pressurised hydraulic fluid and as such, without the assistance of other machinery, it is not possible for such vehicles to cope with large bales of hay or straw.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new or improved trailer that overcomes or minimises the problems mentioned above.

According to one aspect of the present invention, we provide a trailer comprising a first part having ground-engaging wheels thereon, a second part adapted for connection to a vehicle, said second part having means for supporting or otherwise engaging a load, wherein said first and second parts are connected to each other in a manner such that they may adopt a first relative position in which a load may be collected from the ground uy said second part, and a second position in which said load is supported above the ground in a carrying position.

Preferably, means are provided to maintain said parts in at least said first position.

Preferably, said first part is pivotally connected to said second part in a manner to allow for at least limited pivotal movement between said first part and said second part between said first and second positions.

Preferably, said first part is provided with a pair of ground-engaging wheels and conveniently said wheels are provided with brakes.

Said brakes are preferably operable from a position remote from said wheels, said operation may be manual or by any other suitable means.

Preferably, said first part is provided with tines or other elongate members adapted to engage a bale of straw, hay, silage or the like, said tines or other elongate members being adapted to penetrate the bale or lie alongside the bale, the arrangement being such that said tines or elongate members are capable of supporting, at least in part, a bale of hay, straw or the like.

Preferably, said first part when in its first position relative to the second part has extending therefrom said tines or other elongate members in a substantially horizontal direction such that movement of said trailer in a direction towards said bale causes contact between said tines or elongate members and the bale.

Preferably, on contact and engagement of said tines or elongate members with said bale, said trailer is adapted to permit of adoption of said second relative position in which a bale is moved from a ground-engaging position into a position above the ground caused by angular movement between the first and second parts of said trailer in a direction to remove the bale from the ground.

Preferably, said first and second parts of said trailer may have interengaging surfaces to limit pivotal movement between the parts to prevent undesired further movement between the parts beyond said first or said second position.

Conveniently, the first part of said trailer may be provided with platform or container means, or may be provided with a separate platform or container, the configuration of said second part and said platform or container being adapted so that said second part is capable of lifting said platfrom or container from a ground-engaging position so that it may be transported from one location to another.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described in more detail by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention: FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of the embodiment shown in Figure 1 with a bale attached thereto; FIGURE 3 is a side elevation of the embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2 with the first and second parts in their second position.

Referring to the drawings, the trailer comprises a first part generally indicated at 10 and a second part generally indicated at 11, the two parts being pivotally connected together by pivot pins 12 and 13.

The first part 10 has a pair of ground-engaging wheels 15 and 16, each provided with brakes operable through cables 17 and 18 respectively which are connected to a ratchet mechanism 19 having a lever 20, the outer end 21 of which is adapted for manual operation, the inner end 22 being connected to cables 17 and 18.

The two ground-engaging wheels 15 and 16 are mounted on a transverse member 25 provided with a pair of uprights 26 and 27, the upper ends of which are connected to a further transverse member 28.

Secured to the transverse members 25 and 28 are a pair of tines 30 and 31 respectively, the tines 30 and 31 being secured to transverse members 25 and 28 by passing through an aperture therein and securing with a nut-like member 32 and 33 respectively.

The uprights 26 and 27 are each provided with a striker plate 34 and 35 and the upright 26 is provided with a spigot 37.

At the upper of each of the uprights 26 and 27 is a rearwardly extending member 40 and 41 respectively in which are provided through bores through which the pivot pins 12 and 13 pass. The pivot pins 12 and 13 pass through aligned through bores in lateral members 44 and 45 provided in the second part.

The lateral members 44 and 45 are interconnected at their lower end by a transverse member 46 to which is connected a draw bar 47 having a substantially vertically extending through bore 48 to allow connection to a towing hitch on a vehicle.

Alternative coupling arrangements may be provided, for example ball and socket arrangement or any other suitable means.

At the upper ends of lateral members 44 and 45 are a pair of upwardly extending members 50 and 51 interconnected by a transverse member 52.

Lateral member 44 carries a mounting part 55 which in turn has secured thereto the ratchet mechanism 19 as aforedescribed for operating the brakes on wheels 15 and 16.

Also secured to lateral member 44 is a connecting bar 57 which is pivotally mounted by pivot member 58 to the lateral member 44 and has a cut-out 59 at one end thereof, which cut-out 59 is engageable around spigot 37 to locate the first part 10 of the trailer relative to the second part 11 to prevent pivotal movement about the axis afforded by pivot pins 12 and 13.

Downwards pressure on the handle 60 of connecting member 58 will move the cut-out 59 away from the spigot 37 hence permitting of limited pivotal movement between the first part 10 and the second part 11.

Pivotal movement between the first part 10 and the second part 11 is limited due to abutment between abutment members 62 and 63 with striker plates 34 and 35, the abutment members 62 and 63 being secured to and extending from lateral members 44 and 45. Abutment between the abutment members 62 and 63 will occur when the spigot 37 is in a position in which it will accommodate cut-out 59, the connecting bar 57 thus enabling the two parts to be connected together.

If the connecting bar 57 is moved so that the cut-out 59 is out of register with the spigot 37 and pivotal movement between the first and second parts 10 and 11 is allowed to occur, the two parts will separate to a position as shown in Figure 3, once again further pivotal movement is limited due to the upper surface of the first part, i.e. the upper surface of transverse member 28 and rearwardly extending portions 40 and 41 abutting surface 65 on upwardly extending member 50 and surface 66 on upwardly extending member 51.

The position will thus be as shown in Figure 3 and further separation between the first part 10 and the second part 11 will not occur. If desired, additional connecting means may be provided to maintain the two parts in such position.

Operation of the trailer will now be described in an operation to pick up a bale of hay, straw or the like, hereinafter for convenience referred to as a bale of hay and is shown in dotted outline at 70.

The connecting bar 57 will maintain the first and second parts in their first position, as shown in Figures 1 and 2 and the trailer reversed up to a bale until the bale is impaled on tines 30 and 31.

The brakes on the wheels 15 and 16 will then be engaged by operation of brake lever 20 and the connecting bar 57 will moved to position whereby the first part 10 and second part 11 are allowed to separate by pivotal movement along the axis afforded by pivot pins 12 and 13. The vehicle will then be moved forwardly hence causing forwards movement of the second part 11.

However, since the brakes on wheels 15 and 16 are engaged, the whole of the second part will pivot about the axis of wheels 15 and 16 and thus be moved to the position as shown in Figure 3, such movement will lift the bale 70 from the ground and when the position as shown in Figure 3 has been reached and there is abutment between the upper surface of transverse member 28 and surfaces 65 and 66 of upwardly extending members 50 and 51, the brakes on ground-engaging wheels 15 and 16 may be released and the bale towed by the vehicle to any desired location.

In order to deliver the bale to the ground, the brakes are once again engaged, the vehicle is put into reverse hence returning the trailer to its first position, i.e. causing pivotal movement about the axis afforded by pivot pins 12 and 13, until the connecting bar 57 may once again be positioned so that the cut-out 59 can engage around spigot 57. The bale will once again be in contact with the ground, the brakes on the trailer may be released by operation of brake lever 20 and the vehicle moved in a forward direction pulling the trailer off the bale 70, the trailer is then in a position in which it may be used to return to a storage place or if desired in a position to pick up another bale from another location.

As an alternative to the tines 30 and 31, alternative constructions may be used to engage with bales or other objects of different shapes, for example large square or oblong bales, and suitable means may be provided for lifting of bins so that the trailer can be used to pick up a bin that could not be mannually collected because of its weight and transport the bin to an emptying site. The trailer may be adapted if desired to cause movement of the bin in a direction to empty the bin at a desired site.

It is further envisaged that the first part of the trailer may be provided with a platform or container which may be permanently secured to the first part or alternatively may be a platform or container that can be stored on the ground and is capable of being picked up by the first part of the trailer for transport to another location and return to the ground and trailer in a manner similar to that as aforedescribed for the movement of bales.

It will be appreciated that the trailer as aforedescribed is merely one example of a construction employing the invention.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the accompany drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, may, separately or any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims (17)

CLAIMS:

1. A trailer comprising a first part having ground-engaging wheels thereon, a second part adapted for connection to a vehicle, said second part having means for supporting or otherwise engaging a load, wherein said first and second parts are connected to each other in a manner such that they may adopt a first relative position in which a load may be collected from the ground by said second part, and a second position in which said load is supported above the ground in a carrying position.

2. A trailer according to Claim 1 wherein means are provided to releasably maintain said parts in at least said first position.

3. A trailer according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein said first part is pivotally connected to said second part in a manner to allow for at least limited pivotal movement between said first part and said second part to enable movement between said first and second positions.

4. A trailer according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said first part is provided with a pair of laterally spaced ground-engaging wheels.

5. A trailer according to Claim 4 wherein said wheels are provided with brakes.

6. A trailer according to Claim 5 wherein said brakes are operable from a position remote from said wheels.

7. A trailer according to Claim 6 wherein said remotely operable means comprises a manual operable lever.

8. A trailer according to Claim 6 wherein power means are provided to operate said brakes.

9. A trailer according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said first part is provided with one or more tines or other elongate members.

10. A trailer according to Claim 9 wherein said tines or other elongate members extend from said first part in a substantially horizontal direction when said first part is in its first position relative to said second part.

11. A trailer according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said first and second parts are provided with interengaging surfaces to limit pivotal movement between said parts to prevent undesired movement between said parts beyond said first or said second, positions.

12. A trailer according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said first part is provided with platform or container.

13. A trailer according to Claim 12 wherein said platform or container is separable from said first part the arrangement being such that said trailer is capable of engaging said platform or container when said first and second parts are in said first position and on movement of said first and second parts to their second position, lifts said platform or container from a groundengaging position to enable transport of said platform or container and any contents therein.

14. A trailer substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings.

15. A method of transporting a bale of hay, straw or the like substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

16. A trailer including any novel feature or novel combination of features disclosed herein and/or illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

17. A method of transporting a bale including any novel feature or novel combination of features disclosed herein and/or illustrated in the accompanying drawings.