GB877746A - A hay conditioning machine - Google Patents

Abstract

877,746. Hay conditioning machines. OPPEL, H. C. March 7, 1960, No. 7989/60. Class 59 A hay conditioning machine comprises a pair of rollers 42, 43 (Fig. 3), which have parallel protuberances 84 fixed thereto and are rotatable in opposite directions in bearings mounted in a frame floatingly supported by wheels 26, the bearings for the roller 43 each being fixedly mounted in a. hole 49 (Fig. 6), in an end plate 15, of the frame and the bearings for the roller 42 each being movably mounted in a hole 48 in the end plate 15, the movement of the roller 42 towards the roller 43 being limited by stop means 53, 54 to prevent contact between the rollers, and the frame carrying a roller 70 (Fig. 3), for contacting the ground at a definite distance below the lowest part of the roller 43. The bearings for the roller 42 are each mounted on a spring-influenced lever 52 (Fig. 6), pivotably mounted on end plate 15, downward movement of the lever 52 being limited by a stop bar 53 fixed to end plate 15 and contacted by an adjustable screw 54 threadedly engaged through lever 52. The bearings 25 (Fig. 1), for the wheels 26 are supported by struts 24 secured to the ends of a cross shaft 24. The wheels 26 may be raised or lowered by turning a crank 35 (Fig. 2), provided with a screwthreaded portion 37 threadedly engaging a nut 33 pivotedly mounted in a member 30 fixed to the shaft 22. A counterbalancing spring 38 extends between the member 30 and a member 27 fixed to the frame. The rollers 42, 43 are driven by means of a chain 61 engaging sprockets 57, 58 mounted on extensions of the rollers and engaging a further sprocket 59, the sprocket 59 being driven from the power take-off 69 of a tractor. The crimped crops are compacted by means of pivotally-mounted guides 79 (Fig. 1). The protuberances on the rollers 42, 43 may alternatively be in the form of cylindrical rods or of rectangular bars, the centre to centre distance between the bars being twice the link spacing in the chain 61 so that by adjustment of the chain. the rollers may exert a crimping or a crushing action.