NZ208449A - Cylindrical rolled bale surrounded by netting strip - Google Patents

Description

1 2QBHn Priority Date(s): Complete Specification Filed: Class: 8(£p6}/lp.

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P *0* Journal, No: • • f»••••••••♦• NEW ZEALAND PATENTS ACT, 1953 No.: Date: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION ^ VE^/ BALES MADE OF STRAW OR HAY fl/We, POLYDRESS PLASTIC GmbH, a limited liability company organized and existing under the laws of the German Federal Republic, of Rossbacher Weg 5, D-6120 Michelstadt/Odenwald, German Federal Republic hereby declare the invention for whichXK/ we pray that a patent may be granted to &fe/us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: - _ 1 _ followed by—bet— 208449 Polydress Plastic GmbH Rossbacher Weg 5 6120 Michelstadt/Odenwald Bales Made of Straw or Hay 5 The invention relates to a cylindrical bale rolled from at least one compressed layer of straw, hay or grass.

Rolled cylindrical bales of the type designated above are increasingly replacing the square bales into which straw or hay have until now been compressed in combine harvesters 10 or special devices. To prevent rolled bales from coming undone or loosening they are wound with several turns of a strong binding twine, the ends of which are knotted. There are several disadvantages to securing bales with binding twine. The twine cuts deeply into the bales during winding. 15 When the bales are later opened the deeply embedded twine, which may have been wound round ten to fifteen times, must be cut and the turns of twine pulled out. In the process remnants of the twine, which is made of plastics material, frequently remain in the straw or hay. When the material in 20 the bale is used for feed these remnants of twine can readily lead to malfunctions in automatic conveyors and also to ailments in animals which ingest remnants of binding twine with the feed. In between the individual embedded turns of twine, the bale material is unconfined and can be pulled out 25 by livestock. Rolled bales also have an untidy appearance when their outer surfaces are indented by the binding twine. When rolled bales tied in this way are picked up or unloaded for transport or stacking, the outer surfaces of the bales are inevitably chafed and in part also removed. A further 30 marked disadvantage is that binding the ready-rolled bale with binding twine is relatively time-consuming and necessitates some use of machinery.

The basic task of the invention is to design a rolled bale of the above-designated type in such a way that it is 35 held in shape with no binding twine cutting into its surface 208449 and that its surface is protected against fraying, but without the outer surface being deprived of the drying action of the ambient air.

For a bale of the type designated at the outset, this task is solved 5 by at least the curved outer surface of the bale being surrounded by at least one strip of netting, the ends of which overlap for at least one-third of the circumference of the bale and by the netting being secured to the bale by cooperation of the netting with straw, hay or grass at the outer surface of the bale. The strip of the netting can with advantage consist of material 10 made on a Raschel knitting machine from extruded strips of plastics film; the material can have a relatively large mesh. The netting catches in the rough outer side of the rolled bale over the entire surface of application, including the overlapped area of the end sections, so that the netting strip once applied to the roll 15 is self-securing; this makes it entirely superflous to secure the netting strip by turns of binding twine or special fastening of the end sections. The mesh size of the netting can be so selected that it is practically impossible for animals such as cows, sheep or goats to pull hay or straw out 20 between the strips of plastics foil which form the lattice of the netting.

One or more netting strips can be applied to the bale considerably faster than can several turns of binding twine.

This saving of time in securing the rolled bale more than 25 offsets the greater expenditure on materials occasioned by the netting strips. In fact there is a marked saving per bale.

Strips of netting made on a Raschel knitting machine from extruded strips of plastic film are highly resistant to 30 tearing and are also elastic. When the bale is opened the netting is cut with a knife and can then be completely and reliably removed so that there is no risk to livestock from remnants of the netting strip. of netting on a bale, or when the outside of the bale is only It has been found advantageous when using several strips >> ! A?/ \ ■V 208449 partially covered by a netting strip, to provide edge markings on the netting strip so that its position on the bale can be checked visually. It is helpful if at least one outer edge of the netting strip is manufactured from a 5 material, e.g. material made of strips of (plastics) film, which is darker than the rest of the netting strip. The outer edges can however also be in an eye-catching colour to satisfy the check requirement.

The following is an explanation in greater detail, 10 referring to the attached drawing, of an embodiment of a cylindrical bale made up in accordance with the invention.

The following are shown Fig. 1 view of the bale in the direction of the axis around which it is rolled 15 Fig. 2 side view of the bale at right angles to the axis around which it is rolled.

Fig. 1 shows the individual rolled layers 11 of a cylindrical bale 10 made, for example, of threshed wheat straw. The bale is encircled by a strip of netting 12 20 (indicated in Fig. 1 by crosses) which in the embodiment shown covers the entire width or height of the outer surface of the bale 10. The length of netting strip 12 is so chosen that its end areas overlap by a relatively large circumferential area U, amounting to at least one-third of 25 the circumference of the bale. The netting strip 12 is a material made on a Raschel knitting machine from extruded strips of plastics film 13, as shown in Fig. 2. The plastics material is elastic low-density polyethylene.

To check the correct positioning and clear overlap of 30 the end areas of the netting strip 12, netting strip 12 is provided with a clearly visible edge marking on its ends 14 and 15 and also on both longitudinal edges. In the embodiment illustrated, the edge of the Raschel knitted material has worked into it strips of film 13a of an 35 eye-catching colour. 1987 208449 The whole of netting strip 12, including the overlapping end areas, is held securely on the surface of rolled bale 10 by the ends of straw projecting from the surface of the outermost rolled layer 11 of bale 10, so that no special means are required to secure netting strip 12 on bale 10.

Claims (6)

6 208449

1. A cylindrical rolled bale composed of at least one compressed layer of straw, hay or grass, characterised by the bale being surrounded at least on its curved outer surface by at least one netting strip, the ends of which overlap by at least one-third of the circumference of the bale and by the netting being secured to the bale by cooperation of the netting with straw, hay or grass at said curved outer surface.

2. A bale in accordance with claim 1 characterised by the netting strip consisting of a material made on a Raschel knitting machine from extruded strips of plastics film.

3. A bale in accordance with any one of claims 1 and 2 characterised by the netting strip being of elastic strips of low-density polyethylene film.

4. A bale in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 3 characterised by the netting strip bearing edge markings for the purpose of visually checking its position on the bale.

5. A bale in accordance with claim 4, characterised by at least one outer edge of the netting strip being manufactured of darker textile material than the rest of the netting strip . .

6. A cylindrical rolled bale substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. A. J. PARK & SON. Mis/their authorised Agents., O.AVbiAo '(WlO