NZ580817A - Mobile wheeled cover for hay bales - Google Patents

Abstract

A mobile cover 10 of rectangular block form has walls 14 and a roof 15 defining an interior space, and wheels by means of which the cover can be rolled over the ground, two on opposite sides at the first end of the cover and at least another at the second end of the cover opposite the first end. Both of the wheels 32, 33 at the first end of the cover are steerable by handle 35 on pivoting axle 36. The cover includes a closable access opening (at the end of the cover not shown in the drawing) so that the cover can be manoeuvred to cover a large bale or other object.

Description

Patent Form No. 5 NEW ZEALAND Patents Act 1953 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION TITLE: MOBILE COVER I Christopher Edmund Culvenor, an Australian citizen of 16 Camp Parade, Clunes, Victoria, 3370, Australia, do hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: 4003q 2 MOBILE COVER This application claims priority from Australian Application No. 2008905590 filed on 30 October 2008, the contents of which are to be taken as incorporated herein by this 5 reference.

Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a mobile cover, in particular a mobile cover for hay 10 bales.

While a mobile cover according to the invention has many possible uses, it was initially developed in relation to a cover for hay bales, as used on farms and rural properties. It will be convenient therefore to describe the invention in that context 15 although it is to be appreciated that the invention has wider use, such as for providing covers for other uses, for example for produce or products, or even for animal shelter or holiday housing.

Background of the Invention The following discussion of the background to the invention is included to explain the context of the invention. This is not to be taken as an admission that any of the material referred to was part of the common general knowledge in New Zealand as at the priority date established by the present application.

The feeding of hay to livestock typically occurs during drought, cold or wet weather, or when livestock are confined in areas in which other feed is not available. The method by which hay is fed to livestock has developed over time from very basic methods, particularly since the introduction of a number of more sophisticated hay feeding aids. 30 Moreover, the method by which hay is harvested and baled has also developed over time.

In the past, hay has been baled in small square bales, which are typically 350mm by 450mm in cross-section, 900mm in length, and weigh approximately 25kg. Because 35 of the size and weight of the small square bales, they can be, and to date almost <filename> 3 exclusively have been, handled manually. However, manual handling of these bales presents a risk of injury due to the physical exertion required for lifting and moving the bales. Moreover, hay bales of this kind are normally stacked several high, but the bales are not secured together and therefore there is also the risk of injury due to 5 bales falling from upper levels of the hay stack.

Hay bales of the above kind are also subject to rain damage if left outside after baling. Thus, it is necessary to shed the hay bales as soon as possible after baling and thus this form of hay bale also incurs the cost of shedding and the inconvenience of having 10 to transport the bales from the shed when the hay is to be fed to livestock.

In more recent times, hay has been baled in larger sizes, usually either square bales which have dimensions of between 1200mm by 900mm to 1200mm by 1300mm in cross-section and typically 2400mm in length, or round bales, which have a typical 15 diameter of 1200-1800mm and are approximately 1200-1500mm in length. Either form of bale can typically weight between 350-800kg. The switch to larger bales of the kind described above has resulted in the hay industry baling significantly more hay in these large bale sizes than in the past, principally due to the advantages which are described below.

A significant advantage of larger bales is that they can realize significant cost savings when compared to small bales. Cost savings arise given that the production of a single large bale can replace the production of about fifteen to forty small bales, so that manufacturing costs are reduced significantly, while there are also cost 25 reductions associated with the transport and handling of larger bales and the reduced need for shedding of those bales, compared to smaller bales. In relation to shedding, larger bales do not necessarily require shedding because they tend to resist ingress of rain due to the density at which they are baled and their shape, so that instead, they can be delivered directly to the site at which they will be used, and this means 30 that the step of transporting bales from a storage shed to the site is often not required.

In addition, the large bales are generally shifted with farming machinery, by a single person and the manual labour associated with the smaller bales is not required. This clearly results in the potential for minimizing work related injuries as a result of the 35 lifting of hay bales. <fiiename> RECEIVED at IPONZ on 16 August 2010 4 Despite the cost and convenience advantages associated with larger bales, they nevertheless have drawbacks in u.se, particularly given that for most hay bale users, the quantity of hay required at any one time is usually much less than the whole bale. 5 This is particularly the case for owners of small numbers of livestock. Thus, in the employment of larger bales, often only a portion of the hay bale is extracted, usually manually, from the bale for distribution to the livestock. Thus, for this type of use of a large hay bale, the owner will often shed the bale despite not necessarily needing to, in order to quarantine the bale from livestock, so that the owner can control the 10 amount of hay the livestock is fed. It is to be noted that some forms of livestock tend to eat well in excess of what they actually require if the feed is freely available. Therefore, it is not usually appropriate to leave a large hay bale freely accessible to livestock, because of the possibility that the livestock will continue eating until the bale is exhausted.

Moreover, if a large hay bale is left in a paddock in which livestock are feeding and if it is necessary to remove the string or net which binds the bale together, the bale can lose shape and it then becomes susceptible to rain damage and/or can be trampled by livestock and thus wasted.

It would therefore be desirable to provide a device which can overcome or at least alleviate one or more of the drawbacks described above as they apply to large hay bales. In particular it would be desirable if such a device could be provided to protect large hay bales from the effects of weather and to enable selective access to the hay 25 bales either for selective feeding of livestock, or which allows access to a hay bale for the purpose of removing hay from the bale and thereafter being able to return to a protective condition relative to the bale.

Summary of the Invention According to the present invention there is provided a mobile cover, the cover being generally square or rectangular and having walls and a roof which define an interior space within which one or more objects can be housed, one of the walls comprising or including a closable access opening which, in an open condition, permits entry to 35 within the interior space, the cover further including wheels on which the cover can be <fllename> RECEIVED at IPONZ on 17 January 2011 moved, the wheels including two wheels at a first end of the cover which are generally located on opposite sides of the cover and at least one additional wheel at a second end of the cover which is opposite the first end, each of the two wheels at the first end of the cover being steerable.

In respect of a hay bale cover, the interior space can house one or more hay bales which can be enclosed and protected from the weather and livestock within the cover. The closable access opening permits entry to within the interior space, while the cover can be moved when the access opening is open to receive one or more hay 10 bales into the interior space. The cover can also be moved when the access opening is open and one or more hay bales are within the interior space to move the cover relative to the one or more hay bales so that the one or more hay bales become partially or completely outside the interior space.

It will be evident that the discussion above in relation to hay bales, that a mobile cover according to the invention can apply equally to other objects that require protection from the weather, or to livestock, or for security purposes. For example, the mobile cover of the invention could be employed to accommodate products delivered on pallets for example, such as grain for livestock feed, chemicals, equipment, plant 20 seedlings etc. Thus, one or more pallets of goods can be delivered to an outside storage area and a mobile cover according to the invention can be moved into position to house the goods and to provide protective cover for the goods. The cover can be temporary and access to the goods can be through the access opening of the cover, or by moving the cover away from the goods.

In respect of the hay bales, a mobile cover according to the invention advantageously permits the use of the preferred and larger kind of hay bales, but conveniently allows those bales to be protected from the weather when they are placed in a paddock, and also allows selected access to the bale by livestock. In particular, the ability to readily 30 move the cover when the access opening is open so as to allow hay bales within the interior space of the cover to be positioned partially or completely outside the interior space, allows the livestock to feed directly from the hay bale until such time as it is decided the livestock has fed enough. Thereafter, the cover can be returned to a position in which the hay bales are completely within the interior space and the 35 access opening is then closed. In that condition, the bale is quarantined from the <filename> RECEIVED at IPONZ on 16 August 2010 5a livestock so that they no longer have access to the hay bale for feeding and the bale is also protected from the weather. <filename> 6 In an alternative use of the invention, the access opening can permit access to objects contained within the interior space of the cover so that they can be removed from the cover as required. In relation to hay bales, as soon as sufficient hay has been removed, the access opening can be closed to return the cover to a condition in 5 which it protects the hay bale both from the weather and from access to livestock.

Moreover, if it has been necessary to remove the string or net which binds the hay bale together, the cover can protect any hay which has dislodged from the bale against rain damage and/or trampling by livestock.

A cover according to the invention thus allows a hay bale to be positioned in a paddock when it is delivered to a farm rather than for the bale to be shedded and with a cover in place about the bale, the bale is protected against weather and access to livestock. This eliminates the need to store the bales in an area in which access by 15 livestock is prevented. It is to be noted that the cover can be left in a paddock which is used to feed livestock, waiting for the delivery of a hay bale, or it can be trailed from one paddock to another very easily.

The use of a cover according to the invention thus facilitates the purchase of the 20 substantially cheaper kind of hay bales, i.e. the larger kind, and it is expected that those savings will exceed the cost of the cover in a relatively short period, so that beyond that period the cost savings flow directly to the owner.

It will be appreciated from the above discussion that use of the invention with hay 25 bales is considered to be a primary use of the invention, although there are clearly many other uses to which the invention can be put. Alternative uses have been described above as including palleted goods. A further use is envisaged to be for holiday or temporary accommodation, in which the mobile cover can be deployed as required. For example, the mobile cover could be stored for periods in which it is not 30 required and when required, it could be moved into a suitable position for accommodation purposes. This use could be particularly suitable for camping and caravan parks where the need for accommodation varies through the seasons. <filename> RECEIVED at IPONZ on 16 August 2010 7 frame, although the rigid structure could alternatively be made from plastic, such as a ' rotationally moulded single piece form, or a fabricated plastic sheet form.

The rigid structure can have a roof closing a top end thereof. Thus, the structure can 5 include two pairs of parallel walls which extend from or to the roof.

The bottom end of the rigid structure, opposite the roof, can be completely open, which facilitates movement of the cover relative to a hay bale.

In the above arrangement, one of the walls can be defined by a closure arrangement which closes the access opening. In this arrangement, when the closure arrangement is open, approximately an entire wall of the rigid structure is open.

Alternatively, one of the walls of the rigid structure can include an access opening 15 therein and can include a closure arrangement to close that access opening.

A bracing member can be employed to brace across the access opening to ensure the rigidity of the rigid structure. For example, in a structure which is open at the bottom end, and which includes a substantial sized access opening, such as an 20 opening which has an area of an entire wall of the structure when the closure arrangement is open, a displaceable bracing member can brace from one side of the access opening to the other to ensure that the structure retains its shape. The bracing member can be displaceable to remove it from obstructing movement of the cover relative to an object, a hay bale for example, and displacement of the bracing 25 member might be by complete detachment from the structure, or by pivoting about one end of the member relative to the structure.

The closure arrangement can have any suitable form and can include a single hinged door, or a pair of doors, or even a roller door. Where the doors are hinged, they can 30 be hinged about either vertical or horizontal axes. Still alternatively, the closure arrangement can comprise strip closures, such as flexible plastic strip closures, which substantially prevent ingress of rain and wind, and which form a flexible barrier for example a barrier against ingress of livestock. In this form of closure, it may be unnecessary to actually open the closure arrangement to allow movement of the <filename> RECEIVED at IPONZ on 17 January 2011 8 cover relative to an object, as the strips might simply give way about the object as the cover is moved.

The closure arrangement can include a secondary closure where necessary. For 5 example, if the mobile cover is employed for accommodation purposes, mosquito netting might be applied within a hinged door, so that the door can be left open with protection being provided by the netting.

It is preferred that the cover includes one or more viewing apertures for providing 10 visual access to the interior space of the cover when the cover is being moved relative to one or more objects either inside or outside the interior space. This can advantageously assist the person moving the cover to position the cover properly relative to an object. The viewing aperture can be of any suitable size, but if it is of a size that might allow livestock access to the interior space of the cover, or that might 15 allow ingress of rain or snow, the aperture or apertures can be covered with a mesh, such as a plastic or metal mesh, or a transparent material, such as glass or plastic, or an opaque material such as metal.

To assist with movement of the cover, the cover includes wheels. Two wheels are 20 positioned at one end of the cover, and at generally opposite sides of the cover. An additional wheel is provided at a second end of the cover, opposite the first end, or a pair of wheels can be provided at the second end. One or more of the wheels is steerable to assist steering of the cover during movement.

In one arrangement, a steering arrangement includes a linkage which is connected to one or more steerable wheels, with the linkage being operable to control the orientation of the wheels connected to the linkage. The wheels of the cover can be of any suitable kind, such as castor wheels. Solid or pneumatic wheels can also be employed.

The cover can include one or more handles to assist with moving the cover. Alternatively, a hitch can be provided to allow the cover to be towed. In one arrangement, both a handle and hitch can be provided, either separately or formed <filename> 9 The cover can include one or more handles to assist with moving the cover. Alternatively, a hitch can be provided to allow the cover to be towed. In one arrangement, both a handle and hitch can be provided, either separately or formed integrally so that the same component can be used for manual movement of the 5 cover and for trailing the cover with a vehicle.

The cover can include a brake arrangement which is operable to restrain movement of the cover when the cover is properly positioned. For example, the brake arrangement can include one or more friction brakes which engage one or more 10 wheels of the cover. Alternatively, braking feet can be employed to engage the ground on which the cover is supported to restrain movement of the cover and the feet can be movable between ground engaged positions to ground disengaged positions for movement of the cover. Still alternatively, pegs or posts that can penetrate into the ground can be employed as a suitable brake arrangement.

In one form of the invention, the cover is generally square or rectangular and the access opening is located at one end of the cover. At an opposite end of the cover, a viewing aperture is provided for providing visual access to the interior space of the cover whilst the cover is being moved relative to one or more objects either inside or 20 outside of the interior space. In this form of the invention, the cover can include a steering mechanism which is operational or positioned adjacent the viewing aperture, so that a person steering the cover can look through the aperture and into the interior space of the cover. In this arrangement, the convenient location of the viewing aperture in the region of the steering mechanism conveniently allows a single 25 operator to move the cover relative to objects. This is a feature of the present invention, in that it is readily adaptable for operation by a single person, rather than requiring multiple people for its operation.

In respect of hay bales, the cover of the invention can be arranged to enclose a single 30 square bale, or two or more square bales. Alternatively, the cover can be arranged to enclose one or more round bales. The dimensions of the cover that can accept a large round or square bale can be as follows: Width 2m, Height 2m, Depth 3m. <filename> Of course, the dimensions of the cover can be changed to accept any suitable size of bale or bales, or other object or objects and therefore the above example is one example only of a cover which has been trialled to date.

A mobile cover For a better understanding of the invention and to show how it may be performed, embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Figures Figure 1 is a first perspective view of a cover according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a second perspective view of the cover of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a third perspective view of the cover of Figure 1 which shows the interior space of the cover.

Figure 4 is perspective view of a cover according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Figures 5 and 6 illustrate a wheel arrangement of the present invention between ground engaged and ground disengaged positions.

Figure 7 is a further view of the wheel arrangement of Figures 5 and 6.

Detailed Description of the Figures For convenience, Figures 1 to 3 will be described in relation to a cover for hay bales although it will be appreciated that the cover 10 as illustrated could be employed for housing other objects. 11 Referring to Figures 1 to 3, A mobile cover 10 is illustrated which has a generally rectangular shape and which is defined by two pairs of generally parallel walls, comprising side walls 11 and 12 and end walls 13 and 14. The cover 10 further includes a roof 15 from which each of the side walls 11 and 12 and the end walls 13 5 and 14 extend downwardly.

As illustrated in Figure 3, the side walls 11, 12, end walls 13, 14 and the roof 15 define an interior space 16 within which a hay bale can be enclosed. Enclosing of a hay bale or hay bales within the interior space 16 can protect the bales from weather 10 and access to livestock.

End wall 13 is formed by a closure arrangement comprised of a pair of hinged doors 20 and 21 which are hinged along vertical edges 22 and 23 of the side walls 11 and 12. Thus, the doors 20 and 21 swing outwardly from the closed position shown in 15 Figure 1, to the open position shown in Figure 3. In the closed condition of the doors 20 and 21, the end wall 13 is formed, whereas in the open condition of the doors, an access opening 17 is provided. In Figure 3, the access opening has the entire area of the end wall 13.

It will be appreciated that rather than two doors 20 and 21, a single door could be provided, and that could be hinged along either of the edges 22 or 23. Alternative door arrangements could be provided, such as a door that swings upwardly along hinges disposed on the edge 24 of the roof 15, or a roller door could be employed. Flexible plastic strip closures as described earlier could also be employed.

Each of the side walls 11 and 12, the end walls 13 and 14, and the roof 15, is formed from sheet metal. The sheet metal is fixed to a steel frame, a frame member 25 of which is visible in Figure 3. In an alternative arrangement, plastic sheet could be employed to replace the sheet metal or the walls and roof could be a single moulding 30 from plastic, such as by rotational moulding.

Figure 3 also illustrates that the bottom end of the cover 10 opposite the roof 15, is open. Thus, there is no floor in the cover 10 to impede the movement of the cover 10 relative to a hay bale or bales which might be placed on the ground. Because of this <filename> 12 however, the ends of the side walls 11 and 12 adjacent the doors 20 and 21 are not necessarily rigidly supported. Accordingly, a bracing member 26 is positioned to bridge between the side walls 11 and 12 adjacent the bottom ends thereof, but the bracing member is displaceable in order not to impede the movement of the cover 10 5 relative to a hay bale or bales. In the arrangement shown, the bracing member 26 is mounted into mounting openings attached to each of the side walls 11 and 12. The mounting openings can simply be a small length of round or square tube which is of a size to accept an end of the bracing member 26. The bracing member thus can be removed for positioned the cover 10 about a hay bale and reinserted to ensure that 10 the access opening 17 of the cover 10 remains properly shaped or square, so that the doors 20 and 21 can be opened and closed properly.

While the bottom end of the cover 10 is open in Figure 3, in alternative arrangements, a removable floor can be provided if it is necessary or desirable to support objects 15 above the ground. For this, floor panels can be supported on the upper surface of the frame members 25 to extend across the cover 10 from side wall 11 to side wall 12. If further support for the floor panels is required, then one or more supports in the form of further bracing members 26 can be provided to extend between the side walls 11 and 12.

The floor panels can be solid, such as metal, timber or MDF, or they can be metal mesh panels in which the mesh is secured to a metal frame. A mesh panel advantageously allows flow of air from beneath the panel into the interior space 16 of the cover 10.

The floor panels can be hingedly connected to a frame member that extends between the side walls 11 and 12 adjacent the end wall 14, so that the panels can be moved between a floor position and an upright storage position in which the panels lie flush against the end wall 14. This allows the floor panels to be easily deployed between a 30 floor position and a stored position.

Where it is desirable to reduce drafts flowing into the interior space of the cover, a skirt can be fixed to the bottom frame members 25 to extend towards or to the ground. The frame members 25 can include suitable tabs or other connectors to <filename> 13 connect to the skirt which itself can include suitable fasteners or connecting arrangements. For example, the skirt can be fabric, plastic, rubber or metallic and it can be flexible or rigid. The skirt can include suitable openings for receipt of suitable fasteners. Hooks might be employed for example. Alternatively, the skirt can include 5 one portion of a fastener can cooperate with another portion of the fastener which is associated with the frame members. The skirt can include an arrangement to fasten it to the ground, such as loops though which spikes or pegs can be secured.

Supports which extend between the side walls 11 and 12 can also be provided 10 adjacent the roof 15 within the interior space 16. These supports (not shown) can be employed for hanging objects, or for securing objects, such as lights, electrical cables, or tools or utensils relevant to the particular use to which the cover 10 is to be put. The support could include one or more hooks to facilitate this.

Supports could alternatively extend in a direction between the end walls 13 and 14 between suitable frame members.

Shelves can be included within the interior space 16 of the cover 10 and again, these can be fixed to suitable frame members 25, such as the frame member 25 midway 20 between the roof 15 of the cover 10 and the opposite open bottom. The shelves can be fixed to the frame member by a hinge so that they can be shifted to a position flush with the side walls 11 and 12 when not required.

The doors 20, 21 can be braced in the open position illustrated in Figure 3 by bracing 25 members that extend between the doors and either frame members 25 of the cover, or the bracing member 26. The bracing member (not shown) can be fixed to the top edge 27 of each door 20, 21 and can interact with a frame member of the cover 10 for holding the doors 20, 21 open. In one arrangement, an elongate bracing member can be attached to the top edge 21 of each door 20, 21 and can include an opening in the 30 end thereof remote from the top edge. That opening can accept a latching member associated with a frame member of the cover 10 when the doors 20, 21 are to be held in the open position. The resilient flexing of a metal bracing member can be employed to maintain the latching member within the opening. That is, the bracing member can be resiliently flexed to enable the latching member to enter the opening, <filename> 14 while dislodgement of the latching member from the opening can be achieved by reverse flexing movement.

In an alternative arrangement, the resilient bracing member extends from a frame 5 member of the cover 10 and accepts a latching member which is associated with the respective doors 20, 21. Other arrangements could be employed.

The cover 10 further includes four wheels 30 to 33 which are positioned at each bottom corner of the side walls 11 and 12. Wheels 30 and 31 are fixed against 10 directional change, while wheels 32 and 33 can be steered through a small arc by a steering mechanism 35. The steering mechanism 35 includes an axle 36 on which each of the wheels 32 and 33 are mounted and the axial 36 can be swung about a vertical pivot through a small arc to change the orientation of the axial 36 and thus the wheels 32 and 33. By this mechanism, the cover 10 can be steered.

As shown in Figure 2, a viewing aperture 40 is included in the end wall 14. The viewing aperture 40 is positioned adjacent the handle 41 of the steering mechanism 35 so that a person involved in moving the cover 10 and steering it about a hay bale, can view the interior space through the aperture 40. This advantageously allows the 20 cover 10 to be manoeuvred by a single person only.

Because the aperture 40 is of a reasonable size, a mesh screen covers it, to prevent access to within the interior space 16 by livestock.

The aperture 40 can be shaped differently to that shown in Figure 2, and could, for example, extend fully across the end wall 14. The aperture 40 could also be formed as two separate apertures.

The aperture 40 can be closed by a flap or flaps to precent ingress of rain and wind. 30 Such a flap or flaps can be hingedly connected to the cover so that the flap or flaps can be easily moved between open and closed positions.

The cover 10 is relatively lightweight and therefore is easily manoeuvrable manually through short distances, and can be easily towed by lightweight farming equipment, <filename> such as a four wheeled motorbike. Additionally, by employing braking arrangements, which either act on the wheels, or which for example might comprise a post which is fixed to the cover and which can penetrate into the ground, the cover 10 can be secured against movement once appropriately positioned. This will not be necessary 5 in all circumstances, but in undulating countryside, a braking arrangement might be of use.

If the cover 10 is to be moved over greater distance, then it can include an additional wheel arrangement which is illustrated in Figure 4. In this arrangement, two wheels 10 are mounted at approximately the midpoint between the end walls 13 and 14 and are mounted in a manner that they can be moved between ground engaged and ground disengaged positions. In the ground engaged position, the cover 10 is elevated so that the wheels 30-33 are shifted from contact with the ground. In the ground disengaged position, the cover 10 is lowered from the elevated position, so that the 15 wheels 30-33 are again engaged with the ground.

The additional wheel arrangement comprises wheels 45 and 46 which are removeably attached to the frame members 25. The manner of attachment of the wheels 45 and 46 to the frame members 25 allows for movement of the wheels 45 20 and 46 between the ground engaged and disengaged positions.

Figures 5 and 6 illustrate schematically, the arrangement by which one of the wheels 45 and 46 is shifted between the ground engaged and disengaged positions. With reference to Figure 5, the wheel 45 is in a ground engaged position, in which the 25 wheel 45 projects beneath the frame member 25. It can be seen that the arrangement illustrated in Figure 5 includes a spigot 47 which is received within a hollow axle 48, and the axle 48 rotates with the wheel 45 relative to the spigot 47.

The spigot 47 is connected to a base member 49, at one end thereof, and at the other 30 end thereof, a further spigot 50 extends. The spigot 50 is received within an opening or member formed or attached to a frame member 25 as illustrated in Figure 4, and therefore by rotation of the base member 49 about the spigot 50, the wheel 45 can be raised or lowered. Figure 6 illustrates the base member 49 having been rotated 90 <filename> 16 degrees anti-clockwise, so that the wheel 45 has been raised relative to the frame member 25 into a ground disengaged position.

To assist with rotation of the base member 49, an extension rod 51 is employed. The 5 rod 51 is removeably insertable into a tube section 52 and enables leverage to rotate the base member 49 as required. It will be appreciated, that as the wheels 45 and 46 engage the ground during rotation of the base member 49, the wheels 45 and 46 bear the weight of the cover as the wheels 30-33 are lifted from contact with the ground.

Once the base member 49 has been rotated to the position in which the wheel 45 is in the ground engaged position, the sleeve 54, which is slidable relative to the extension rod 51, can be shifted toward the base member 49, so that a second rod section 53, which is attached to the sleeve 54 and which extends parallel to the extension rod 51, can be received within a second tube section 55, to lock the base member 49 against 15 further rotation and so as to maintain the wheel 45 in the ground engaged position. The second tube section 55 is fixed to the frame member 25 so that once the rod section 53 is in the tube section 55, further rotation of the base member 49 is prevented. This arrangement is illustrated in Figure 7, which illustrates that the rod 53 has been shifted with the sleeve 54, along the length of the extension rod 51 to insert 20 the rod 53 into the tube section 55.

It will be appreciated from Figure 1, that with the doors 20 and 21 of the end wall 13 closed, that an object such as a hay bale within the interior space 16 is isolated within the cover 10, such as from access to livestock. Moreover, the object is generally 25 protected against weather, such as rain, hail, and snow. Thus, the hay bale or bales are well protected by the cover 10. Moreover, a farmer can simply open the doors 20 and 21 to allow livestock access to a hay bale or bales within the interior space 16 or, after removing the displaceable bracing member 26, the cover 10 can be moved to partially or completely displace the cover from about the hay bale or bales. That 30 displacement can either be to allow the farmer to take hay from the bale for distribution to livestock, or to allow the livestock direct access to either a portion of the bale or to the entire bale. <filename>

Claims (30)

RECEIVED at IPONZ on 17 January 2011 17 THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1. A mobile cover, the cover being generally square or rectangular and having walls and a roof which define an interior space within which one or more objects can be 5 housed, one of the walls comprising or including a closable access opening which, in an open condition, permits entry to within the interior space, the cover further including wheels on which the cover can be moved, the wheels including two wheels at a first end of the cover which are generally located on opposite sides of the cover and at least one additional wheel at a second end of the cover which is 10 opposite the first end, each of the two wheels at the first end of the cover being steerable.

2. A mobile cover according to claim 1, the cover being a generally rigid structure. 15

3. A mobile cover according to claim 2, the rigid structure being fabricated substantially from sheet metal.

4. A mobile cover according to claim 2, the rigid structure being moulded from plastic. 20

5. A mobile cover according to any one of claims 2 to 4, the generally rigid structure being closed at a top end by a roof and including two pairs of generally parallel walls that define the generally square or rectangular structure. 25

6. A mobile cover according to claim 5, the generally rigid structure being open at a bottom end thereof which is opposite the roof.

7. A mobile cover according to claim 5 or 6, one of the walls including the access opening and including a closure arrangement to close the access opening. 30

8. A mobile cover according to claim 5 or 6, including a closure arrangement to close the access opening and one of the walls of the cover being defined by the closure arrangement in the closed condition. <ftlename> RECEIVED at IPONZ on 17 January 2011 18

9. A mobile cover according to any one of claims 1 to 8, including a displaceable bracing member to extend across and brace opposite sides of the access opening.

10. A mobile cover according to claim 9, the bracing member being displaceable by 5 detachment from the cover.

11. A mobile cover according to claim 9, the bracing member being displaceable by pivoting about a connection between one end of the bracing member and the cover. 10

12. A mobile cover according to any one of claims 1 to 11, the access opening being closable by one or more hinged doors.

13. A mobile cover according to any one of claims 1 to 11, the access opening being 15 closable by a roller door.

14. A mobile cover according to any one of claims 1 to 13, the cover including one or more viewing apertures for providing visual access to the interior space of the cover from outside the cover whilst the cover is moved relative to one or more hay 20 bales inside or outside the interior space.

15. A mobile cover according to claim 14, each of the one or more viewing apertures being covered with mesh. 25

16. A mobile cover according to claim 14, each of the one or more viewing apertures being covered with transparent material.

17. A mobile cover according to claim 14, 15 or 16, each of the one or more viewing apertures being covered with a flap which is movable from covering the one or 30 more viewing apertures to allow viewing through the one or more viewing apertures.

18. A mobile cover according to any one of claims 1 to 17, the at least one additional wheel at the second end of the cover comprising two wheels being generally 35 located on opposite sides of the cover. <filename> RECEIVED at IPONZ on 17 January 2011 19

19. A mobile cover according to any one of claims 1 to 18, the cover including a linkage which is connected to the steerable wheels, the linkage being operable to control the orientation of the wheels connected to the linkage. 5

20. A mobile cover according to any one of claims 1 to 19, the steerable wheels being castor wheels, or solid or pneumatic wheels.

21. A mobile cover according to any one of claims 1 to 20, the cover including one or 10 more handles to assist with moving the cover.

22. A mobile cover according to any one of claims 1 to 21, the cover including a hitch for towing the cover. 15

23.A mobile cover according to any one of claims 1 to 20, the cover including a handle to assist with moving the cover, the handle including an integral hitch for towing the cover.

24. A mobile cover according to any one of claims 1 to 23, the cover including a brake 20 arrangement which is operable to restrain movement of the cover.

25.A mobile cover according to claim 24, the brake arrangement including one or more friction brakes which engage one or more wheels connected to the cover. 25

26. A mobile cover according to claim 1, the cover being generally square or rectangular and the access opening being at one end of the cover, an opposite end of the cover including a viewing aperture for providing visual access to the interior space of the cover whilst the cover is moved relative to one or more objects inside or outside the interior space, the cover including a steering 30 mechanism which can be operated from a position adjacent the viewing aperture, so that a person steering the cover can look through the viewing aperture into the interior space of the cover.

27. A mobile cover according to any one of claims 1 to 26, the cover being arranged to 35 enclose one or more square hay bales. <filename> RECEIVED at IPONZ on 17 January 2011 20

28. A mobile cover according to any one of claims 1 to 27, the cover being arranged to enclose one or more round hay bales. 5

29. A hay bale cover, the cover defining an interior space within which one or more hay bales can be enclosed and protected from the weather and livestock, the cover including a closable access opening which, in an open condition permits entry to within the interior space, the cover being movable on one or more wheels when the access opening is open to receive one or more hay bales into the interior 10 space, the cover further being movable when the access opening is open and one or more hay bales are within the interior space to move the cover relative to the one or more hay bales so that the one or more hay bales become partially or completely outside the interior space, the wheels comprising two wheels at a first end of the cover which are generally located on opposite sides of the cover and at 15 least one additional wheel at a second end of the cover which is opposite the first end, each of the two wheels at the first end of the cover being steerable.

30. A mobile cover according to any one of the embodiments substantially as herein described and with reference to the accompanying figures. <filename>