Material or article handling – Vehicle-carried bale accumulator
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-09
2001-12-11
Krizek, Janice L. (Department: 3652)
Material or article handling
Vehicle-carried bale accumulator
C414S491000, C414S514000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06328520
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the handling of large bales of bulk material such as hay or silage with or without a containing wrap. More particularly, the invention relates to the handling of extremely large bales of the type described which are too heavy to be handled manually, and in particular, large rectangular cross section hay bales. The system includes the pick-up and moving or the loading of such bales onto the bed of a truck or other vehicle and subsequently unloading the bales for distribution as with range or bunk feeding of cattle or the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years the trend in preserving hay in bales has been toward increasingly large size bales, far beyond the ability for manual handling. One approach is the production of large round bales several feet in diameter in the form of a layered roll which can then be pasture or range fed to cattle by simply unrolling the bale on the ground. The following listed patents are illustrative of prior art pick-up and transport equipment designed specifically for handling large cylindrical bales:
U.S. Pat. No.
Patentee
3,942,666
Pfremmer
4,050,598
Schurz
4,103,794
Shaw
4,376,607
Gibson
4,594,041
Hostetler
5,288,193
Warburton et al
5,333,981
Pronovost et al
5,340,259
Flaskey
This method, however has serious problems of wastage since the cattle foul the hay and use it for bedding. More recently the trend has been toward the formation of large rectangular or square cross section bales in the neighborhood of 8 feet in length and having a cross section of up to 4×4 feet known as “big bales”. Large bales of this category may weigh in the neighborhood of 1000 to 2000 pounds per bale, are cumbersome and create a serious handling problem. Such bales normally require some form of mechanized equipment for pickup, transport, stacking and ultimately distributing and feeding. The following listed patents are illustrative of prior art pick-up and transport equipment designed specifically for handling large rectangular bales:
U.S. Pat. No.
Patentee
4,952,111
Callahan
5,690,461
Tilley
5,846,046
Warburton
Although satisfactory equipment has been developed for unloading and field distribution of layered round bales by simply unrolling, the need exists for an efficient mechanism for loading, transporting and unloading for distribution and feeding of large square or rectangular bales. Most existing equipment is concerned only with field pick-up and stacking involving such methods as robotic lifting arms, tilt beds such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,405,229 and 5,542,803 to Tilley et al and Driggs respectively. These devices are not adapted for loading, transporting and feeding from a moving vehicle. Likewise common methods involving front end loaders and fork lifts require several pieces of equipment and operators and are thus uneconomical and time consuming. The following listed patents are illustrative of prior art pick-up and transport devices of the front end loader and elevator or fork-lift type equipment:
U.S. Pat. No.
Patentee
4,073,532
Blair
4,325,666
Chain et al
4,911,596
Fetter
5,082,413
Grosz et al
5,542,803
Driggs
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention contemplates a truck or other vehicle or trailer bed mounted mechanism and system for picking up a plurality of big bales of the rectangular type from a stack and loading the series of bales onto a mobile flatbed to be transported to a pasture or a range for instance where the bales are to be broken and distributed for feeding. Alternatively the bales may, of course, be moved from a field stack to a stacking/storage area for later pick-up and distribution.
In a first preferred embodiment of the invention a flatbed vehicle such as a motor truck or trailer is provided with a flatbed surface which is mounted for pivotal movement from a generally horizontal position through at least a 90° arc to a generally vertical position. A first longitudinally extending endless conveyor such as parallel chains or belts or other mechanism for moving articles longitudinally on top of the bed is mounted beneath the surface of the bed leaving the flat bed clear except for the movable conveyor elements. A second transverse or cross-bed conveyor, which may be of the same general type, is located forwardly of the longitudinal conveyor adjacent the front end of the flatbed. The cross-bed conveyor mechanism will also be located below the surface of the bed in the same manner as described for the longitudinal conveyor, again leaving the generally flat surface of the bed free for supporting articles to be transported. This type of arrangement allows articles, such as the large rectangular bales previously described, to be placed on the surface of the flatbed and moved forwardly by operation of the longitudinal conveyor to a position overlying the cross-bed conveyor for lateral discharge and distribution as will presently be described. The flatbed is thus equipped, in the horizontal position, to support and discharge large bales of hay off to one side of the bed for pasture or range feeding. In the vertical position the flat bed may be positioned against a vertical stack of a plurality of large bales for loading. For this purpose the opposite lateral edges of the flatbed are provided with a plurality of tine structures which are designed to be selectively engaged with the sides of the several large bales in the vertical stack while the flatbed is in the vertical position. The tines are carried on rotatable shafts and are movable through an arc from a position below the bed surface, via suitable openings in the bed surface, to the bale engaging position above the bed surface. The rotatable tine shafts as well as the mounting and operating means for the shafts are located below the bed surface, again allowing for a free unobstructed bed surface. This mode of operation allows the bed to be moved into the vertical position, backed up against a vertical stack of a plurality of large bales, the tines actuated to engage the bales and then the bed lowered to the horizontal position for transporting the bales on the flatbed surface.
The truck bed may be of sufficient length to have an adequate overhang in back of the rear wheels of the truck so that the bed, in the vertical position, will have its rear edge sufficiently close to ground level so as to engage the bottom bale in the stack. Alternatively, with smaller trucks having shorter beds, a pivotally mounted bed extension may be provided so as to be mechanically linked with the bed in the vertical position of the bed. This arrangement will also allow the flat bed to be provided with a fifth wheel or gooseneck hitch when used for other purposes. The pivoted bed extension will normally be disposed in a vertical position at the end of the flatbed and, when the flatbed is moved to a vertical position, the extension may be selectively coupled to the vertical bed and move along with the vertical bed to the horizontal position for loading a stack of bales. The raising and lowering of the truck bed, operation of both the longitudinal and cross-bed conveyors as well as actuation of the bale engaging tines may be accomplished by hydraulic motor means with provision for remote controls from either inside or outside of the cab. It will be understood, of course, that alternate motor means such as pneumatic or electrical motors may be substituted for the hydraulic motor means.
According to a second embodiment, a flatbed vehicle such as a motor truck or trailer is provided with laterally movable tines carried on longitudinal rails or on a frame, the rails or frame being pivoted for vertical movement from a substantially horizontal position to a vertical position. The laterally movable rails are equipped with tine structures designed to selectively engage the sides of several large bales in a vertical stack. The laterally movable rails are mounted for pivotal movement about the horizontal axis such that the distal ends of the tine structures extend beyond the truck bed, positioning the tines
Dowrey & Associates
Krizek Janice L.
LandOfFree
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