Material or article handling – Vehicle-carried bale accumulator
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-29
2001-06-19
Hess, Douglas (Department: 2167)
Material or article handling
Vehicle-carried bale accumulator
C414S789700
Reexamination Certificate
active
06247885
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND AND FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to apparatus for manipulating large bales, especially bales of hay, and more particularly to a novel and improved self-contained, self-propelled, apparatus for loading, transporting and stacking baled hay.
Considerable effort has been devoted over time to the development of apparatus for quickly and efficiently loading transporting, and unloading baled hay. The need for mechanized apparatus to accomplish these tasks has accelerated as the standard size, and thus weight, of hay bales has increased. Formerly, a typical bale of hay could be lifted and manipulated by a single physically strong individual. More recently, and for efficiency's sake, hay frequently is compressed and bound in bales measuring four feet on a side and eight feet long—bales so heavy and bulky that powered, mechanized loading and unloading is necessary.
Also increasingly common is the practice of storing and using baled hay in locations substantially remote from the fields where the hay was grown, giving rise to a need for efficient means for loading baled hay in the field and transporting the bales a considerable distance to storage. Also, the hay occasionally is used in disparate locations removed from the point of storage, compelling the re-transportation of stacked bales from storage to the points of consumption.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,472 to Matlack et al. discloses a bale loading, transporting and unloading device incorporating a fork having tines with which to stab a hay bale and lift it under hydraulic power to an elevated position, from which the bale is supposed to roll under the force of gravity onto an inclined transportation bed. The bales are unloaded by dropping a tailgate on the bed and allowing the bales to slide or roll from the bed by force of gravity. Densely compacted bales, however, are difficult to spear and may be pushed along the ground rather than impaled. Also, no controlled means are provided for reliably removing the bale from the tines of the fork.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,504 to Klompien shows a bale handling trailer adapted to be towed in an offset position to the side and behind a tractor. The device includes a forklift type of cradle with which to lift bales from the ground onto the trailer bed. The bed is tiltable from a horizontal position to a vertical position for unloading. The device apparently is unable to stack bales more than one layer deep upon the bed. Additionally, acceptably efficient operation of the Klompien device unrealistically requires that the bales be aligned in neat rows in the field, as each bale must be lined up with the offset-towed trailer in order to be in position for loading.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,952,111 to Callahan teaches a bale pick up and stacking device incorporating bale arms with which to grasp the sides of a bale, and lengthy pick up arms with which the bale is lifted by hydraulic power up and over an operator cab to be dropped, with little apparent guidance or control, upon an accumulator bed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,329,102 to Gray shows a trailer apparatus including a winch-and-cable system for pivoting a bale cradle to lift round bales from the ground astride the trailer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,329,101 to Green et al. discloses a bale handling apparatus employing hydraulically powered arms to grab cylindrical bales and pivot them into position for a rolling deposition upon a tiltable bed. The Green et al. device has marginal, if any, utility for loading and unloading rectangular bales.
A need remains for a self-propelled apparatus which safely and efficiently loads and unloads bales of various sizes and shapes without regard for the bales' orientation and position upon the ground in the field, which stacks the bales in an orderly fashion upon a transportation bed for conveyance to storage, and which can also rapidly retrieve bulk stacks from storage for re-transport to a consumption location.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which reliably grabs articles, such as, large bales of hay upon the ground and loads them upon a transportation bed, with minimal regard for the position of the article relative to the apparatus, a novel and improved transfer mechanism on the bed consisting of a roller guide assembly and stabilizer arms for selectively advancing one or more bales in succession rearwardly along the bed.
Another object of the invention of the present invention is to provide apparatus for both loading and unloading of a plurality of stacked bales to and from a transportation bed in which stabilizer members on opposite sides of the bed are selectively engageable with the bales to prevent their slippage as the bed is tilted from a transportation position to an unloading position.
Another object of the present invention is to provide for a novel and improved operator-controlled transportation bed for selectively advancing bales of hay in ordering stacks along the bed under the complete control of the vehicle driver.
Still another advantage of the invention is that it is adaptable for use on a variety of commercially available vehicles.
In a wheeled apparatus for loading and unloading bales of hay or other like articles onto and from a transportation bed, the improvement comprises roller guide means in a recessed portion of the bed adjacent to a first end for selectively advancing each bale in succession from the first end toward a second end and stabilizer members on opposite sides of the bed including means for selectively tilting each of the stabilizer members between a substantially upright position away from engagement with the bale(s) and a convergent position engaging opposite sides of the bale(s) and wherein tilting means are mounted within a pocket in the bed. A particular advantage and feature of the invention is the ability to selectively engage each bale at a front end of the bed with a roller guide assembly and drive mechanism to advance rearwardly along the bed either alone or in cooperation with side stabilizer members which under the control of the operator are tiltable into engagement with opposite sides of the bale and which are preferably located at the front and rear ends of the bed. Each of the stabilizer members is characterized by having a lower base portion which is slidable within the substantial profile of the bed between an upright position away from the bales and a convergent position engaging opposite sides of the bale(s).
REFERENCES:
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patent: 4952111 (1990-08-01), Callahan
patent: 4971504 (1990-11-01), Klompien
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Hess Douglas
Justice Enterprises, Inc.
Reilly John E.
LandOfFree
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