Hay bale accumulator

Claim 1

FOR USE WITH MOBILE HAY BALING MACHINES OF THE TYPE HAVING A DISCHARGE PORTION FOR DELIVERY OF BALES FROM THE BALING MACHINE, (A) A GENERALLY HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED HAY BALE ACCUMULATOR PLATFORM, (B) MEANS FOR CONNECTING SAID PLATFORM TO A BALING MACHINE ADJACENT ITS DISCHARGE PORTION FOR COMMON TRAVELING MOVEMENTS THEREWITH, (C) A PORTION OF SAID PLATFORM BEING DISPOSED FOR RECEPTION OF BALES FROM SAID DISCHARGE PORTION, (D) BALE TRANSFER MEANS FOR SHIFTING SAID BALES ON SAID PLATFORM AWAY FROM THE PATH OF DELIVERY MOVEMENT THEREOF FROM SAID BALING MACHINE TO DISPOSE SAID BALES IN A PREDETERMINED GROUP ARRANGEMENT, (E) DISCHARGE MECHANISM FOR REMOVING THE GROUP OF BALES FROM SAID PLATFORM TO DEPOSIT SAID BALES ON THE GROUND IN SAID GROUP ARRANGEMENT, (F) AND CONTROL MEANS FOR ACTUATING SAID BALE TRANSFER MEANS RESPONSIVE TO PREDETERMINED MOVEMENT OF A BALE ON SAID PLATFORM FROM SAID BALING MACHINE DISCHARGE PORTION AND FOR ACTUATING SAID DISCHARGE MECHANISM RESPONSIVE TO ACCUMULATION OF A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF BALES ON SAID PLATFORM, (G) SAID BALE TRANSFER MEANS COMPRISING, (1) A RECIPROCATORY TRANSFER MEMBER ELONGATED IN THE DIRECTION OF DELIVERY MOVEMENT OF BALES FROM SAID BALING MACHINE AND MOVABLE ACROSS THE PATH OF DELIVERY MOVEMENT OF SAID BALES TOWARD AND AWAY FROM A NORMAL POSITION AT ONE SIDE OF SAID PATH OF DELIVERY MOVEMENT, (2) MEANS FOR IMPARTINF RECIPROCATORY MOVEMENT TO SAID TRANSFER MEMBER, (3) AND AN ELONGATED EXTENSION ELEMENT ROTATABLY MOUNTED INTERMEDIATE ITS ENDS ON A VERTICAL AXIS TO THE END OF SAID TRANSFER MEMBER NEAREST THE DISCHARGE PORTION OF SAID BALING MACHINE, SAID EXTENSION ELEMENT COOPERATING WITH SAID TRANSFER MEMBER DURING BALE SHIFTING MOVEMENT THEREOF TO SHIFT SAID BALES AWAY FROM SAID PATH OF DELIVERY MOVEMENT AND BEING ADAPTED TO BE ROTATED ON SAID AXIS BY A FOLLOWING BALE DURING DELIVERY THEREOF TO SAID PLATFORM AND DURING RETURN MOVEMENT OF SAID TRANSFER MEMBER TO ITS NORMAL POSITION.