Bale handling apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING LONGITUDINALLY END-TO-END ARRANGED BALES FOR USE ON A SELF-PROPELLED TRACTOR HAVING A LOAD ELEVATOR WITH ARMS ARRANGED TO BE MOVED FROM A POSITION NEAR THE GROUND TO A MORE ELEVATED POSITION, SAID APPARATUS COMPISING: (A) AN ELEVATED FRAME HAVING A FORWARD END AND A REAR END, SUPPORT STRUCTURE SECURED TO SAID FRAME, MOUNTING MEANS SECURED TO SAID SUPPORT STRUCTURE AND ADAPTED FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID SUPPORT STRUCTURE FOR SUPPORTING SAID FRAME A VARIABLE DISTANCE ABOVE THE GROUND AND LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID TRACTOR, (B) SUPPOR MEANS, GUIDE MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME AND ADAPTED TO SUPPORT SAID SUPPORT MEANS FOR RECIPROCAL MOVEMENT TRANSVERSELY OF SAID FRAME, RIGID STRUT MEANS SUPPORTED BY SAID SUPPORT MEANS AND DEPENDING BELOW THE ELEVATION OF SAID FRAME, (C) A FIRST ELONGATED GRIP MEMBER MOUNTED ON A LOWER PORTION OF SAID STRUT MEANS AND EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID TRACTOR, A SECOND ELONGATED GRIP MEMBER SUPPORTED BY SAID FRAME IN SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL SPACED APART LATERALLY OPPOSED RELATION TO SAID FIRST GRIP MEMBER AND AT SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME ELEVATION, MOTIVE MEANS OPERABLY ENGAGED BETWEEN SAID FRAME AND SAID FIRST GRIP MEMBER FOR SELECTIVELY RECIPROCATING SAID FIRST GRIP MEMBER TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID SECOND GRIP MEMBER, AND (D) PUSHER MEANS RETAINED AGAINST REARWARD MOVEMENT WITH RESPECT TO SAID FRAME AND EXTENDING INTO THE PATH DEFINED BY SAID GRIP MEMBERS AT APPROXIMATELY THE SAME ELEVATION AND REARWARDLY THEREOF, SAID PUSHER MEANS AND GRIP MEMBERS FORMING A FORWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY OPEN STRUCTURE FOR LONGITUDINALLY RECEIVING AND PUSHING A PLURALITY OF BALES LYING ON THE GROUND AS SAID APPARATUS IS DRIVEN FORWARDLY BY SAID TRACTOR AND CLAMPING END-TO-END ARRANGED BALES BETWEEN SAID GRIP MEMBERS FOR ELEVATION ABOVE THE GROUND.