Bale accumulator

Claim 1

A bale accumulator adapted to be pulled by and receive from a baler successive bales of hay of predetermined dimensions bound by at least one tie encircling each bale in a vertical plane, said accumulator adapted to turn and assemble a predetermined number of said bales into a cluster and discharge the cluster onto the surface of a field with said ties disposed in horizontal planes, comprising: a mobile frame adapted to be pivotably connected to and towed by a baler with an articulated bale guide having a relatively short trough like element pivotally supported about a vertical axis by the baler to attenuate the abruptness of the angle between the baler and bale accumulator to aid bale passage therebetween; a generally horizontal bale bed mounted on said frame for tilting about an axis generally transverse to the direction of travel of said accumulator and adapted to receive plural bales thereon and discharge the bales received rearwardly thereof in a prearranged cluster wherein an inclined trough is adapted to receive successive bales each bound by a tie encircling its bale in a vertical plane, direct movement of said bales to a point above said bed, and deposit the said bales in reoriented contiguous side by side relationship on said bed with their ties in horizontal planes and their longitudinal axes substantially parallel with the direction of travel of said bale accumulator, whereby to form a stable cluster of plural bales; said articulated bale guide extending across the point of interconnection between the baler and the mobile frame and to within one bale length of the inclined trough; means for advancing on said bed transversely of the direction of movement each oriented bale received from said bale orienting means one bale width to permit receipt of subsequent bales; and means adapted to tilt said bed and discharge the cluster with the bales in substantially the same orientation onto the surface of the field traversed by said accumulator; wherein the inclined trough further includes an elevated ledge more narrow than one-half the width of a bale and disposed above said bed and adapted to support the bottom edge only of a bale, a vertical side frame rigidly joined to one lateral edge of said elevated ledge to support a bale on a fIrst vertical edge, a gate swingable on an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of said bale and releasably secured to confine a second vertical edge of a bale against removal laterally from said ledge, and means adapted to open said gate releasing the second edge of the bale to allow the bale to fall by gravity onto said bed and traverse a 90 degree rotation effected by said first bale edge being momentarily supported by said ledge during the initial falling movement of said bale.