Round bale handling device

Claim 2

A round foliage bale handling apparatus for picking up and transporting a bale of foliage, said apparatus comprising in combination: an axle having a pair of support wheels attached thereto; a longitudinally extending bed having a pair of longitudinally spaced ends and connected along the longitudinal middle thereof to said axle, said bed being disposed for pivotal motion about said axle for causing either of said ends to assume a position immediately adjacent a support surface for said wheels; said bed including a pair of laterally spaced, parallel beam members, each beam member including a slanted bale contacting face running for substantially the entire extent of each beam, said faces being disposed in a downwardly converging arrangement for cradling a bale therebetween; and power actuated conveyor means attached to each of said beams for causing bale movement along said faces, said power actuated conveyor means including a separate endless conveyor chain disposed longitudinally of each of said beams; and further wherein each of said beams includes a longitudinally extending recess in its respective bale contacting face, one portion of each of said conveyor chains being partially disposed respectivley in each of said recesses for causing the weight of a bale to be borne by said faces rather than said chains; spike means distributed along said conveyor chains for extending upwardly from said recesses for engaging said bales to move said bales along said faces; and idler means disposed on each end of each beam for supporting the ends of said conveyor chains, each of said idler means including a walker disk means comprising a disk element having a smooth outer periphery for contacting and providing lift to a bale as it is transported over the ends of said conveyor chains without gouging or biting into the bale.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1 including adjustment means for allowing lateral displacement of at least one of said beams to accommodate different size bales.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 2 and further wherein said axle has a lower offset portion, said lower offset portion being attached to said bed.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said bed is attached to a pivot means which is concentrically, pivotally connected to said lower offset portion.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 1 and further including a tongue pivotally attached to said axle, said tongue including a latch means for engagement with a tow vehicle, said tongue being movable between a first position extending beneath said bed with said latch means disposed directly ahead of said bed and a second position extending obliquely from said bed with said latch means disposed ahead of and laterally to one side of said bed.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 5 and further including a hydraulic cylinder attached between said tongue and said axle for causing powered displacement of said tongue between said first and second positions, and further including a positive attachment means for connecting said tongue to said bed when said tongue is in its first position to insure that no inadvertent pivoting of said tongue will occur during towing of the apparatus.

Claim 8

A round foliage bale handling apparatus for picking up and transporting a bale of foliage, said apparatus comprising in combination: an axle having a pair of support wheels attached thereto; a longitudinally extending bed having a pair of longitudinally spaced ends and connected along the longitudinal middle thereof to said axle, said bed being disposed for pivotal motion about said axle for causing either of said ends to assume a position immediately adjacent a support surface for said wheels; said bed including a pair of laterally spaced, parallel beam members, each beam member including a slanted bale contacting face running for substantially the entire extent of each beam, said faces being disposed in a downwardly converging arrangement for cradling a bale therebetween; and power actuated conveyor means attached to each of said beams for causing bale movement along said faces, said power actuated conveyor means including a separate endless conveyor chain disposed longitudinally of each of said beams; and further wherein each of said beams includes a longitudinally extending recess in its respective bale contacting face, one portion of each of said conveyor chains being partially disposed respectively in each of said recesses for causing the weight of a bale to be borne by said faces rather than said chains; spike means distributed along said conveyor chains for extending upwardly from said recesses for engaging said bales to move said bales along said faces, said conveyor means further including an idler means disposed at each end of each of said recesses for supporting the ends of said conveyor chains, each of said idler means including walker disk means attached to said idler means for providing lift to a bale as it moves over the ends of the conveyor chain, said conveyor means further including a drive means comprising a drive motor and a transversely extending drive shaft connected to each of said conveyor chains, each of said conveyor chains having a lateral dimension oriented parallel to its respective face and undergoing a twist from the position of contact of said chain to said idle means to provide a horizontal disposition of said lateral dimension when said chain contacts said drive shaft.

Claim 9

A round foliage bale handling apparatus for picking up and transporting a bale of foliage, said apparatus comprising in combination: an axle having a pair of support wheels attached thereto; a longitudinally extending bed having a pair of longitudinally spaced ends and connected along the longitudinal middle thereof to said axle, said bed being disposed for pivotal motion about said axle for causing either of said ends to assume a position immediately adjacent a support surface for said wheels; said bed including a pair of laterally spaced, parallel beam members, each beam member including a slanted bale contacting face running for substantially the entire extent of each beam, said faces being disposed in a downwardly converging arrangement for cradling a bale therebetween; and power actuated conveyor means attached to each of said beams for causing bale movement along said faces, said power actuated conveyor means including a separate endless conveyor chain disposed longitudinally of each of said beams; and further wherein each of said beams includes a longitudinally extending recess in its respective bale contacting face, one portion of each of said conveyor chains being partially disposed respectively in each of said recesses for causing the weight of a bale to be borne by said faces rather than said chains; spike means distributed along said conveyor chains for extending upwardly from said recesses for engaging said bales to move said bales along said faces, said conveyor means further including an idler means disposed at each end of each of said recesses for supporting the ends of said conveyor chains, each of said idler means including walker disk means attached to said idler means for providing lift to a bale as it moves over the ends of the conveyor chain, said conveyor means further including a drive means comprising a drive motor and a transversely extending drive shaft connected to each of said conveyor chains, each of said conveyor chains having a lateral dimension oriented parallel to its respective face and undergoing a twist from the position of contact of said chain to said idle means to provide a horizontal disposition of said lateral dimension when said chain contacts said drive shaft.

Claim 10

The apparatus of claim 7 and further including a pair of support cradles for supporting the ends of said drive shaft, each of said cradles being pivotally attached to a separate one of said beams for allowing individual vertical displacement of each end of said drive shaft thereby providing individual tensioning for said conveyor chains.

Claim 11

A round foliage bale handling apparatus for picking up and transporting a bale of foliage, said apparatus comprising in combination: an axle having a pair of support wheels attached thereto; a longitudinally extending bed having a pair of longitudinally spaced ends and connected along the longitudinal middle thereof to said axle, said bed being disposed for pivotal motion about said axle for causing either of said ends to assume a position immediately adjacent a support surface for said wheels; said bed including a pair of laterally spaced, parallel beam members, each beam member including a slanted bale contacting face running for substantially the entire extent of each beam, said faces being disposed in a downwardly converging arrangement for cradling a bale therebetween; and power actuated conveyor means attached to each of said beams for causing bale movement along said faces, a floor pan disposed between said beams and extending longitudinally of said bed, said floor pan having a central portion disposed over said axle and having ends disposed below the level of said axle for providing a ramp for urging bales upwardly over said axle.

Claim 12

A round foliage bale handling apparatus for picking up and transporting a bale of foliage, said apparatus comprising in combination: an axle having a pair of support wheels attached thereto; a longitudinally extending bed having a pair of longitudinally spaced ends and connected along the longitudinal middle thereof to said axle, said bed being disposed for pivotal motion about said axle for causing either of said ends to assume a position immediately adjacent a support surface for said wheels; said bed including a pair of laterally spaced, parallel beam members, each beam member including a slanted bale contacting face running for substantially the entire extent of each beam, said faces being disposed in a downwardly converging arrangement for cradling a bale therebetween; and power actuated conveyor means attached to each of said beams for causing bale movement along said faces, a floor pan disposed between said beams and extending longitudinally of said bed, said floor pan having a central portion disposed over said axle and having ends disposed below the level of said axle for providing a ramp for urging bales upwardly over said axle.

Claim 13

The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said floor pan further includes a yoke means attached to each of said ends, said yoke means having inwardly converging legs for urging loose foliage of bales toward the center of said bed.

Claim 14

A round foliage bale handling apparatus for picking up and transporting a bale of foliage, said apparatus comprising in combination: an axle having a pair of support wheels attached thereto; a longitudinally extending bed having a pair of longitudinally spaced ends and connected along the longitudinal middle thereof to said axle, said bed being disposed for pivotal motion about said axle for causing either of said ends to assume a position immediately adjacent a support surface for said wheels; said bed including a pair of laterally spaced, parallel beam members, each beam member including a slanted bale contacting face running for substantially the entire extent of each beam, said faces being disposed in a downwardly converging arrangement for cradling a bale therebetween; and power actuated conveyor means attached to each of said beams for causing bale movement along said faces, wherein each of said beams includes an outwardly canted bale guide attached to at least one end of each of said beams, each bale guide having a bale engaging face which is coplanar with the face of the beam to which it is attached, said bale guide faces terminating in edges which extend longitudinally of the bale guides for allowing the bale guides to slice under a bale thereby giving it lift.

Claim 15

A round foliage bale handling apparatus for picking up and transporting a bale of foliage, said apparatus comprising in combination: an axle having a pair of support wheels attached thereto; a longitudinally extending bed having a pair of longitudinally spaced ends and connected along the longitudinal middle thereof to said axle, said bed being disposed for pivotal motion about said axle for causing either of said ends to assume a position immediately adjacent a support surface for said wheels; said bed including a pair of laterally spaced, parallel beam members, each beam member including a slanted bale contacting face running for substantially the entire extent of each beam, said faces being disposed in a downwardly converging arrangement for cradling a bale therebetween; and power actuated conveyor means attached to each of said beams for causing bale movement along said faces, wherein each of said beams includes an outwardly canted bale guide attached to at least one end of each of said beams, each bale guide having a bale engaging face which is coplanar with the face of the beam to which it is attached, said bale guide faces terminating in edges which extend longitudinally of the bale guides for allowing the bale guides to slice under a bale thereby giving it lift.