Bale rack

Claim 1

A bale rack, comprising: an elongate horizontal frame; means for supporting said frame for movement along the ground; a pair of bale support means at opposite longitudinal sides of said frame for supporting first and second bales having longitudinal axes side-by-side on said bale support means, and a third bale on said first and second bales having its longitudinal axis parallel to the said longitudinal sides; means for pivotally connecting each of said bale support means to said opposite sides of said frame and permitting pivotation of said bale support means relative to said frame between a raised support position for retaining said bales on said frame and a lowered release position in which said bale support means are downwardly inclined to allow said bales to roll from said frame to the ground; latch means for releasably retaining said bale support means in the raised positions; counterweight means for urging said bale support means from the lowered positions to the raised positions; bale retaining means extending substantially vertically upwardly on said frame between said first and second bales for retaining said first and second bales on respective ones of said bale support means; bale guide means for guiding said third bale from said bale rack; pivot means for supporting said bale guide means on said bale retaining means for pivotation between an upper position, in which said bale guide means extends between said third bale and an underlying one of said first and second bales, and a lower position, in which said bale guide means are downwardly inclined towards one side of said bale rack; and stop means for supporting said bale guide means in said lower position at a height and an inclination such that said third bale can roll down said bale guide means onto a pair of bales previously deposited side-by-side on the ground after an underlying one of said first and second bales is deposited on the ground.