Hay bale stacker

Claim 1

In a machine for stacking rectangular hay bales emerging from a hay baler in pyramidal stacks of six bales, said machine being adapted to being towed behind a baler and including a chute for receiving a row of bales from a baler discharge chute, said machine further comprising a pivoting drop table to serially drop and rotate said bales 90° about an axis extending centrally along the longest dimensions of said bales, said table having a horizontal position for successively receiving each of said bales and being pivotable about a pivot axis along one side thereof to a dropped position for discharge of said bales, a supporting bed for receiving said bales into three rows from said pivoting table, said bed being provided with a side panel and a pair of separator panels for separating rows of bales in said stack, said separator panels being tiltable for orienting said bales into a pyramidal stack, said machine being mounted for towing on an axle having a wheel at each end, and said bed being pivotable from a substantially level position wherein said bales are collected, to a rearwardly dropped position for discharge of said bales onto a field in a pyramidal stack, the improvement comprising; said separator panels being oriented at an oblique angle relative to the line of travel of said machine whereby slippage of said bales from between said panels is facilitated.