CA2513197A1 - Hay bale processor - Google Patents

Abstract

A hay bale processor (10) having a cylindrical rotatable drum (14) adapted to displace a bale of hay (156-157) over a grill (26) which has a plurality of spaced-apart parallel slot openings (27) which are adjustable to define an average fiber cut length. A rotor (28) driven by an electric motor (66-67) has cutting blades (35) projecting through the openings to contact a bottom face (159) of a bale of hay (160) displaced over the grill. The rotor has a driveable shaft (29) secured to a displaceable suspension mechanism (45) to displace the blades (35) in the openings and above the grill a variable distance depending on the resistive load appliA hay bale processor (10) having a cylindrical rotatable drum (14) adapted to displace a bale of hay (156-157) over a grill (26) which has a plurality of spaced-apart parallel slot openings (27) which are adjustable to define an average fiber cut length. A rotor (28) driven by an electric motor (66-67) has cutting blades (35) projecting through the openings to contact a bottom face (159) of a bale of hay (160) displaced over the grill. The rotor has a driveable shaft (29) secured to a displaceable suspension mechanism (45) to displace the blades (35) in the openings and above the grill a variable distance depending on the resistive load applied to the blades of the rotor when a bale of hay is displaced over the grill. The displaceable suspension mechanism (45) is biased upwardly by an air cylinder (50) or air cushion device (280) to maintain a substantially constant pressure on the displaceable suspension such that when the load on the cutting knives of the rotor are subjected to a force exceeding the predetermined pressure of the cylinder the rotor is displaced whereby a substantially constant drive torque is maintained on the electric motor driving the shaft (29) of the rotor (28).

Claims (35)

1. A hay bale processor (10) comprising container means (14) for receiving a bale of hay (156, 157) to be cut in fibers, a rotor (28) secured below said container means, said rotor having a plurality of cutting blades (35) disposed about its periphery in space-part parallel relationship, said rotor being aligned with a :grill (26) in a bottom wall (23) of said container means and said grill having spaced-apart, parallel, slot openings (27) defining an average fiber cut length therebetween, said blades being aligned with respective ones of said slot openings and projecting therethrough to contact a bottom face (159) of a bale (160) of hay displaced over said grill by bale displacement means (140, 240) associated with said container means whereby to cut hay from said bottom face, said fibers being discharged through said slots and into discharge conveying means (18), characterized in that said rotor has a drivable shaft (29) secured to a displaceable suspension mechanism (45) to displace said rotor and consequently said blades of said rotor above said grill a variable distance depending on the resistive load applied to said blades of said rotor when a bale of hay is displaced over said grill, electric motor means (66, 67) coupled to said drivable shaft for rotating same, said displaceable suspension mechanism (45) having pressure biasing means (50, 280) having a predetermined biasing pressure value; said cutting knives being displaced to retract within said slots when said predetermined biasing pressure value is exceeded by the load on said cutting blades of said rotor whereby said electric motor means maintains a substantially constant drive torque on said rotor drivable shaft and a substantially constant speed of rotation of said rotor.

2. A hay bale processor as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pressure biasing means (50) is a pressure cylinder producing a substantially constant biasing force on said drivable shaft (29) in the direction of said grill.

3. A hay bale processor as claimed in claim 2, wherein said pressure cylinder (50) is an air pressure cylinder.

4. A hay bale processor as claimed in claim 3, wherein said displaceable suspension mechanism (45) comprises a pair of pivotal arms (46, 46') each having a fixed pivot end (48), said drivable shaft (29) being supported adjacent opposed ends of said drivable shaft by a respective one of said pivotal arms, said air cylinder (50) having a piston rod (51) with a piston rod end (52) thereof secured to one of said pivotal arms (46) and applying said substantially constant upward biasing force on said one of said pivotal arms.

5. A hay bale processor as claimed in claim 4, wherein a driven pulley (65) is secured to an extension end of one of said opposed ends of said drivable shaft extending through its associated pivotal arm (46), said electric motor means being an electric motor (66) having a drive shaft (69), a drive pulley (68) secured to said drive shaft, a drive belt (70) about said driven pulley and drive pulley to impact axial rotation to said driven pulley, and automatically adjustable tension means (72) to maintain said drive belt taut when said driven shaft is displaced when said predetermined biasing pressure value is exceeded by the load on said cutting blades.

6. A hay bale processor as claimed in claim 5, wherein said driven pulley (65) is a double sheave pulley, there being two of said electric motors (66, 67), each motor having an associated one of said belt (70, 71) trained about an associated one of said double sheaves (65), said automatically adjustable tension means being constituted by a floating pulley (72, 73) which is spring biased against a portion of said drive belt (70, 71) of each motor and between said double sheave pulley and drive pulley.

7. A hay bale processor as claimed in claim 4, wherein the other pivotal arm (46') is provided with a piston (53) secured to a free end (55) thereof to remove vibration and to stabilize said drivable shaft (29) of said rotor.

8. A hay bale processor as claimed in claim 4, wherein one of said pivotal arms (46, 46) is provided with adjustable arresting means (57, 58, .59) to limit the displacement of said pair of pivotal arms to position said cutting blades from a retracted position below said slot openings of said grill and a maximum working position wherein said blades project above said slot openings a maximum distance.

9. A hay bale processor as claimed in claim 8, wherein said adjustable arresting means is constituted by a pair of abutment members (58, 59) positioned spaced from one another and disposed on opposed sides of a free end portion of said one of said pivotal arms (46, 46'), at least one of said abutment members (59) having an adjustable abutment face (62') disposed to define said maximum distance.

10. A hay bale processor as claimed in claim 3, wherein said spaced-apart slot openings (27) are elongated rectangular slot openings, said openings having adjustable means (90) to vary the width of each said slot simultaneously.

11. A hay bale processor as claimed in claim 10, wherein said adjustable means (90) is provided by at least one displaceable plate (85) having elongated rectangular slot openings (27) therein, which are spaced apart a predetermined distance and defining obstructing wall sections between said slot openings, said displaceable plate 85 being retained in frictional contact under uppermost-like slot openings, said displaceable plate being displaceable to register its slot openings (27) with said uppermost-like slot openings (27') or to obstruct a portion of said uppermost slot openings by said obstructing wall sections whereby to adjust the width of said slots and thereby said average fiber cut length.

12. A hay bale processor as claimed in claim 11, wherein said grill is constituted by a rectangular opening (24) in said bottom wall (23), there being provided two of said displaceable plates (85, 87), said plates being rectangular plates held under said rectangular opening and disposed in frictional contact with one another and with a bottom face 88 of said bottom wall (23) of said container means, a displaceable linkage (90) secured to said displaceable plates to displace both said plates with respect to one another whereby to vary the width of each said slots simultaneously.

13. A hay bale processor as .claimed in claim 12, wherein said displaceable linkage (90) comprises an actuating arm (91) secured adjacent one end to a stationary pivot (93), a pair of link arms (94, 95) each secured to a respective one of a pivot connection (96, 97) on said actuating arm and disposed on opposed sides of said stationary pivot, said pair of link anus (94, 95) being secured at their other end to a respective one of said two displaceable plates, and a lever (98) secured at the other end of said actuating arm to displace said actuating arm a limited distance about said stationary pivot.

14. A hay bale processor as claimed in claim 13, wherein said lever (98) extends through a slot (99) provided in said bottom wall (23), said slot defining between opposed ends thereof said limited distance.

15. A hay bale processor as claimed in claim 14, wherein said lever has an engageable end (100) associated with a grid (101) defining a range of said average fiber cut lengths to permit a user person to select a desired average fiber cut length.

16. A hay bale processor as claimed in claim 4, wherein said pressure cylinder (50) is secured to a pressurized air reservoir (80), a compressor (83) to supply compressed air to said reservoir, a pressure regulator (81) to adjust the air pressure in said reservoir, said pressure regulator (81) adjusting said predetermined pressure value on said pivotal arm (46)and drivable shaft supported thereby dependent on the rating of said electric motor means (66, 67) to maintain said substantially constant drive torque.

17. A hay bale processor as claimed in claim 4, wherein said rotor drivable shaft (29) is provided with a plurality of blade support discs (30) secured in equidistantly spaced relationship along said drivable shaft, said discs (30) having blade attachment shoulders (32), each shoulder having a pair of spaced holes (33) to receive fasteners to secure a cutting blade (35) thereto, said blades each having at least one cutting edge (36) angulated to an apex (37) thereof, said pair of spaced holes providing for said blade to be attached to said attachment shoulders with said apex lying substantially on a diametrical axis (39) of said support disc, and a further hole (33') disposed below a trailing one of said pair of spaced holes to secure said blades (36') slanted rearwardly of said diametrical axis.

18. A hay bale processor as claimed in claim 1, wherein said container means is a circular drum (14) supported elevated on a support frame, said drum having a cylindrical wall (16) rotatable over a top wall of said support frame and which constitutes said bottom wall of said container means, support guide means (105) maintaining said cylindrical wall (16) in a constant peripheral vertical guide plane, said drum being rotated by an endless belt (110) trained about belt engagement means (111) secured about a lower portion of said cylindrical wall 16 and a drive sheave (113).

19. A hay bale processor as claimed in claim 18, wherein said cylindrical wall has at least a wall portion thereof being a hinged wall portion (170) for access to the interior of said circular drum (14).

20. A hay bale processor as claimed in claim 18, wherein said top wall (15) of said support frame (12) is a rectangular top wall, said top wall being hinged to said frame, and a piston (21) actuable to hinge said top wall and said circular drum upwardly on a hinge connection (20) to provide access below said top wall and to said grill.

21. A hay bale processor as claimed in claim 18, wherein said drive sheave (113) is a gear box drive sheave driven by a variable speed drive.

22. A hay bale processor as claimed in claim 21, wherein said variable speed drive is constituted by a variable drive sheave (116), a variable tension drive belt (117) trained about said variable drive sheave and a drivable sheave (115) of said gear box, and drive belt tensioning means (118, 120) to vary the circumference of said variable drive sheave and the speed of rotation of said drivable sheave of said gear box.

23. A hay bale processor as claimed in claim 22, wherein said drive belt tensioning means is constituted by at least one displaceable sheave (118) biased against said variable tension drive belt (117) by a linkage (120), said linkage (120) being actuable to displace said displaceable sheave by a control arm (121) engageable at one of two or more arm engaging positions (122), each said arm engaging position applying a different tension on said drive belt to cause said gear box drive sheave to rotate at a different speed whereby said cylindrical side wall. (16) of said drum (14) may be rotated at different speeds.

24. A hay bale processor as claimed in claim 23, wherein said variable drive sheave (116) is driven by said electric motor means (66).

25. A hay bale processor as claimed in claim 24, wherein said electric motor means (66) is coupled to an auger screw drive shaft (133) located in a discharge trough under said rotor and constituting said discharge conveying means, said variable drive sheave (116) being secured to a free end of said auger screw drive shaft (33).

26. A hay bale processor as claimed in claim 4, wherein there is further provided arresting means to limit the displacement of said pair of pivotal arms to position said cutting blades from a retracted position below said slot openings of said grill and a maximum working position wherein said blades project above said slot openings a maximum distance, said arresting means being constituted by a guide slot (67) in a side wall (12) of a support framework (11) under said container means (14) and through which extends said drivable shaft of said rotor.

27. A hay bale processor as claimed in claim 18, wherein said cylindrical wall (16) is provided on an inner wall surface thereof with two or more of said bale displacement means (140) for engaging a bale of hay (156, 157) and displacing said bale over said grill (26).

28. A hay bale processor as claimed in claim 27, wherein said bale displacement means is constituted by vertically hinged bale engaging fins (140) secured vertically to said inner wall surface (16') by hinge means (141, 142), said bale engaging fins each having a sloped outer edge (144) sloping outwardly and inwards in said tub from a top end to a bottom end, said fins being displaceable towards said inner wall surface (16') on one side of said hinge means when displaced by a bale of hay when inserted in said tub and engaging said bale of hay by stopper means (147) which arrest said fins from displacement against an opposed side of said hinge, said opposed sides trailing the direction of rotation (146) of said tub.

29. A hay bale processor as claimed in claim 28, wherein said stopper means (147) is an angulated reinforcing plate secured to each said fins at a lower wide end portion thereof, said reinforcing plate (147) abutting said inner wall surface (16') on said opposed side of said hinge means.

30. A hay bale processor as claimed in claim 28, wherein said bale engaging fins are provided with attachment means (149) to provide for attachment of fin extension plates (150).

31. A hay bale processor as claimed in claim 18, wherein said cylindrical wall is provided with sighting windows (151) to view the interior of said tub.

32. A hay bale processor as claimed in claim 18, wherein said bottom wall of said tub is provided with at last one arcuate guide rib (155) projecting upwardly from a top surface of said bottom wall (23), said arcuate guide rib (155) being disposed upstream of said grill whereby to shift said bale (160) being displaced over said grill to prevent the formation of cut-out channels (158) in said lower surface (159) of said bale by said cutting blades.

33. A hay bale processor as claimed in claim 32, wherein there are two or more of said arcuate guide ribs (155) disposed spaced-apart in substantially parallel relationship, each rib having a top edge (160) sloping upwardly from a front end (161) to a rear end (162) thereof, said rear end (162) being disposed adjacent said grill.

34. A hay bale processor as claimed in claim 1, wherein said bale of hay is a circular bale of dry hay.

35. A hay bale processor as claimed in claim 1, in combination with an animal feed mixer (180), said discharge conveying means having a discharge port, said discharge port having a coupling flange (181) to removably secure a connecting conduit (182) thereto and to a fiber feeding inlet port (183) of said animal feed mixer for mixing said fibers of average cut length with other animal feed products (186).