GB2300846A - Silage bale handler - Google Patents

Abstract

Apparatus for lifting, moving and depositing silage bales, without damaging the plastic sheath covering the bale, consists of a pair of rounded lifting members which are placed below and at opposite sides of the bale 3 moved inwardly towards each other and lifted. Two interconnected frames 8, 9 move relative to each other in a first phase while said lifting members move towards each other and then move together in a second phase to lift the bale off the ground. The apparatus may be attached to a small tractor and operated by a single hydraulic cylinder 40 with the first and second phases occurring separately and consecutively. The apparatus may tilt backwards towards the tractor to hold the bale more stably and additional members 37, 38 may be provided to act to locate the bale positively on the lifting members. Depositing the bale is the reverse of the lifting operation, i.e. the second phase precedes the first.

Description

SILAGE BALE HANDLER This disclosure relates primarily to apparatus for handling bales of silage, which are normally wrapped in a plastic container, and which is operable from the types of tractor commonly used in small farms, particularly in hilly country, but will also have other applications where relatively gentle handling of articles in the working environment is required On livestock farms, silage is made by cutting grass in late spring and summer to provide winter fodder. To keep the silage fit for consumption by animals, it must be kept free from air, i.e. such decomposition as does occur takes place under anaerobic conditions. As any ingress of air has a disproportionate effect on the anaerobic process and can affect the silage over a large volume and well away from the site of entry of the air, maintenance of anaerobic conditions is an economic imperative.

To facilitate silage making, handling and storage, a system has been developed in which the cut grass is immediately baled and wrapped in (usually black) plastic sheeting to produce essentially cylindrical airtight packages 3. The packages 3 are typically about 1.5m (5 feet) in diameter, about l.Sm (5 feet) long and weigh around 0.5 Te (500 kg, 1100 Ibs). The silage making machine usually rolls the packages 3, or 'bales', out onto thecut grass behind it.

Thus, when silage making is complete, the bales are left scattered about the field As it is common to take more than one cut of silage from each field per season and perhaps use the field for grazing, the Farmer naturally collects the bales and stores them near the farm.

Current methods of handling the bales 3 include the use of a spike 5 (Fig. 1) attached to the hydraulically operated front end structure 6 of a tractor 2. The use of a spike 5 produces a hole in the plastic covering of bale 3. It is usual to insert spike 5 through the circular end 3A of bale 3 rather than through the cylindrical circumference where the plastic is highly stressed and likely to rip. When the handling has been completed, the holes are covered by an adhesive patch However, the patches have to be applied to the radially pleated surfaces of the circular ends 3A so that a good seal is rarely obtained.

During the winter, the patches sometimes become detached and so there is usually a significant loss of usable bales of silage.

There is thus a need for a means to handle silage bales in farm environments without damaging the plastic. Preferably the means is applicable to the smaller types of tractor used on farms in hilly country; such tractors usually have only a single hydraulic power take off or only one at the front and one at the back.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided apparatus for handling a buIky, heavy article including lifting members characterised in that: a) said lifting members are spaced apart below and at opposite sides of said article; b) said lifting members are moved towards each other under said article or a part(s) of said article; and c) said lifting members are raised thus lifting said article.

Preferably the apparatus is mounted on some form of vehicle so that the apparatus may be brought to said article and positioned appropriately prior to lifting and, once lined, moved to another location prior to reversing the procedure to deposit said article at a second location. Preferably the lifting operations, i.e. (b) and (c) are conducted separately and consecutively by the operation of a single activating means in a single operation.

Hydraulic means are suitable for operating the apparatus of the invention as such means can supply the required levels of power over the necessary operating lengths. The depositing operation is the reverse of the lifting operation i.e. lowering to the ground (c) followed by moving said lifting members apart (b).

In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus of the invention consists of two co operating frames essentially parallel to each other and interconnected so that lifting of the first frame causes two phases of movement of and associated with the second frame. In the first phase, the first frame is lifted causing said lifting members which, are moveably attached to said second frame, to be moved inwardly towards each other and under said article or a part(s) of said article and in the second phase said first and said second frames are lifted together thus lifting said article via said lifting members. In a preferred arrangement, first members attached to said first frame act via intermediate members to move said lifting members inwardly towards each other.In the reverse sense of operation, after said article has been deposited, second members act via said intermediate members to move said lifting members outwardly apart from each other and free of said article.

In a preferred form of the apparatus of the invention, the lifting operation tilts said frames and said lifting members backwards towards the vehicle on which the apparatus is mounted so that the vehicle may be moved with reduced risk of the article falling off.

According to a second aspect of the invention, a member(s) is (are) provided to grip said article positively in cooperation with said lifting members.

In one preferred design said member acts downwardly on said article. In another preferred design said members act laterally on said article. In this aspect of the invention, said members are moved to grip said article during said first phase of the lifting operation Conversely, when said article has been deposited, said member(s) are released in the second phase of the depositing operation.

In a preferred design, the lifting members have rounded ends and sections to minimise risk of damage to said article and can move independently to accommodate any unevenness of the ground. Ideally, a roller is incorporated at the lower end of the frames to facilitate moving of the apparatus on the ground to place said lifting members at the sides of said article.

For a clearer understanding of the invention and to show how the same may be put into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the apparatus of the invention located at the rear of a of a tractor and carrying a silage bale 3. The current handling spike 5 is shown on the structure at the front of the tractor.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus of the invention as seen from beside the tractor shown preparing to pick up a silage bale.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the apparatus of the invention as seen when looking towards the rear of the tractor.

Figure 4 is a sectional elevation along the line A - A of Figure 3 (omitting the roller 25 and mounting bracket 24 for clarity.) Figure 5 is a side elevation looking towards the rear of tractor 2 showing the contacts between bale 3 and lifting tubes 22 and cross member 38.

In the following description, the same reference numeral is used for the same components fulfilling identical functions.

Referring to Figure 2, the apparatus of the invention 1 is shown in the lowered position.

The rear wheel 7 is shown to indicate the location relative to the rear of the tractor 2. At the rear of tractor 2, two lower struts 11 and a single upper strut 12 are provided pivotally connected at their left hand ends (not shown to avoid confusing detail of hydraulic unit 40, 43) to the chassis as part of the tractor's equipment. Two tie bars 41 connect lower struts 11 via pivotal joints 42 with a member(s) (not shown) connected 44 to the end of piston rod 43.

The arrangement is such that operation of hydraulic cylinder 40 causes piston rod 43 to move 30A causing eqcuvalent movement 30 of tie rods 41 so that the free ends of struts 11 move up and down in an arc 30B.

The apparatus of the invention 1 consists of two interconnecting and cooperating frames 8 and 9. The first frame 8 is pivotally connected 10 at its lower end to the two lower struts 11.

Towards its upper end, frame 8 is pivotally connected 13 to upper strut 12. As shown in Figure 3, frame 8 is in the form of an inverted 'T' with cross members 8A and interconnecting members 8B.

Second frame 9 is mounted approximately parallel to frame 8 but further away from tractor 2. Like frame 8, frame 9 is also in the form of an inverted 'T' with a cross member 9A A member 14, fast with frame 8, locates the position of frame 9 via a sliding connection 15. Rollers (not shown) may be usedto give a smoother action here, if required Connection 15 allows frame 9 to slide up and down relative to frame 8 yet maintains the lateral spacing between frames 8 and 9 At their upper ends, frames 8 and 9 are respectively pivotally connected 16 and 17 to beam 18. Frames 8, 9 and beam 18 are constructed from any suitable mauaaal but steel, square-section tubes are a convenient material and cutting and fabricating the square section members is easier than using round-section ones.

At the ends of cross member 9A are two holes 19 which act as journal bearings for shafts 20. Fast with the ends of shafts 20 which are further from tractor 2 are members 21 with lifting tubes 22 at their other ends. Fast with the other ends of shafts 20 are operating levers 23. Members 21 and levers 23 are mounted approximately diametrically opposite each other on shafts 20 so that they rotate as single assemblies about the axes of journal bearings 19.

Three 'stops' are provided to regulate the angular movement 32 of levers 23 and also of members 21 and tubes 22. They are: - Pins 27 fast with cross member 8A, - Plates 28 fast with sliding member 15, and - Lugs 29 fast with cross member 9A Stops 27 and 28 act both to cause and to limit movement of levers 23, while lugs 29 act only to restrict excessive movement of levers 23.

A further stop 35 limits the movement of frame 9 in sliding connection 15.

Also fast with cross member 9A, are two mounting brackets 24 which support roller 25 via axle 26. For clarity, and to avoid confusing the detail of shafts 20, member 21 and lifting tube 22, bracket 24 and roller 25 have been omitted on Figures 1 and 4.

The operation and use of the apparatus will now be described. The apparatus of the invention 1 is pivotally connected 10, 13 to tractor 2 by the two lower struts 11 and by the single upper strut 12. Operation of the hydraulic cylinder 40 causes piston rod 43 to move upwards 30A causing tie bars 41 to move 30, which in turn moves lower struts 11 in an arc 30B. The effect of this series of movements is to move frame 8 upwards 34 and backwards (towards tractor 2) in an arc 33. Reversing the flow of hydraulic fluid in cylinder 40 moves piston rod 43 down 30A and reverses motions 30, 30B, 34 and 33. Figure 2 shows the position of apparatus 1 with piston rod 43 fully lowered In this position, roller 25 and lifting tubes 22 are on the ground 31. Figure 1 shows the apparatus 1 with piston rod 43 fully extended 30A.

In this position, the apparatus 1 has been both raised off the ground 31 and tilted backwards 33 towards tractor 2.

Referring to Figure 2, as piston rod 43 is actuated and raised 304 frame 8 starts to move upwards 34 and to rotate slightly backwards 33. Frame 9 does not move initially, apart possibly from a small degree of angular motion 33 as it slides through joint 15 until the upper edge of member 14 contacts stop 35. This aspect of the design of the apparatus 1 provides for relative motion between frames 8 and 9. During this phase of relative motion, cross members 8A move upwards with member 8 and, in particular, pins 27 move upwardly acting on levers 23 to rotate 32 members 23, 20, 21 and 22. This rotational movement 32 effectively moves lifting tubes 22 inwardly towards each other along ground 31.Though movement 32 of lifting tubes 22 is shown correctly as an arc 32 (Fig. 3) about the axes of shafts 20, in practice the inward movement of tubes 22 lifts slightly shafts 20, cross member 9A and frame 9 rather than digging tubes 22 into ground 31.

When member 14 contacts stop 35, relative motion between frames 8 and 9 ceases and further motion 30B of piston rod 43 lifts 34 frame 9 and its attachments, e.g. tubes 22, off ground 31. At this point, lugs 29 limit further movement of levers 23 and hence also of lifting tubes 22.

The final part of the motion 30A of piston rod 43 lifts apparatus 1 clear of ground 31 and rotates it backwards 33. The relative motion between frames 8 and 9 causes beam 18 to move angularly about pivot 16. Beam 37 is pivotally connected 36 to the free end of beam 18 with a cross member 38 at its lower end. Cross member 38 has a round section to avoid damaging the plastic cover on bale 3. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, operation of piston rod 43 causes beam 18 and members 36, 37 and 38 to move up and down.

In operation, tractor 2 is reversed towards a silage bale 3. Piston rod 43 is fully retracted 30A lower apparatus 1 onto ground 31. In the final part of the motion, plates 28 bear down on levers 23 (Figures 3 and 4) to move 32 tubes 22 apart. When apparatus 1 is fully lowered (Figure 2), the tractor is further reversed. Roller 25 rolls over ground 31 and acts to keep tubes 22 free of uneven ground as frame 9 can move vertically via sliding joint 15.

The tubes 22 which have been moved apart in the lowering process can slide past silage bale 3. When roller 25 contacts bale 3, the tractor stops reversing and apparatus 1 is raised by piston rod 43. During the phase of relative motion between frames 8 and 9, tubes 22 move inwardly 32 from positions A to positions B (Figure 5) under bale 3 and cross member 38 descends to contact the top of bale 3 in position 38A The remaining part of the motion 30 lifts the bale 3 clear of ground 31 to the position shown in Figure 1.

As shown in Figure 5, tubes 22 act like the forks on a Fork Lift Truck, except that they move inwardly 32 from positions A to positions B prior to the actual lifting phase. It is an important feature of the invention that the lifting tubes can move like this as it gives adequate clearance for the Farmer to reverse the tractor towards the bale and yet, when lifting, tubes 22 are close enough together to lift bale 3 without risk of dropping it. Tubes 22 are of rounded sections and have rounded ends 39 to avoid piercing the plastic covering round bale 3 if tractor 2 is carelessly reversed. Sirailarly, when bale 3 is placed in a storage position, tubes 22 move apart 32 to positions 22A so that tractor 2 can be driven away without causing any damage to the plastic covering.

Clearance 40 (Figure 4) is provided between levers 23 and plates 28. As apparatus 1 is designed to be used on rough ground 31, tubes 22 may be at different heights and clearance 40 helps to accommodate this. As stops 27 and 28 are both part of frame 8, clearance 40 is essential to allow for the changes in angular position of levers 23. A similar clearance (not shown) is provided with lug 29.

As has been explained, the apparatus of the invention is used for moving bales 3 within a field or from the field down to the firm. As farm tracks are often uneven and Farmers are usually in a hurry, there is a considerable risk of bales falling off during transit. Cross member 38 has been incorporated to grip the top of bale 3 as shown 38A (Figure 5) and in Figure 1. Holes 36A are provided in beam 37 to adjust the position of cross member 38 to accommodate different sizes of bale 3. In this case, bale 3 is located at three points, i.e.

two tubes 22B and cross member 38A Spring loading of the gripping members 37 or 38 is possible to avoid the risk of over-squashing and bursting the covering round a bale 3.

Though cross member 38A has been described as one means of securing bale 3 during transit, other means are equally possible. For example, each lifting tube 22 could be one of a pair mounted on a larger member 21. A possible arrangement is shown on the left hand side of Figure 5 where a single tube 22A is shown as one of a pair 22A and 22C.

When lifting, the tubes would be in positions 22B and 22D respectively. When held at four positions, i.e. two 22B and two 22D, bale 3 would be securely located to permit safe transport between locations.

In this variation of the apparatus of the invention members 37 and 38 would not be required. However, a short beam 18 to connect pivots 16 and 17 is required, as this linkage is essential to maintaining frames 8 and 9 approximately parallel to each other.

The apparatus 1 of the invention has been shown mounted at the rear of tractor 2 using the rear hydraulic power supply. It could equally well have been mounted at the front of tractor 2 using the front hydraulic power supply. At silaging time when many bales 3 have to be moved. two units of the apparatus 1 of the invention may be used, one at the front and one at the rear of the same tractor 2.

Developments of the apparatus of the invention will be apparent to the man skilled in the art including means to raise bales 3 higher off the ground so that they may be stacked with a second or third layer of bales on top of the first layer.

Claims (23)

What we claim is:

1 Apparatus for handling a bulky, heavy article including lifting members, characterised in that a) said lifting members are spaced apart below and at opposite sides of said article; b) said lifting members are moved towards each other under said article or a part(s) of said article; and c) said lifting members are raised thus lifting said article.

2 Apparatus as claimed in Claim I in which said article may be deposited by reversing the procedure.

3 Apparatus as claimed in Claims I and 2 wherein a pair of lifting members is provided.

4 Apparatus as claimed in Claim 3 which is mountable on a vehicle or other moveable structure.

5 Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim which is operable by a single activating means.

6 Apparatus as claimed in Claim 5 wherein the single activating means is an hydraulic means.

7 Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim comprising first and second frames, which are moveable relative to each other.

8 Apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein said lifting members are moveably attached to one of said frames.

9 Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the lifting operation occurs in two phases in the first phase of which, said first frame moves and causes said lifting members to move inwardly towards each other and in the second phase of which said first frame, said second frame and said lifting members move together.

10 Apparatus as claimed in Claim 9 wherein members attached to said first frame act via an intermediate member(s) to move said lifting members inwardly towards each other during said first phase of said lifting operation.

Il Apparatus as claimed in Claim 10 wherein further members attached to said first frame act via said intermediate member(s) to move said lifting members away from each other during the second phase of the depositing operation.

12 Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim which tilts backwards towards the vehicle on which said apparatus is mounted during the lifting operation and which tilts forwards away from said vehicle back to an essentially vertical position during the depositing operation.

13 Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim in which additional member(s) are incorporated to grip said article positively.

14 Apparatus as claimed in Claim 13 wherein said additional member(s) acts downwardly on said article towards said lifting members.

15 Apparatus as claimed in Claim 13 wherein said additional member(s) acts inwardly on the sides of said article.

16 Apparatus as claimed in Claims 14 and 15 in which said additional members move to grip said article in the first phase of said lifting operation.

17 Apparatus as claimed in Claims 14 and 15 in which said additional members move away from said article in the second phase of the depositing operation.

18 Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim in which said lifting members have rounded sections.

19 Apparatus as claimed in Claim 18 in which said lifting members have rounded ends.

20 Apparatus as claimed in Claims 18 and 19 in which said lifting members can move independently to accommodate unevenness in the ground

21 Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim in which a roller is provided at the lower end of onelboth of said first and/or said second frames.

22 Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim in which a stop is provided to limit relative movement between said first frame and said second frame to regulate the proportion of movement allocated to said first and said second phases of the handling operation.

23 Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim as defined and operating in accordance with the above description and attached figures.