Apparatuses and methods for drying hay bales

A bale feeding apparatus for feeding bales into a bale dryer, said apparatus comprising:

• a structure defining an elongated lane having a proximal end for residing adjacent the bale dryer and a distal end for residing opposite of the bale dryer, said lane having a sufficient length to support a plurality of bales thereon in queued fashion in a plurality of queuing spots residing between said proximal end distal ends;
• a bale mover in co-operably installed relation to said structure and configured to advance the plurality of bales sequentially through the plurality of queuing spots toward the proximal end of the lane and into the bale dryer from said proximal end of the lane;
• and
• at least one actuator connected to the bale mover and operable to displace the bale mover longitudinally back and forth of the structure in an advancing direction toward the proximal end of the lane and a retreating direction back toward the distal end;
• wherein:
• the bale mover comprises one or more bale engagement units movable between a working position protruding into the lane to displace the plurality of bales during movement in the advancing direction, and a reset position withdrawn from the lane to bypass the plurality of bales during movement in the retreating direction;
• the one or more bale engagement units comprise at least one bale pusher positioned to reside between two of the queuing spots in the working position when the bale mover is in a starting position prior to movement thereof in the advancing direction;
• and
• each bale pusher is spring biased into the working position, and arranged to be forced out of the working position by contact with one of the bales during movement of the bale mover in the retreating direction.

A bale drying apparatus comprising:

• a support frame;
• a bale space delimited within said support frame and sized to receive at least one hay bale within said bale space;
• an air manifold movably coupled to the support frame and connected or connectable to an air source from which air is supplied to said manifold;
• a plurality of spears each attached to the air manifold, each comprising a hollow interior fluidly connected to an interior space of the air manifold therewith to receive the supplied air therefrom, and each comprising a plurality of apertures therein through which the supplied air can exit the hollow interior of the spear;
• wherein
• the air manifold is movable between a deployed position in which the plurality of spears penetrate into the bale space, and a retracted position in which the plurality of spears are retracted out of said bale space;
• the air manifold is movably carried on the support frame by at least one crank arm pivotably coupled to the support frame;
• and
• at least one actuator is connected between the support frame and said at least one crank arm and operable to pivot said at least one crank arm in both a deployment direction moving the air manifold toward the deployed position and a retraction direction moving the air manifold toward the retracted position.