Side loading a hay bale
AssigneePomme de Terre River Valley Products and Consulting, LLC
InventorBrian Ballard
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle and a method for side loading a hay bale. The vehicle has a frame, a side loader mechanism, and a storage assembly. The frame has a side oriented parallel to a direction of travel of the vehicle. The side loader mechanism is pivotably coupled to the side of the frame and pivots between an extended position and a retracted position. The side loader mechanism has a first loader arm and a second loader arm which open and close relative to one another, to thereby, squeeze a hay bale between respective ends of the first loader arm and the second loader arm. The storage assembly receives the hay bale from the side loader mechanism at a first location on the vehicle and conveys the hay bale along a path relative to the side loader mechanism from the first location to a second location on the vehicle.
Claims17
A vehicle comprising:
- a frame comprising a side oriented parallel to an intended direction of travel of the vehicle;
- a side loader mechanism pivotably coupled to the side of the frame and configured to pivot between an extended position and a retracted position, the side loader mechanism comprising:
- a first loader arm and a second loader arm configured to open and close relative to one another, to thereby, squeeze a hay bale between respective ends of the first loader arm and the second loader arm, wherein at least one of the first loader arm or the second loader arm comprise a spike extending from its respective end and parallel to the side of the frame;
- and
- a storage assembly mounted to the frame and positioned relative to the side loader mechanism, the storage assembly comprising a storage plate, the storage assembly configured to:
- receive the hay bale from the side loader mechanism at a first location on the vehicle;
- remove, by the storage plate with the first loader arm in the retracted position, the hay bale from the first location in a first direction;
- and
- convey, by the storage plate with the first loader arm and the second loader arm in the retracted position, the hay bale along a path relative to the side loader mechanism, from the first location to a second location on the vehicle.
A control system comprising:
- a plurality of sensors configured to:
- sense a position of a hay bale;
- and
- transmit a signal representing the position of the hay bale;
- and
- a controller configured to perform operations comprising:
- receiving the signal representing the position of the hay bale from one or more of the plurality of sensors;
- comparing the position of the hay bale to an expected position of the hay bale to obtain a comparison result;
- and
- based on the comparison result, operating a side loader assembly to alter a location of the hay bale relative to a trailer by performing sub-operations comprising:
- manipulating a first loader arm comprising a first spike and a second loader arm comprising a second spike from a retracted position to an extended position;
- manipulating the first loader arm and the second loader arm to a position to contact the hay bale;
- moving the first loader arm and the second loader arm to an engaged position;
- responsive to moving the first loader arm and the second loader arm to the engaged position, squeezing the hay bale;
- manipulating the first loader arm and the second loader arm from the extended position to the retracted position with the hay bale squeezed between the first loader arm and the second loader arm;
- responsive to manipulating the first loader arm and the second loader arm to the retracted position with the hay bale on the first spike and the second spike, positioning the hay bale on a vehicle;
- moving the second loader arm from the engaged position to a disengaged position;
- responsive to moving the second loader arm from the engaged position to the disengaged position, disengaging the second loader arm from the hay bale;
- moving the second loader arm to an intermediate position;
- and
- conveying, with the first loader arm in the retracted position and the second loader arm in the intermediate position, a storage plate along a path from the side loader assembly at a first location to a second location on the trailer to move the hay bale from the first location as the storage plate is conveyed along the path in a first direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.