Baler Attachment for Optionally Changing the Orientation of Bales Being Released From a Baler
AssigneeForage Innovations B.V.
InventorsKent L. Thompson, Darin L. Dux, Justin D. Olmstead
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A bale turning apparatus for attachment to a baler to generally align the cylindrical of the bales in each row as the bales are released from the baler. Using the disclosed invention, the bales are essentially turned ninety degrees from the orientation of bales from the position that they are typically released from a round baler. By accomplishing this general alignment of the cylindrical axis of each bale in each row, when baling corn stover or other row crops, the bale loading operation can later be done more efficiently by driving down the rows in the same direction as the combine and baler have traveled.
Claims9
A round baler with a front, a rear, a left side and a right side for making round bales from forage material comprising:
- a. a baler frame with a carriage support structure having a mostly vertical support axis;
- b. ground engaging wheels operatively rotatably attached to the baler frame about a mostly horizontal axis;
- c. a rear gate operatively pivotally attached to the baler frame about a horizontal gate pivot axis and having at least two positions including a closed position wherein the rear gate defines a portion of a bale chamber and an open position wherein the bale chamber is open to allow a formed bale to be discharged;
- d. a carriage frame operatively attached to the carriage support structure of the baler frame rearwardly of the horizontal axis of the ground engaging wheels and to one side of the rear gate;
- e. a carriage operatively attached to the carriage frame, the carriage having a first position wherein a first carriage side is closest to the front of the baler and positioned below the rear gate and a second carriage side is closest to the rear of the baler;
- and
- e. wherein the mostly vertical support axis is fixed with respect to the baler frame.
A round baler with a front, a rear, a left side and a right side for making round bales from forage material comprising:
- a. a frame with a carriage support structure having a mostly vertical support axis;
- b. ground engaging wheels operatively rotatably attached to the frame of the baler about a mostly horizontal axis;
- c. rear gate operatively pivotally attached to the frame about a horizontal gate pivot axis and having at least two positions including a closed position wherein the rear gate defines a portion of a bale chamber and an open position wherein the bale chamber is open to allow a formed bale to be discharged;
- d. a carriage frame operatively attached to the carriage support structure rearwardly of the horizontal axis of the ground engaging wheels and to one side of the rear gate;
- e. a carriage operatively attached to the carriage frame;
- f. the carriage having a first position wherein the carriage retains the formed bale as the center of gravity of the formed bale moves past the first side of the carriage as the bale moves out of the bale chamber;
- and
- g. the carriage having a second position wherein the carriage releases the formed bale as the center of gravity of the formed bale moves past the second side of the carriage.
A round baler with a front, a rear, a left side and a right side for making round bales from forage material comprising:
- a. a frame with a carriage support structure having a mostly vertical support axis;
- b. ground engaging wheels operatively rotatably attached to the frame of the baler about a mostly horizontal axis;
- c. a rear gate operatively pivotally attached to the frame about a horizontal gate pivot axis and having at least two positions including a closed position wherein the rear gate defines a portion of a bale chamber and an open position wherein the bale chamber is open to allow a formed bale to be discharged;
- d. a carriage frame operatively attached to the carriage support structure rearwardly of the horizontal axis of the ground engaging wheels and to one side of the rear gate;
- e. a carriage operatively attached to the carriage frame the carriage having:
- i. a first position wherein the carriage is disposed at least partially below
- the rear gate to catch a formed round bale when the rear gate is moved
- to its open position wherein the bale moves from the bale chamber, and
- at least partially past the first side of the carriage;
- and
- ii. a second position approximately ninety degrees from the first position
- whereby a bale on the carriage is turned approximately ninety degrees
- from the first position thereof;
- and
- f. a stop mechanism operatively attached to the carriage frame, the stop mechanism stopping movement of the carriage at the second position thereof when the carriage is moving from the first to the second position of the carriage whereby inertia of the bale moving from the first position of the carriage to the second position of the carriage will cause the bale to fall off of the second side of the carriage when the carriage is stopped at the second position of the carriage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.