Multiple round bale mover

An implement for loading, transporting, and unloading crop bales comprising:

• a mobile, normally horizontal support bed swingable intermediate its front and rear ends about an axis transverse to the normal path of travel of the implement,
• said bed being swingable between a downwardly and forwardly inclined position at one extreme and a downwardly and rearwardly inclined position at the other extreme for loading and unloading bales from either end;
• means for controlling said swinging of the bed and for holding the latter in a selected disposition at or between said extreme positions;
• a tongue coupled with the bed for attaching the latter to a towing vehicle,
• said tongue being disposed alongside the bed to clear the latter during its up and down swinging movement and including a section swingable laterally relative to the bed for selective positioning of the bed either directly behind the vehicle or offset to one side thereof;
• means for controlling said relative lateral swinging between the tongue section and the bed and for holding the same in selected relative positions;
• a conveyor on the bed extending between said front and rear ends thereof;
• and
• means for driving said conveyor in either of two opposite directions along the bed for drawing bales successively up onto a selected, lowered end of the bed during loading and driving bales successively down off of a selected lowered end of the bed during unloading,
• said tongue further including a stationary section held against lateral movement relative to the bed, said stationary section extending forwardly from said axis of swinging movement of the bed and being pivotally coupled at its forwardmost end with said swingable section,
• said control means for the swingable section including a fluid pressure piston and cylinder assembly operably coupled between the stationary and swingable sections.

An implement for loading, transporting, an unloading crop bales comprising:

• a mobile, normally horizontal support bed swingable intermediate its front and rear ends about an axis transverse to the normal path of travel of the implement,
• said bed being swingable between a downwardly and forwardly inclined position at one extreme and a downwardly and rearwardly inclined position at the other extreme for loading and unloading bales from either end;
• means for controlling said swinging of the bed and for holding the latter in a selected disposition at or between said extreme positions;
• a tongue coupled with the bed for attaching the latter to a towing vehicle,
• said tongue being disposed alongside the bed to clear the latter during its up and down swinging movement and including a section swingable laterally relative to the bed for selective positioning of the bed either directly behind the vehicle or offset to one side thereof;
• means for controlling said relative lateral swinging between the tongue section and the bed and for holding the same in selected relative positions;
• a conveyor on the bed extending between said front and rear ends thereof;
• and
• means for driving said conveyor in either of two opposite directions along the bed for drawing bales successively up onto a selected, lowered end of the bed during loading and driving bales successively down off of a selected lowered end of the bed during unloading,
• said bed being provided with a wheel and axle unit including a pair of ground wheels on opposite sides of the bed and rotatable with respect to the latter, said bed being rigidly affixed to said unit and said axis of swinging movement of the bed coinciding with the axes of rotation of said wheels.

A method of picking up readily accessible bales of crop materials scattered at random throughout a field and bales of lesser accessibility disposed along fence rows or other obstructions, and relocating the same in storage areas including those having buildings or other structures thereon, said method comprising the steps of:

• tilting an elongated, mobile bed about an essentially horizontal axis traversing the bed until the normally forwardmost end of the bed is closely adjacent the ground;
• loading one or more of said readily accessible bales end-wise in single-file order up and onto the inclined bed from said forwardmost end;
• leveling the bed to a generally horizontal position;
• tilting the bed about said axis until the normally rearmost end of the bed is closely adjacent the ground;
• loading one or more of said bales of lesser accessibility endwise in single-file order up and onto the inclined bed from said rearmost end;
• leveling the bed to said horizontal position;
• transporting the bed with the bales thereon to a preselected one of said areas;
• and
• unloading the bales from either of said ends or optionally, only from said rearmost end when the bales are to be located adjacent one of said structures.