Pellet and chopping machine

In an apparatus for forming hay pellets from bales of hay, such apparatus having means for urging a bale of hay through a bale chamber, the improvement comprising:

• a pellet forming die plate disposed within the bale chamber to rotate about a center, said die plate including;
• a front face disposed towards the bale of hay,
• a rear face disposed opposite said front face, and
• a plurality of elongate pellet forming bores extending diagonally through said die plate from said front face to said rear face, with each of said bores having an entrance opening at said front face and an exit opening at said rear face, said exit opening trailing said entrance opening relative to the direction of rotation of said die plate;
• a cutter knife disc secured to the front face of said die plate for cutting said hay away from the bale prior to entry into said die plate bores, said disc;
• being substantially thinner than the thickness of said die plate,
• carrying a plurality of cutter knives each in alignment with a corresponding die plate bore, with each knife having a cutting edge disposed at the same angle with respect to the cutter knife disc as the die plate bore is disposed with respect to said die plate;
• and
• having an opening beneath each of said cutter knives in alignment with the corresponding pellet forming bore to allow hay to be urged into each pellet forming bore by the urging means after being cut by said cutter knives;
• an elongate pellet compressing tube removably disposed in communication with each of said die plate bores for receiving cut hay from said bores for further compression within said tubes, each of said compressing tubes;
• being aligned with a corresponding pellet forming bore,
• having a forward end portion inset into the rear face portion of said die plate, and
• imposing frictional drag on the hay as the hay passes through said tube to thereby further compress the hay;
• and
• means for supporting said pellet compressing tubes in alignment with corresponding die plate bores.