Method and apparatus for manufacturing an agricultural bag

Apparatus for manufacturing agricultural storage bags, which comprises:

• structure defining an elongate frame with upper and lower ends;
• a plurality of wheels rotatably supported in circular arrangement about said frame structure near the upper end thereof;
• base means positioned adjacent said frame structure at the lower end thereof;
• means for supporting first and second supplies of flexible tubular material on opposite sides of said wheels;
• the tubular materials from said first supply extending upwardly through said frame structure and outwardly around said wheels, with the tubular materials from the second supply extending downwardly in surrounding engagement about said wheels and over the tubular material from said first supply;
• and
• means for selectively affecting rotation of said wheels to simultaneously advance the tubular materials around said frame structure to fold against the base means such that a seamless two-ply agricultural bag is collected at the lower end of said frame structure on the base means;
• means for selectively separating said frame structure and said base to permit removal of the bag from the lower end of said frame structure;
• means for measuring the length of the first and second tubular materials as they are advanced;
• means for interrupting advancement of the first and second tubular materials responsive to a predetermined amount of said materials having been advanced;
• and
• means for circumferentially cutting said first and second tubular materials to form a folded two-ply storage bag of preselected length.