Apparatus for reducing fiber bales of spinning material

Apparatus for reducing pressed fiber bales of cotton and the like fibers of the type which includes a reciprocating reducing means which reciprocates over the surface of bales arranged in a row, said reducing means including a milling device for removing fibers from the surface of said bales;

• and means for conveying said removed fibers from said reducing means wherein the improvement comprises;
• (a) transverse rollers carried by said housing parallel to and on opposing sides of said milling device;
• (b) blocking means for preventing the rotation of said transverse rollers independently of one another;
• (c) said transverse rollers being carried by said housing adjacent said bale surface in a manner that teeth of said transverse rollers extend laterally of said housing so the transverse rollers may approach a stationary member against which a bale at the end of said row abuts;
• and
• (d) said blocking means preventing the rotation of said roller upon approaching said stationary member in a manner that said blocked roller acts as a rake to remove fibers upon movement of said reducing means in a return direction.