Shredder attachment for round hay baler

In combination, a round hay baler and a shredder attachment therefor, said round hay baler including a frame and a power shaft adapted to be driven from a power take-off assembly on a towing tractor, said shredder attachment comprising a housing underlying the frame, means removably supporting the housing from the frame in a generally horizontal position at the forward end of the lower surface of the hay baler, said housing including a transversely extending shaft generally horizontally disposed and rotatably supported in the housing, drive means interconnecting the hay baler power shaft and said rotatable shaft in the housing, said rotatable shaft including a plurality of radially extending cutting elements, means pivotally supporting the cutting elements on said shaft for pivotal movement about an axis parallel to the rotational axis of the shaft, said housing having an open bottom area through which the cutting elements project for engaging and shredding harvested crop stubble, said housing including an open area in the upper rear portion thereof for discharge of shredded material from the housing into the hay baler to enable the hay baler to form round bales off shredded stubble, said drive means including a belt and pulley arrangement connected to said rotatable shaft, a jack shaft rotatably supported by said housing and including a drive pulley engaged with the pulley and belt arrangement connected with the rotatable shaft, a chain drive sprocket gear mounted on said jack shaft, a chain drive sprocket gear mounted on the power shaft of the baler and a drive chain encircling the chain sprocket gears to drive the shaft and cutting elements from the hay baler.