Large bale handling apparatus

A bale-handling and feed-dispensing system including a trailer having a frame provided with wheel means, tongue means, and a load-carrying platform, wherein the improvement comprises:

• a plurality of selectively engageable pivot means disposed on spaced horizontal axes and providing a pivotal support for said platform on said frame;
• actuating means disposed between the axes of certain of said pivot means, and adapted to rotate said platform selectively toward the front or the rear of said trailer depending on the selection of said pivot means, one of said pivot means axes being adjacent the opposite end of said frame from said tongue means, and said platform having a portion extending beyond said frame approximately the distance from said one axis to ground level established by said wheel means, said platform having thin insert means extending perpendicular to said platform at the end of said extending portion;
• grasping means mounted on said platform adjacent the tongue end of said trailer, said grasping means being adapted to engage the transversely opposite ends of a bale;
• and
• feeding means securable with respect to said frame, and having a bale-receiving platform disposed to receive a bale from said load-carrying platform, said feeding means also including bale-pushing means and shredding means, said shredding means being disposed to operate on material moved into shredding position by said pushing means.

Large hay bale handling apparatus comprising:

• a wheeled trailer adapted to be towed behind a tractor, the trailer comprising a frame mounted on wheels and tongue means for attaching the trailer to the tractor, the trailer having an offset position wherein the trailer frame is positioned to one side of the tractor as the tractor moves along a path in a forward direction, the frame having a front facing in the direction of forward movement of the tractor and a rear facing in the opposite direction;
• a generally flat load platform pivotally mounted on the frame about a pivot axis adjacent the rear of the frame, the platform being pivotal in a rearward direction with respect to the direction of forward tractor movement between a lowered position, wherein the platform is inclined downwardly toward the rear of the frame, and a raised position, wherein the platform is in a generally vertical position at the rear of the frame, the load platform having a rear end that abuts the ground at the rear of the frame when the load platform pivots to its vertical position, the load platform including retainer means at the rear end thereof for preventing the large bales from sliding off the rear end of the platform;
• drive means for moving the load platform between its lowered and raised positions;
• a bale pick-up mechanism pivotally mounted to the load platform at a front end thereof, the pick-up mechanism comprising loading arm means pivotally mounted at an upper end thereof to the load platform and having a distal end that abuts the ground when the loading arm means is pivoted downwardly to a lowered position, the loading arm means being pivotable from its lowered position to a raised position, wherein the loading arm means is inclined downwardly toward the rear of the platform, loading fork means extending outwardly from the distal end of the loading arm means such that the fork means extends forwardly from the loading arm means when the loading arm means is in its lowered position, the loading fork means fitting under a large bale of hay when the loading arm means is in its lowered position, the loading fork means retaining the bale from sliding off the front end of the loading arm means as the loading arm means is thereafter pivoted to its raised position, the inclination of the platform in its lowered position and the inclination of the loading arm means in its raised position being such that bales picked up by the loading arm means slide rearwardly under the influence of gravity from the loading arm means to the rearmost available storage location on the platform when the platform is not already full, the loading arm means then being returnable to its lowered position to pick up another bale, the loading arm means being tiltable rearwardly to a vertical position along with the platform to reorient the horizontally positioned row of bales on the platform to a stacked vertical position on the ground at the rear of the apparatus;
• and
• drive means for moving the loading arm means between its lowered and raised positions.