US 5,495,987 A · Device for slicing ensilage from a compacted ensilage mass

Abstract

The present invention provides an ensilage slicing attachment for slicing compacted ensilage. The device is particularly adapted for attachment to a skid steer loader. It is especially useful in an open pit, trench, or bunker silos in which compacted ensilage may be sliced from a vertical compacted facing to produce a forkable product. The attachment typically includes a hydraulically driven reel equipped with flat slicing blades (such as sickle blades) which perpendicularly extend outwardly from the reel. The slicing blades are staggered so as to create uniform and even slicing action. Particularly effective are staggered slicing blades which transversely cut against the ensilage facing at a lateral spacing of about one to about two inches per reel revolution. The skid steer boom serves to sweep the reel along the face while slicing depth may be controlled by forward and backward movement.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A method for providing an uncompacted and free flowing ensilage product from a compacted ensilage mass with an ensilage slicing attachment comprising a rotatable reel equipped with a plurality of slicing knives circumferentially positioned about the reel so as to uniformly slice ensilage transversely from a vertical face of the compacted ensilage, mounting means for mounting the attachment to a boom assembly of a skid steer loader, and rotational means for rotationally propelling said reel along said face so as to uniformly slice and transversely remove ensilage stemmings from the face of said compacted ensilage mass, said method comprising:

a) attaching the attachment to the boom assembly of the skid steer loader equipped with elevational means for positioning said reel along said face, a power source for rotationally propelling the reel, and mobile means regulating a slicing depth of the slicing knives along the face;
b) operationally positioning the rotatable reel along the face of the compacted ensilage mass so as to permit the slicing knives to transversely penetrate said face;
and
c) sweeping, while rotationally propelling the reel, the operationally positioned reel along said face so as to transversely slice and uniformly remove the free flowing ensilage product from the face of the compacted ensilage mass.

1 more element

An ensilage slicing combination adapted to provide an uncompacted and free flowing ensilage product by uniformly slicing said product from a vertical face of a compacted ensilage mass, said combination comprising:

A) a skid steer loader equipped with:
a) attaching means for attaching and detaching a slicing attachment to a boom assembly of the skid steer loader;
b) elevational means for positioning the attachment along the vertical face of the compacted ensilage mass with said boom assembly;
c) mobile means for regulating slicing depth along the face;
and
d) a hydraulic power source for powering the attachment;
and
B) the attachment includes:
a) a supportive frame equipped with coupling means for mounting the frame to the attaching means;
b) a rotatable reel carried by said frame and equipped with a plurality of slicing knives tangentially projecting outwardly in a substantially perpendicular relationship to a rotational periphery generated by rotationally propelling said reel and circumferentially positioned about said reel so as to transversely slice from said face a uniform layer of uncompacted ensilage therefrom;
and
c) reel powering means connected to said power source for rotationally propelling said reel along said face.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Device for slicing ensilage from a compacted ensilage mass

Life of this patent

Device for slicing ensilage from a compacted ensilage mass

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18