Vehicle for transforming cut field herbage such as alfalfa into feed cubes for livestock

A method for forming cut field grass into cubed livestock forage, comprising the steps of:

• picking up the cut grass with a prime mover,
• chopping the grass and forming the chopped grass into cubes concurrently with he prime mover picking up more grass, so that the cubes are formed while the prime mover is working in the field, and conveying the cubes away from a cube forming area of the prime mover,
• moistening the cut grass prior to picking it up with a prime mover,
• extruding the chopped moistened grass when pressing the chopped grass into cubes,
• funneling the cut grass after picking it up to a central conveying station for chopping,
• directing the cut and chopped grass to pass underneath a central portion of the prime mover en route to the pressing step, and
• taking the formed, pressed cubes and conveying the cubes away from the cube forming area by diverting the cubes to one side of the prime mover and then to a rear of the prime mover.

A cube formed by the method comprising:

• picking up grass from a field using a prime mover,
• adjusting the moisture content of the cut grass,
• chopping the cut grass,
• rotating a drum about a central axis,
• pivoting a wheel to one side of the drum so that the wheel's axis of rotation is parallel to but radially spaced from the drum, such that the wheel is driven by drum rotation,
• subjecting the cut grass to heat and pressure by radially extruding the grass through a die of rectangular cross-section located on a periphery of the drum, forming a cube, and
• discharging the thus formed cube from a side of the prime mover.

An apparatus for processing cut field grass such as alfalfa into cubes, comprising, in combination:

• a wheeled prime mover having an operator area and equipped with means for picking up the field grass from a field forward of the operator area,
• conveyor means supported by the prime mover for transporting the cut grass from said picking up means,
• cube forming means located behind the operator area and fed by said conveyor means and linked to said prime mover so that the grass can be fed from said conveyor means and compacted into cubes, said cube forming means including a shroud, an extruder having plural dies passing therethrough, said extruder located within said shroud, a drum rotateably supported in said extruder having means to rotate said drum, and a roller arm radially offset and mounted to said drum having an axis of rotation parallel to said drum and said roller arm contacting said extruder forcing grass therethrough and
• delivery means coupled to said cube forming means for delivering formed grass cubes from said cube forming means,
• wherein said delivery means receives cubes generated by said cube forming means and diverts said cubes firs o a side of said prime mover and means for subsequent delivery to a rear and hen to a central rear portion of the vehicle.

A cube formed by the method comprising:

• picking up grass from a field using a prime mover,
• adjusting the moisture content of the cut grass,
• chopping the cut grass,
• rotating a drum about a central axis,
• pivoting a wheel to one side of the drum so that the wheel's axis of rotation is parallel to but radially spaced from the drum, such that the wheel is driven by drum rotation,
• subjecting the cut grass to heat and pressure by radially extruding the grass through a die of rectangular cross-section located on a periphery of the drum, forming a cube,
• discharging the cube after having been extruded from the prime mover by conveying the extruded cube transverse to a long axis of he prime mover to a lateral aspect of the prime mover.