US 6,711,881 B1 · Apparatus for packaging hay

Abstract

The present invention provides an apparatus and method for converting a large bale of hay into a plurality of smaller sized bales having the same nutritional composition and texture as the large bale. The apparatus comprises a first cutting assembly which has a first set of blades which are orthogonally oriented with respect to a second set of blades. The apparatus further comprises a driver head assembly which is used to force a large bale of hay through the first cutting assembly. The apparatus also has a second cutting assembly which comprises a metering knife oriented substantially orthogonal to both the first and second sets of blades of the first cutting assembly. The associated method for processing the large bale fibrous comprises a first step of producing bale sections by pushing the large bale through the first cutting assembly. The method has a second step of producing metered bales through operation of the second cutting assembly. The inventive method further comprises a third step of individually packaging the metered bales.

Claims10

Dependent claims

An apparatus for dividing bales of fibrous material, the apparatus comprising:

a staging area for receiving and supporting large bales of material, wherein the staging area comprises a floor having a substantially smooth surface;
a cutting grate assembly for longitudinally dividing the large bales into a plurality of bale sections, wherein the cutting grate assembly comprises a first plurality of blades oriented substantially perpendicular to a second plurality of blades;
a metering assembly for severing the bale sections into metered bales, the metering assembly comprising a metering knife and a metering limiter;
a driver head assembly for moving the large bales from the staging area through the cutting grate assembly and into the metering area;
a sorting assembly for selectively moving the metered bales from the metering assembly, wherein the sorting assembly includes a push-off head and a drop table that move together during the operation of the sorting assembly;
and
a bagging assembly for packaging the metered bales.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Apparatus for packaging hay

Life of this patent

Apparatus for packaging hay

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims10