An apparatus for loading, transporting and unloading round hay bales wherein the round bale is disposed on a bale support ground surface, comprising:
- a frame having a first portion and a second portion, the first portion connectable to a towing vehicle and the second portion being pivotally movable relative to the first portion to cooperate with the first portion to move the frame between a transporting position and a loading position, in the transporting position a central longitudinal axis of symmetry of the first portion of the frame and a central longitudinal axis of symmetry of the second portion of the frame are each alignable with a central longitudinal axis of symmetry of the towing vehicle and in the loading position the central longitudinal axis of symmetry of the second portion of the frame is capable of being maintained in an offset relation whereby the central longitudinal axis of symmetry of the second portion of the frame is substantially parallel to the central longitudinal axis of symmetry of the towing vehicle, the second portion of the frame having a front end, a rear end, a first side, and a second side cooperating to define a hay bale receiving space, the front end of the second portion configured to permit a round hay bale to pass into the hay bale receiving space when the second portion of the frame is in the loading position;
- means for movably supporting the frame on the bale support ground surface;
- a first rail having a forward end and a rearward end, the first rail supported in the hay bale receiving space of the second portion of frame proximate the first side thereof and selectively movable relative to the second portion of the frame between a first position, a second position and a third position;
- a second rail having a forward end and a rearward end, the second rail supported in the hay bale receiving space of the second portion of the frame proximate the second side thereof and selectively movable relative to the second portion of the frame between the first position, the second position and the third position;
- and
- means for selectively moving the forward end and the rearward end of each of the first and second rails independently of one another as the first and second rails are selectively moved between the first, second and third positions, said means including for each of the first and the second rails at least one cylinder, linkage and pivot pin connecting each the first and the second rails to the second portion,
- wherein in the first position of the first rail and the second rail, the forward end of the first rail is lowered so that the forward end of the first rail extends downwardly and outwardly relative to the rearward of the first rail and the forward end of the second rail is lowered so that the forward end of the second rail extends downwardly and outwardly relative to the rearward end of the second rail such that the first rail and the second rail are disposed in an angular relationship relative to the central longitudinal axis of symmetry of the second portion of the frame along the entire length of the first rail and the second rail to capture the round hay bale while the frame is being towed by the towing vehicle, in the second position the forward end of the first rail is raised and aligned with the rearward end of the first rail and the forward end of the second rail is raised and aligned with the rearward end of the second rail so that the first rail and the second rail are substantially parallel with each other and the bale supporting ground surface and support the round hay bale in the hay bale receiving space as the frame is towed to the selected location, and in the third position the first and second rails are positioned generally downwardly so as to cause the round hay bale to engage the bale support ground surface and thereby unload the round hay bale from the hay receiving space of the second portion of the frame as the frame is pulled away from the round hay bale.