Abstract:
A hand-operated device is provided for lifting and transporting heavy bales of plant material, such as bales of hay or other objects, which is structured to enable persons of even modest strength to transport such bales of material. The hand-operated device provides bale-engaging members associated with lateral arms and a wheel assembly so that the device engages and lifts the bale of plant material, thereby avoiding the need to physically lift the heavy bale of material for transportation.

Description:
BACKGROUND  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    This invention relates to farming implements, and more specifically relates to a hand-operated device for easily lifting and moving a hay bale or other similar object without physical strain or exertion.  
           [0003]    2. Description of Related Art  
           [0004]    Various types of grains, grasses and other plant materials grown under agricultural conditions are cut and baled out in the field. For many centuries, farm hands would physically lift the bales of plant material in the fields and place them in a cart, wagon or truck for transport off the field. Once the bales were delivered off the field, farm hands would remove the bales from the transport means and physically move the bales to other areas for storage, or for transport to market. In the last century, large farming equipment has been developed to pick up bales of hay and the like from the field for transport to a storage area or for sale on the market. Despite the development of large bale-moving equipment, there are still many occasions when it is impractical or impossible to move bales of plant material using large equipment, either because the few number of bales that need to be moved does not warrant using large equipment or the place where the bales are located will not accommodate a large truck or other devices. In such instances, the bales must be moved by hand. Moving bales of material by hand is not only physically exhausting, but can only be done by persons possessing relatively greater strength.  
           [0005]    Recognizing that there are occasions when bales of plant material must be moved by hand, various implements have been used to carry out the task. Principally, conventional hand carts or wheelbarrows have been used to move bales of plant material. Others devices have been specifically developed for use in carrying a bale of plant material, but such devices usually comprise the same elements as hand carts or wheelbarrows. These hand-operated devices have in common the fact that they require the user to lift the heavy bale of plant material onto the device for transport. As a result, the task of moving heavy bales of plant material is still a strenuous job which can only be undertaken by persons of relatively greater strength. Known hand-operated bale transport devices cannot, therefore, be used by smaller children or adults with reduced strength capabilities.  
           [0006]    Thus, it would be advantageous to provide a hand-operated device for enabling an individual of even modest strength to easily engage and lift a heavy bale of plant material to transport it a distance without requiring physical lifting of the bale and without requiring or causing undue strain.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    In accordance with the present invention, a device for lifting and transporting is provided which is structured to be easily hand-operated and maneuverable to engage and transport bales of plant material, or similar objects, without having to physically lift the object to engage it with the transportation device. The configuration and construction of the present invention is such that persons of even modest strength can engage heavy bale-like objects and transport them a considerable distance. The device of the present invention is useful in engaging and transporting any number of objects, but is described herein with respect to engaging and transporting bales of hay by way of example only.  
           [0008]    The device of the present invention generally comprises a pair of lateral arms pivotally connected to and oriented rearward of a wheel assembly. Both the lateral arms and wheel assembly have associated therewith bale-engaging members which are brought into engagement with a bale of hay by movement of the lateral arms and wheel assembly. Once the device has been maneuvered into place relative to the bale of hay, and the bale-engaging members have been brought into engagement with the bale of hay, the lateral arms are lifted upward, thereby lifting the bale of hay from the ground so that it can be moved. Transport of the bale is accomplished by exerting forward motion on the device to advance the wheel in a forward direction. Once the bale of hay has been delivered to its intended destination, the lateral arms are pivoted away from each other to disengage the bale-engaging members from the bale and the wheel assembly is urged forward and away from the bale of hay to disengage the bale-engaging member of the wheel assembly from the bale of hay. The device of the present invention may preferably include linkage mechanisms interconnecting the lateral arms to the wheel assembly to facilitate connection of the bale-engaging members to the bale of hay. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]    In the drawings, which illustrate what is currently considered to be the best mode for carrying out the invention:  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 1 is a view in elevation of the device of the present invention, illustrating a bale of hay (in phantom) engaged by the device;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 2 is a plan view of the device shown in FIG. 1;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 3 is a view in elevation of the device as viewed from line  3 - 3  of FIG. 1;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 4 is a view in elevation of the device as viewed from line  4 - 4  of FIG. 1;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 5 is an enlarged view in perspective of the articulating lateral arm assembly;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 6 is a plan view of the plate of the articulating lateral arm assembly; and  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 7 is a view in elevation of an alternative linkage mechanism, which is in the form of a biased spring mechanism. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0017]    [0017]FIGS. 1 and 2 provide an illustration of the lifting device  10  of the present invention, which is generally comprised of two lateral arms  12 ,  14  and a wheel assembly  16  to which the two lateral arms  12 ,  14  are pivotally connected. The lateral arms  12 ,  14  each have associated therewith bale-engaging members  18 ,  20 , and the wheel assembly  16  has associated therewith a bale-engaging member  22 , as described more fully below.  
         [0018]    The wheel assembly  16  of the present invention includes a wheel  28 , having an axle  30 , which is oriented forward of the lateral arms  12 ,  14 . A wheel fork assembly  32  connects the wheel  28  to a vertical support  40  of the wheel assembly  16 . The wheel fork assembly  32 , as shown more fully in FIGS. 3 and 4, comprises a right fork arm  34  which connects at one end thereof to the axle  30  of the wheel  28  and is secured at its other end to the vertical support  40  by bolts  38 , or the like. The wheel fork assembly  32  also comprises a left fork arm  36  which connects at one end thereof to the axle  30  of the wheel  28  and is secured at its other end to the vertical support  40  by bolts  38 , or the like.  
         [0019]    As shown more clearly in FIGS. 1 and 2, a right lateral wheel guard  42  is positioned along one side of the wheel  28  and is attached at one end to the axle  30  of the wheel  28  from which it extends rearward. A left lateral wheel guard  44  is positioned along the other side of the wheel  28  and is attached to the axle  30  from which it extends rearward. The right lateral wheel guard  42  and left lateral wheel guard  44  are oriented parallel to each other and are connected at their terminal ends to a cross bar support  48 , best shown in FIG. 3. The right lateral wheel guard  42  and left lateral wheel guard  44  may preferably be secured to the cross bar support  48  by bolts  50 ,  52  or other suitable means.  
         [0020]    A curved spike support  56  extends from the vertical support  40 , to which it is secured by such means as a bolt  58 , to the cross bar support  48 , to which it is also secured by such means as a bolt (not shown). A bolt or other securement means (not shown) secures the bale-engaging member  22  of the wheel assembly  16  to the curved spike support  56  so that the bale-engaging member  22 , shown here as a spike  60 , extends rearward from the wheel  28 . As shown in FIG. 1, the spike  60  is thus positioned to pierce a bale of hay  62 . Although the drawings herein illustrate a single spike  60 , a plurality of spiked or pointed objects may be employed to engage the bale of hay. It is only important that the bale-engaging member  22  be made of suitably strong material (e.g., steel) and/or be suitably configured to assure that it will not bend, warp or break when engaging a heavy bale of hay.  
         [0021]    The wheel assembly  16  is further constructed with a lateral arm assembly  64  to interconnect the lateral arms  12 ,  14  of the device  10  to the vertical support  40  of the wheel assembly  16  in a pivoting manner. As shown most clearly in FIG. 5, the lateral arm assembly  64  comprises a first support plate  66  which is secured to the vertical support  40  to provide for attachment of the lateral arms  12 ,  14  thereto. As shown in FIG. 6, the first support plate  66  is generally configured with a truncated triangular shape, although any other shape, configuration or dimension may be equally as suitable. The first support plate  66  is structured with an elongated aperture  68  sized to receive the vertical support  40  therethrough. The elongated aperture  68  also allows the vertical support  40  to move in the direction of arrow  69  within the elongated aperture  68 , as described more fully hereinafter.  
         [0022]    Referring again to FIG. 5, the first support plate  66  is held in position on the vertical support  40  by the placement of a first angle bracket  70  and a second angle bracket  72  on opposing sides  74 ,  76  of the vertical support  40 . A bolt  78  extends through one side  80  of the first angle bracket  70 , through the vertical support  40  and through one side of the  82  of the second angle bracket  72  to secure the first angle bracket  70  and second angle bracket  72  to the vertical support  40 . The perpendicularly extending side  84  of the first angle bracket  70  is secured to the underside  86  of the first support plate  66 , as is the perpendicularly extending side  88  of the second angle bracket  72 .  
         [0023]    A second support plate  90 , which is configured in the same manner as the first support plate  66  shown in FIG. 6, is positioned about the vertical support  40  by positioning the vertical support  40  through a central aperture  68  formed in the second support plate  90 . The end  92  of the left lateral arm  12  and the end  94  of the right lateral arm  14  positioned between the first support plate  66  and second support plate  90 . As illustrated by FIG. 6, the support plates are further structured with a number of holes through which bolts or screws are positioned to secure the first support plate  66  to the second support plate  90 . The holes formed in the respective support plates are aligned when the second support plate  90  is properly positioned above the first support plate  66  and spaced therefrom, as shown in FIG. 5. Thus, outer right holes  96  formed in the respective first support plate  66  and second support plate  90  are aligned to receive a first outer bolt  98  therethrough, while outer left holes  100  formed in the respective first support plate  66  and second support plate  90  are aligned to receive a second outer bolt  102  therethrough. Inner right holes  104  formed in the respective first support plate  66  and second support plate  90  are aligned to receive a first inner bolt  106  therethrough, while inner left holes  108  formed in the respective first support plate  66  and second support plate  90  are aligned to receive a second inner bolt  110  therethrough. The end  94  of the right lateral arm  14  extends between the first support plate  66  and second support plate  90  and between the first outer bolt  98  and first inner bolt  106 . The end  92  of the left lateral arm  12  likewise extends between the first support plate  66  and the second support plate  90  and between the second outer bolt  102  and the second inner bolt  110 .  
         [0024]    The support plates  66 ,  90  are each formed with a right forward hole  111  (FIG. 6) for receiving a right pivot bolt  114  (FIG. 5), and each support plate  66 ,  90  is also formed with a left forward hole  112  to receive a left pivot bolt  116 . Accordingly, the end  94  of the right lateral arm  14  is pivotally secured between the first support plate  66  and second support plate  90  by right pivot bolt  114 , which also extends between the perpendicular side  84  of the first angle bracket  70 , the first support plate  66 , the end  94  of the right lateral arm  14  and the second support plate  90  to secure those elements together. Likewise, the end  92  of the left lateral arm  12  is pivotally secured between the first support plate  66  and second support plate  90  by left pivot bolt  116  (shown in phantom), which also extends between the perpendicular side  88  of the second angle bracket  72 , the first support plate  66 , the end  92  of the left lateral arm  12  and the second support plate  90  to secure those elements together. As shown in FIG. 5, the terminal ends of the lateral arms  12 ,  14  may be open, closed or have secured thereto a dust cap  118 .  
         [0025]    Referring again to FIG. 2, it can be seen that the right lateral arm  14  and left lateral arm  12  of the device  10  are pivotally secured to the lateral arm assembly  64  as previously described and extend rearward from the wheel assembly  16 . The left lateral arm  12  is illustrated as being configured with a first segment  120  which is oriented at an angle to the plane of the wheel  28  and a second segment  122  which is oriented at an angle to the first segment  120 , while extending parallel to the plane of the wheel  28 . A left arm extension member  124  is shown secured to the lateral arm  12  by means of a bolt  126  or other suitable means, and the left arm extension member  124  is shown as being comprised of a first segment  128  which extends coaxially with the second segment  122  of the left lateral arm  12  and a second angled segment  130  which is oriented outwardly at an angle to the adjacent first segment  128 . In similar fashion, the right lateral arm  14  is illustrated as being configured with a first segment  132  which is oriented at an angle to the plane of the wheel  28  and a second segment  134  which is oriented at an angle to the first segment  132 , while extending parallel to the plane of the wheel  28 . A right arm extension member  136  is shown secured to the right lateral arm  14  by means of a bolt  138  or other suitable means, and the right arm extension member  136  is shown as being comprised of a first segment  140  which extends coaxially with the second segment  132  of the right lateral arm  14  and a second angled segment  142  which is oriented outwardly at an angle to the adjacent first segment  140 . The right arm extension member  136  and left arm extension member  124  are optionally used to provide additional leverage in engaging and moving the bale of hay. To that end, as shown in FIG. 1, the second segment  130 ,  142  of each respective arm extension member  124 ,  136  is angled slightly downward from a horizontal plane  146  defined by the lateral arms  12 ,  14  to assist in engaging and lifting the bale  62  for movement. However, the arm extension members  124 ,  136  are not strictly necessary to the operation of the device  10 .  
         [0026]    Both the right lateral arm  14  and the left lateral arm  12  have associated therewith a bale-engaging member  18 ,  20 . As shown more clearly in FIGS. 1, 3 and  4 , the bale-engaging member  18  of the left lateral arm  12  may comprise a rail  150  which is attached to the left lateral arm  12  by a bolt  152 , or other suitable means. The rail  150  is positioned to extend downward from the left lateral arm  12 . The rail  150  may preferably be made of structurally strong metal, such as steel, and may preferably be formed with a terminal spike  154 , which is oriented inwardly toward the center line  156  (FIG. 2) of the device. Although the configuration of the rail  150  may be any suitable shape, size or dimension, the rail may, for example, be formed as a tubular length of metal which is bent at one end to form the terminal spike  154 . The rail  150  may also be formed with a second spike  158  positioned above and away from the terminal spike  154  of rail  150 , the second spike  158  also being oriented inwardly toward the center line  156  of the device  10 . The second spike  158 , for example, may be separately formed and welded to the rail  150 . As described with respect to the left lateral arm  12 , the right lateral arm  14  may also be structured with a downward extending rail  160  secured to the right lateral arm  14  by a bolt  162 , or other suitable means, and which is formed with a terminal spike  164 , oriented inwardly toward the center line  156  of the device  10 . The rail  160  may also preferably have an inwardly-oriented second spike  166 .  
         [0027]    The right lateral arm  14  and left lateral arm  12  are, as previously described, pivotally connected to the lateral arm assembly  64  by pivot bolts  114  and  116 , respectively. The right lateral arm  14  and left lateral arm  12  are also attached to the wheel assembly  16  by a linkage mechanism  168 . For example, the left lateral arm  12  may be secured to the wheel assembly  16  by means of a left tie rod  170  while the right lateral arm  14  is secured to the wheel assembly  16  by means of a right tie rod  172 . As shown more clearly in FIGS. 3, 4 and  5 , the left tie rod  170  is secured at one end to a ball joint bracket  176  which, in turn, is bolted to the vertical support  40  by bolts means  178 . The other end of left tie rod  170  is secured to the left lateral arm  12  by a ball joint member  180  which allows the left tie rod  170  to move relative to the left lateral arm  12 . Similarly, the right tie rod  172  is secured at one end to the ball joint bracket  176  and is secured at its other end to the right lateral arm  14  by means of a ball joint member  182  which allows the right tie rod  172  to move relative to the right lateral arm  14 . Both the left tie rod  170  and right tie rod  172  are secured to the ball joint bracket  176  with a ball joint bolt mechanism  186  (FIG. 1) which allows the two tie rods  170 ,  172  to move relative to the vertical support  40 .  
         [0028]    In operation, and referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the user grasps the distal ends  190 ,  192 , respectively, of the left lateral arm  12  and right lateral arm  14  and, while lifting the lateral arms  12 ,  14 , urges the device  10  forward so that the wheel  28  rotates in the direction of arrow  194  (FIG. 1). The user positions the device  10  into proximity with a bale of hay  62  by moving the lateral arms  12 ,  14  apart from each other, in the direction of arrows  196  and  198 , and by positioning the wheel  28  of the device  10  in front of the bale  62  while centering the center line  156  of the device  10  over the center line of the bale of hay. In moving the lateral arms  12 ,  14  apart, not only are the bale-engaging members  18 ,  20  of the lateral arms  12 ,  14  positioned away from the bale of hay, but the outward movement of the lateral arms  12 ,  14  imposes an axial force on the respective tie rods  170 ,  172  so that the vertical support  40  pivots about bolt  78 , thereby forcing the wheel  28  and its associated bale-engaging member  22 , or spike  60 , to move in the direction of arrow  194 , away from the bale of hay  62 . When the user has the device  10  properly centered with respect to the bale of hay  62 , the user then brings the lateral arms  12 ,  14  back together in the direction of the center line  156  of the device  10 , which consequently causes the spikes  154 ,  158 ,  164 ,  166  associated with the respective lateral arms  12 ,  14  to pierce the bale of hay and thereby engage it on the spikes  154 ,  158 ,  164 ,  166 . At the same time, the inward force of the lateral arms  12 ,  14  causes the tie rods  170 ,  172  to exert a force, in the direction of arrow  195 , on the vertical support  40  which, in turn, causes the vertical support  40  to rotate about pivot bolt  78  to bring the wheel  28 , and thus the spike  60  associated with the wheel  28 , toward the bale of hay. The spike  60  is thus caused to pierce the face of the bale  62  as shown in FIG. 1. The user then lifts the lateral arms  12 ,  14  upward in the direction of arrow  200  (FIG. 1), which causes the bale to be lifted from the ground. The user then propels the device  10  forward, in the direction of arrow  194  to transport the bale of hay  62  to a desired location. The device  10  is disengaged from the bale of hay  62  by simply moving the lateral arms  12 ,  14  apart in the direction of arrows  196  and  198 , which disengages the bale-engaging members  18 ,  20  from the sides of the bale  62  and which also causes the bale-engaging member  22 , or spike  60 , associated with the wheel  28  to disengage from the face of the bale  62 . The device  10  can then be maneuvered and wheeled away from proximity with the bale of hay.  
         [0029]    While the linkage mechanism  168  has been illustrated and described herein as a pair of tie rods  170 ,  172 , which may be a particularly suitable embodiment of the present invention, alternatively, the linkage mechanism  168  may be a pair of spring-biased members  210 , a representative one of which is shown in FIG. 7. The spring-biased members  210  would replace the tie rods  170 ,  172  as shown in FIGS.  1 - 5 . The spring-biased member  210  shown in FIG. 7 is a very simple example of a device that may be used in the present invention. It comprises a rod  212  slidable within a cylindrical housing  214 . A spring  216  surrounds one end of the rod  212  and is biased between an end flange  218  of the rod  212  and the end wall  220  of the housing  214 . When the lateral arms  12 ,  14  of the invention are forced apart in the direction of arrows  196  and  198  (FIG. 2), the rod  214  is slidably moved, in the direction of arrow  222  from the housing  214 , thereby causing the spring  216  to compress. When outward force on the lateral arms  12 ,  14  stops, the spring  216  expands again causing the lateral arms  12 ,  14  to be brought back together in the direction of the center line  156  of the device, thereby automatically engaging the spikes  154 ,  158 ,  164 ,  166  with the bale. When constructed with spring-biased members, the lateral arm assembly  62  may be pivotally connected to the vertical support  40  as previously described or may be stationarily secured to the vertical support  40 . Other equally suitable devices or mechanisms may be used as linkage mechanisms  168 , including pneumatic or hydraulic devices, or the like.  
         [0030]    The bale-lifting and transporting device of the present invention is particularly constructed to enable a person of modest strength to lift and move bales of plant material, such as hay, without having to physically lift the bale onto the device for movement, as is known in prior devices. The construction and configuration of the device of the present invention also makes lifting and transporting a bale of plant material considerably easier than other known methods. The present invention can be adapted to move any number of objects other than bales of plant material. Thus, it would be apparent to one of skill in the art that such adaptions can be made and reference herein to details of the illustrated embodiments is made by way of example and are not meant to limit the scope of the invention, as defined by the claims.