A DEVICE FOR LOADING AND UNLOADING BALES OF STRAW AND SIMILAR MATERIAL

Abstract: A carriage for use in combination with a pulling vehicle and having a loading space for collecting bales of straw or similar material. Partitions (8) divide the loading space (4) into a number of juxtaposed bale-­ wide compartments extending in the traveling direction. A bale-wide distribution case (9) is provided on the open top of the loading space (4), parallel to the compartment, and has its front end connected with a bale-supplying device (24). The distribution case (9) is capable of discharging bales into an underlying compartment and then move to a position above a next compartment. The compartments have bottom elements which are adapted to be actuated simultaneously so as to deposit the collected bales as a compact stack which leaves the loading space through the open rear side of the latter.

Description: The invention relates to a device for loading and unloading bales of straw or similar material, comprising carriage adapted to be coupled to a pulling vehicle and having a loading space which is open at its top and rear side, upright partition means which extend parallel to the travelling direction of the carriage and divide the loading space into a number of juxtaposed bale-wide compartments, a substantially bale-wide guide means extending from a location adjacent the coupling site upwardly towards a location on top level where it is connected to the forward end of a distribution device mounted on top of the carriage and extending longitudinally (= traveling direction) along the open top of the loading space and adapted to receive the bales supplied by the guide means and distribute the bales over said compartments the bottoms of which being interconnected so as to let them down simultaneously into the unloading position. Such a carriage is known from FR-A-2.38O.719. In this well-known carriage the distribution device is taking a fixed, central position on top of the loading space and is designed to selectively direct - in one direction to the other - a row of bales laterally and downwardly into the loading space. As a consequence of this the number of (longitudinal extending) compartments is limited i.e. two at the maximum. Moreover the construction of the distribution device is such that it occupies a relatively large part of the total height of the carriage. Only relatively small stacks of bales may thus be formed and deposited by this well-known carriage. The invention aims at providing an improved device for loading and unloading bales of straw or similar material. According to the invention this aim is achieved with a device of the type referred to hereinabove, which has the additional features mentioned in the characteristic clause of claim 1. Due to the distribution device being constructed as a transversely displaceable case, it may serve more than two, e.g. four (longitudinally extending) compartments of the loading space. It is to be noted that FR-A-2.341.259 dicloses a carriage for loading and unloading bales of straw and similar material, which is capable of collecting relatively large numbers of bales. The loading space comprises a relatively large number of compartments, while a movable case is used to distribute the bales among the various compartments. In this well-known carriage, however, the partitions, the compartments and the distribution case extend in a direction transverse to the traveling direction of the carriage, while the distribution case is movable across the open top of the loading space in the traveling direction of the carriage. A disadvantage of this construction is, that the distribution case has to be supplied from a device located on the outer side of a side wall of the carriage. This means a substantial enlargement of the total width of the carriage beyond the effective loading width and also requires special provisions (in this well-known example a conveying means in the bottom of the distribution case) to make sure that a bale upon arrival at the receiving end of the distribution case will be laterally tilted into the distribution case and then be moved further in the transverse direction through the case. Moreover said special conveying means in the bottom of the distribution case requires a special way of transfering the bales from the case in an underlying compartment. Another serious disadvantage is, that due to the orientation of the partitions and the compartments it is not possible to unload a completely loaded carriage in one single course of action and deposit the collected bales as a self-sustaining stack. Instead the unloading has to take place transversal row by transversal row and compartment by compartment. Moreover in this well-known construction the loading space has to be moved step by step lengthwise relative to the chassis of the carriage to bring the bottoms of the compartments successively in a condition which permit them to take their unloading positions. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the bottom elements of the distribution case may also be constituted by flaps which are pivoted about the lower edges of the side walls of the distribution case and which extend - in the unloading position - downwardly in the planes of said side walls, said flaps being provided with counter weights which tend to keep the flaps into their operative (horizontal) supporting positions, the weight of a complete longitudinal hale row being enough to have the flaps turn, against the action of the counter weights - into their unloading positions. A further aspect of the invention is formed by the special performance of the device for supplying the bales to be loaded, which device may be capable of bridging the distance from a substantially fixed location (behind the bale press) to the distribution case along a trajectory which varies both in direction and length. According to this further aspect this device is mainly characterized by two side walls and a bottom, each comprising at least two telescopic rods, which form the connection between an up-right U-frame constituting the entrance of the device and the vertical and lower horizontal edges delimiting the inlet opening of the distribution case, the rod ends being in each connecting point capable of pivoting about both a horizontal and a vertical axis. It is to be noted that a device of this type is known per se with a bale collecting carriage disclosed in BE-A-700.016. In this well-known vehicle, however, the rod ends at the delivery end of the supplying device are connected at a fixed location to the front wall of the carriage. A supply device constructed in this way may adapt itself smoothly to any variation occurring in use with respect to the elevation of the device, the length of the device and the (lateral) deviation of the device. The invention will be hereinafter further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of the device according to the invention; fig. 2 is a side view of the device of fig. 1; fig. 3 is a rear end view of the device of fig. 1 and fig. 4 is a perspective view of the rear portion of the distribution case. The device shown in the drawing comprises a carriage 1 supported on wheels 2, which may be connected - by means of a coupling bar 3 - to the rear side of a bale press (not shown). The carriage has two side walls 4, the frames of which are, on the front or coupling bar side, interconnected by means of a lower cross beam 5 and an upper cross beam 6 respectively but are, on the rear side, interconnected only at the top by means of a cross beam 7. The loading space delimitated by the two side walls 4 is divided, by means of three vertical longitudinal partitions 8, into four compartments the width of which corresponds with that of a bale. On the front side the longitudinal partitions 8 are supported by a lower cross beam 5a and a cross beam 6a the latter being provided at a small distance below the upper cross beam 6. On the rear side of the carriage (Fig. 3) the partitions 8 are supported merely at the top by means of a cross beam 7a. The upper cross beams 6 and 7 also serve as guiding means for a distribution case 9 adapted to ride in transverse direction across the open upper side of the loading space. The distribution case mainly consist of two side walls 10, which are interconnected on the inlet end (i.e. the front side of the carriage) by a lower cross member and on the rear end (i.e. the rear side of the carriage) by a number of cross members. The width of the distribution case 9 is slightly larger than that of a straw bale. The support on and guidance by the cross beams 6 and 7 is effected with the intermediary of rollers 11, while two chains, guided about sprockets 13 journaled on the ends of the beams 6 and 7, are provided to move the case in transverse direction. On one side of the carriage the sprockets 13 located on that side are connected by a shaft 14, which is coupled to a power source (not shown) by means of which the distribution case may be moved step by step from a position above one compartment to a position above an adjacent compartment. The power source is reversible, so that upon arrival of the distribution case above one of the two side compartments, the direction of the next transverse displacement can be reversed. The bottoms of the four compartments are each formed by a pair of flaps 15, which are adapted to pivot about the lower edges of the side walls and partitions respectively. In the normal or supporting positions the flaps are oriented horizontally and they are held in this position by a corresponding number of levers 16 and suspending chains 16a, which levers are mounted on a shaft 17 extending in transverse direction and journaled in bearings 18 on the front side of the carriage. The bottom flaps may be let down by turning shaft 17, when seen in fig. 1, anti-clockwise. In the let-down positions (vide fig. 2) the bottom flaps 15 extend downwardly and lie in the plane of the respective side wall 4 or partition 8. The distribution case 9 has similar bottom flaps 19, which may pivot about the lower edges of the side walls 10 (vide fig. 4). The flaps are provided with contra-weights 20, which tend to keep the flaps in their operative horizontal positions. 21 designates a locking lever, which is pivotally suspended by a transverse shaft adjacent the rear end of the distribution case and carries at its lower end two locking rollers 22, extending to either side of the lever. In the locking position of the lever 21, which is controled by a spring 23, the rollers 22 engage the flaps from underneath so as to lock the latter in their operative supporting positions. The passageway which connects the outlet of a bale press (not shown) to the inlet end of the distribution case 9 is designated at 24. Vertical shafts 25 and a horizontal shaft 26 are mounted along the vertical edges and the horizontal edge respectively which delimitate the inlet opening of the distribution case 9 (vide fig. 1 and 2). 27 designates an upright U-shaped frame, adapted to be connected to the outlet of the bale press and supported adjacent the forward end of the coupling bar 3. The U-frame 27 constitutes the entrance of the passageway 24. On the side facing towards the distribution case 9 vertical shafts 28 and a horizontal shaft 29 are mounted along the legs and the web respectively of the U-frame. The passageway further comprises two side walls and a bottom. The side walls are each formed by two parallel, telescopic extendable rods 30, which connect a vertical shaft 25 on the inlet end of the distribution case 9 to a vertical shaft 28 of the U-frame 29. The connection between the telescopic rod ends and the shafts 28 and 29 respectively is such, that the rod end may not only pivot about those shafts but are also permitted to pivot about a horizontal axis. The bottom of the passageway is constituted by two parallel telescopic extendable rods 31, forming a connection between the two horizontal lshafts 26 and 29. The respective ends of the rods 31 may not only pivot about the shafts 26 and 29, but may also swing about a vertical axis. The above described construction of the passageway 24 enables the delivery end of the latter to follow the transverse displacements of the distribution case 9 across the carriage, while the inlet end of the passageway is kept in its position relative to the carriage. The construction described hereinabove also permits a certain angular movement of the U-frame 27 relative to the coupling bar 3, which is of importance when traveling through curves. In operation, straw bales are supplied from the right in fig. 1 and are urged upwardly along the passageway 24. A baffle plate 33 is provided above the bend between the passageway 24 and the distribution case 9, urging a passing bale to conform to the bend in the transitional area. By this is is prevented that a bale upon arrival at the bend would continue moving in the direction of the passageway and thereby would loose its driving contact with the foregoing bale in the distribution case. As soon as the distribution case has got filled (in this example this will be the case when there are two bales in it) the downstream bale will push the locking lever 21 against the action of spring 23 into its unlocking position, which allows the flaps 19 to open under the influence of the weight of the bales and against the action of the counter-weights so that the bales will drop into the underlying compartment. As soon as the bottom flaps 19 are released from the weight of the bales, the counterweights cause them to return to their operative positions. During the latter returning movement cam surfaces (not shown) on the flaps will be active so as to first push the locking lever slightly backwards into the unlocking direction and then allow the locking lever to return with its rollers snapping under the closed bottom flaps.

Claims: A device for loading and unloading bales of straw or similar material, comprising a carriage (1) adapted to be coupled to a pulling vehicle and having a loading space which is open at its top and rear side, upright partition means (8) which extend parallel to the travelling direction of the carriage (1) and divide the loading space into a number of juxtaposed bale-wide compartments, a substantially bale-wide guide means (24) extending from a location adjacent the coupling site upwardly towards a location on top level where it is connected to the forward end of a distribution device (9) mounted on top of the carriage (1) and extending longitudinally (= travelling direction) along the open top of the loading space and adapted to receive the bales supplied by the guide means (24) and distribute the bales over said compartments the bottoms (5) of which being interconnected so as to let them down simultaneously into the unloading position, characterized in that said distribution device (8) comprises a bale wide case (8) which is mounted for transverse displacement across said loading space, the bottom of said case comprising elements (19), which are movable from an operative supporting position into a position allowing the bales to drop out of the case into the compartment underneath, the guide means (24) being swingably mounted at its connection to the distribution case (8) so that its upper end is permitted to take part in the transversal displacement of the distribution case (8). A device according to claim 1, characterized in that the bottom elements (19) of the distribution case (8) are constituted by flaps which are pivoted about the lower edges of the side walls (10) of the distribution case (8) and which extend - in the unloading position-downwardly in the planes of said side walls (10), said flaps (19) being provided with counter weights (20) which tend to keep the flaps (19) into their operative (horizontal) supporting positions, the weight of a complete longitudinal bale row being enough to have the flaps (19) turn, against the action of the counter weights (20) - into their unloading positions. A device according to claim 2, characterized by a spring-urged locking member (21) at the rear end of the distribution case (8), which is adapted to engage the flaps (19) and lock the latter in their supporting position and adapted to be contacted by a bale, when the case is completely filled, so as the release said member (21) against spring action from its locking engagement with the flaps (19) and allow the latter to move into the let-down position, means (22, 23) being provided which urge the locking member (21), after the case (8) has been unloaded, to allow the flaps (19) to return to their supporting positions and then permit the member (21) to return to its locking position. A device according to claims 1-3, characterized in that the bale guiding and supplying device (24) has two side walls and a bottom, each comprising at least two telescopic rods (31; 30), which form the connection between an up-right U-frame (27) constituting the entrance of the device (24) and the vertical and lower horizontal edges (25; 26) delimitating the inlet opening of the distribution case (8), the rod ends being in each connecting point capable of pivoting about both a horizontal and a vertical axis.

Inventors: HACK, BERNARDUS ANTONIUS MARIA, HACK, WILHELMUS CORNELIS ELIZABETH
Applicants: HACK, BERNARDUS ANTONIUS MARIA, HACK, WILHELMUS CORNELIS ELIZABETH
Application year: 1987
Main classification: A01D85
IPC codes: A01D85, A01D90