DEVICE FOR TEARING OF ROUND BALES OF GRASS AND HAY AND CUTTING THEREOF

Abstract: A device for tearing up round bales of grass and straw and disintegration of grass and straw therefrom, which device incorporates a first conveyor (1) adapted during operation to supply a round bale laying thereon to a second conveyor (2) acting as a shredder and provided with transferring arms (3), adapted during operation to tear up the surface layer of the round bale, and to transport the teared loose material to an area between a knife roller (8) rotatably driven in one direction and a counter roller (10) rotatably driven in the opposite direction for disintegration of the teared loose material, and a conveyor (12) situated below the area between knife roller and counter roller for transporting away teared loose and disintegrated material.

Description: DEVI C E F O R TE A RING OF ROUND BALES OF GRA55 AND HAY AND CUTTING THEREOF , The invention refers to a device used to open, disintegrate and distribute grass, hay and straw stored in round bales. For this purpose there is since earlier a series of diffe¬ rent devices, such as cutters and shredders, each of which generally cause a tearing up or disintegration ' and which often operate poorly, particularly for different types of material in the round bales, and such older devices usually have a chaff cutter connected thereafter further disinteg¬ rating the goods of the. bale. The object of the present invention is to provide a device for this purpose, which in a simple and efficient manner causes tearing up and disintegration of round bales as well as distribution of the material therein, without the pro¬ blems present at earlier devices, and this has been achieved by means of the features defined in the accompanying claims. The device according to the invention is diagrammatically in a side view shown in the accompanying drawing. From a not further shown feed-in side the round bale is supplied laying on a sligthly downwardly sloping first conveyor 1, which is preferably an endless grooved rubber mat. From the terminal point of the first conveyor 1 a second endless conveyor 2 extends obliquely upwards. This second conveyor 2 is equipped with a number of projecting transferring arms or claws 3 provided along the conveyor and which at the feed movement of the conveyor 2, shreds the surface of the round bale, which lays in the area between the first and the second conveyor 1 and 2 resp. , and the transferring arms 3 furthermore bring along the material teared away from the bale upwards at the movement of the conveyor. The second conveyor 2 is enclosed in a housing 4, in which is provided photocells 5, which react if material piles up above a certain level on the second conveyor, and hereby stops the movement of the first conveyor, whereby no material will be fed up to the second, still operating conveyor 2, until the level has again been lowered to a predetermined level, whereby the feeding of the first con¬ veyor 1 is again started. Above the upper end of the second conveyor 2 there is pro- vided a metering roll 6, which draws off excess material from the upper part of the second conveyor 2 and returns this, thus that it falls down towards the lower part of the second conveyor 2. In a downward shaft 7 arranged after the the metering roll 6 there is provided at least one rotatable roller 8, which is equipped with projecting knives 9, which extend in the longitudinal direction of the roller, and works against a likewise rotatable counter roller 10, which is preferably a steel roller having bonded thereto a wearing course 11 of hard rubber or which is a roller made from hard rubber. Both the knife roller 8 and the counter roller 10 are driven and rotate in opposite directions. This roller combination dis¬ integrates the material further, whereby a chaff cutter connected thereafter is hardly needed. The shaft 7 has a lower feed out opening, which opens above the lower part of a third, obliquely upwards extending conveyor 12 in form of a conveyor belt of any appropriate type,, on which the dis¬ integrated material is conveyed out of the machine. In the embodiment shown the knife roller has eight knives 9 evenly spaced about the circumference, but this number can be varied in response to how finely disintegrated material it is desired to get out of the shaft 7. After being fed out from the upper end of the third conveyor the disintegrated material is distributed on ordinary hori¬ zontal conveyor belts or is transported by being blown in ducts or the like. By the device shown and described, is provided a simple, efficient and compact tearing and disintegration device, which furthermore can be driven with rather small electric motors, which thereby are rather cheap both in initial costs as well as in running costs.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A device for tearing up round bales of grass and straw and disintegration of grass and straw thereform, c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e i n that it incorporates a first conveyor (1) adapted during operation to supply a round bale laying thereon to a second conveyor (2) acting as a shredder and provided with trans¬ ferring arms (3), adapted during operation to tear up the surface layer of the round bale, and to transport the teared loose material to an area between a knife roller (8) rota¬ tably driven in one direction and a counter roller (10) rotatably driven in the opposite direction for disintegra¬ tion of the teared loose material, and a conveyor (12) situated below the area between knife roller and counter roller for transporting away teared loose and disintegrated material. 2. A device as claimed in claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e i n that the second conveyor (2) is arranged inclined to the horizontal plane upwards in a housing (4), and that means (5) are provided for interrupting the supply of material when a predetermined volume of material in the housing (4) is exceeded. 3. A device as claimed in claim 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e i n that a metering roll (6) is provided at the upper end of the second conveyor (2), and adapted to feed back excessive material in a direction towards the first conveyor (1) . 4. A device as claimed in anyone of the preceeding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e i n that the knife roller (8) and the counter roller (10) are situated in a downward shaft (7) situated after the end of the second conveyor (2) facing away from the in-feed side. 5. A device as claimed in anyone of the preceeding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e i n that the knife roller (8) is provided with a number of knives (9) evenly spaced about the envelope surface of the roller, whereas the counter roller (10) has a surface of hard rubber cooperating with the knives. AMENDED CLAIMS [received by the International Bureau on 3 August 1993 (3.08.93); original claims 1-5 replaced by amended claims 1-4 (2 pages)] 1. A device for tearing up round bales of grass and straw and disintegration of grass and straw thereform, incorpora¬ ting a first conveyor (1) adapted during operation to supply a round bale laying thereon to a second conveyor (2) arrang¬ ed inclined upwards and acting as a shredder and provided with transferring arms (3), adapted during operation to tear up the surface layer of the round bale, and to transport the teared loose material to an area between two disintegrating rollers (8, 10) rotatably driven in opposite directions for disintegration of the teared loose material, and a conveyor (12) situated below the area between the disintegrating rollers for transporting away teared loose and disintegrated material, c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e i n that the second conveyor (2) is enclosed in a housing (4), wherein are provided means (5) for interrupting supply of material when a predetermined volume of material in the housing (4) is exceeded, in order to prevent clogging and congestion in the housing (4) and in the area of the dis¬ integrating rollers (8, 10). 2. A device as claimed in claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e i n that a metering roll (6) is provided at the upper end of the second conveyor (2), and adapted to feed back excessive material in a direction towards the first conveyor (1). 3. A device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e i n that the disintegrating rollers are constituted by a knife roller (8) and by a counter roller (10), said disintegrating rollers being provided in a downward shaft after the end of the second conveyor. 4. A device as claimed in claim 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e i n that the knife roller (8) is provided with a number of projecting knives (9) evenly spaced about the envelope surface of the roller and extending in the longitudinal direction of the knife roller, whereas the counter roller (10) has a smooth envelope surface of hard rubber coopera- ting with the said knives.

Inventors: LARSSON ULF, LARSSON, ULF
Applicants: LARSSON ULF, LARSSON, ULF
Application year: 1993
Main classification: A01F29
IPC codes: A01D87, A01F29