AGRICULTURAL MACHINE

Abstract: The specification discloses an agricultural machine (2) for cutting long stemmed animal feed material such as hay and comprises a cylindrical cutting drum (4) mounted for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis (6). A plurality of cutting blades (8) project radially outwards from the circumferential surface (10) of the drum (4). The machine (2) also includes a moveable bed (14) on which, in use, lies the material to be cut. The bed (14) can turn about a horizontal pivot axis (16) adjacent the drum (4). Hydraulic cylinders (18) connected between a frame (20) of a support for the machine (2) and the bed (14) are provided to turn and hold the bed (14) at different angles about the pivot axis (16). The bed (14) includes first, second and third adjacent flat sections (22, 24 and 26) arranged in a U-like configuration. The hydraulic cylinders (18) are used to control the elevation of the bed (14) and therefore the rate of feeding of the material to be cut to the cutter drum (4). A shutter arrangement (42) is located beneath the drum cutter (4) to control the length of time that the material is in contact with the cutting blades.

Description: AGRICULTURAL MACHINE FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention concerns an agricultural machine suitable for cutting long stem animal feed material. In particular, but not exclusively, the machine may be used to cut baled hay, although it may also be used to cut sedge or any other long stemmed material. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION There are many agricultural purposes to be served by cutting long stemmed material. For instance, long stemmed by-products may be cut and distributed over the soil in order to improve its organic content. Alternatively, animal feed stuffs such as straw required to be cut into short lengths before they can be comminuted in food preparation mixes. A variety of stationary and transportable mixers have been proposed, however few of these are of any practical use because of the difficulties of controlling the cutting process and transporting the material both before and after cutting. In one particular such machine described in Australian Patent No. 591155, a rotary cutter is arranged together with a feeding conveyor, and a discharge chute transversely on a trailer. A bale lifter extends from the back of the trailer. Broad flails with sharpened sides and ends are pivotally attached to the rotary cutter such that they are flung outwards as the cutter rotates and passed between a series of bars and over a further bar which acts as anvils to chop material advanced towards them on the conveyor. The broad flails generate air flow which draws the material to be chopped into the cutting region and expels the cut material along the length of the output chute. This machine has great difficulty in controlling the rate at which the material is fed to the cutter. In addition when baled material is provided the machine has difficulty in unrolling the bale, and the cutting action causes a tendency for the bale to be drawn over the top of the rotary cutter resulting in the need to provide an eccentrically mounted roller above the rotary cutter in order to restrain the bale and to assist in its unrolling. Summary of the Invention According to the present invention, as currently envisaged, there is provided an agricultural machine for cutting long stemmed animal feed materials. The machine comprises a rotary cutter means mounted for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis, and having cutting elements projecting radially outwards. Also support means are provided to feed the material to be cut to the rotary cutter, and these means comprise a bed on which, in use, lies the material to be cut. The invention is characterised by the bed being turnable about a horizontal pivot axis adjacent the rotary cutter means, and by elevating means which are provided to turn and hold the bed at different angles around the pivot axis. The angle at which the bed is held around the pivot axis is a factor in determining the rate at which the material is fed to the rotary cutter, and because it is infinitely variable it provides a means of precisely controlling the rate. The bed of the support means may comprise three flat portions. The first flat portion is adjacent the pivot axis, and the second flat portion extends from the distal end of the first at an obtuse angle. The third extends from the distal end of the second also at an obtuse angle. This arrangement provides a cradle in which a bale can sit and the elevating means can be employed to hold the second portion of the bed horizontal, in which case a bale can be held in the cradle without being fed to the rotary cutter, say for transport purposes. The support means can be lowered until the third bed reaches a horizontal position, in which case the bale can be tipped out off the cradle. When elevating means elevates the cradle so that the second bed is above the horizontal, the second portion is above the horizontal, and until the first portion reaches the horizontal a bale will be fed toward the rotary cutter at a rate controlled by the angle of the tilt. The bed itself, whether it is flat or divided into sections as indicated above, may comprise a conveyor to transport the material either toward the rotary cutter or away from the rotary cutter. The conveyor may comprise spaced apart slats which are flexibly coupled together to form a loop. At the end adjacent the rotary cutter the conveyor travels around a rotating cylinder from which extend vanes which extend across the entire width of the conveyor and which engage between adjacent slats of the conveyor. The vanes and slats will ideally have the same height so that material can be transported around the end of the bed in a smoothly curved path which approaches the cutting elements without interruptions. The vanes will usually be interrupted by sprockets which engage the flexible coupling, for instance a chain. In this case it is advantageous to provide scrapers under the bed to scrape the sprockets and remove material which becomes trapped between the sprockets and the coupling. The cutting elements advantageously comprise blades which are twisted to divert longitudinally approaching stems and enable the blades to make a cut laterally across them. Grill bars may be provided in front of the rotary cutter to space the bale of material away from its upper parts, and only allow the material to approach the cutters in the area adjacent the support means. The cut material may fall away from under the rotary cutter onto a belt conveyor which transports it in a direction parallel to the axis of the rotary cutter. Fingers may be provided above the belt, and they may be directed downwards and against the direction of transport to even out the flow of material. Shutters may be provided under the rotary cutter at an adjustable angle to control the length of time the material is in contact with the cutting elements, therefore the size of the cut material. Machines according to the invention may be mounted on trailers, and in this case they are preferably mounted longitudinally on the trailer, that is with the axis of the rotary cutter parallel to the axis of the trailer wheels. Although this arrangement requires some gearing to effectively apply drive to the rotary cutter, it enables the discharge of material along a narrow channel which is very useful for feeding other automated equipment, such as hammer mills. If a bale lifter is provided on the rear of the trailer then bales may be lifted so that they roll onto the support means about their axis. This is much more convenient than the prior art arrangement where the bales are required to roll over that axis onto the support bed, because it is far more reliable. Brief Description of the Drawings The invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an elevational view of a trailer mounted machine embodied in the present invention; and, Figure 2 is an end elevational view of the machine of Figure 1. Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment As shown in the accompanying drawings, an agricultural machine 2 for cutting along stem animal feed material, such as for example hay, comprises a rotary cutter means in the form of a cylindrical drum 4 mounted for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis 6 coinciding with the central longitudinal axis of the cylindrical drum 4. A plurality of cutting elements in the form of blades 8 project radially outwards from the circumferential surface 10 of the cylindrical drum 4. The machine 2 further includes a support means 12 to feed the material to be cut by the rotary cutter 4 comprising a bed 14 on which, in use, lies the material to be cut. The bed 14 can turn about a horizontal pivot axis 16 adjacent the rotary cutter 4. Elevating means in the form of hydraulic cylinders 18 connected between a frame 20 of a support for the machine 2 and the bed 14, is provided to turn and hold the bed 14 at different angles about the pivot axis 16. The bed 14 comprises first, second and third adjacent flat sections 22, 24 and 26 respectively. The first flat section 22 has one end adjacent the pivot axis 16. The second flat section 24 extends contiguously from the distal end of the first flat section 22 at an obtuse angle with respect to the first flat section. The third flat section 26 extends contiguously from the distal end of the second flat section at an obtuse angle with respect to the second flat section 24. The bed 14 also includes a conveyor 28 for transporting the material laying on it. The conveyor 28 comprises a series of spaced apart slats 30 in the form of angle irons. The slats 30 extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of travel of the conveyor 28. The slats 30 are flexibly coupled together for example by chains (not shown) to form an endless loop which encircles and travels around the bed 14. An end of the conveyor 28 adjacent the rotary cutter 4 is engaged by a rotating cylinder 32 which rotates about pivot axis 16. The rotating cylinder 32 is provided with a plurality of vanes 34 which project radially from the circumferential surface of the rotating cylinder and extend across substantially the full width of the rotating cylinder 32 and conveyor 28. The slats 30 engage between adjacent vanes 34 of the conveyor 28 and are formed to have a height equal to the height of the slats when engaged between adjacent vanes. As apparent from Figure 1, the vanes 34 are not uniformally spaced about the rotating cylinder 32. A gap exists between vanes 34a and 34b; and vanes 34c and 34d to allow for the engagement of a slat 30 therebetween. Referring to Figure 2, it can be seen that the vanes 34 are interrupted by cut-outs 36 which house sprockets 38. The sprockets engage the chains (not shown) which form the flexible coupling of the conveyor 28. Scrapers (not shown) are situated under the bed 14 to remove material trapped between the sprockets 38 and the chains. The blades 8 are twisted along their length so as to divert the material to be cut downwardly and to enable the blades 8 to make a cut laterally across the material. A plurality of spaced apart grill bars 40 extend vertically along the width of the rotary cutter 4 on a side adjacent the conveyor 28 so as to space a bale of the material to be cut away from the upper parts of the rotary cutter 4. The grill bars 40 also act to only allow material to be cut to approach the blades 8 in the area adjacent the conveyor 28. A shutter arrangement 42 is located beneath the rotary cutter 4 to control the length of time that the material is in contact with the blades 8. The shutter arrangement 42 includes a plurality of shutter plates 44 each of which is hinged along an edge nearest the rotary cutter so that its angle can be adjusted. By adjusting the angle of the shutter plates 44, the size of opening between adjacent shutter plates 44 can be varied and consequently the length of time that the material is in contact with the blades 8 and therefore the size of the cutter material can be controlled. Material passing through the shutter arrangement 42 falls onto a conveyor belt 46 (refer Figure 2) located beneath the rotary cutter 4 which transports the cut material in a direction parallel to the horizontal axis 6. The conveyor belt 46 includes a inclined section 48 which can feed the cut material into a storage bin towed by a tractor. A plurality of fingers 50 are provided above the belt 46, 48, directed downwardly and against the direction of transport of the cut material so as to even out the flow of the material. The machine 2 is mounted on a trailer 52 which comprises the frame 20 ' and orientated so that the horizontal axis 6 is parallel to the axis of the trailer wheels 54. The machine 2 is further housed within a bin 55 carried by the trailer 52. A bale lifter 56 is attached to the rear of the trailer 52 for lifting bales of material to be cut and rolling them onto the bed 14. The bale lifter 56 is of conventional construeture. The machine 2 is driven by a pulley arrangement 58 which is connected by a propeller shaft 60 to the power take-off of a tractor (not shown) used for towing the trailer 52. The operation of the machine 2 will now be described. A bale of hay 62 lying with its longitudinal axis in a horizontal plane is picked up by the bale lifter 56 and rolled about its longitudinal axis onto the bed 14. Drive is imparted to the cylinder 32 by the pulley arrangement 58 so as to rotate the cylinder 32 about axis 16. The vanes 34 engage slats 30 on the conveyor 28 so as to cause the conveyor 28 to travel in a continuous loop about the bed 14. The movement of the conveyor 28 unrolls the bale 62 and feeds hay to the cutter 4. In order to control the rate of feeding of the hay to the cutter 4, the bed 14 can be pivoted about axis 16 by actuation of the hydraulic cylinders 18. The bed 14 can be pivoted between a lowest position in which the third flat section 26 is substantially horizontal to a highest position in which the first flat section 22 is substantially horizontal. In an intermediate position, as shown in Figure 1, the second flat section 22 is substantially horizontal. In order to control the length of the hay cut by the blades 8, the angle of the shutter plates 44 can be varied. Varying the angle of the shutter plates 44, varies the area of the openings between adjacent shutter plates 44 and therefore controls the rate of flow of material from between the cutter 4 and the conveyor belt 46. This effects the amount of time that the material is in contact with the blades 8 and therefore controls the length of the cut hay. After passing through the shutter arrangement 42, the cut hay falls onto the conveyor belt 46, 48 for transport to a mixer, directly onto the ground, or into a bin. Now that an embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant arts, that numerous modifications and variations may be made without departing from the basic inventive concepts. For example, the shutter arrangement 42 can be either replaced with other known mechanisms for controlling the flow of cut material from the rotary cutter 4, or alternatively be dispensed with altogether. In addition, the hydraulic cylinders 18 for pivoting the bed 14 about pivot axis 16 can be replaced with any other suitable mechanical or electrical arrangement, for example a pneumatic piston or an electric motor and screw arrangement. Furthermore, the precise shape of the bed 14 can be varied from the "spread U-shape" arrangement shown in Figure 1. For example either one of the first or third flat sections 22, 26 may be made coplanar with the section flat section 24. All such modifications and variations are considered within the scope of the present invention, the nature of which is to be determined from the foregoing description and the appended claims.

Claims: THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS: 1. An agricultural machine for cutting long stem animal feed material, comprising: rotary cutter means mounted for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis and having cutting elements projecting radially outwards; and, support means to feed the material to be cut to the rotary cutter means comprising a bed on which, in use, lies the material to be cut; wherein the bed is turnable about a horizontal pivot axis adjacent the rotary cutter means, and elevating means are provided to turn and hold the bed at different angles around the pivot axis. 2. An agricultural machine according to claim 1, wherein said bed comprises three flat sections, a first adjacent said pivot axis, a second extending from the distal end of the first at an obtuse angle with respect to the first, and a third extending from the distal end of the second at an obtuse angle with respect to the second. 3. An agricultural machine according to claim 2 wherein the bed comprises a conveyor to transport material lying on it. 4. An agricultural machine according to claim 3 wherein the conveyor comprises a series of slats spaced apart and flexibly coupled together to form an endless loop which, at the end adjacent the rotary cutter travels around a rotating cylinder from which vanes extend across substantially the full width of the conveyor and which engage between adjacent slats of the conveyor. 5. An agricultural machine according to claim 4 wherein said vanes have a height substantially equal to the height of said slats. 6. An agricultural machine according to claim 5, wherein said vanes are interrupted by sprockets which engage the flexible coupling of said conveyor whereby, in use, said relating cylinder drives said conveyor. 7. An agricultural machine according to claim 6, further comprising scrapers situated under said bed to remove material trapped between the sprockets and the flexible coupling. 8. An agricultural machine according to claim 7 wherein the cutting element comprises blades which are twisted along their length to divert longitudinally approaching stems and cut them laterally. 9. An agricultural machine according to claim 8 further comprising grill bars located in front of said rotary cutter to space the material to be cut away from the rotary cutter except in the region adjacent the support means. 10. An agricultural machine according to claim 9 wherein cut material falls away under the rotary cutter onto a belt conveyor which transports it in a direction parallel the axis of the rotary cutter. 11. An agricultural machine according to claim 10, wherein fingers are positioned above said belt, directed downwards and against the direction of transport, to even out the flow of cut material carried by said belt. 12. An agricultural machine according to claim 11 further comprising shutters having an adjustable angle positioned under the rotary cutter immediately adjacent said support means to control the length of time said material is in contact with said cutting elements. lS . An agricultural machine according to claim 12 wherein said agricultural machine is arranged longitudinally on a trailer. 14. An agricultural machine according to claim 13 further comprising a bale lifter disposed from the rear of the trailer for loading bales of material onto said bed.

Inventors: WILLIAMS MERVYN WILLIAM, WILLIAMS, MERVYN, WILLIAM
Applicants: WILLIAMS MERVYN WILLIAM, WILLIAMS, MERVYN, WILLIAM
Application year: 1993
Main classification: A01F29
IPC codes: A01F29