Device and method for collecting fodder

Abstract: A device for collecting fodder comprising a frame provided with a container, in which the fodder can be deposited, and with loading means (6) for transferring the fodder from a stock thereof to the container (26). The loading means (6) are capable of pivoting movement about a substantially vertical axis with respect to the frame, in such a manner that the fodder can be moved to and be loaded in said container (26) from various directions. The bottom of the container may consist of a rotatable disc (31).

Description: The invention relates to a device for collecting fodder, as decribed in the preamble of claim 1. A device of this kind may be constructed to be mounted on a vehicle which can be hitched to a tractor, whilst it is also possible to provide such a device with coupling means, so that the device can be coupled to the three-point linkage of a tractor. FR-A-2.239.195 discloses such device for collecting fodder, whereby the loading means are provided with loosening means for loosening silage material from a stock thereof, which loosening means comprise a cutter, which is rotatable about a horizontal axis. The loading means may be provided with a loading board which is attached to an arm, which arm is coupled to the container or the frame in such a manner that the arm can pivot in a vertical plane. The loading board may be provided with cutting or sawing means, by means of which fodder can be cut from a stock thereof, whilst the loading board is moved along said stock by means of said arm. Usually the loading board is positioned at the rear of the device, seen in the normal direction of movement. In that case the tractor to which the device is hitched reverses to the storage place of the fodder, and fodder is moved from said stock to the container by means of the loading board. The object of the invention is to provide a device for collecting fodder, whereby the fodder can be moved from the stock to the container in an efficient manner, so that the fodder can be readily treated and processed. In order to accomplish that object a disc provided with means for loosening and/or mixing the fodder is present within said container, which disc making up at least partially the bottom of the container, and that said container, said loading means and said means for loosening and/or mixing the fodder are rotatable about the same axis with respect to said frame. The device may be moved along the stock of fodder thereby, whilst a loading board attached to an arm is moved in lateral direction towards said stock of fodder. According to another aspect of the invention part of the wall of the container may be made up of a loading board and the part of the wall positioned opposite said loading board may be substantially semicircular. The container thereby consists of a bottom and a vertical or an upwardly sloping wall, whereby part of the wall can be moved or pivoted in such a manner that said part forms a loading board, by means of which fodder can be moved into the container. To that end the loading board may be hinged near its bottom edge and be swung down, so that the fodder can be deposited on the loading board and will land in the container when the loading board is swung up again. The loading board may also be secured to a telescoping arm, which arm is secured near the upper edge of the container, on the side of said container which faces away from the loading board, in such manner as to be capable of pivoting movement in a substantially vertical plane. The loading board may thereby be fixedly connected to the end of the arm and be provided with sawing or cutting means for cutting fodder from a stock thereof. Preferably the loading board is thereby provided with a main portion, which extends substantially perpendicularly to the arm, and one or two side portions, which extend substantially perpendicularly to said main portion. Such a side portion may also be provided with the aforesaid cutting means, so that a block of fodder can be readily cut from the stock. According to another aspect of the invention the loading element may comprise loosening means, which are capable of loosening fodder, or silage material, from a stock thereof. The loosening means may be provided with a cutter, at least with a roller comprising catch means, which is rotatable, preferably in both directions, about a horizontal axis. When the cutter rotates in a direction towards the container (seen from above), grass silage material can be loosened and be moved across the cutter in the direction of the container, and when the cutter rotates in a direction away from the container (seen from above), maize silage material can be loosened and be moved under the cutter in the direction of the container. Within the framework of the present invention the term cutter is understood to refer to any rotatable means which is capable of moving catch means through silage material. According to another aspect of the invention said loosening means can be moved to within the container to work, further loosen of mix the fodder within said container. Thus the cutter may assist in the loosening and mixing process within the container. This makes it possible to accelerate the mixing process and/or use a simpler construction for the mixing means present within the container. The invention furthermore relates to a device by means of which fodder which is stored against a wall can be removed. According to another aspect of the invention the loading means may be provided with a supporting means, which, when fodder is being collected, may be supported against a wall against which the stock of fodder is stored. The supporting means thereby detects the location of the wall and may provide a guide for said loading along said wall. To that end the supporting means may be hydraulically movable and the movements of the said loading means may be controlled independently of the movement of the movement of said supporting means. The loading board which collects the fodder is thereby steered along the wall by the supporting means. According to another aspect the loading means comprise a loading board which is mounted on a telescoping arm, which is capable of pivoting movement in a substantially vertical plane, whereby said supporting means comprises a sensor means, which is capable of detecting a wall against which the stock of fodder is stored, and, based on said detection, deliver a signal which causes the arm to telescope in or out. In this manner it is possible to collect the stored material up to the wall of the storage space without any special dexterity of the operators being required. According to another aspect of the invention the wall of the container may near its bottom side be provided with two opposed closable outlet openings for discharging the fodder. Said outlet openings may be positioned such that while the device is driving, with the loading means being positioned at the rear side thereof, the fodder can be discharged from both sides of the device while the device is moving along the feeding place for the animals. The invention relates in particular to a device provided with a frame which can be attached to the three-point linkage of a tractor, which frame extends under the container and which is provided with driving means for rotating the container with the loading means attached thereto and/or the rotatable disc, which makes up at least part of the bottom of said container, about a substantially vertical central axis. The invention furthermore relates to a method for collecting fodder, wherein a vehicle is driven along a stock of fodder and wherein the fodder is cut off or sawn off from said stock on one side of said vehicle and is moved into a container. Further aspects of the invention, which may be used both separately and in combination with each other, are described in the explanation of the embodiment and defined in the claims. Hereafter a few embodiments of the invention will be described by way of illustration with reference to the drawing. Figure 1 is a schematic view of the device; Figure 2 is a partial sectional view of the device; Figure 3 is a plan view of the device hitched to a tractor; Figure 4 shows a second embodiment; Figure 5 shows the second embodiment in the situation as shown in Figure 1; and Figure 6 shows the second embodiment in the situation as shown in Figure 2. The Figures are merely schematic illustrations of an embodiment, with like parts being numbered alike in the various Figures. Figure 1 schematically shows the device 1, which is hitched to a tractor 2, which is illustrated in dotted lines. The device 1 is attached to the three-point linkage of tractor 2, and in the situation shown the device 1 has been lowered and placed on the floor 3. The device is provided with an arm 4, which is capable of hydraulically controlled telescoping movement. Arm 4 is secured to the other part of the device in such manner as to pivot about pivot pin 5, so that arm 4 can be pivoted in a vertical plane by hydraulic operating means (not shown in Figure 1). A loading board 6 is secured to the end of arm 4, said loading board on its bottom side being provided with sawing means 7. Loading board 6 is provided with loading board portions 8 on both side edges, said loading board portions being mounted perpendicularly to the loading board 6 and likewise being provided with sawing means 9 on their bottom sides. When arm 4, with loading board 6 attached thereto, pivots about pivot pin 5, the bottom edge of the loading board describes a circle indicated by means of dashed line 10. The shape of the path 10 through which the bottom edge of cutting board 6 moves may be changed by altering the length of pivoting arm 4 during the pivoting movement of pivoting arm by telescoping the two parts 11 and 12 of arm 4 in or out. According to Figure 1 the device is present in a pit in which ensilaged fodder 13 is stored. The pit has a floor 3 and a sloping concrete side wall 14. The upper edge of concrete side wall 14 is positioned at ground level 15. In order to be able to collect the ensilaged fodder 13 up to side wall 14, loading board 6 must move through such a path during its downward movement that the bottom edge 7 of loading board 6 is moved right along the surface of side wall 14. To that end the length of arm 4 must be varied during the downward movement of said arm. In order to facilitate the movement of the bottom edge 7 of loading board 6 along the side wall 14 a supporting means or sensor means 16 is mounted on loading board 6. Sensor means 16 is provided with a rotatable wheel 17, which can roll against side wall 14, whereby said sensor means 16 pivots about pivot pin 18, so that the end 19 of sensor means 16 operates a switch 20. Switch 20 may also be in the form of a hydraulic locating means. The movement of sensor means 16 determines the hydraulic telescoping of arm 4, as a result of which the path of the bottom edge of loading board 6 is controlled in such a manner that said bottom edge moves along the surface of side wall 14 during its downward movement. The device is illustrated in more detail in Figure 2. Figure 2 shows the frame 25 of the device, which frame 25 may be connected to the three-point linkage of a tractor. Frame 25 extends to below container 26, one side wall of which has been left out in Figure 2 to show the interior of container 26. Container 26 can rotate about a central axis 27 with respect to frame 25 and is supported on bearing 28. The driving means 30 for rotating container 26 may be operated hydraulically or mechanically, via the power take-off shaft of the tractor. A disc 31, which is likewise capable of rotating movement about a central axis 27, is present within container 26, which disc makes up a substantial part of the bottom of container 26. Disc 31 is rotated by drive unit 29, which may be a hydraulic drive unit or a mechanical drive unit operated from the power take-off shaft of the tractor. Mounted above disc 31 is a catch means 32, which rotates along with disc 31 and mixes, moves and loosens the fodder present within container 26. Figure 2 shows an outlet opening present in the side wall behind disc 31. Said outlet opening is closed by the vertically movable closing plate 33, which can be opened and closed by means of a hydraulic cylinder 34. When closing plate 33 has been moved upward the fodder can leave the container as a result of being led to the outlet opening by rotation of disc 31. Positioned near the upper edge of container 26 is the arm 4, which consists of two parts 11 and 12, which can slide one into the other. Arm 4 can pivot about pivot pin 6 under the control of hydraulic control cylinder 35. By pivoting arm 4 about pivot pin 5 and simultaneously telescoping parts 11 and 12 of arm 4 in and out, the path 10 through which the bottom edge of loading board 6 moves may be varied at will. In order to be able to move the bottom edge 7 of loading board 6, for example along a wall, sensor means 16 is according to Figure 2 connected to hydraulic cylinder 36, whereby the length of arm 4 is controlled by the signal from hydraulic cylinder 36 during the downward pivoting movement of arm 4. This makes it possible in particular to move the loading board along a sloping wall in order to collect the fodder along said wall. The container 26 is furthermore provided with a sloping plate 37, along which the fodder that has been collected by loading board 6 can be moved to the interior of container 26 as a result of arm 4 being retracted when loading board 6 is in its lowermost position. Figure 3 shows the same device in plan view. The device is attached to the three-point linkage 40 of tractor 2 and driven by means of power take-off shaft 41. The container 26 can pivot about a central axis perpendicularly to the plane of the drawing. In the position shown in Figure 3 the container 26 has been pivoted in such a manner that loading board 6 is positioned on the right-hand side of the device. Container 26 can pivot in such a manner that loading board 6 is positioned on the rear side or on the left-hand side. The plan view of Figure 3 shows the semicircular side wall 42 of container 26, which merges into a substantially flat wall part 43 on both ends of wall part 42. The spacing between the two wall parts 43 corresponds with the width of loading board 6, so that in the retracted position of arm 4, in which position the loading board occupies its lowermost position, loading board 6 and wall parts 43 and 42 together form the wall of container 26. The plan view of Figure 3 also shows the two closing plates 33 and the hydraulic control cylinders 34, by means of which closing plates 33 can be moved upward and downward. By moving the closing plates 33 upward outlet openings may be opened, through which openings the fodder present within the container can be discharged to the outside. When the container has been rotated such that loading board 6 is positioned on the rear side, the two outlet openings are positioned on either side of the device, so that the fodder can be discharged whilst the device is moving along the feeding place. Figures 4, 5 and 6 show a second embodiment of a device for collecting fodder. The device is different from the device according to the first embodiment in that pivoting arm 4, which consists of two telescoping parts 11, 12, is provided with a loading element comprising a cutter 46 which is rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis 45. Cutter 46 consists of a substantially cylindrical roller, whose surface is provided with outwardly extending catch means and/or loosening means. Cutter 46 may be secured near the bottom side of a board (47), which is mounted on the pivoting arm 4, substantially perpendicularly to said pivoting arm. In the situation shown in Figure 4 cutter 46 is positioned within container 26 and board 47 makes up a part of the wall of said container. In order to prevent fodder from landing outside the container, near the bottom of said container, a plate 48 is provided near cutter 46, so that the container is entirely enclosed by a wall. By rotating cutter 46, preferably in anti-clockwise direction (seen in Figure 4) the mixing and/or loosening operation of the fodder in container 26 will be accelerated or be intensified. Figures 5 and 6 show the device with an upwardly pivoted arm 4, which arm is pivoted downwards when silage material is removed from a stock thereof. The cutter 46 which loosens the silage material may be driven in clockwise direction as well as in anti-clockwise direction (seen in the Figures). In the case of grass silage the cutter is driven in clockwise direction, whereby the loosened silage material is moved across the cutter in the direction of the container, whilst in the case of maize silage the cutter can be driven in anti-clockwise direction. In that case the silage material is moved under the cutter in the direction of container 26. By using the device according to the invention silage material can be successively loosened at different places, be moved towards the container and subsequently be loaded thererin, without a change of position of the container being required thereby. The silage material can be moved to the container from various directions and over various distances. Thus silage material which is present at a random distance from the container can be moved to the container and subsequently be loaded in the container, also when the distance between said material and said container is rather large. Because the illustrated device makes it possible to collect ensilaged fodder beside the path of movement of the device, said device may be used for ensilaged fodder which is present at a location where there is little manoeuvring space for a tractor. The illustrated embodiment is to be considered as such, there are a great many ways to implement the invention.

Claims: A device for collecting fodder comprising a frame (25) provided with a container (26), in which the fodder (13) can be deposited, and with loading means (4,6 or 37), provided with a loading element (6 or 37), for transferring said fodder (13) from a stock thereof to said container (26), whereby the container (26) and said loading means (4,6 or 37) are capable of pivoting movement about a substantially vertical axis (27) with respect to said frame (25), in such a manner that the fodder (13) can be moved to and be loaded into said container (26) from various directions, characterized in that a disc (31) provided with means (32) for loosening and/or mixing the fodder is present within said container (26), which disc (31) making up at least partially the bottom of the container, and that said container (26), said loading means (4,6 or 37) and said means (32) for loosening and/or mixing the fodder are rotatable about the same axis (27) with respect to said frame (25). A device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that part of the wall of said container (26) is made up of a loading board (37 or 6), which may form part of said container (26) and/or which may form part of said loading means (4, 6). A device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the part of the wall positioned opposite said loading board (37 or 6) is substantially semicircular, seen from above. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, whereby said loading element (6) comprises loosening means (46), which are capable of loosening silage material (13) from a stock thereof, which loosening means comprise a cutter (46), which is rotatable about a horizontal axis (45), characterized in that said cutter (46) can be driven in both directions of rotation. A device according to any one of the claim 4, characterized in that said loosening means can be moved to within said container (26) to work the fodder within said container (26). A device according to claim 5, characterized in that said loading means are provided with a plate (48) which may form part of the wall of said container (26) when said loosening means have been moved to within said container (26). A device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said loading element (6) is secured to a telescoping arm (11, 12), which arm is secured near the upper edge of the container (26), on the side of said container (26) which faces away from said loading board, in such manner as to be capable of pivoting movement in a substantially vertical plane. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said loading means (4,6) are provided, on the side facing away from said container (26), with a supporting means (17), which, when the fodder is being collected, can be supported against a wall against which said stock of fodder (13) is stored. A device according to claim 8, characterized in that said supporting means (17) is hydraulically movable with respect to said loading element. A device according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the movement of said loading element is controlled dependently of the movement of said supporting means (17). A device according to any one of the claims 8 - 10, characterized in that said loading element is mounted on a telescoping arm (11, 12), which is capable of pivoting movement in a substantially vertical plane, whereby said supporting means comprises a sensor means (17), which is capable of detecting a wall against which the stock of fodder (13) is stored, and, based on said detection, deliver a signal which causes said arm (11, 12) to telescope in or out. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the wall of said container (26) is near its bottom side be provided with two opposed closable outlet openings for discharging the fodder. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said device is provided with a frame (25) which can be attached to the three-point linkage of a tractor, which frame (25) extends under the container (26) and which is provided with driving means for rotating the container (26) with the loading means (4,6) attached thereto and/or the rotatable disc (31), which makes up at least part of the bottom of said container (26), about a substantially vertical central axis (27). A method for collecting fodder (13), wherein a vehicle is driven along a stock of fodder (13) and wherein the fodder (13) is cut off or sawn off from said stock, the vehicle comprising a frame (25) provided with a container (26), in which the fodder (13) is deposited, and with loading means (4,6 or 37), provided with a loading element (6 or 37), for transferring said fodder (13) from a stock thereof to said container (26), whereby the container (26) and said loading means move pivoting about a substantially vertical axis (27) with respect to said frame (25), in such a manner that the fodder (13) is moved to and is loaded into said container (26) from various directions, characterized in that the fodder (13) is loosened and/or mixed within said container (26) by means (32) for loosening and/or mixing the fodder, which means (32) are mounted on a disc (31) making up at least partially the bottom of the container, whereby said means (32) are rotated about the same axis (27) with respect to said frame (25).

Inventors: VAN DER PLAS NICOLAAS, VAN DER PLAS, NICOLAAS
Applicants: TRIOLIET MULLOS, TRIOLIET MULLOS B.V.
Application year: 1996
Main classification: A01F25
IPC codes: A01F25