Abstract:
An apparatus is provided for processing large hay bales of approximately 750 kg to produce smaller recompacted manageable units to facilitate shipping in containers. The apparatus provides means for cutting the bales into at least two slabs, preferably three slabs, and means for cutting these slabs into two approximately equal pieces. Means are provided for each piece to be recompressed, strapped and cut again to provide units having an approximate weight of 35 kg.

Description:
This application is a divisional of U.S. Ser. No. 09/471,235 filed Dec. 23, 1999 U.S. Pat. No. 6,339,986. 
    
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION 
     This invention relates to compressed forage products, and in particular, to an apparatus for processing large square bales of hay into smaller, recompressed bales. 
     BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     There is a growing international market for recompressed hay, particularly in Japan and other Asian rim countries. Freight is one of the biggest costs in exporting hay overseas. Shipping is usually done in containers, which have a maximum weight limit. Freight is based on the number of containers, and so to minimize freight the container must be loaded to the maximum weight allowable. A typical hay bale, which consists of loose field hay which has been compressed once and strapped to form a bale, is too bulky to be transported overseas economically. Therefore, hay bales are commonly recompressed into smaller, denser bales before shipping. 
     Traditional recompression techniques were limited to small hay bales (approximately 35 to 40 kg; 16-18 in×16 in×48 in), e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,350. However, balers which produce large square bales (approximately 750 kg; and with approximate dimension of 48 in×52 in×96 in), have become increasingly popular, due to the increased efficiency of bale production. In particular, large square bales cost less in materials and man hours to produce, and are more efficiently handled and transported across land to export packaging facilities. These large square bales must be processed into smaller, denser bales before shipping, to reduce the costs of freight. It is also important that the bales be processed into smaller, more manageable units, because end users in Asian rim countries generally lack the necessary equipment to handle large, heavy bales. However, traditional recompression techniques are not capable of handling the immense size of large square bales. Accordingly, there is a need for a method of processing large square bales into a product that maximizes container weight, yet is light enough to be readily handled by the end user, without automated equipment. 
     The invention seeks to provide an apparatus for processing a large square hay bale into recompressed units, comprising in combination: a first cutting means for making at least one cut through the bale to produce at least two slabs of approximately equal size; a separating means for separating the slabs, adjacent to the first cutting means; a bale support, adjacent to the separating means; a compression chamber for recompressing the slabs, adjacent to the bale support means; a first moving means for moving the slabs along the bale support means and into the compression chamber; a second moving means for moving the slabs out of the compression chamber. 
     An advantage of the apparatus is that it efficiently processes a large square bale into smaller, denser bales, which are more cost-effective for overseas transport, and which may be more easily handled by end-users without automated equipment. A further advantage of the apparatus is that it produces multiple recompressed bales with each cycle of the recompression chamber, which allows for greater efficiency of production. A still further advantage of the apparatus is that it produces recompressed bales of uniform weight and good appearance. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     A better understanding of the invention will be obtained by considering the detailed description below, with reference to the following drawings of embodiments of the present invention in which: 
     FIGS. 1A to  1 E are perspective views showing the processing of a large square hay bale using the apparatus of this invention. 
     FIG. 1A illustrates the step of making two horizontal cuts in the large square bale, to create three horizontal slabs. 
     FIG. 1B illustrates the step of making a vertical cut in the slab, to section off a unit having a desired weight. 
     FIG. 1C illustrates the unit, before recompression. 
     FIG. 1D illustrates the step of recompressing and strapping the unit. 
     FIG. 1E illustrates the step of cutting the recompressed unit into the desired end products, having the desired weights. 
     FIGS. 2A to  2 E are perspective views showing an alternative embodiment of the present invention, for processing a large square bale of different dimension than that illustrated in FIGS. 1A to  1 E. 
     FIG. 2A illustrates the step of making one horizontal cut in the large square bale, to create two horizontal slabs. 
     FIG. 2B illustrates the step of making a vertical cut in the slab, to section off a unit having a desired weight. 
     FIG. 2C illustrates the unit, before recompression. 
     FIG. 2D illustrates the step of recompressing and strapping the unit. 
     FIG. 2E illustrates the step of cutting the recompressed unit into the desired end products, having the desired weights. 
     FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the apparatus. 
     FIG. 4 is a side view of another section of the apparatus wherein a bale is forced against a stationary horizontal knife. 
     FIG. 5 is a front view of a vertical knife for use in the apparatus. 
     FIG. 6 is a schematic front view of an elevator; and 
     FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a compactor of the embodiment taken along the line  7 — 7  of FIG.  3 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to FIGS. 1A to  1 E and  2 A to  2 E, an apparatus for processing a large square hay bale  21  according to the present invention is used as follows. At least one horizontal cut  20  is made through the bale to produce slabs  22  of approximately equal size. A typical large square bale has a plurality of binding straps, and the cut  20  is made between straps in a direction substantially parallel to the direction of the straps. The slabs  22  are then separated from each other and moved along a bale support towards a compression chamber. A vertical cut  24  is made through a slab  22  to produce a unit  22   a  of a desired weight to fill the compression chamber. The unit  22   a  is compressed in the compression chamber to provide a compressed unit  26 , removed from the compression chamber, and strapped using a plurality of straps  28  in a spaced apart relationship, such that a vertical cut  30  may be made between the straps  28  to produce an end product  32  of a desired weight. 
     It will be appreciated that the apparatus is suitable for large square bales of various sizes, and may also be used for processing smaller bales, with appropriate adjustments to the number of cuts. For example, in FIGS. 1A to  1 E, a large square bale having the dimensions of 96 in×52 in×48 in, is processed by making two horizontal cuts  20  through the hay bale to produce three slabs  22  of approximately equal size. A vertical cut  24  is made through a slab  22  to produce a unit  22   a  having a desired weight. After compression and strapping, two vertical cuts  30  are made through the compressed unit  26  to produce an end product  32  having approximate dimensions of 16 in×17.5 in×18 in. 
     In another embodiment, shown in FIGS. 2A to  2 E, a large square bale having the dimensions of 96 in×36 in×36 in, is processed by making one horizontal cut  20  through the hay bale to produce two slabs  22  of approximately equal size. A vertical cut  24  is made through a slab  22  to produce a unit  22   a  of a desired weight to fill the compression chamber. After compression and strapping, one vertical cut  30  is made through the compressed unit  26  to produce an end product  32  having approximate dimensions of 16 in×18 in×18 in. 
     It will be appreciated that one may vary the weight of the end product  32  by adjusting the weight of the unit  22   a  used to fill the compression chamber and/or the number of vertical cuts  30  made to the compressed unit  26 . 
     An apparatus comprising a first embodiment of the invention is shown generally at  90  in FIG.  3  and includes a bale cutter shown at  100  in FIG.  4 . 
     As shown in FIG. 4 a bale  21  is moved into contact with stationary knives  105 . Knife attachment members  101  are secured as by welding to opposed side knife support members  103  adjacent one end of a bale bed  102 . 
     Each of the knives  105  has a flat side  106 , a bevelled side  107  and a cutting edge  108 . The knives  105  are spaced apart to define three approximately equal compartments having a top edge equipped with a pressure plate  115  secured to the side plates  103 . 
     In an alternate embodiment, the cutting device may have only one horizontal knife or multiple horizontal knives. 
     A cylinder  109  mounted on a pivot  119  at an end of the bale bed  102  remote from the knives  105  has an inner end secured to the side of a ram head  132 . The ram head  132  has upright transversely extending pusher plates  124 ,  125  and  126  secured thereto as by welding. Spaces  133  and  134  are provided at the ends of the plate  125 , and are in alignment with the knives  105  and a space at the outer end of the plate  124  accommodates the pressure plate  115 . 
     In operation, a bale  21  is placed on the bale bed  102  and the hydraulic cylinder  109  actuated thereby forcing a bale  21  against the cutting edge  108  of the knives  105 . The upper side of the bale  21  contacts the pressure plate  115  to minimize deformation of the bale  21 . The knives  105  can extend into the spaces  133  and  134  to complete the cutting of a bale  21  into three slabs  22  which are received on an elevator platform separating device  200 . The elevator platform  200  (as shown more clearly in FIG. 6) moves between a down position, where it is in alignment with the bale bed  102 , and an up position, where it is in alignment with a bale support  202 , and is indexed to stop as each of the slabs  22  is in alignment with the bale support  202 . A pusher  204  is then activated as one of the slabs  22  is aligned with the bale support  202  and off loads an upper one of the slabs  22  onto the bale support  202 . The pusher  204  moves upwardly and rearwardly before descending for the next cycle. 
     As shown in FIG. 3, the bale support  202  is provided with vertical sides  205  and  206  to guide the slab  22 . The bale support  202  has a right angle bend at  210  and a pusher  212 , similar to pusher  204 , engages an end of a slab  22  to move the slab towards a weigh station  220  and a second cutting knife  225 . 
     FIG. 5 shows a preferred embodiment of part of the invention  90  in which knife guide members  221  are attached, by welding or similar conventional means, to opposed sides  205  and  206  of the bale support  202 . Cross member  223  is similarly attached to the upper ends  224  of the knife guide members  221 . The knife  225  has a flat side (not shown) and a bevelled side  227  meeting at a cutting edge  228 , and is mounted on cutting hydraulic cylinders  229  by means of clevises  230  so as to be slidably engaged in guide channels  231 . Cutting channel  222  accommodates the knife cutting edge  228  when the knife  225  is in the lowered position. 
     Referring again to FIG. 3, another pusher means  240 , similar to the pusher  204 , is preferably provided to move cut slab  22   a  in front of inlet opening  242  of the compression chamber  244 . As shown more clearly in FIG. 7 the compression chamber  244  is provided with guide means  250  hingedly attached at the compactor inlet  242 . The guide means has a top wall  252  and two side walls  254  and  256 . It will be appreciated that the guide means  250  is raised before the cut slab  22   a  is moved to the compression chamber  244 . When the cut slab  22   a  is in position, the guide means  250  is lowered and a rectangular ram provided with suitable hydraulic means  258  is adapted to move the cut slab  22   a  into the compression chamber  244 . The major portion of the compaction or compression is provided by a hydraulically operated ram  264  which moves parallel to the table  202 . A compressed unit  26  is ejected by an ejection ram  270  and is positioned in a banding or strapping station. The bale strapping machine  274  moves along the length of the recompressed unit  26  providing straps  28  at the required intervals. The recompressed unit  26  is not capable of being easily handled without machinery and therefor further subdividing of the recompressed unit  26  is carried out in the cutter box  280 . A ramp may be sloped downwardly from the strapping machine  274  to the cutter box  280  to feed the recompressed units  26  into the cutter box  280 . The cutter box  280  is positioned to receive recompressed units  26  leaving the strapping station  274  and has walls  284  to guide the recompressed units  26  as hydraulic rams  290  move the bale slab through at least one vertical knife which divides the recompressed unit  26  into smaller units  32  of approximately equal size. In a preferred embodiment, the cutter box  280  contains two vertical knives. The vertical cuts are made between the straps in a direction substantially parallel to the direction of the straps. A second elevator receives the smaller units  32  after they pass through vertical knives, and lowers them to the ground, where a moving device pushes the smaller units  32  from the second elevator onto the ground.