Abstract:
A method and apparatus for wrapping a protective cover about a bale. The bale is supported stationary on a tined lift of a vehicle and provided within a frame having a roll of a protective cover rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis. The roll of protective cover orbits about the bale for at least one complete revolution and protective covering is withdrawn from the roll onto the bale during the revolution. Thereafter, the protective cover is severed, and the wrapped bale is withdrawn from the frame. The time required to load and unload the bale from the wrapping machine is minimized since the bale is engaged by the tined lift of the tractor throughout the entire operation.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for efficiently wrapping a bale of hay with a protective covering, such as a plastic wrap.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Numerous patent documents disclose methods and apparatus for wrapping hay bales with a plastic wrap. For example, U.S. Pat, No. 4,606,172 issued to Miller discloses a tractor having a fork lift that is used to penetrate the end wall of a formed hay bale and lift and position the hay bale adjacent a stationary roll of plastic wrap suspended from the tractor. The fork of the tractor is formed as part of a turntable so that, when the bale is lifted from the ground by the fork lift, the bale of hay can be rotated by the fork. Plastic wrap is drawn onto the hay bale from the roll by rotation of the hay bale relative to the stationary roll.  
           [0003]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,561,971 issued to Sampson discloses a portable bale wrapper for wrapping bales of hay seated upright on an underlying ground surface. The portable wrapper includes a fork which is inserted downwardly into the top end wall of the hay bale and is connected to an arm which extends outwardly and downwardly from the fork to position a roll of plastic wrap adjacent the sidewalls of the hay bale. The arm is pivotally connected to the fork so that the roll is manually rotated about the hay bale to apply the wrap to the hay bale.  
           [0004]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,641,484 issued to Popelka discloses a hay bale wrapping machine having a horizontally disposed turntable on which a single hay bale is loaded and supported. The wrapping machine has a roll of plastic wrap disposed in an upright position adjacent the turntable so that, as the turntable rotates the hay bale, plastic wrap is drawn from the roll onto the hay bale.  
           [0005]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,271 issued to Walton and U.S. Pat. No. 6,253,532 issued to Orpen disclose bale wrapping machines provided on wheeled frames. A single bale of hay can be supported and slowly rotated on the wrapping machine while a roll of plastic wrap orbits about the bale via the pivoting movement of a wrapping arm to apply the wrap to the hay bale.  
           [0006]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,689,934 issued to Scherer et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,660,023 issued to Kivela, U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,076 issued to Anderson, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,466 issued to Underhill disclose other bale wrapping machines for wrapping individual hay bales. Also see U.S. Pat. No. 5,531,061 issued to Peterson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,596,864 issued to Reeves, U.S. Pat. No. 5,661,956 issued to Tardif, U.S. Pat. No. 5,012,631 issued to Hostetler et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,124 issued to Anderson, and U.S. Pat No. 6,070,400 issued to Peeters et al. that disclose bale wrapping machines for continuously wrapping multiple bales of hay positioned in an end-to-end relationship. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 5,079,898 issued to Springs et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,059 issued to Kluver et al., U.S. Pat No. 5,930,980 issued to Madsen, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,656,812 issued to Busse et al. and U.S. patent application Publication No. 2001/0047640 of Schaefer disclose machines in which hay bales are formed and wrapped.  
           [0007]    Although the bale wrapping methods and apparatus disclosed in the above referenced patents and published patent application may function satisfactorily for their intended purposes, there remains a need for an improved hay bale wrapping method and apparatus that minimizes time spent loading and unloading hay bales within a wrapping machine. The method should also be capable of use for wrapping hay bales with a protective cover in an efficient manner requiring only a minimum of skill and labor. The apparatus should be inexpensive to manufacture and should be provided in a mobile form permitting efficient storage and transportation between work sites.  
         OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    With the foregoing in mind, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for the efficient wrapping of bales with a protective cover.  
           [0009]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel bale wrapping method and apparatus that minimize time required to load and unload hay bales relative to a bale wrapping machine.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0010]    More specifically, the present invention is a method of wrapping a protective cover about a bale in which a bale is penetrated by a tined lift of a vehicle and provided to a frame having a receiver for a protective cover roll rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis. The bale is positioned in proximity with the axis of rotation of the rotatable receiver by the vehicle, and the protective cover roll receiver is caused to move in a path about the axis with the protective cover engaged with the bale for at least one complete revolution. Thereafter, the protective cover is severed, and the wrapped bale is withdrawn from the frame. The time required to load and unload the bale from the wrapping machine is minimized since the bale is engaged by the tined lift of the tractor throughout the entire operation. After the bale is wrapped, the tractor simply locates the wrapped bale at a desired location.  
           [0011]    According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for wrapping a protective cover around a bale is provided. The apparatus has a mobile frame for receiving a bale held stationary in an elevated position above a supporting surface of the frame. The apparatus also has a receiver for a roll of protective material carried on the frame for rotation in a path of movement about the bale. The receiver is rotated by a motor, or the like, about the bale to cause the protective material contained by the receiver to be withdrawn from the receiver and wrapped onto the bale. The apparatus also includes a severing mechanism that severs the protective material after a desired amount has been wrapped onto the bale.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]    The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention should become apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bale wrapping apparatus according to the present invention;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of the bale wrapping apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 3 is a left side elevational view of the bale wrapping apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the bale wrapping apparatus taken along line  4 - 4  of FIG. 2;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the bale wrapping apparatus taken along line  5 - 5  of FIG. 2;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the bale wrapping apparatus taken along line  6 - 6  of FIG. 2;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 6A is a magnified and partial cut-away view of a portion of FIG. 6;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view taken along line  6 B- 6 B of FIG. 6A;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 7 is a plan view of a plastic wrap severing mechanism of the bale wrapping apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 in which the blades of the mechanism are positioned in an open configuration;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 8 is a plan view of the plastic wrap severing mechanism illustrated in FIG. 7 in which the blades of the mechanism are positioned in a closed configuration;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing the initial position of the wrap, bale and wrapping apparatus according to the method of the present invention;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing the position of the wrap, bale and wrapping apparatus after initiation of the wrapping operation according to the method of the present intention;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing the position of the wrap, bale and wrapping apparatus after almost one full wrap of the bale according to the method of the present intention; and  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 12 is a schematic view showing the position of the wrap, bale and wrapping apparatus shortly after one full wrap of the bale according to the method of the present intention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0027]    Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a mobile bale wrapping apparatus  10  according to the present invention. The apparatus  10  includes a mobile frame  12  that supports an orbiting roll  16   a  of protective covering  16  and a severing mechanism  18  and is utilized in a method according to the present invention in which loading and unloading of bales is preferably accomplished by a separate tractor having tined lifts  20  (shown in phantom in FIG. 3). To this end, the tractor positions and supports the bale, or bales, within the bale wrapping apparatus  10  and removes the wrapped bale(s) from the apparatus  10  without ever releasing the bales during the wrapping operation. Thus, loading and unloading of the bales is greatly simplified, and the wrapping operation is performed efficiently within a minimum of time requiring only a minimum of skill and labor.  
         [0028]    The structure of the apparatus  10  includes a rigid frame  12  that is preferably made of metal or the like and that is mobile and supports a roll  16   a  of protective covering  16  that can be orbited about a stationary bale of hay or like material. The frame  12  includes base framing  22  having a hitch  24  located at a front end and a pair of wheels  26  located at a rear of the frame  12 . Thus, the apparatus  10  is readily moved between work sites by being pulled by a powered vehicle (not shown) to which hitch  24  is connected. The frame  12  has an adjustable vertically-extending support post  28  adjacent the front of the frame  12  so that the frame  12  can be leveled when unhitched from the powered vehicle.  
         [0029]    Frame  12  includes various vertically-extending framing elements that support the roll  16   a  of protective covering  16 , that aid proper positioning of a bale within the frame  12 , and that mount a severing mechanism  18  to the frame  12 . To this end, frame  12  includes first upright framing  30  that supports an elongate arm  32  having a receiver  14  at one end and a counterbalance  34  at an opposite end. The receiver  14  contains and supports the roll  16   a  of protective covering  16 . Frame  12  also includes second upright framing  36 , opposite framing  30 , having a cross arm  38  that aids positioning of bales within the frame  12 , and third upright framing  40 , adjacent to framing  36 , to which the severing mechanism  18  is mounted.  
         [0030]    The arm  32  is connected to upright framing  30  such that the arm  32  can be spun in a propeller-like motion about an axis of rotation “A” that extends substantially parallel to the horizontal. The receiver  14  is connected to an end of the arm  32  such that it extends substantially perpendicular from the elongate arm  32  and substantially parallel to the axis “A”. Thus, when the arm  32  is pivoted about axis “A”, the receiver  14  follows a circular path of travel that orbits a spaced distance about axis “A”. This path of movement permits a protective covering  16  carried by the receiver  14  to be applied to a bale positioned within frame  12 . The counterbalance  34  located opposite the receiver  14  permits smooth and controlled rotation of the arm  34 , and a motor  42 , as best illustrated in FIG. 4, powers the rotation of the arm  32  via a chain  44  supported on a pair of sprocket wheels,  46  and  48 . The motor, for example, can be an electric motor powered by a portable generator or the like.  
         [0031]    The receiver  14 , as best illustrated in FIG. 5, includes a housing  54  in which an industrial-sized roll  16   a  of protective covering  16  is supported for rotation about roll support bar  56 . As an example, the roll  16   a  can be about 5 feet wide and supply a sufficient amount of protective covering material to wrap a large quantity of substantially rectangular four-by-eight feet bales of hay, individually or within stacks of two or more. The receiver  14  also includes a pair of rollers,  58  and  60 , that provide an “S” shaped path of travel for the web of protective covering  16  as it unwinds from the receiver  14 . For instance, the protective covering  16  follows a path of travel within the housing  54  from the roll  16 a around the outer roller  60  and back around the inner roller  58  before exiting the receiver  14 . Preferably, as illustrated, the rollers,  58  and  60 , have sprockets or the like,  62  and  64 , connected via a belt, chain or the like  66  to ensure that both rotate at the same, or desired, speed of rotation.  
         [0032]    The severing mechanism  18  is utilized to: (a) grip the free end  16   b  of the protective covering  16  during a first revolution of the receiver  14  about a bale; (b) release the free end  16   b  before additional revolutions of the receiver  14  about the bale; and (c) sever the protective covering  16  after the final revolution of the receiver  14  about the bale. Upon severing the protective covering  16 , the mechanism  18  grips the newly formed free end  16   b  of the protective covering to automatically place the apparatus  10  in condition ready to receive and wrap the next bale.  
         [0033]    The severing mechanism  18  includes a pair of horizontally-extending blades, or bars,  50  and  52 , that are each capable of pivoting between a first position away from the orbiting path of the receiver  14  (see FIGS. 1-3,  6  and  9 ) and a second position within the orbiting path of the receiver  14  (see FIG. 10). The bars,  50  and  52  are mounted on upright framing  40  in a manner that permits them to pivot away from the receiver  14  such that they extend in a plane spaced from and substantially parallel to the revolving arm  32  and transverse to the axis of rotation “A” of the arm  32 . In this position, the arm  32  and receiver  14  are permitted to apply protective wrap  16  to a bale without the severing mechanism  18  being within the path of travel of the receiver  14 . As best illustrated in FIG. 10, the bars  50  and  52  of the severing mechanism  18  can be swung into a position in which the bars extend substantially parallel with the axis of rotation “A” of the arm  32  and within the path of travel of the receiver  14  adjacent to a bale. In this position, the bars,  50  and  52 , support the free end  16   b  of the protective covering  16  adjacent the bale and aid in the application of the first layer of the protective covering  16  to the bale. Alternatively, this position is utilized to sever the protective covering  16  after the final layer of protective covering  16  has been applied to the bale.  
         [0034]    The relative movement of bars  50  and  52  are best illustrated in FIGS. 6-12. In a starting position, the arm  32  is stationary and the bars  50  and  52  are positioned transversely and away from the receiver  14 . See FIGS. 6 and 9. In this position, the bars  50  and  52  grip the free end  16   b  of the protective covering  16  therebetween, and the receiver  14  is located a spaced distance below the bars  50  and  52 . When a bale is located within the frame  12  of the apparatus  10 , the arm  32  rotates in a clockwise direction as illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10, and both bars,  50  and  52 , are pivoted such that they extend substantially parallel to the axis of rotation “A” of the arm  32  adjacent the bales. See FIGS. 8 and 10. Slightly before one complete rotation of the receiver  14  about the bale, the bars  50  and  52  open to release the free end  16   b  of the protective covering  16  and pivot out of the path of travel of the receiver  14 . See FIG. 11. The receiver  14  then makes a desired number of orbits about the bale to wrap the bale in one or more layers of protective wrap  16 .  
         [0035]    The bars  50  and  52  also function to sever the protective covering  16  after a bale has been wrapped. Slightly before the end of the last revolution of the receiver  14  about the bale, bar  50  is rotated within the path of travel of the receiver  14  adjacent the bale so that the outer layer of protective covering  16  extends over bar  50 . Thereafter, rotation of the receiver  14  is halted, and bar  52  rotates into engagement with bar  50  to sever the protective covering  16  and grip the newly formed free end  16   b  to place the apparatus  10  in a condition ready to wrap the next bale. The protective covering  16  can be severed by a blade or the like carried by bar  50  or  52  or by stretching the protective covering  16  by pivoting the bars  50  and  52  away from the bale. Alternatively, the protective covering  16  can be severed manually by an operator.  
         [0036]    Movement of the bars  50  and  52  can be accomplished by the operation of a pair of cylinders, such as pneumatic cylinders,  68  and  70 . As illustrated in FIG. 6, when the piston  68   a  is extended from the first cylinder  68  and the piston  70   a  is retracted within the second cylinder  70 , the bars  50  and  52  are engaged and positioned away from the bale and out of the path of travel of the receiver  14 . However, when piston  68   a  is retracted within the first cylinder  68  as illustrated in FIG. 8, it causes the bars  50  and  52  to pivot into a position adjacent the bails within the path of travel of the receiver  14 . Thus, movement of the bars  50  and  52  together in an engaged condition is controlled solely by the positioning of the piston  68   a  relative to the first cylinder  68 .  
         [0037]    The second cylinder  70  pivots along with the bars  50  and  52  when piston  68   a  is retracted or extended from the first cylinder  68 . As best illustrated in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the second cylinder  70  is connected via a slot  72  formed in upright framing  40  to an internal rotating element  74  that can be rotated to cause the bars  50  and  52  to open and close. For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 8, piston  70   a  is retracted within second cylinder  70  which urges bars  50  and  52  into engagement. However, as best illustrated in FIG. 7, when piston  70   a  is extended from second cylinder  70 , the bars  50  and  52  are in an open condition. In this way, the bars,  50  and  52 , can be positioned open as shown in FIG. 7 and closed as shown in FIG. 8 to sever the protective covering  16  and grip the newly-formed free end  16   b  thereof.  
         [0038]    The method of the present invention includes supporting a bale or bales of hay or like material within a wrapping apparatus  10 . The bales may be circular or rectangular, and more than one bale can be stacked together. For instance, FIGS. 9-12 illustrate a pair of bales,  76  and  78 , vertically stacked and wrapped together. The illustrated bales,  76  and  78 , are rectangular and together, for instance, can produce a bale about eight feet in length by about eight feet in height by about slightly less than five feet in width. Preferably, the bales  76  and  78  are supported by a separate vehicle, such as a tractor, having a tined lift  20 . See the phantom lines in FIG. 3.  
         [0039]    The bales  76  and  78  are aligned in the apparatus  10  such that the center of the bales,  76  and  78 , are substantially aligned with the axis of rotation “A”. As illustrated in FIGS. 9-12, the cross arm  38  of upright framing  36  aids in positioning the bales,  76  and  78 , such that an operator simply needs to lift the bales high enough to extend over the cross arm  38  to be properly aligned with the axis of rotation “A”. The bales are supported at all times in this position on the tines  20  of the tractor and not by the apparatus  10 .  
         [0040]    After the tractor positions and supports the bales within the apparatus  10 , an operator causes the arm  32  to spin such that the roll  16   a  of protective covering  16  is orbited about the bales. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, mechanism  18  grips the free end  16   b  of the protective covering and locates the free end  16   b  adjacent the bales. Thereafter, as illustrated in FIG. 11, the mechanism  18  releases the free end  16   b  of the protective covering  16  and moves out of the path of travel of the receiver  14  and roll  16 a of protective covering  16 . Preferably, the covering  16  is a plastic wrap material that is tacky on one or both sides thereof and clings to the bales as the plastic wrap unwinds onto the bails.  
         [0041]    The receiver  14  is orbited around the bales to provide as many layers of protective covering  16  to the bales as desired. Slightly before the end of the final revolution of the bales, one of the bars  50  of mechanism  18  is positioned adjacent to the bales so that the final layer of protective covering  16  extends over bar  50 . Thereafter, revolution of the receiver  14  is terminated and bar  52  of the mechanism  18  pivots into engagement with bar  50  to grip protective covering  16  so that it can be severed. For instance, the bars  50  and  52  may have a blade that automatically severs the protective covering upon engagement, or the protective covering may become severed upon being stretched when the mechanism  18  pivots away from the bail. Another alternative is for the operator to manually sever the protective covering. Preferably, the free end  16   b  of the protective covering  16  is gripped by the mechanism  18  so that the apparatus  10  is in condition to wrap the next bale.  
         [0042]    After the protective covering is severed, the tractor removes the bales from the apparatus  10  and unloads the wrapped bales in a desired location. Thus, since the bales are never removed from the tines  20  of the tractor, loading and unloading of the into and out of the apparatus  10  is simplified and the time required to wrap the bales is thus minimized.  
         [0043]    Thus, the above-described wrapping apparatus  10  and method of wrapping bales according to the present invention provides a cost effective and efficient means for wrapping large quantities of bales in a short period of time requiring only a minimum of labor and skill. Preferably, an operator utilizes the controls  80  illustrated in the drawings to control the operation of the arm  32  and severing mechanism  18 . One contemplated alternative is to construct apparatus  10  integral with a tractor so that the same tractor that supports the bales also supports frame  12 , orbiting arm  32 , and severing mechanism  18 .  
         [0044]    While a preferred bale wrapping apparatus and method of wrapping bales have been described in detail, various modifications, alterations, and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the apparatus and method according to the present invention as defined in the appended claims.