Patent Publication Number: US-7588203-B2

Title: Silage pile defacer

Description:
BACKGROUND 
   The present invention generally relates to silage pile defacers. Silage is typically stored on the ground in a large pile. The silage pile is usually covered with a plastic sheet to minimize air and moisture exposure to the pile, which prevents spoilage of the silage. One end of the pile is uncovered for removal of a daily feeding volume of silage. A generally vertical layer of silage is removed from the exposed face of the pile to form a feed pile at the base of the silage pile. Typically, a front end loader or similar implement is employed to scoop up the feed pile for delivery to livestock. 
   Known silage pile defacers comprise a hydraulically actuated rotating cylinder with radially extending teeth carried on a tractor-mounted implement. The implement is maneuvered to draw the rotating cylinder along a vertical face of the silage pile to remove a layer of the silage. The known silage pile defacers necessitate frequent maintenance to repair/replace worn parts. The teeth of the rotating cylinder of the known silage pile defacers also grinds the silage as it removes the silage from the pile, which creates silage “fines.” Excess silage fines are undesirable in feed for dairy cows. 
   The present invention provides an improved silage pile defacer with no moving parts that does not grind the silage. 
   SUMMARY 
   A silage pile defacer comprises a frame having a first end and a second end opposite the first end. The first end of the frame is configured to couple with a lift arm mechanism of a tractor. A transverse beam having a length, an upper surface and a lower surface is coupled to the second end of the frame. A plurality of tines are coupled to the transverse beam. The plurality of tines are spaced along the length of the transverse beam and extend away from the lower surface of the transverse beam. Each of the plurality of tines extends at an acute angle relative to the frame in a direction toward the first end of the frame. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of a silage pile defacer of the present invention mounted on a tractor and positioned above a silage pile; 
       FIG. 2  is a side perspective view of one embodiment of the silage pile defacer of the present invention; 
       FIG. 3A  is a partial side view of a front end of the silage pile defacer of  FIG. 2 ; 
       FIG. 3B  is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a transverse beam and a tine coupled to the transverse beam taken along line  3 B- 3 B of  FIG. 2 ; 
       FIG. 4  is a partial side view of a front end of a second embodiment of a silage pile defacer of the present invention; 
       FIG. 5  is a side view of the silage pile defacer shown in  FIG. 2  resting on the ground and ready for attachment to an implement; 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the silage pile defacer assembly shown in  FIG. 1  defacing a layer of silage from the silage pile; and 
       FIG. 7  is an exploded partial perspective view of a front end of a third embodiment of a silage pile defacer of the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a silage pile defacer assembly  10  positioned to remove a layer of silage from a silage pile  12  according to one embodiment. Assembly  10  generally includes a silage pile defacer  14  coupled to a lift arm mechanism  19  of a tractor  16 . Tractor  16  is employed to elevate defacer  14  above a top side  18  of the silage pile  12 . Through the coordinated movement of lifting arm mechanism  19  of tractor  16 , defacer  14  is able to remove a generally vertical layer of silage from a face of pile  12 . 
     FIG. 2  is a side perspective view of one embodiment of the silage pile defacer  14  of the present invention. Silage pile defacer  14  generally includes a frame  22  having a rear end  24  and a front end  26 , a quick attach mount  28  coupled to rear end  24 , and a transverse beam assembly  30  coupled to front end  26  of frame  22 . Transverse beam assembly  30  includes a plurality of tines  32  spaced along the length of beam assembly  30 , which extend generally downward from transverse beam assembly  30 . When defacer  14  is disconnected from tractor  16 , transverse beam assembly  30  is supported above the ground by a base  34  connected to a lower surface of frame  22 . Silage pile defacer  14  is generally fabricated from metal, e.g., steel, suited for use with powered farm implements. 
   Frame  22  includes a first elongate metal beam  40 , a second elongate metal beam  42  that is spaced from and generally parallel to first beam  40  and a plurality of lateral braces  44  spaced relative to on another and coupled between facing outer surfaces of first and second beams  40 ,  42 . Other suitable constructions for frame  22  are also acceptable, including frames having a single elongate metal beam and frames having more than two elongate metal beams. By way of example, in one embodiment metal beams  40  and  42  each have a length of about 17 feet and are spaced apart by about 29 inches. The number and placement of lateral braces  44  may vary depending upon a selected overall length of defacer  14 . In one embodiment, three lateral braces  44  are generally equally spaced apart between rear end  24  and front end  26  and are secured to beams  40  and  42  by welding. Each beam  40 ,  42  has a front end surface at front end  26  formed at an acute angle C as measured from upper surface  41  of beams  40 ,  42 . Each beam  40 ,  42  further has a rear end surface at rear end  24  formed at an obtuse angle B as measured from upper surface  41  of beams  40 ,  42 . In one embodiment, the angle B is an obtuse angle between about 95-150 degrees, and preferably the angle B is between about 110-135 degrees. In one embodiment, the angle C is an acute angle between about 40-85 degrees, and preferably the angle C is between about 65-75 degrees. 
   Connected to each rear end surface of beams  40 ,  42  is a metal plate  46 , which provides a mounting surface for quick attach mount  28 . Metal plate  46  is a generally rectangular plate having a height and width greater than that of the rear end surface of beams  40 ,  42 . In one embodiment, plates  46  are secured to beams  40 ,  42  by welding. Top and bottom portions of plates  46  are reinforced by wedge-shaped metal gussets  48  that are welded to beams  40 ,  42  and plates  46 . 
   In general, quick attach mount  28  includes a first hanger  50  and a second hanger  52 . First and second hangers  50 ,  52  each comprise a metal plate  54  having a straight front edge  56  that abuts plate  46  and a rear edge configured to define a hook  58  at an upper extent of plate  54  and an eye  60  spaced from and below hook  58 . Hooks  58  and eyes  60  of metal plates  54  cooperate with a quick hitch coupler provided on a lift mechanism of a tractor, front end loader, or the like. Each plate  54  includes mounting flanges  62  on opposite sides adjacent to front edge  56 . Flanges  62  comprise a length of angle iron having one leg  64  welded to plate  54  and the adjoining leg  66  flush with front edge  56 . Hangers  50 ,  52  are secured to metal plates  46  by welding or bolting flanges  66  to plates  46 . In one embodiment, hangers  50 ,  52  are braced together by a brace  65  connected between lower edges of plates  54 . 
   In one embodiment, transverse beam assembly  30  includes an upper transverse beam member  70  that defines an upper surface  72  of transverse beam  30 , and a lower transverse beam member  74  spaced from beam member  70  that defines a lower surface  76  of transverse beam  30 . A transverse beam assembly having one transverse beam member is also acceptable. Transverse beam assembly  30  has a length substantially greater than the width of frame  22 , with beam assembly  30  being generally centered relative to a longitudinal axis A of frame  22 . In one embodiment, transverse beam assembly  30  has a length of about 10 feet. Rear facing surfaces  78  of transverse beams  70 ,  72  are connected to the front end surfaces of beams  40 ,  42 , e.g. by welding. End portions of transverse beam members  70 ,  74  are connected by end plates  79  welded to beams  70 ,  74 . 
   Tines  32  are located along and connected to transverse beam member  74  in a spaced relationship relative to one another. In one embodiment, tines  32  have a spacing of about 10.5 inches on center. Tines  32  extend from lower surface  76  in a generally downward direction. In one embodiment, tines  32  are solid steel bale tines having a length of about 32 inches and an outer diameter of about 1 inch. 
     FIG. 3A  is a partial side view of front end  26  of the silage pile defacer  14  of  FIG. 2  with end plate  79  removed. In general, tines  32  extend away from lower surface  76  of transverse beam member  74  generally perpendicular to lower surface  76 . Relative to beams  40 ,  42 , tines extend at the acute angle C as shown, in a direction toward the rear end  24  of frame  22 . 
     FIG. 3B  is a cross-sectional view of a portion of transverse beam member  74  and tine  32  taken along line  3 B- 3 B of  FIG. 2 . In one embodiment, second transverse beam member  74  is a box beam having four walls defining sides  84 . Upper surface  85  and lower surface  76  of beam member  74  are provided with pairs of openings in which is secured a sleeve  86 , such as by welding. The opening in lower surface  76  is larger than the opening in upper surface  85 . Sleeve  86  has a first portion  87  extending from lower surface  76  defined by a radially tapered inner diameter and a second portion  89  which extends to upper surface  85  at a constant inner diameter defined relative to the opening in upper surface  85 . Sleeve  86  is configured to receive an end  88  of tine  32  having an outer surface  90  configured complimentary to the inner diameter of portions  87 ,  89  of sleeve  86 . An end portion  92  of tine  32  is machined with external threads. Tine  32  is connected to beam member  74  by inserting tine  32  into sleeve  86  until the relative surfaces of tine  32  and sleeve  36  mate and an end portion  92  of tine  32  extends beyond upper surface  85  of beam member  74 . Tine  32  is retained within sleeve  36  by a nut  93  threaded onto end portion  92  of tine  32 . In this manner, tine  32  is securely bolted to transverse beam member  74 , but is removable for maintenance and/or replacement. 
     FIG. 4  is a partial side view of a front end of a second embodiment of a silage pile defacer  14  of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 4 , a front surface  96  of beam  40  is generally perpendicular to upper surface  41  of beam  40 . Transverse beam assembly  30  is connected to front surface  96 . A sleeve similar to sleeve  86  is inserted and connected between openings located generally near opposite corners of beam member  74  at an acute angle C to permit tines  32  to extend away from lower surface  66  of transverse beam  30  at the acute angle C as measured from the longitudinal axis A of beam  40 . In one embodiment, tines  32  are inserted into a sleeve formed in transverse beam member  74  in a manner similar to that described in  FIG. 3B  above. Alternatively, tines  32  are welded to transverse beam member  64 . 
     FIG. 5  is a side view of the silage pile defacer  14  shown in  FIG. 2  resting on the ground G. Quick attach mount  28  and base  34  contact ground G, and tines  32  are elevated off of the ground G. Base  34  is coupled to frame  22  between a center of mass M of defacer  14  and front end  26 , such that quick attach mount  28  is imbalanced to naturally tilt to the ground G. 
   Quick attach mount  28  is coupled to rear end  24  of frame  22  at angle B, and tines  32  and transverse beam  30  at the angle C. The angle B is different from the angle C and is selected to facilitate hitching a quick hitch coupler of a tractor lift arm mechanism to an at-rest quick attach mount  28 . One suitable example provides an angle B of about 110 degrees. The angle C can vary depending upon the size of the silage pile  12  and/or the size of the tractor  16  employed to lift defacer  14 . One suitable example provides an angle C of about 80 degrees. The angles B and C are selected to orient tines  32  to be generally perpendicular to the ground when front end  26  of defacer  14  is elevated above the top surface  18  of the silage pile  12  ( FIG. 1 ). 
     FIG. 6  is a perspective view of defacer  14  coupled to a hydraulically actuated lift arm mechanism  19  of a tractor  16 . To deface a layer of silage from silage pile  12 , tractor  16  is maneuvered with defacer  14  oriented generally perpendicular to face  98  of silage pile  12 . Lift arm mechanism  19  is then actuated to elevate defacer  14  above silage pile  12  with tines  32  generally perpendicular to the ground. Tines are positioned to contact silage pile  12  about 1 foot away from face  98 . The lift arm mechanism  19  is then actuated to lower defacer  14  toward the ground with tines  32  thus skiving a layer of silage from the face  98  of pile  12 . Tractor  16  is then repositioned along face  98  to the next adjacent portion of silage pile  12  to skive the next adjacent layer of silage from pile  12 . 
   Tines  32  extend away from transverse beam  30  at the angle C ( FIG. 3A ), such that when silage pile defacer  14  is elevated above the silage pile  12 , tines  32  are oriented generally vertically to the ground and configured to engage with the top  18  of pile  12 . An operator of tractor  16  having an ordinary level of skill in operating farm equipment is able to operate lift arm mechanism  19  to rake tines  32  downward along a face  98  of the silage pile  12  to form a mound  99  of silage feed. The mound  99  of feed is formed by a suitable number of swipes of silage pile defacer  14  along face  98 , after which the silage feed is transported to a feeding trough or other area. 
   The silage in pile  12  is densely packed due to the pile  12  settling under the force of gravity over the course of weeks or months. The combination of angles B and C of support strut  22  ( FIG. 2 ) enable assembly  10  to skive a near vertical face  214  on silage pile  12 . Alternatively, assembly  10  is operable to skive an inclined face on the silage pile  12 , depending upon the operator&#39;s manipulation of lift arm mechanism  19 . However, a more vertical face  98  is generally desired to minimize erosion of the pile  12 . 
     FIG. 7  is an exploded perspective view of a third embodiment of silage pile defacer  100  comprising a frame  102  and an adjustable angle transverse beam  104  mounted to frame  102  by a hinge assembly  106  according to one embodiment. Embodiments provide for selectively tilting transverse beam  104  relative to frame  102  via hinge assembly  106  to achieve a desired angle of tines  32  relative to frame  102 . The adjustability provided by hinge assembly  106  enables the selective angular positioning of tines  32  to accommodate various sizes of tractors used to lift defacer  100 . 
   In general, the rear end of frame  102  is similar to rear end  24  of frame  22  ( FIG. 2 ) and includes a quick attach mount (not shown, but similar to quick attach mount  28  of  FIG. 2 ). Front end  110  of frame  102  includes a hinge mounting plate  108  that is coupled to the angled front facing surfaces of beams  112 ,  114  of frame  102 , which are formed at an angle D relative to upper surface  113  of beams  112 .  114 . In one embodiment, hinge mounting plate  108  is welded to the front facing surfaces of beams  112 ,  114  and a gusset  120  is welded between each beam  112 ,  114  and top end  118  of hinge mounting plate  108 . The angle D defines the largest incline for transverse beam  104  (i.e., the greatest amount of angled rake for tines  32  relative to axis A). An exemplary range for the angle D suited to accommodate most tractors to which defacer  100  is attached is between about 20-50 degrees. Mounted at a top end of hinge mounting plate  108  are spaced hinge sleeves  116 . 
   Transverse beam  104  includes an upper transverse beam member  130  that defines an upper surface  132  of transverse beam  104 , and a lower transverse beam member  134  that defines a lower surface  136  of transverse beam  104 . Tines  32  extend from the lower transverse beam member  134  in the manner previously described relative to transverse beam  30 . 
   With the above in mind, hinge assembly  106  includes a pair of hubs  140  coupled to upper transverse beam member  130  that rotatably engage with sleeves  116  of hinge mounting plate  108 . Sleeves  116  and hubs  140  each define bores  142 ,  144 , respectively, and are configured to receive an axel  146  that is insertable through bores  142 ,  144 . The number of sleeves  116  and hubs  140  is not critical and can vary depending upon a length of transverse beam  104 . For example, two hubs  140  are provided that mesh with three sleeves  116  (as shown), but other embodiments can include three hubs  140  that mesh with four loops  116 , for example. 
   When hinge assembly  106  is operably coupled, axel  146  is inserted through bores  142 ,  144  to enable hubs  140  to rotate relative to sleeves  116 . In this manner, transverse beam  104  is configured to adjustably rotate relative to frame  102  such that tines  32  are rotatable through a range of angles from about 90 degrees, where tines  32  are substantially perpendicular to frame  102 , to the acute angle D. Means are provided to selectively fix the adjustable transverse beam  104  relative to frame  102  when the desired angle of transverse beam  104  is achieved. 
   In one embodiment, transverse beam  104  includes a first arm  150  spaced from a second arm  152 , where arms  150 ,  152  are coupled to upper transverse beam member  134  and configured to engage with frame  102 . In one embodiment, a corner support  154  is welded between upper transverse beam member  134  and each arm  150 ,  152 . In general, arms  150 ,  152  are spaced apart by a distance that enables arms  150 ,  152  to straddle second end  110  of frame  102 . In this manner, when assembled, transverse beam  104  rotates relative to frame  102  about hinge assembly  106 , and arms  150 ,  152  slide along outward facing sides of beams  112 ,  114 . 
   Arms  150 ,  152  are fabricated to include an indexed series of holes  160  including a first hole  162  spaced from a last hole  164 . Beams  112 ,  114  are provided with bores  170  near front end  110 . Holes  160  of each arm  150 ,  152  align with bores  170  formed in a lateral side of beams  112 ,  114 , which allows tines  32  to extend at an angle ranging from about 90 degrees relative to central longitudinal axis A to the angle D. 
   A pin  172  is provided that is configured to engage with one of the indexed holes  160  and bore  170  to selectively retain transverse beam  104  (and tines  32 ) at the desired angle relative to axis A. Pin  172  includes spring-loaded pins, or pins configured to receive a cotter pin, or other pins suitably styled to retain arms  150 ,  152  in a desired position against beams  112 ,  114 , respectively. 
   In general, the angle D is an acute angle selected to be in the range of about 20-50 degrees, preferably the angle D is about 35 degrees. For larger tractors and large silage piles (of over about 20 feet in height, for example), arms  150 ,  152  are pinned relative to frame  102  such that first hole  162  is aligned with bore  170  and tines  32  extend at an angle approaching about 90 degrees to central longitudinal axis A. Conversely, for smaller tractors such as skid steers, arms  150 ,  152  are pinned relative to frame  102  such that last hole  164  is aligned with bore  170  and tines  32  extend at the steepest angle, which is about at the angle D. In this manner, both large and small tractor sizes are accommodated by the adjustable transverse beam  104  that enable tines  32  to be substantially perpendicular to a top of a silage pile when the defacer  100  is elevated above the silage pile, regardless of tractor or silage pile size. 
   Embodiments described above provide an easy to maintain silage pile defacer having no moving parts and thus does not degrade the silage in the process of removing a face layer of silage. The silage pile defacer includes a quick attach mount compatible with quick hitch couplers used by farm and other implements. The quick attach mount of the silage pile defacer is configured to rest on the ground when the defacer is not is use in a manner that elevates tines of the defacer off of the ground. 
   Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a variety of alternative and/or equivalent implementations may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown and/or described without departing from the scope of the present invention. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the specific exemplary embodiments of the above-described silage pile defacer. Therefore, it is intended that this invention be limited only by the claims and equivalents of the claims.