Patent Publication Number: US-2021176920-A1

Title: Bale Unroller Apparatus

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
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     INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM 
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     STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR JOINT INVENTOR 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     (1) Field of the Invention 
     The disclosure relates to livestock feeding devices and more particularly pertains to a new livestock feeding device for distributing hay. 
     (2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98 
     The prior art relates to livestock feeding devices. If livestock are fed in a concentrated area fields can easily be damaged to a point that grass will not regrow the following year. Hay bales must be unrolled and distributed to feed many cows simultaneously while preventing field damage. Existing bale unrollers typically secure the ball along its axis parallel to the axles of the tractor only distribute the hay as the tractor moves. These device and others often unroll the bale without breaking apart the hay, minimizing the distribution achieved. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a frame configured to be coupled to a hitch of a tractor. A motor is coupled to the frame and rotates a driveshaft. A bale plate is coupled to the driveshaft and at least one bale spear is coupled to the bale plate. The bale spears are configured to support a hay bale. An extension arm is coupled to the frame and a rake is coupled to the extension arm. The rake has a plurality of tines extending towards the bale spears. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
       The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is an isometric view of a bale unroller apparatus according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a rear elevation view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a side elevation view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a front elevation view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a top plan view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 6  is an in-use view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIGS. 1 through 6  thereof, a new livestock feeding device embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
     As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 6 , the bale unroller apparatus  10  generally comprises a frame  12  configured to be coupled to a hitch  14  of a tractor  16 . The frame  12  may have a horizontal base support portion  18  and a center support portion  20  perpendicularly extending up from the base support portion  18 . A plurality of mounting brackets  22  may be coupled to the frame  12  and configured to pivotably attach to the tractor  16 . 
     A motor  24  is coupled to the frame  12 . The motor  24  may have a motor plate  26  coupled to the horizontal base support portion  18  and a chain  28  extending from a motor gear  30  to a drive gear  32  coupled to a driveshaft  34 . The drive gear  32  is coupled to the center support portion  20  and the driveshaft  34  extends perpendicularly through the center support portion  20 . A chain guard  36  may be coupled to the motor plate  26  and the frame  12  to protect the chain  28  and to prevent injury. The motor  24  may be independently powered or may be configured to operate with the hydraulics of the tractor  16 . 
     A bale plate  38  is coupled to the driveshaft  34  and is rotated by the motor  24 . The base plate  38  may comprise a cylindrical hub portion  39  and a circular plate portion  41  to extend the size of the base plate  38  without creating unnecessary weight. At least one bale spear  40  is coupled to the bale plate  38 . The bale spears  40  may comprise a central spear  42  and a plurality of secondary spears  44  configured to support a hay bale  46 . The secondary spears  44  are shorter than the central spear  42  and may be four secondary spears  44  evenly spaced around the central spear  42 . Each bale spear  40  has a shaft portion  45  and a tapered tip portion  48 . A length of the tip portion  48  may be equal to 20% of an overall length of the bale spear  40 . The overall length of the central spear  42  may be 60″ to best support the hay bale  46 . 
     An extension arm  50  is coupled to the frame  12 . The extension arm  50  may be slidably coupled within a sleeve  52  of the frame coupled along the base support portion  18 . The extension arm  50  thus moves within the sleeve  52  along an axis perpendicular to the bale spears  40 . A rake  54  is coupled to the extension arm  50 . The rake  54  may have a support arm  56  coupled to an outer end  58  of the extension arm  50  and a rake arm  60  perpendicularly extending from the support arm  56 . The support arm  56  may have a vertical lower portion  62  and an angled upper portion  64 . The sleeve  52  and the extension arm  50  may each by square to prevent rotation from the cantilevered rake arm  60 . The rake  54  has a plurality of tines  66  extending towards the bale spears  40 . Each tine  66  may have an attachment portion  68  coupled to the rake arm  60  and a finger portion  70  extending towards the bale spears  40 . 
     An extension cylinder  72  is coupled to the frame  12  and the vertical lower portion  62  of the support arm  56  of the rake. The extension cylinder  72  moves the rake  54  towards and away from the bale spears  40  to engage the tines  66  with the hay bale  46  as desired. A tilt cylinder  74  may be pivotably coupled to a top end  76  of the center support portion of the frame. The top end  76  may have a pair of ears  78  to attach to each side of the tilt cylinder  74 . The tilt cylinder  74  is configured to attach to the tractor  16  and to control an angle of the apparatus  10  relative the ground. The extension cylinder  72  and the tilt cylinder  74  may be powered by the hydraulics of the tractor  16 . 
     In use, the mounting brackets  22  and the tilt cylinder  74  are attached to the tractor  16 . The tractor  16  is driven to engage the bale spears  40  into the hay bale  46  with the central spear  42  aligned along a central axis of the hay bale  46 . The motor  24  is then activated to unwind the hay bale  46  and the extension cylinder  72  is activated to engage or disengage the rake  54  with the hay bale  46  to break apart the hay bale  46  with the tines  66 . 
     With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.