Abstract:
A device for impaling and lifting hay bales consisting of a long, round, pencil-pointed shaft for said purpose plus two shorter shafts of similar design protruding just below and to each side of the main impaling spear for the purpose of stabilizing the bale in the process of loading and handling. This structure is mounted on a rigid steel frame which is designed for attachment to any ordinary hydraulically operated front end loader, or for attachment to any common three-point tractor hitch. Optimum utility is achieved with a tractor having such devices mounted at each end for use at the same time.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a hay bale lifter attachment which may be removably attached to either the front operated mechanism of a front end loader, or attached to the three-point hitch of the usual farm tractor. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
     Handling of large, heavy, hay bales has generally been quite a problem for farmers, cattlemen, and others using hay in large quantities and this problem has been aggravated by the recent introduction of machinery which produces a large, very heavy hay bale. None of the devices known in the prior art solve the problem in the simple, yet effective manner of this invention. Lift trucks for moving bulky, heavy loads are known in the art, such as taught by the patents to Ulinski, U.S. Pat. No. 1,545,417; Violette, U.S. Pat. No. 2,684,164; and Smith et al, U.S. Pat. No. 2,698,698. 
     A device for lifting carpet rolls also is known as taught by Harris, U.S. Pat. No. 3,705,658 and a load handling and engaging device for lift trucks for handling bulk materials is taught by the patent to Garrett, U.S. Pat. No. 2,682,350. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a spear-type hay bale lifter which may be easily attached to farm machinery. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a hay bale lifter having one main lifting spear and two smaller stabilizing spears. 
     A futher object of this invention is to provide a hay bale lifter which is readily attachable to either the front end mechanism of a front end loader, and/or attached to the three-point hitch at the rear of said tractor. 
     A still further object of this invention is to provide a tractor having a spear-type hay bale lifter of the type disclosed mounted on the front load mechanism thereof and at the same time having a similar spear-type hay bale lifter mounted on the lift mechanism at the rear thereof. 
     These and other objects are achieved according to the present invention by providing a spear-type implaing structure which is mounted on a sturdy frame which is readily attachable to either a front mechanism of a front end loader or the three-point hitch at the rear of said tractor. When a tractor is provided with similar units simultaneously an additional advantage is obtained from doubling the carrying capacity, and more importantly the counter-balancing feature. A much smaller tractor may be used because of the counter-balancing effect of the two hay bale lifters than would be used with just one such unit. 
    
    
     These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout. 
     FIG. 1 is a side elevational view showing hay bale lifters according to the present invention mounted on a tractor. 
     FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the front mounted hay bale lifter. 
     FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken generally along the line 3--3 of FIG. 2, but drawn to a larger scale. 
     FIG. 4 is a front plan elevation view of the front mounted hay bale lifter. 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the rear mounted hay bale lifter. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now more particularly to the drawings, a farm type tractor is indicated in FIG. 1 by reference numeral 10, and a hay bale lifter according to this invention is indicated mounted at the front thereof by reference numeral 11 and a similar hay bale lifter mounted at the rear thereof by reference numeral 12. Almost all farm tractors today have a three-point hitch at the rear thereof which is controllable by the operator in the driver&#39;s seat. The device of this invention can almost always be used with a farm tractor in the manner shown by reference numeral 12, i.e., used with the three-point hitch mount. A good many farm tractors also have a hydraulically operated front end loader type mechanism and these tractors may use a hay bale lifter such as shown by reference numeral 11. The basic spear impaling unit is the same for either type mount. The main difference being in the specific support frame and attachments therefor. Additional advantages are obtained by using such units simultaneously at both the front and rear as depicted in FIG. 1. 
     The basic front end spear-type hay bale lifter is best seen in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. The main &#34;spear&#34; device consists of a long, round, pencil-pointed shaft 14 which is the primary member for impaling and lifting a large, round hay bale. Two shorter shafts 16 of similar shape, but slightly smaller diameter are also provided for the purpose of stabilizing a bale in the process of loading and handling. A triangular shaped reinforcing and support member 18 is also provided for the main spear 14. This is best seen n FIG. 3 wherein welds 15 for the spear and support member are also indicated. 
     The main frame consists of horizontal members 22 and 24 separated by a vertical member 20. This frame is in the form of an H which is on its side. These members are made of structural steel and are welded at obvious appropriate points for strength. End plates 23, seen best in FIG. 4, close the open portions of the H and add strength and rigidity to the frame. These plates may be omitted in certain light-load type applications, however in many cases it is desirable that they be included. Reference numeral 15 again indicates appropriate points for welding. 
     The smaller stabilizing spears 16 may be welded to the lower horizontal frame member 22. However, as shown on the drawings they may be removably mounted in housings 29 welded to frame member 22, and appropriate means such as bolts 30 may be used to secure the spears 16 in their respective mounts. One reason for making these spears removable is because they are low to the ground when the front end mechanism is dropped or the three-point hitch is lowered and therefore they are much more susceptible to being damaged, and/or bent out of proper shape. By making these spears removable and easily replaceable much field maintenance is eliminated. However, as indicated previously, they may be directly welded to the lower frame member if it is desired to keep the initial cost of the overall lifter at a minimum and/or if damage to the lower spears in the field is not a problem. 
     Since front end loader mechanisms are not completely standardized it is very desirable to make the attachment mounts adjustable so that as many different front end loader mechanisms as possible can be accommodated. This feature of the invention is shown best in FIGS. 3 and 4 wherein adjustable members 32 are shown as being attachable to the main frame by U-bolts 34 having adjustable nuts 35 thereon. Of course, when the U-bolts are loosened, the members 32 can be slid along main frame members 22 and 24 to adjust the spacing for the front end loader mechanism. To attach this invention to a front end loader mechanism the usual bucket of the front end loader is removed, the members 32 are spaced the appropriate distance apart and then arms 36, 38 of the front end loader mechanism are attached to the members 32 by means of holes 42 and pins 40 insertable therein (see FIG. 3). Usual type locking means 41 prevent pins 40 from falling out. 
     The spear-type hay bale lifter of this invention as arranged for attachment to a three-point hitch is shown in FIG. 5. Here, the main support frame is a simple inverted T arrangement consisting of horizontal member 50 and vertical member 52 with appropriate welds at 15. Each end of main support member 50 has the three-point pin attachments 54 with the upper end of support 52 having the third point attachment 56 thereon. As shown in this configuration the main spear point 14&#39; with support member 18&#39; are again directly welded to the vertical support. The smaller stabilizing spears 16&#39; are also shown as being directly welded to the horizontal member 50. Of course, sockets for removably holding spears 16&#39; similar to 29 having bolts 30 may be substituted for the welds 15. 
     From the above description it can readily be seen how the novel spear-point hay bale lifter of this invention can be structurally mounted for easy and ready attachment to either the front end mechanism of a usual front end loader tractor and/or mounted for attachment to the usual three-point hitch of the general farm tractor. The flexible attachment means makes the lifter of double utility and also makes it readily adaptable to any type tractor equipment available. Of course with a lifter on both ends of a tractor the utility of the tractor is doubled, that is, two bales may be lifted and carried by the single tractor at the same time. Another most important feature with a double mount is in the counter-balancing effect. Without the hay bale lifter on the rear (with a hay bale impaled thereon) many small tractors would not be able to properly lift a bale at the front without tipping the tractor. Thus by using two of the devices as shown, smaller and lighter tractors may be effectively used. The bales of hay to be speared and lifted as described herein normally weigh upwards of 1500 pounds. 
     The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention 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 invention.