Patent ID: 7210888

Claim:
A trailer for use with a towing vehicle for handling cylindrical bales, comprising: a carrier for the bales, the carrier having a first side with a bottom portion, an opposing second side with a bottom portion, a first bottom flange extending inwardly from the first side bottom portion, a second bottom flange extending inwardly from the second side bottom portion, the first and second bottom flanges fixed so they do not move relative to the respective side bottom portions from which they extend, the first and second bottom flanges spaced apart and defining an opening therebetween, a closed front end that blocks the passage of the bales, and an open rear end through which the bales pass during loading and unloading, the open end in communication with the opening, wherein the opening has a length that is long enough to receive a plurality of the bales on the carrier in series, and wherein the carrier has indicia marked thereon in serial positions that correspond to the bales to provide a visible indication of the rearmost bale being fully loaded onto or unloaded from the carrier. a trailer hitch coupling connected to the carrier for permitting forward and rearward movement of the trailer without a lateral offset relative to the towing vehicle; two wheels operably coupled to the carrier; and an elevation adjustment mechanism comprising two actuators operably coupled between the carrier and the wheels and adapted to raise and lower the carrier, wherein upon operating the elevation adjustment mechanism to lower the carrier to ground and then moving the carrier backwards into axial engagement with one of the bales, with a supporting portion of the bale resting on the ground and with two non-supporting portions of the bale adjacent the supporting portion and not contacting the ground, the bale stays generally still due to friction from the supporting portion of the bale contacting the ground through the opening as the bottom flanges slide under the two non-supporting portions of the bale to load the bale onto the carrier.