Patent ID: 8371791

Claim:
A feeding device for dispensing bales of feed material from a vehicle, the feeding device comprising: a body having a surface for receiving a plurality of the bales thereon, the surface having a first end and a second end and comprising a first chute and a second chute arranged substantially parallel to each other so as to extend longitudinally between the first end and the second end of the surface, each chute configured such that the plurality of bales are arranged to be received therein to form a first row and a second row of bales; a pusher slidably mounted to the surface and moveable between a first position proximal the first end of the surface and a second position proximal the second end of the surface; a driving mechanism controllable to move the pusher between the first and second positions; and a bale string removal member configured to extend adjacent the bales to facilitate connection of one or more strings of each bale thereto such that as the bales are progressively dispensed from the second end of the surface, the bale string removal member captures and removes the one or more strings provided to retain the feed material together; wherein movement of the pusher from the first position to the second position applies a pushing force to the bales arranged in either the first row or the second row such that the bales in that row are progressively dispensed from the second end of the surface. wherein the bale string removal member is a rope secured at one end to the body or the pusher and positioned to extend over each bale in the row of bales to be dispensed.