Patent ID: 7360728

Claim:
A hay bale processor 10 comprising container means 14 for receiving a bale of hay 156 , 157 to be cut in fibers, a rotor 28 secured below said container means, said rotor having a plurality of cutting blades 35 disposed about its periphery in space-part parallel relationship, said rotor being aligned with a grill 26 in a bottom wall 23 of said container means and said grill having spaced-apart, parallel, slot openings 27 defining an average fiber cut length therebetween, said blades being aligned with respective ones of said slot openings and projecting therethrough to contact a bottom face 159 of a bale 160 of hay displaced over said grill by bale displacement means 140 and 240 associated with said container means whereby to cut hay from said bottom face, said fibers being discharged through said slots and into discharge conveying means 18 , said rotor having a drivable shaft 29 secured to a displaceable suspension mechanism 45 to displace said rotor and consequently said blades of said rotor above said grill a variable distance depending on the resistive load applied to said blades of said rotor when a bale of hay is displaced over said grill, electric motor means 66 , 67 coupled to said drivable shaft for rotating same, said displaceable suspension mechanism 45 having pressure biasing means 50 and 280 having a predetermined biasing pressure value, said cutting knives being displaced to retract within said slots when said predetermined biasing pressure value is exceeded by the load on said cutting blades of said rotor whereby said electric motor means maintains a substantially constant drive torque on said rotor drivable shaft and a substantially constant speed of rotation of said rotor.