GB2192172A

GB2192172A - Bale wrapping machine

Info

Publication number: GB2192172A
Application number: GB08715345A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David W Anderson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1986-07-02
Filing date: 1987-06-30
Publication date: 1988-01-06
Also published as: GB2192172B; GB8715345D0

Abstract

A bale wrapping machine comprises a wheeled base frame 1, 2 having a bale-receiving cradle 3 followed by a bale-wrapping device and a roller bed 8 sloping down to ground level. The cradle 3 comprises a support of rollers 4 along which a bale can be translated into the bale-wrapping device by an hydraulic ram device 5, 6, 7. The bale-wrapping device is located at a gap between the beds of rollers 4 and 5 and comprises a hoop arrangement which includes an inner fixed hoop, an outer rotary hoop 10 rotatable coaxially with the fixed hoop, a reel 12 for plastics strip carried by the hoop, and drive means for the hoop. Wrapped succession of discharged bales resting on the ground act as anchor against which the ram device 5-7 acts to advance the machine. A Bowden cable brake 18-23 is coupled to the ram device so that it is applied in the retracted position of the device and is released, to allow forward machine movement, on actuation of the ram device (Fig. 4). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Bale wrapping machine This invention relates to a bale wrapping machine.

The conventional manner of producing silage from grass is either to lay a bed of grass in a barn and flatten it by, say running a tractorthereover, in order to expel airtherefrom and then covering the flattened grass orto packthe grass into a pit and then cover the pit.

Early attempts at producing silage from the large round bales of grass by wrapping involved simply placing each bale in a separate plastics bag. A disadvantage of thins was that because the plastics sheeting of the bag was loose in some areas about the bale it was left to flap in the wind and thus developed pin-holes which let in airto harm the silage process.

A more recent advance in wrapping the large round bales of grass involved placing the bale between two rollers on a turntable. The rollers rotated so that the bale rotated about its own axis which was horizontal and the turntable rotated about a vertical axis so that the bale rotated about two mutually perpendicular axes. At the same time a plastics strip was fed from a reel rotating about a fixed vertical axis spaced from the axis ofthe turntable. In this way each bale was separately swathed in a plastics strip. A disadvantage ofthis method is the large arnount of plastics strip needed to wrap each bale.

An object of the invention is to obviate or mitigate the above disadvantages.

According to the invention there is provided a bale wrapping machine comprising a wheeled base frame having a bale-receiving cradle followed by a bale-wrapping device and a roller bed sloping down to ground level,the bale-receiving cradle comprising a support along which a bale can be translated into the bale-wrapping device and a hydraulic ram device for translating the bale along the support, the bale-wrapping device being located at a gap between the support and the roller bed and comprising a hoop arrangement through which bales can be translated by the hydraulic ram device, the hoop arrangement including a fixed hoop, a rotary hoop rotatable coaxiallywith the fixed hoop, a reel for plastics strip carried by the rotary hoop and drive meansforthe rotary hoop.

An embodiment ofthe invention wili now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure lisa side view of a bale wrapping machine; Figure2 is a front end view ofthe machine in Figure 1; Figure3 is a side view of the front portion ofthe machine showing a means of emptying the machine; and Figure4 is also a side view of the front portion of the machine showing a means of braking the machine when it is being loaded with bales to be wrapped.

In the drawings, a bale wrapping machine comprises a base 1 having wheels 2. A bale-receiving cradle 3 is provided at the front end of the machine and this includes a support having a short bed of rollers 4 which could be replaced by slide rails. The cradle also includes a hydraulic ram device having two side-mounted cylinders 5, pistons having rods 6 and a cross bar7which moves over the bed of rollers 4.

The machine also includes a bale-wrapping device located at a gap between the bed of rollers 4 and a longer bed of rollers 8 which slopes downwards and rearwards to ground-level. The bale-wrapping device comprises an inner fixed hoop 9 and an outer rotatable hoop 10which carries wheels 11 which roll aboutthe hoop 9. The hoop 10 also carries a reel 12 of plastics strip and is driven by a friction wheel 13 which is itself driven by a hydraulic motor.

In operation,large round bales are loaded one-by-one onto the cradle 3 with the hydraulic ram device extended. The ram is then retracted so that the bale is pushed into the hoop arrangement and bridges the gap between the beds of rollers 4 and 8.

Atthe same time, the hoop 10 is rotating sothatthe bale is being wrapped with plastics strip from the reel 12. Once a succession of wrapped bales is established and extends rearwardly to the ground they serve as an anchor against which acts the hydraulic cam device so that the machine is advanced along and ahead of a row or column of wrapped bales lying on the ground.

The first and last bales are covered in plastics bags which are open towards the remainder ofthe bales in the column and are thereafter wrapped in the plastics strip.

It is importantto notethatthe bales are prevented from falling down the gap between the beds of rollers 4 and 8 by being compressed end-to-end by the hydraulic ram device. The provision of a gap enables the plastics strips to pass underthe balefor wrapping.

The speed at which the hydraulic ram device is retracted has a bearing on the speed at which the plastics strip is applied. Stopping and starting the wrapping is also timed to coincide with the movement ofthe hydraulic ram device. These matters may either be left to the judgement ofthe operator or can be dealt with automatically. Ideally, the machine is steerable so that any tendency forthe machineto wander off a straight line can be corrected.

The machine may be used with a tractor alongside and employing its engine and hydraulics.

Alternatively, a donkey engine driving a hydraulic pump may be mounted on the machine.

The machine may be transported to and from its place of operation by folding up a trailing bed of small rollers 14 atthe rear ofthe machine and fixing a removable drawbar atthefront.

When loading the machine with bales at the commencement of a column, two extension bars may be disposed one on each side of the cradle and used to support the firstthree orfour bales across the gap. These bars are then removed to allow wrapping to take place.

The machine is normally emptied of bales by moving through it unwrapped straw bales after the column of wrapped bales. Once the machine is free of the column of wrapped bales the unwrapped bales left on the machine can be removed from the side by stabbing. Alternatively,thedouble-acting property ofthe hydraulic ram device may be used with a length of webbing extending from one end ofthe cross bar 7 back to a pulley atthe rear ofthe machine on one side, forward to and across the front end of the last bale, backto a pulley at the rearofthe machine on the other side, and then forward again to the other end of the cross bar 7.Each extension ofthe hydraulic ram device pulls the machine forward by one bale's length whereupon the hydraulic ram device is retracted and the slack in the webbing is taken up before the hydraulic ram device is extended again.

Another means of emptying the machine is shown in Figure 3, wherein a pole assembly 15 1 5 has a flat plate 16 removably attached at one end thereof and pin-receiving holes 17 equally spaced apart along its length. In use the pole assembly 15 is inserted through a hole in the cross bar 7 with the plate 16 engaging the front end ofthe last bale. With the hydraulic ram device fully extended a removable pin is inserted in the hole 17 which is immediately behind the cross bar 7. The ram device is then retracted to push on the last bale and move the machine forward. The ram device is again extended and the pin removed and put in the next hole 17 and soon until the machine is emptied.For ease of handling,the pole assembly 15 is made up of at least two poles removably attached to each other end-to-end.

The bales are usually loaded one-by-one onto the cradle 3 by stabbing and lifting onto the machine from the front thereof. It has been found that careless withdrawal of the loading spikes from the bale can result in the machine being pulled forward and thus rupturing the plastics strip between the bales on the ground and those on the machine. An arrangement to avoid this is shown in Figure 4wherein a brake 18 on the wheel 2 is actuated via a Bowden cable 19. The sleeve ofthe cable 19 at its end remote from the brake 18 is attached to a fixed part ofthe machine underthe forward end ofthe cradle 3 where a guide rod 20 is provided. The corresponding end ofthe core of the cable 19 is attached to a slide 21 slidable on the rod 20. The slide 21 also has an abutment 22 engageable by the ram device when fully extended in order to apply the brake 18. A compression spring 23 is provided to bias the brake 18 against application. Thus the brake 18 is only applied when the ram device is fully extended. Otherwise the machine is free to be moved forward.

Claims

1. A bale wrapping machine comprising a wheeled base frame having a bale-receiving cradle followed by a bale-wrapping device and a roller bed sloping down to ground level, the bale-receiving cradle comprising a support along which a bale can be translated into the bale-wrapping device and a hydraulic ram devicefortranslating the bale along the support, the bale-wrapping device being located at a gap between the support and the roller bed and comprising a hoop arrangement through which bales can be translated bythe hydraulic ram device, the hoop arrangement including a fixed hoop, a rotary hoo p hoop rotatablecoaxiallywiththefixed hoop, a reel for plastics strip carried by the rotary hoop and drive meansforthe rotary hoop.

2. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the fixed hoop is radially inward ofthe rotary hoop.

3. A bale-wrapping machine substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.