This invention relates generally to industrial agricultural equipment and more specifically to a loadable transport vehicle which is constructed to receive large rolled bales of hay or the like, transport them and distribute them to the desired location.
Current hay farming techniques are generally directed toward large commercial farming operations, with automated machinery handling many aspects of farming production. In the past, however, hay was cut from the field using horse drawn wagons, with the hay being collected in the wagons for distribution. As hay production evolved, additional machinery was developed which aided in cutting and gathering the hay into bundles which were later cut, shaped and collected for transport to a destination location where the hay was stored. As methods and technology developed which were capable of handling and transporting more hay in a shorter timeframe, so too did the size and weight of hay bales increase. So much so, in fact, that it is no longer practical for a person to manually manipulate the bales in many cases. Current round hayrolls are often six to eight feet in diameter and in some cases weigh more than a ton depending on moisture content and additional factors.
While a variety of equipment has been developed for handling standard rectangular hay bales, limited machinery has been developed for handling the larger round hay bales. Equipment which has been developed in this area includes formation machinery such as tines or other tractor attachments for picking up the hay bales and transferring them to another vehicle for transport. However, acceptable transport trailers have not developed apace with other equipment associated with the handling of round bales. Accordingly, there exists a need for a specialized trailer for transporting the hay rolls from the field for even distribution to a delivery site, the rolls being delivered without the need for extra machinery or equipment.
The present invention provides an improved combination hay trailer and tiltable bed and method related thereto for loading and unloading round bales, said improvement comprising a hinge assembly positioned along said combination and adapted for angular rotation of the bed about the trailer, said hinge assembly including a rotary hinge with an outer hinge structure spaced from an inner hinge structure, said inner hinge structure associated with one of the bed and trailer, said outer hinge structure being associated with the other of said bed and trailer, and a hinge sleeve extending through said hinge assembly, wherein said tiltable bed is biased downwardly.
As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure.
The present invention can be used for transporting round bales also referred to herein as hay rolls and includes features which provide for convenient and expedited loading, transport and unloading. The embodiment shown in
The combination 10 will be fabricated from suitable materials to handle the weight of the transported hayrolls 2 such as wood, metals or others. Also, the tiltable bed 20 is constructed to provide for angular rotation of the tiltable bed 20 from a generally horizontal position to an angled position. The rear portion of the tiltable bed 20 is associated with a loading edge 26 positioned near the ground for receipt or delivery of the hayrolls 2.
The tiltable bed 20 is generally rectangularly shaped with a pair of side rails 22 and is traversed by a plurality of rollers 30 positioned in an overlying orientation with respect to the hay trailer 11. The rollers are adapted for receipt of plural hayrolls 2. The tiltable bed 20 may have varying dimensions. As illustrated the combination hayroll trailer and tiltable bed 10 allows for transport of six hayrolls 2 in a side-by-side orientation but may accommodate varying amounts according to the size of the tiltable bed 10, size of the bales 10, and bale orientation which may optionally be end-to-end.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, the tiltable bed 20 is selectively rotatable relative to the hay trailer 11 and may be rotated about a hinge assembly 70 to permit loading and unloading of the hayrolls 2. Generally, the tiltable bed 20 is biased for rotation of the rear portion of the tiltable bed 20 toward the ground in an unloading condition. During transport, the tiltable bed 20 may be maintained in a substantially level or neutral position using a latching mechanism 80. Hayrolls 2 may be positioned along the bed 20 so as to bias the bed 20 towards the neck 14 or the rear. A pivot axis associated with the hinge assembly 70 also may optionally be located at different points along the length of the trailer 11 to bias the bed 20 towards the neck 14 or rear. A front and rear stop 36, 38 allow for positioning of the hayrolls 2 to present a biased or neutral orientation, facilitating delivery of the transported hayrolls upon arriving at the desired destination. While the combination 10 allows for a rotational bias, depending on the desired operation, the operator may align the front and rear stops 36, 38 to adjust the bias and prevent clockwise or counter-clockwise rotation of the tiltable bed 20.
As further illustrated in
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As illustrated more clearly in
The hay trailer 11 also includes a plurality of wheels 12 in a tandem orientation and a neck 14 adapted for towable movement of trailer 11. As a point of reference in the embodiment of
The latching mechanism 80 secures the tiltable bed 20 against substantial rotation while the hinge assembly 70 provides for pivotal movement of the tiltable bed 20 about a pivot axis extending through the hinge assembly 70. Generally, the tiltable bed 20 presents an angle of rotation about the hay trailer 11 from between 0 to less than 45 degrees. However, a different angle of rotation may be provided by adjusting the distal end 52a of the longitudinally extending members 52 rearwardly or otherwise by modifying the directional surface 64 for alternate angular orientation. The hay trailer 11 also includes a cantilevered configuration in which the center of gravity of the combination hay trailer and tiltable bed 10 is urged towards the hinge assembly 70 for slightly biased rotation of the tiltable bed 20 towards the ground.
As illustrated in
In operation, the hayrolls 2 may be loaded upon the combination hayroll trailer and tiltable bed 10 using a loading machine like a tractor or loader to place the hayrolls 2 upon the tiltable bed 20. The hay combination 10 is then transported to the desired location for unloading. As illustrated in
The latching mechanism 80 includes a catch 84 comprised of a downwardly extending leg section 84a with an engageable surface 84b extending lengthwise and adapted for receiving the latch which is illustrated as generally hook-shaped and engaging the engageable surface 84b. As illustrated the engageable surface 84b includes an arcuate portion for engagement by the complementary-shaped latch 82. In the unloading orientation, the actuator 86 in communication with the latch 82 is operated, rotating the latch 82 upwardly away from the catch 84, releasing the catch 84 and allowing the tiltable bed 20 to rotate about the pivot point. When it is desired to relatch the tilting bed 20 to the hay trailer 11, the catch 84 positioned near the tiltable bed 20 is rotated towards the hay trailer 11, aligning the leg section 84a for engagement by the latch 82, rotating an upper portion of the latch 82 inwardly towards the catch 84 for engagement of the arcuate engageable surface 84b by the latch 82.
Optionally a locking mechanism (not shown) may be provided to secure the actuator 86 in a retained position to help avoid any unintended operation of the latching mechanism 80. The actuator 86 is designed for simple, easy to use operation, allowing a single user to deliver several hayrolls 2 to the desired destination. In addition, a safety member (also not shown) may be provided for additional security, which if utilized would be removed by the operator prior to operating the latching mechanism 80 to rotate the loading edge 26 of the tiltable bed 20 up or down without the need for any automated devices.
In addition, as the front 50a rotates upwardly during the unloading orientation, the vertical support stand 40 rotates vertically to support the tiltable bed 20. As illustrated in
Plural rollers 30 extend between the side rails 22 and are spaced along the tiltable bed 20. Generally, rollers 30 allow for loading of the hayrolls 2 on and/or off the tiltable bed 20. The rollers 30 may be 4 or 6 inches in diameter or some other dimensioned roller and are fabricated from a material which, depending partly on the numerosity of neighboring rollers, is capable of supporting the weight of the received hayrolls 2. The rollers 30 as illustrated may have independent movement with each roller 30 freely and independently rotatable, or the rollers 30 may utilize interconnecting structure (not shown) such as a chain and gears for coordinated movement between plural rollers 30. In addition, a motor (not shown) may be coupled to the chain and gear assembly providing assistance during loading and unloading operations.
Rollers 30′ are illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
Once the hayrolls 2 are loaded, the combination hay trailer and tiltable bed 10 is then prepared for transport. To prepare the combination hay trailer and tiltable bed 10 for transport, the rear stop 38 is adjustably secured onto the side supports 90 near the loading edge 26 and the front stop 36 is adjusted nearer to the front 50a for proper positioning of the hayrolls 2 during transport. Similarly, the front stop 36 generally includes a pair of front collars 36a adjustably secured to the side supports 90, the front collar pair 36a being spaced apart by a front retainer 36b. Once secured, the front and rear stops 36, 38 position and help limit undesired movement of the hayrolls 2 during transport as the combination hay trailer and tiltable bed 10 travel to the desired location for unloading.
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) and 37 C.F.R. 1.78(a)(4) based upon copending U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/242,588 for TILTABLE ROLLER BED TRAILER, filed Sep. 15, 2009, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61242588 | Sep 2009 | US |