Square bale feeder attachment for flat-bed vehicles

Abstract

A preferred embodiment of a bed assembly for flat bed trucks has a square bale retriever at the rear of the flat bed that includes a pair of lift arms adapted to grasp a bale by its opposite ends and lift it up off the ground and onto a transverse feeder located at the front of the bed. Once deposited on the feeder, a pusher engages one end of the bale and pushes the bale along the feeder to progressively advance successive flakes of the bale into a discharging position off the remote end of the feeder. The bale can thus be progressively distributed one flake at a time, the frequency of flake discharge being controlled by the operator in the cab of the truck. Alternative embodiments for pushers for engaging and advancing the bale toward the discharge point are disclosed. The feeder may be utilized separate from the bed assembly and includes a ramp that causes the bale to move up an incline during feeding operations.

1 . A feeder for square bales containing a series of successive, compacted flakes of crop material, said feeder comprising: 
 a support structure having an upper surface adapted to receive and support a bale to be fed,    said support structure having a discharge end;    conveyor mechanism for advancing a bale received on said surface toward said discharge end of the structure; and    a separating device at said discharge end of the structure that is operable to project upwardly beyond said surface to engage flakes from beneath the flakes and project them off the feeder.    
   
   
       2 . A feeder as claimed in  claim 1 , 
 said support structure comprising a ramp with a raised discharge end.    
   
   
       3 . A feeder as claimed in  claim 2 , 
 said ramp being selectively lowerable into a generally horizontal position.    
   
   
       4 . A feeder as claimed in  claim 1 , 
 said separating device including a retracting fork movable through a path of travel in which tines of the fork project upwardly beyond said surface, sweep along the surface, and then retract back down below the surface.    
   
   
       5 . A feeder as claimed in  claim 4 , 
 said conveyor mechanism and said retracting fork being actuatable and deactuatable independently of one another.    
   
   
       6 . A feeder as claimed in  claim 1 , 
 said conveyor mechanism including a pusher disposed to project upwardly into position behind and in pushing engagement with the most trailing flake in the bale for advancing the bale.    
   
   
       7 . A feeder as claimed in  claim 1 , 
 said conveyor mechanism and said separating device being actuatable and deactuatable independently of one another.