Importance

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Abstract

The invention is a simple and efficient system for picking up bales of hay, straw, or other agricultural material in the field and transporting these in stacks (four bales high) to a remote location. The first step in the process is attaching to the baler a cart with a turn table. The baler bales the hay, straw, or other agricultural material into a rectangular bale that is delivered lengthwise to the cart. The turn table on the cart rotates the bale ninety degrees and discharges the bale. Then a bale is picked up by a self propelled bale wagon that consists of: a cab with an engine, a flat bed, and the appropriate machinery for picking up the bale. A boom is mounted on the front of the bale wagon. The boom includes a plurality of tines designed to penetrate the bale as it rests in the field after coming off the turn table cart. These tines are then used to hold the bale while the boom, which is driven by a hydraulic system, rotates one hundred eighty degrees and places the bale on a conveyor table above the cab. The conveyor table propels the bale onto a pair of moveable forks. The moveable forks then lower the bale to the flat bed of the bale wagon. The bale wagon then moves forward and the tines stab another bale. This bale is again pivoted one hundred eighty degrees and placed on the conveyor table above the cab. The conveyor table propels the bale rearward and the bale is propelled off the conveyor table and on top of the first bale. Said second bale is held in place by the vertical moveable support tail gate. The stack, two bales high on the bed of the bale wagon, is then propelled rearwardly by a ram that pushes the bales and the vertical moveable support tail gate toward the back of the bed, leaving room for two more bales to be placed upon the wagon by the boom. The bale wagon moves forward and goes through the same process as described above to place two more bales on the wagon, and then the ram again moves these bales rearwardly to make room for two more. The bale wagon bed can carry up to eight bales in this fashion. The bales are then transported to the remote location. At the remote location the bed is hydraulically pivoted ninety degrees so that the bales form a stack four bales high and two bales wide. The bed has a pivotal ram that pivots and pushes the bales off the vertically moveable support tailgate. The bale wagon then returns to the field for more bales.

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First Claim