Highline Manufacturing Limited

Cnh Canada, Ltd.

Bourgault Industries, Inc.

Cnh Industrial Canada, Ltd.

Blake Neudorf

Montgomerie Summach

Jim Henry

Trevor Lawrence Kowalchuk

Joel Dokken

Gene Kondra

James Wayne Henry

Russell James Memory

Mark Cresswell

Gerard F Bourgault

Terry A Friggstad

Dave Wiebe

John Maltman

Derek Walter

Warren Garth Schierling

Duane Olson

Scott Fairbum

Monty Summach

Cam Wilson

Cameron Wilson

Zachary Berglund

Justin Regier

Pauric McNally

Pauric Mcnally

David Wiebe

Robert Cockrane

Gerard Bourgault

Scott Fairburn

A bale processor has a towed body that includes one or two hay bale shredders in the form of a flail drum. The bale processor is self-loading such that bales may be loaded in the processing tubs by a set of rear mounted arms and various conveyor chains. The processor also includes a grain tank, a grain metering system, and a grain cracker, all mounted in series. The grain cracker may have a choice of outputs, including back to the grain tank. The cracked grain is fed into the tub to be mixed with other feed materials, such as shredded straw, and is then discharged to the opposite side of the unit. There may be a feed chopper mounted downstream of the tub, such that the feed chopper receives both the grain material and the shredded hay feed. The feed chopper and the grain cracker operate independently, and may have different setting of size, speed, and weight or volume per minute or per unit of distance travelled. The output may have a curtain assembly to facilitate deposit in windrows.

Mobile bale and feed processor and method

A method of loading bales into a bale processing chamber of a bale processor. The bale processing chamber is mounted on a chamber frame mounted on wheels for travel on a ground surface in a forward operating travel direction. A bale fork is pivotally mounted on the chamber frame such that in a lowered position the bale fork is oriented substantially horizontally and rests on the ground surface. The chamber frame is moved rearward such that the bale fork slides under a bale resting on the ground surface with a bale axis oriented substantially horizontally in a first direction substantially perpendicular to the operating travel direction. The bale fork and the bale supported thereon are raised above the ground surface. The bale fork is turned such that the bale axis turns to a second direction substantially parallel to the operating travel direction while maintaining the bale rearward of the bale processing chamber. The bale fork is raised to a raised position where the bale falls into the bale processing chamber with the bale axis oriented in the second direction.

Method of loading bales

A bale loading trailer has a bale supporting frame mounted on wheels. A fork assembly is pivotally mounted beside a front end of the frame configured to engage a bale when in a lowered position, and to disengage the bale when in a raised position such that the bale moves onto the front end of the bale supporting frame. A hydraulic cylinder moves the fork assembly between positions. A hydraulic motor driven conveyor chain assembly extends along the bale supporting frame, and loaded bales rest on, and move along the frame in concert with, the conveyor chain. A valve circuit connects the hydraulic cylinder and the hydraulic motor drive such that as the fork assembly moves from the raised position to the lowered position, hydraulic fluid flows from the hydraulic cylinder through the hydraulic motor drive and causes the conveyor chain assembly to move a bale length rearward.

Bale loading trailer with automatic bale movement

A bale processor apparatus has a bale processing chamber mounted on a chamber frame on wheels for travel in a travel direction. A lift arm frame is pivotally attached to a rear end of the chamber frame about a lift pivot axis, and a lift actuator pivots the lift arm frame from a lowered position to a raised position. A bale turning assembly is pivotally attached to the lift arm frame and bale fork tines are attached to the bale turning assembly. A turning actuator pivots the bale turning assembly from a standard position, where the bale fork tines extend rearward from bale processing chamber to a turned position, where the bale fork tines are rearward of the bale processing chamber and perpendicular to the travel direction. A shear bar cuts twine on rectangular bales as they fall into the chamber but does not affect cylindrical bales.

Bale turning apparatus for a bale processor

A bale processor has a bale chamber mounted on a frame and a disintegrator shreds material from a bale and discharges shredded material laterally. A fan receives the shredded material through a fan inlet and blows the material out through a fan discharge. A conveyor receives the shredded material from the disintegrator along an inner side thereof. A side opening extends along an outer side of the conveyor and a side door is movable from a closed position, where the side opening is closed and the conveyor is enclosed and moves the shredded material along the conveyor and into the fan inlet, to an open position where the outer side of the conveyor is open and the conveyor moves the shredded material laterally out through the side opening. An auger conveyor mounted only on an end opposite the fan inlet leaves the fan inlet unobstructed, increasing capacity.

Bale processor with fan and side discharges

A rotary mower has a center mower deck and a hitch arm assembly adapted at a front end for connection to a tractor drawbar. A hydraulic pump is mounted on the hitch arm assembly and connected to a hydraulic motor mounted on the center mower. An upward arm section of the hitch arm assembly extends upward from a front portion of the hitch arm assembly to provide a desired clearance distance between a middle arm section of the hitch arm assembly and the ground, and a downward arm section of the hitch arm assembly extends downward from the middle arm section to a rear end of the hitch arm assembly which is pivotally connected to the mower deck about a hitch pivot axis oriented horizontally and perpendicular to the operating travel direction. The hitch pivot axis is located at a vertical position below top edges of the front wheels.

High clearance mower hitch

A twine cutting apparatus for a bale processor has a guide extending along a length of a floor of the bale chamber, and a knife engaged in the guide and configured such that the knife can slide along the length of the drum and such that a cutting edge of the knife contacts twine wrapped around an outer surface of the drum. A rigid handle is attached at a knife end thereof to the knife and is configured to be gripped by an operator at a grip end thereof outside the bale chamber. A twine access area can be provided on the drum surface to facilitate cutting twine, and the apparatus can be stored inside the bale chamber during operation of the bale processor.

Twine cutter for a bale processor

A universal sweep plow configured to mate securely and be attached to a seed boot. The universal sweep plow includes sweep plow attachment formed from a single unit of metal and an anchor. The attachment includes a central portion configured to mate with a seed boot and right and left central portion openings configured to align with an anchor hole in the seed boot. The right and left wing portions extend outward and rearward from the central portion. The anchor is configured to attach the sweep plow to the seed boot by passing through the right and left central portion openings and the anchor hole in the seed boot.

Universal sweep plow attachment

A rotary mower apparatus includes a mower deck with a frame, an upper skin attached to the frame, and a lower skin removably attached to the frame below the upper skin such that a separation distance is provided between the upper and lower skins. A blade assembly is removably mounted to the deck below the lower skin and a drive is mounted to the deck and is operative to rotate the blade assembly. The lower skin can also be provided with retarding members on the underside thereof to retard the flow of cut vegetation, and to thereby cut the vegetation into smaller pieces.

Rotary mower with optional lower skin

A bale processor apparatus has a bale chamber configured to hold a front bale in the chamber forward of a rear bale in the chamber. A disintegrator apparatus removes shredded material from the front bale and forms a front stream of shredded material moving laterally, and removes shredded material from the rear bale and forms a rear stream of shredded material. An exhaust opening in the bale chamber adjacent to the front bale is oriented such that the front stream passes laterally through the exhaust opening. A conveyor receives the rear stream and carries same forward and moves same into contact with the front stream such that the rear stream is carried out through the exhaust opening with the front stream.

Bale processor for mixing two bales

A rotary mower has a center deck and wing decks extend laterally outward from the center deck and are oriented horizontally when in the field position. An actuator moves each wing deck from the field position to the raised transport position where the wing decks extend upward. A transport wheel and a field wheel are mounted on each side so that in the field position, the transport wheel is above the ground and the field wheel is supports the wing deck and in the raised transport position the field wheel is above the ground and the transport wheel supports the wing deck. A wing wheel supports each wing deck when in the field position. As the center deck is towed forward in the raised transport position, the wing decks pivot rearward with respect to the center deck from the raised transport position to the trailing transport position.

Trailing transport rotary mower

An implement includes a caster wheel pivotally attached to the implement to support the implement for movement. A steering link is engaged with the caster wheel, and an actuator is operative to move the steering link from a neutral position to a controlling position. When the steering link is in the neutral position, the caster wheel can pivot about the caster axis through a 360 degree pivot range. When the steering link is moved to the controlling position, the caster wheel is oriented to roll toward a first side of the implement.

Steering for towed implements

A system and method for operating a ground working tool having attached thereto an implement includes a trip mechanism. The trip mechanism includes a generally horizontally oriented hydraulic cylinder configured to be biased into an extended position to engage the implement in a work position engaged to work the ground. Specifically, a link rod connects the hydraulic cylinder to a carrier to which the implement is attached. The link rod can be adjusted in length and has a generally small diameter, such that, upon extending into hydraulic cylinder when the implement impacts an obstruction, the link rod does not contact the hydraulic cylinder.

Trip mechanism for a ground working tool

A blade bolt for attaching a blade to a rotating member of a rotary mower has a head at a lower end, a cylindrical shoulder portion extending from the head, a shank extending from the shoulder portion, the shank having a cross-section that is rounded and non-cylindrical, and a threaded portion extending from the shank. The shoulder portion extends laterally beyond at least a portion of the shank such that the shoulder portion bears against the rotating member when the shank is inserted into a mounting aperture defined by the mounting member that has a shape corresponding to the cross-section of the shank. The rounded and non-cylindrical shank prevents rotation of the bolt, and distributes stress forces across a wider area compared to the prior art.

Bolt for attaching a rotary mower blade

An air velocity indicator and control device is provided for use with pneumatic distribution systems used in air seeders that pneumatically discharge agricultural product to the ground, seedbed, or furrow. The air velocity indicator and control device includes a tubular housing, extending between an inlet and an outlet, and pivotally housing a deflectable plate that actuates in response to encountering an airflow entrained with agricultural product. A magnitude of deflection of the deflectable plate, corresponding to airflow velocity, can be displayed through an indicator assembly. This enables a user to identify velocity variances and differentials within the air seeder and make corrective adjustments. In some implementations, multiple air velocity indicator and control devices are ganged together with deflectable plates that pivot in unison with each other. The relative angle of fixation of the deflectable plates, upon the pivot pin, can be adjusted to permit airflow tuning as needed.

Growing community of inventors

Warman, Canada

Blake Neudorf