Disintegration of baled crop materials

Abstract

Apparatus for disintegrating bales comprises a hopper with vertical end walls and two side walls which converge inwardly and downwardly to a part cylindrical base portion extending longitudinally of the hopper. The upper face of the hopper defined at the top of the side and end walls is open to receive a bale dumped into the hopper. In the hopper is provided a pair of parallel rollers for supporting an rotating the bale when in the hopper. In the base portion is provided a flail roller which rotates about its axis grasping material and throwing it out of an exit slot longitudinally of the hopper at the base of the hopper. Rectangular bales are loaded into the hopper by an inclined ramp with a chain conveyor on the ramp, the ramp having a loading position in which it is inclined from a forward edge adjacent one side wall to a rear edge at the ground for pushing under the rectangular bale by which the bale is carried up the ramp to sit on the ramp. The ramp can then be raised to a discharge position in which it is inclined upwardly and rearwardly from the top edge of the end wall so the bale can be forced downwardly and forwardly into the hopper even though the bale may have a length greater than that of the hopper. To accommodate different types of bale, also the grid bars over the flail roller are commonly adjustable so that their height from the flail roller is adjusted by raising and lowering one end of the grid bars on a shaft extending along the length of the hopper and operable by a lever at one end.