Agricultural bagger with dual rotor and/or variable-taper tunnel

Abstract

An agricultural bagger apparatus and method for compacting feed into a horizontally deployed bag including a moving hopper wall and mechanism for moving the wall at an input end of hopper. The wall moving mechanism and the moving wall of the hopper sweeps the feed adjacent to the sloping wall to prevent feed bridging. A safety enclosure isolates the wall moving mechanism from contaminants and prevents exposure to the wall moving mechanism. Some embodiments also compact feed in the upper portion of a tunnel, for example, by reciprocating a hinged piston above a primary compression mechanism. A tunnel-adjustment mechanism varies a cross-section area of the tunnel exit in order to control the amount of compaction on the feed as it leaves the tunnel and enters the bag. In some embodiments, dual counter-rotating toothed compression mechanism force feed between the rotors and into the tunnel at a rate and pressure greater than what is possible with only one multiple-toothed compressor rotor.

1 . An agricultural bagger apparatus for compacting feed into a horizontally deployed bag, the apparatus comprising: 
 an extrusion tunnel;    a primary compression mechanism having two or more toothed rotors operable to rotate in opposite directions in order to force feed between the rotors and into the tunnel.    
   
   
       2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 a hopper that receives agricultural feed, the hopper further including: 
 an input hopper portion that includes a first hopper wall; and  
 a lower end exit chute connected to the primary compression mechanism, wherein a major portion of the first hopper wall moves relative to other portions of the hopper to urge feed towards the primary compression mechanism.  
   
   
   
       3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the first hopper wall is a sloped wall that moves in an oscillating motion.  
   
   
       4 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the first hopper wall includes: 
 a first ridge; and    a second ridge wherein the first and second ridges are configured to push the agricultural feed in the hopper toward the primary compression mechanism as the first hopper wall moves.    
   
   
       5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the extrusion tunnel has a mechanism to vary a cross sectional area of the tunnel in order to control a compaction factor of the feed.  
   
   
       6 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the extrusion tunnel includes a top wall and one or more movable sidewalls hingedly attached to the bagger apparatus.  
   
   
       7 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , further comprising one or more hydraulic cylinders attach to each movable sidewall and operable to vary a lateral position of the cylinder's sidewall.  
   
   
       8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein a plurality of the rotors, when operating, are configured to have their rotational axis above about 60% of the filled-bag height above the ground.  
   
   
       9 . A method for improving the flow of agricultural feed in an agricultural feed stock bagging machine having an output tunnel and a primary compression mechanism, the method comprising: 
 forcing feed into the tunnel;    varying a cross-sectional area of the tunnel to control a compression factor of the feed.    
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the varying of the cross-sectional area includes moving side walls of the tunnel inwardly in order to reduce the extrusion opening of the tunnel.  
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein moving the sidewalls is accomplished by extending a hydraulic cylinder.  
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the forcing of feed into the tunnel is accomplished by forcing the feed between counter rotating toothed compression mechanisms.  
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the forcing of feed into the tunnel is accomplished by forcing the feed between the counter rotating toothed compression mechanisms having their rotational axis located above about 60% of the filled-bag height above the ground.  
   
   
       14 . An agricultural bagger apparatus for compacting feed into a horizontally deployed bag, the apparatus comprising: 
 an input hopper;    an extrusion tunnel; and    a multi-rotor primary-compression means for forcing feed from the hopper into the extrusion tunnel.    
   
   
       15 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , further comprising moving wall means on the hopper for moving feed through the hopper toward the primary compressor.  
   
   
       16 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , further comprising tunnel-size adjusting means for adjusting a compression factor of feed in the tunnel.  
   
   
       17 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , further comprising a means for adjusting a cross sectional area of the extrusion tunnel's exit port.  
   
   
       18 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein a plurality of the rotors, when operating, are configured to have their rotational axis above about 60% of the filled-bag height above the ground.  
   
   
       19 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein a plurality of the rotors, when operating, are configured to have their rotational axis above about 80% of the filled-bag height above the ground.  
   
   
       20 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein a plurality of the rotors, when operating, are configured to have their rotational axis above about 90% of the filled-bag height above the ground.