Hay stacking machine

Abstract

A portable tiltable platform includes a trough extending to the peripheral edge for communication with hay being transported to it from a rake pickup which feeds it to an auger and in turn to a compressing roller and then into the inlet end of the trough at the peripheral edge of the platform when the platform is in the horizontal transport position. The trough includes a longitudinally extending side wall and a bottom wall which extends laterally to merge with the platform top surface. The bottom wall merges at its forward inner end with a portion extending upwardly to merge with the platform surface. A portion of the platform surface extends over the vertical wall of the trough and over reciprocating out of phase feed teeth in the bottom wall and vertical wall of the trough. An annular frame extends around the platform and rotates relative thereto. A plurality of posts are provided which have compression arms extending to the center of the platform which receives hay from the outlet end of the trough. The pressure arms moving arcuately engage the hay to sweep it along the platform top surface causing a stack to form from the bottom up. The compression arms decrease their pressure on the hay as the arms move upwardly while the total pressure remains substantially constant since the hay increases in weight as it increases in height. The unloading of the platform is accomplished by opening gate sections forming the cage around the stack and tipping the platform rearwardly and downwardly followed by operation of a push-off member which moves from the forward end to the rearward end of the platform.

I claim: 
     
       1. A hay stacking machine, comprising: a platform having a top surface for the building of a hay stack thereon, said platform having a depression;   support means for supporting said platform above a supply of hay;   transport means for picking said hay up from said supply and moving said hay to said platform surface over said depression;   a frame positioned around the periphery of said platform,   a plurality of radially extending compression arms vertically pivotally connected to said frame and adapted to move between downwardly and inwardly extending positions to upwardly and inwardly extending positions, and   power means for yieldably maintaining pressure through said arms on hay on said platform and means for rotating said frame with said arms engaging said hay for moving hay into a layer and over said depression in said platform surface whereby said moving layer of hay sweeps up said hay moved to said platform surface and forms a stack from the bottom thereof with said compression arms pivoting upwardly as the stack increases in height.   
     
     
       2. The structure of claim 1 wherein the power means for yieldably maintaining pressure through said arms on said hay decreases said pressure while the pressure from said stack increases as the stack increases in weight and height thereby maintaining at all times a substantial amount of pressure on said hay moving to said platform surface. 
     
     
       3. The structure of claim 1 wherein said compression arms are mounted on upstanding posts positioned on said frame. 
     
     
       4. The structure of claim 3 wherein said compression arms include first and second arm portions pivotally connected in vertically spaced apart relationship to said posts and are movably connected to each other remotely of said posts to provide compression arms having a variable angular shape for shaping and compressing said stack along its sides and top. 
     
     
       5. The structure of claim 4 wherein the top arm portions of said pair of arms of said compression arms extend beyond the pivotal connection to said lower second arm portions. 
     
     
       6. The structure of claim 1 wherein said power means for said compression arms includes a hydraulic cylinder connected between said frame and one of said arms and laterally extending drive means are connected to adjacent arms for pivoting them between raised and lowered positions. 
     
     
       7. The structure of claim 1 wherein said frame includes a gate portion for allowing removal of said stack from said platform and said gate being movable between open and closed positions. 
     
     
       8. The structure of claim 7 wherein a push-off means is provided on said platform to move over said platform towards said open gate for removing said stack from said platform. 
     
     
       9. The structure of claim 8 wherein said platform is vertically pivotable between a horizontal transport position and a tipped unloading position with said gate being positioned on the lowermost side of said platform in said tipped position to allow removal of said stack. 
     
     
       10. The structure of claim 8 wherein said push-off means is further defined as including a pair of sprocket chains in said platform on opposite sides of said longitudinal center and a push-off member extends between said chains and is movable between positions at the front and rear of said platform. 
     
     
       11. The structure of claim 1 wherein said frame and means for rotating it relative to said platform include a continuous drive element drivably embracing the periphery of said frame and engaging a stationary power means. 
     
     
       12. A hay stacking machine, comprising: a platform having a top surface for the building of a hay stack thereon, said platform having a depression forming a trough extending to the periphery of said platform;   support means for supporting said platform above a supply of hay;   transport means associated with said platform for picking said hay up from said supply and moving said hay in said trough longitudinally thereof to said platform surface over said trough;   means associated with said platform for moving said hay from said trough into a layer upon said platform surface and for moving said layer over said trough in said platform surface, whereby said moving layer of hay sweeps up said hay moved to said platform surface and forms a hay stack from the bottom thereof.   
     
     
       13. The structure of claim 12 wherein said transport means includes a means for compressing and flattening said hay prior to being fed into said trough. 
     
     
       14. The structure of claim 13 wherein said transport means further includes auger means for moving said hay in transport laterally inwardly and then through said means for compressing and flattening said hay. 
     
     
       15. The structure of claim 12 wherein said trough is further defined as including a longitudinally extending vertical side wall and a bottom wall extending from the base of the side wall laterally upwardly from said side wall and longitudinally inwardly and upwardly from the periphery of said platform to merge into said platform top surface. 
     
     
       16. The structure of claim 15 wherein said bottom wall is further defined as including first and second portions, said first portion extends longitudinally inwardly from the periphery to merge with said second portion which extends inwardly and upwardly to merge with said platform surface. 
     
     
       17. The structure of claim 16 wherein said platform includes a portion extending substantially over said trough vertical side wall and an adjacent portion of said trough bottom wall. 
     
     
       18. The structure of claim 17 wherein reciprocating feed means are positioned in the bottom wall of said trough below and substantially covered by said platform portion for moving said hay in said trough to said platform surface. 
     
     
       19. The structure of claim 18 wherein said vertical side wall of said trough includes reciprocating feed means substantially covered by said platform portion for moving said hay to said platform surface. 
     
     
       20. The structure of claim 17 wherein said platform portion includes at its longitudinal inner end a laterally extending notch extending to substantially said vertical side wall of said trough. 
     
     
       21. The structure of claim 18 wherein said reciprocating feed means in said trough bottom wall are further defined as being a plurality of longitudinally spaced teeth having longitudinally inwardly facing gripping edges and outwardly facing smooth edges for passing under hay whereby said hay is moved longitudinally inwardly in said trough by said teeth gripping edges when said teeth are moving inwardly and said smooth edges pass under said hay as said teeth move outwardly. 
     
     
       22. The structure of claim 21 wherein said gripping edges are further defined as being substantially perpendicular to the line of travel of said teeth as they are reciprocated and said smooth edges taper from the top thereof longitudinally outwardly and towards the bottom wall of said trough. 
     
     
       23. The structure of claim 18 wherein said reciprocating feed means in said vertical side wall of said trough are further defined as being teeth longitudinally spaced on a frame member connected to a crank which during half of each revolution moves said frame members and thereby moves said teeth longitudinally forwardly and laterally inwardly into said trough while during the other half of each revolution of said crank said frame member and teeth are moved longitudinally outwardly and laterally outwardly of said trough to move hay through said trough towards said platform surface during the first half revolution and move outwardly in spaced relation to said hay during the other half of each revolution of said crank. 
     
     
       24. The structure of claim 23 wherein said reciprocating feed means in said trough bottom wall are further defined as being a plurality of longitudinally spaced teeth having longitudinally inwardly facing gripping edges and outwardly facing smooth edges for passing under hay whereby said hay is moved longitudinally inwardly in said trough by said teeth gripping edges when said teeth are moving inwardly and said smooth edges pass under said hay as said teeth move outwardly. 
     
     
       25. The structure of claim 24 wherein said feed means in said bottom wall of said trough is connected to said crank to be reciprocated in said trough. 
     
     
       26. The structure of claim 25 wherein said crank rotates about an axis at a point intermediate the ends of said crank and said frame member for said feed means in said side wall is connected to one end of said crank and said feed means in said trough bottom wall is connected to the other end whereby each feed means is 180° out of phase with the other feed means. 
     
     
       27. The structure of claim 18 wherein said reciprocating feed means in said vertical side wall of said trough is further defined as being teeth extending into said trough through said side wall and being pivotable forwardly only whereby during forward travel hay will be moved forwardly toward said platform surface and during rearward travel said teeth will pivot forwardly in response to forward pressure from said hay thereby allowing said teeth to pass under said hay. 
     
     
       28. The structure of claim 12 wherein said platform is pivotally mounted on a vehicle frame for pivoting between a horizontal transport position to a tilted position with the rear edge thereof extending downwardly towards the ground for unloading said platform and said trough having an outer end in communication with said transport means when said platform is in said horizontal transport position whereby said hay may be moved up from said supply to said trough to said platform surface. 
     
     
       29. The structure of claim 12 wherein said trough is further defined as being radially positioned on said platform and having an outer end at the periphery of said platform in communication with said transport means for picking up said hay and an inner end at the axial center of said platform. 
     
     
       30. The structure of claim 12 wherein said trough includes a longitudinal axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of said machine and the travel path of said machine. 
     
     
       31. The structure of claim 30 wherein said transport means for picking up said hay is positioned on the front side of said machine and feeds hay rearwardly into the trough at the periphery of said platform. 
     
     
       32. The structure of claim 31 wherein said transport means includes means for laterally compressing said hay into a row of hay prior to being fed into said trough. 
     
     
       33. A hay stacking machine, comprising: a platform having a top surface for the building of a hay stack thereon, said platform having a depression;   support means for supporting said platform above a supply of hay;   transport means for picking said hay up from said supply and moving said hay to said platform surface over said depression;   a frame positioned around the periphery of said platform,   a plurality of radially extending compression arms vertically moveably connected to said frame and adapted to move between a lower position adjacent the platform to an up position, and   power means for yieldably maintaining pressure through said arms on hay on said platform and means for rotating said frame with said arms engaging said hay for moving hay into a layer and over said depression in said platform surface whereby said moving layer of hay sweeps up said hay moved to said platform surface and forms a stack from the bottom thereof with said compression arms moving upwardly as the stack increases in height.   
     
     
       34. The structure of claim 12 wherein the longitudinal axis of said trough is substantially perpendicular to an arcuate travel path of said hay on said platform. 
     
     
       35. The structure of claim 12 wherein means is pivoted for maintaining pressure on said hay directly contacting said platform top surface. 
     
     
       36. The structure of claim 35 wherein said means for maintaining said pressure includes a plurality of vertical movable arms adapted to engage hay on said platform surface. .Iadd. 37. A hay stacking machine comprising: a platform having a top surface for the building of a hay stack thereon, said platform having an enlarged trough extending from the outer periphery toward the center of said platform;   first means associated with said platform for receiving hay from a supply of hay and moving the hay in said trough longitudinally thereof toward the center of said platform; and   second means associated with said platform for moving hay from said trough to said platform surface and for moving hay around said platform top surface to form a hay stack from the bottom thereof. .Iaddend..Iadd. 38. The machine of claim 37 wherein the platform is generally circular and said trough is disposed generally radially and extends from the outer periphery toward the center thereof. .Iaddend..Iadd. 39. The machine of claim 37 wherein said platform has a bottom wall inclined upwardly in a circumferential direction forming said trough, said bottom wall merging with the top surface of the platform. .Iaddend..Iadd. 40. The machine of claim 39 including an upright side wall extended between the bottom wall and top surface of the platform, said first means having movable feed means associated with said side wall engagable with hay in said trough to move said hay toward the center of the platform. .Iaddend..Iadd. 41. The machine of claim 40 wherein said movable feed means include reciprocating finger means located below the top surface of the platform. .Iaddend..Iadd. 42. The machine of claim 37 wherein said second means includes a cage surrounding the platform, means movably mounting the cage on the platform, and means for moving the cage relative to the platform. .Iaddend..Iadd. 43. The machine of claim 42 wherein said second means further includes arm means movably mounted on the cage and extended over the platform and engages the hay on said platform. .Iaddend..Iadd. 44. The machine of claim 43 including means associated with the arm means to bias the arm means toward said platform. .Iaddend..Iadd. 45. The machine of claim 43 wherein said arm means comprise a plurality of arms pivotally mounted on the cage, each arm having a first arm pivotally mounted on the cage and a second arm pivotally mounted on the cage and slidably connected to the first arm. .Iaddend..Iadd. 46. The machine of claim 37 wherein said second means includes compression means for engaging the hay on said platform and yieldably maintaining pressure on the hay on said platform. .Iaddend..Iadd. 47. A hay stacking machine comprising:   a platform having a top surface for the building of a hay stack thereon, said platform having an elongated trough extending from the outer periphery to the interior of said platform;   first means associated with said platform for feeding hay into said trough generally at the outer periphery of said platform;   second means associated with said platform for moving hay in said trough from the outer periphery of said platform toward the interior thereof; and   third means associated with said platform for moving hay from said trough to said platform top surface and for moving hay around said platform top   
     
     
        surface to form a hay stack from the bottom thereof. .Iaddend..Iadd. 48. The machine of claim 47 wherein said platform has a bottom wall inclined upwardly in a circumferential direction forming said elongated trough, saaid bottom wall merging with the top surface of the platform. .Iaddend..Iadd. 49. The machine of claim 48 including an upright side wall extended between the bottom wall and top surface of the platform, said second means having movable feed means associated with said side wall engagable with hay in said trough to move said hay toward the center of the platform. .Iaddend..Iadd. 50. The machine of claim 49 wherein said movable feed means include reciprocating finger means located below the top surface of the platform. .Iaddend..Iadd. 51. The machine of claim 47 wherein said third means includes compression means for engaging the hay on said platform and yieldably maintaining pressure on the hay on said platform. .Iaddend..Iadd. 52. The machine of claim 51 wherein said third means further includes arm means movably mounted on the cage and extended over the platform and engages the hay on said platform. .Iaddend..Iadd. 53. The machine of claim 52 wherein means associated with the arm means to bias the arm means toward said platform. .Iaddend..Iadd. 54. The machine of claim 53 wherein said arm means comprise a plurality of arms pivotally mounted on the cage, each arm having a first arm pivotally mounted on the cage and a second arm pivotally mounted on the cage and slidably connected to the first arm. .Iaddend..Iadd. 55. The machine of claim 48 wherein said third means includes compression means for engaging the hay on said platform and yieldably maintaining pressure on the hay on said platform. .Iaddend.