Accumulator Packages 21 Small Square Bales

Accumulator Packages 21 Small Square Bales BALE HANDLING Bale Handling (31B) 22-3-19 "It's a real labor saver and makes handling small square bales a lot easier," says Owen Brown, who designed and built a labor-saving small square bale accumulator. The Pittsfield, Ill., farmer calls his patent pending machine the "Accumulator". It automatically packages 21 small square bales into a large bundle that can be handled by a front-end loader. Brown entered his hay ma-chine in the Mid-America Alfalfa Expo in Hastings, Neb., last winter where it placed first in the invention contest. The rig is designed to be pulled behind the baler and stacks bales three high and seven deep. Bales are kept in a solid package by two 1/2-in. wide metal bands that have rounded edges so they won't cut through twine. The front of the machine is equipped with a conveyor and an elevator. After leaving the baler, the first bale is laid flat on the elevator and rotated on its edge as it approaches the top of the elevator. A kicker then pushes the bale into position for a vertical plunger. Once there are three bales, the plunger moves downward, stacking the three bales on edge. A horizontal plunger moves the three stacked bales into the main chamber where they're strapped. The process is repeated six more times. When all bales are in place, the 21-bale package is compressed and the strapping is sealed and cut. Once the package is made it's pushed out of the chamber and onto a "floating" floor. The computer then automatically lowers the floor and the package slides off onto the ground, where a front-end loader can later load it onto a wagon, trailer or truck Brown field tested the rig last summer in hay, alfalfa, and straw and also took the ma-chine to Florida last winter for further testing. He says the packs of 21 bales can be handled much like large 4 by 4 by 8 bales, but the advantage is that the smaller bales will bring an additional $50 per ton more than the large bales. Bales are handled very gently in the process, and strings are never damaged. The machine is designed to handle a bale every six seconds. A computer tells the operator which bale number it's handling. Brown is building a limited number of units for sale this year. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Owen Brown, Rt. 2, Box 136, Pittsfield, Ill. 62363 (ph 217 285-6487; fax 217 285-5079).

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