Automatic Destacker Handles Baled Hay

Automatic Destacker Handles Baled Hay HAY & FORAGE HARVESTING Bale Handling (5) 2-5-30 New from J. A. Freeman and Sons Mfg., Portland, Ore., is a first-of-itskind bale "Destacker" that automatically feeds stacked hay or straw bales into slicers, tub grinders, bale compactors or other processing machines. A fork lift equipped with a squeeze lifts a block of 60 3-wire bales, or 72 2-wire bales. The fork lift operator sets the 60 bale block inside the Destacker machine from the back. Then all the operator has to do is start the machine and it will automatically unload itself. It can feed 20 bales per minute into a grinder, sliver or other processor. Regardless of position, bales automatically line themselves up when they fall down the Destacker's chute. There can be bales in any position on the cross-feed table and the machine will automatically straighten them out for automatic unloading. "We're now building two Destacker machines that attach to the same unloading chute. It will be a left and a right," explains Bud Miguel, Hanford, Ca., inventor. "This arrangement allows controlled blending of feed. For example, you can put in a filler, such as straw, in one machine and alfalfa in the other. It is set so you can process one bale of straw and anywhere from 1 to 10 bales of alfalfa. The two machines are also set up to have one stack inside the machine, and another on a loading platform behind the machine. This way, when the machine unloads the first load, it will have another load ready to be automatically pushed into place," explains Miguel. He adds that "as of now, we have no Destacker machine that will work itselfback under bale stacks, but we do plan to have one in the near future. Meanwhile, the Destacker is Poaded 60 to 70 bales at a time with a fork lift." Wire or twine can be removed from bales in 3 different ways, according to Miguel: "It can be cut and removed by hand. Or, there is a machine on the market that will cut and remove the wires automatically. Or, we can attach an automatic cutter on the unloading chute and have a man pulling wires or twine." For more details, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Bud Miguel,18250 South 13th Ave., Hanford, Ca. 93230 (ph 209 582-5204).

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