Abstract:
A system and method for tagging individual bales of hay as they are baled and recording information regarding the moisture, weight, preservative applied. Field position, quality and other information available at the time of baling;, all sequenced to the formation of the bale by a timing and positioning device.
Abstract:
A system and method for tagging individual bales of hay as they are baled and recording information regarding the moisture, weight, preservative applied. Field position, quality and other information available at the time of baling;, all sequenced to the formation of the bale by a timing and positioning device.
Abstract:
A baler is equipped with a crop re-hydration system including a steam injection manifold mounted for discharging steam onto a windrow of crop as the windrow is being fed into the baler. The steam injection manifold has a steam discharge orifice arrangement which can be adjusted to vary the discharge width. A flexible duct guides discharged steam to the crop windrow.
Abstract:
This is the abstract of the technical disclosure for application Ser. No. 11/078,519. This item, which we are trying to patent involves using a hydraulic pressure switch to control inoculant applicators used in baling high moisture alfalfa and other crops. The pressure switch controls a relay that is supplied by a 12-volt source from a tractor. When the moisture content of the product is increased by humidity or dew, the bailer decreases the amount of hydraulic pressure required to make a consistent bale of hay. This added moisture is harmful because it can cause a fire hazard when stacked. The pressure switch responds to the change in hydraulic pressure. This, in turn, activates a relay that switches on the inoculant applicator which allows inoculant to be applied only when moisture content requires it. The application helps to prevent moisture from causing mold, creating heat and causing a fire, or greatly reducing the protein content of the bailed product. A second and/or third pressure switch may also be added to increase the rate of inoculant applied if moisture content requires it.
Abstract:
An apparatus, method and system for applying a biologically active or chemical substance to a relatively large volume harvested or pre-harvested crop includes relatively small container of a mixture biologically active or chemical substance and water in fluid communication with fluid conduit. A pump moves mixture from the bottle through the conduit. A source of pressurized air is in fluid communication with the conduit to aerate the mixture. The aerated mixture is expelled through a nozzle at distal end of the conduit. In one aspect, the controller can monitor speed of the pump by monitoring operating voltage of the pump. Speed of the pump can be adjusted to adjust application rate. In one aspect, a process combines a flow of air through an orifice with the metering of a low volume of additive, such as an aid to preservation, to a crop as it is being cut or harvested to provide for even distribution of the additive to the crop.
Abstract:
The present invention provides an apparatus and a method for spraying forage additives on harvested agricultural crops and includes a container of concentrated additive, an atomizing spray nozzle, a metering pump for supplying the forage additive to the spray nozzle and an electrical control for actuating the metering to provide a supply of concentrated additive to the spray nozzle as desired. In a preferred embodiment, the forage additive container is of a sufficiently small size that it contains less than three thousand milliliters of the concentrated additive for spraying on the harvested crop.
Abstract:
A method and device for harvesting hay are disclosed. The method includes positioning steam injectors into a windrow of hay and injecting steam into the windrow so as to permeate the windrow with steam and increase the moisture content of the hay. Preferably, the method also includes providing a plurality of injectors and moving the injectors up and down as they passed through the hay so as to evenly distribute steam throughout the windrow. The device includes a dew simulator having a water supply tank and a steam generation mechanism which is connected to a plurality of steam injection spikes. As the dew simulator moves along a windrow, the injector spikes emit steam throughout the windrow so as to achieve a consistent, desired moisture content in the hay.
Abstract:
Apparatus for dispensing a preservative or other substance, in solid or liquid form, onto a crop material being baled, the substance being dispensed onto the crop material before it is baled at a rate which is dependent on the moisture content of the crop material and the bulk rate of flow of crop material through the baler. The apparatus, which may be mounted on a square baler or a round baler, includes a first sensor for sensing the moisture content of the crop material and producing a first signal, a second sensor for producing an output signal indicative of the bulk rate of corp flow through the baler, and a control circuit responsive to the first signal and the second signal for producing a pulse width modulated signal for controlling the speed of a motor. The motor controls the rate at which the substance is dispensed from a container onto the crop material.
Abstract:
A chemical dispenser is provided for hay balers and it comprises a hopper for the temporary storage of particulate chemicals. The hopper has a rounded bottom with a plurality of openings therein. The openings are selectively opened by 1/4 increments by a slider. The slider has an indicator which cooperates with 1/4 increment indicia printed on the front wall of the hopper for indicating the degree of opening thus permitting the operator to predetermine the quantity of particulate chemicals to be dispensed. For round hay balers, the dispenser has a blower and chemical directing lines.
Abstract:
A baler has a preservative applicator assembly with an improved nozzle array for applying a volatile crop treating fluid to crop material as the crop material is being formed into a bale. The nozzle has a centrally disposed passageway which has a cross-sectional area greater than the minimum sum of the cross-sectional areas of a plurality of fluid dispensing openings in the end of the nozzle. Each of the openings includes a throat and a lip outwardly diverging from the throat. The nozzle array maintains the fluid under high pressure and aids in dispersing the fluid with a high velocity to enhance the retention of the fluid as a liquid while in the nozzle and to promote wide and uniform dispersing of the fluid throughout the crop material during the application.