Abstract: The machine has an inlet, multiple processing mechanisms for performing multiple feed material processing operations and a discharge mechanism disposed in flow communication with discharge sides of the respective processing mechanisms. The processing mechanisms include a hammermill, a sheller, and a roller mill. The machine also includes apparatus for selecting between which of the mechanisms is to be used. The apparatus comprises first and second diverter structures. The first diverter structure at its infeed side is disposed in communication with the machine inlet and at its discharge side is disposed in communication with an infeed side of the hammermill. The second diverter structure at its infeed side is disposed in communication with the discharge side of the first diverter structure and at its discharge side is disposed in communication with respective infeed sides of the sheller and roller mill.

Abstract: A feed mixing apparatus includes a tank, and bottom and upright augers. The tank has a top wall, front and rear end walls, side walls and a bottom wall. The bottom auger is rotatably mounted and overlies the bottom wall. Tubular housing portions are disposed adjacent to opposite sides of the bottom auger at an intermediate location therealong, and are connected to and protrude from the exteriors of the side and bottom walls. One housing portion has a horizontal bottom end wall connected to and extending generally tangentially from the tank bottom wall. The upright augers are disposed at the intermediate location adjacent to opposite sides of the bottom auger and extend within and upwardly from the tubular housing portions. One upright auger is rotatably mounted to the top wall and the housing portion bottom end wall. Hydraulic motors are provided for driving the bottom and upright augers. One hydraulic motor is disposed on the exterior of housing portion bottom end wall and coupled to the one upright auger.

Abstract: A portable feed material transferring and bagging apparatus includes a transfer conveyor and a bagging unit both mounted on a mobile frame. The transfer conveyor is mounted such that the positions of its opposite inlet and discharge ends can be vertically adjusted to elevations at which the bagging unit would not fit below its inlet end but will fit below its discharge end. The transfer conveyor is operable in a feed material transferring mode of operation to transfer feed material from its inlet to discharge end where it is received in the bagging unit. The bagging unit is mounted such that its position can be vertically adjusted to various elevations to accommodate filling bags of different sizes. The bagging unit is operable in a bag filling mode of operation to fill bags with feed material up to preset weights.

Abstract: Whole ears of corn are converted to a desired particulate feed material in a machine which first preconditions the whole ear by breaking it into several smaller pieces before its cob and kernels are separated from one another and respectively ground and cracked in other operative units of the machine, and then recombined into the desired feed material composed of the parts of the whole ear.

Abstract: Whole ears of corn are converted to a desired particulate feed material in a machine which first preconditions the whole ear by breaking it into several smaller pieces before its cob and kernels are separated from one another and respectively ground and cracked in other operative units of the machine, and then recombined into the desired feed material composed of the parts of the whole ear.

Abstract: A finger drum having a plurality of extendable and retractable fingers is provided in a roll baling machine to feed crop material from a pickup device toward a bale forming apron and to help support a roll bale during its formation.

Abstract: An industrial and feed mixing system including a mixing tank being supplied in part by a hammermill. A pair of vertical augers rotatably mounted in the tank convey feed upwardly. A bottom horizontal auger includes inner and outer auger flights of opposite hand that move feed inwardly to the pair of vertical augers. A horizontal agitator agitates feed at its ends and moves feed inwardly toward the pair of vertical augers. A top horizontal auger has top flights of opposite hand that convey feed outwardly from the pair of vertical augers.

Abstract: A mobile roll baler including a pickup device at the forward end operable to pick up and move a windrow of crop material to a finger feed drum which then moves the material into contact with a section of an expandable and contractable apron driven in a direction to cooperate with the direction of movement of the finger feed drum to effect unidirectional coiling of the material into a roll which is coiled in the same direction in which a finished roll rotates during discharge from the rear of the machine when the tailgate frame is raised and the roll is still rotating from being formed, thereby minimizing discharge time and preventing uncoiling of the roll when discharged from the baler.

Abstract: A movable unloading auger is automatically latched and unlatched with respect to a support member by connecting a lifting winch and cable to a movable latch arm attached to the auger, thus advantageously permitting hands-off latching and unlatching operations. A guide member includes a slot and the latch arm extends through the slot and terminates adjacent a latch arm receiver.

Abstract: Apparatus in a crop roll forming machine for collecting particles of crop material lost from either the crop package or loose crop material during the roll formation process consisting of a collection pan, a horizontal collecting auger, an elevated delivery auger, intermeshing bevel gears, drive means and a discharge chute. The particles are recycled from the collection pan back into the roll forming region by the cooperative interaction of the horizontal collecting auger and the elevated delivery auger so that the crop material particles are directed out of the discharge chute and downwardly into the forwardmost portion of the bale forming region where the upper bale forming means works to include the particles in the crop roll being formed.

Abstract: In a roll forming machine adapted to be towed across a field behind a prime moving vehicle controlled by an operator in a cab there is provided a full bale alarm system that signals the operator through a remote indicator that the bale has reached a predetermined desired size and is ready for discharge.

Abstract: Apparatus in a crop roll forming machine for collecting particles of crop material lost from either the crop package or loose crop material during the roll formation process consisting of a collection pan, a horizontal collecting auger, an elevated delivery auger, intermeshing bevel gears, drive means and a discharge chute. The particles are recycled from the collection pan back into the roll forming region by the cooperative interaction of the horizontal collecting auger and the elevated delivery auger so that the crop material particles are directed out of the discharge chute and downwardly into the forwardmost portion of the bale forming region where the upper bale forming means works to include the particles in the crop roll being formed.

Abstract: A roll forming machine picks up crop material and forms, twine wraps and discharges rolls or large round bales thereof as the machine is continuously moving across the field. The machine has a mobile frame supporting a pickup and a floor, the latter supporting a lower conveyor. A front upper apron is supported on the frame above a front portion of the lower conveyor and floor and defines a front roll forming region therewith. A rear upper apron is supported on the frame above a rear portion of the lower conveyor and floor and defines a rear roll forming region therewith. Formation of a crop material roll is initiated in the front region and completed in the rear region after the roll has been partially formed in the front region and transferred to the rear region. Mechanism on the frame supports portions of the rear upper apron being located respectively at front and rear ends of the rear region.

Abstract: A tractor mounted forage harvester includes a transverse hitch bar or frame, a crop processing unit mounted on the frame and a windrow pickup unit releasably attached to the front of the crop processing unit during the field operating mode. The total width of the harvester is reduced when converted to the transport mode by uncoupling the pickup unit, moving the same to the rear of the processing unit and the tractor, and coupling it to the frame via a subframe mounted thereon such that the major axis of the pickup unit is maintained in the same transverse relationship to the direction of movement of the forage harvester as when the unit is attached to the front of the processing unit.

Abstract: A roll forming machine picks up crop material and forms, twine wraps and discharges rolls or large round bales thereof as the machine is continuously moving across the field. The machine has a mobile frame supporting a pickup and a floor, the latter supporting a lower conveyor. A rear upper apron is movably supported on the frame above a rear portion of the lower conveyor and floor and defines a rear roll forming region therewith. A front upper apron is movably supported on the frame above a front portion of the lower conveyor and floor and defines a front roll forming region therewith having an inlet end and a discharge end. The front upper apron has a portion located at the discharge end of the region which is disposable in closely spaced relationship above the conveyor means and floor.

Abstract: A roll forming machine picks up crop material and forms, twine wraps and discharges rolls or large round bales thereof as the machine is continuously moving across the field. The machine has a mobile frame supporting a pickup and a floor, the latter supporting a lower conveyor. A rear upper apron is movably supported on the frame above a rear portion of the lower conveyor and floor and defines a rear roll forming region therewith. A front upper apron is movably supported on the frame above a front portion of the lower conveyor and floor and defines a front roll forming region therewith having an inlet end and a discharge end. A series of generally planar ramp elements are disposed in laterally spaced apart relationship transversely across the floor at the discharge end of the front roll forming region. Each ramp element is mounted for movement between a lowered position and a raised position.

Abstract: A roll forming machine picks up crop material and forms, twine wraps and discharge rolls or large round bales thereof as the machine is continuously moving across the field. The machine has a mobile frame supporting a pickup and a floor, the latter supporting a lower conveyor. A front upper apron is supported by the frame above a rear portion of the lower conveyor and floor and defines a rear roll forming region therewith. Also, rear upper apron is supported by the frame above a rear portion of the lower conveyor and floor and defines a rear roll forming region therewith. Also, drive means is provided for moving the pickup and lower conveyor and also for moving the upper aprons each in a direction opposite to that in which the lower conveyor is moved for performing roll forming operations at the front and rear regions.

Abstract: A roll forming machine picks up crop material and forms, twine wraps and discharges rolls or large round bales thereof as the machine is continuously moving across the field. The machine has front and rear roll forming chambers. Crop material is being continuously delivered either through the front chamber to the rear chamber of the machine wherein formation of a roll is being completed or to the front chamber of the machine wherein formation of a roll is being initiated as the completely formed roll located in the rear chamber is being twine wrapped and then discharged from the machine. Once the rear roll has been wrapped and discharged from the rear chamber and when the roll in the front chamber reaches a predetermined diameter size, the partially formed roll in the front chamber is then transferred to the rear chamber where formation thereof is continued.

Abstract: A roll forming machine picks up crop material and forms, twine wraps and discharges rolls or large round bales thereof as the machine is continuously moving across the field. The machine has a mobile frame supporting a pickup and a floor, the latter supporting a lower conveyor. A front upper apron is supported on the frame above a front portion of the lower conveyor and floor and defines a front roll forming region therewith. A rear upper apron is supported on the frame above a rear portion of the lower conveyor and floor and defines a rear roll forming region therewith. Formation of a crop material roll is initiated in the front region and completed in the rear region after the roll has been partially formed in the front region and transferred to the rear region. Mechanism on the frame is operable to lower or raise a rear end of the front upper apron in order to correspondingly initiate formation of a roll in the front region or permit transfer of the roll to the rear region.

Abstract: The feed material handling apparatus has a frame vertically supporting a feed material blower with an upwardly extending transition discharge member and horizontally supporting an impeller with a rotor for delivering feed material to the blower. The blower discharges the material upwardly through the transition member. In the two forms of the horizontal impeller the rotor turns clockwise in one and counterclockwise in the other. The frame is mounted on detachable wheels. .Iadd.