Hay Bale Flaker Wheels for Intact Flake Dispensing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for dispersing baled hay as livestock feed damage the hay's nutritional components and lack controlled distribution, resulting in inefficient and uncontrolled dispersal.
Innovation Solution
A device featuring opposing flaker wheels with arcuately spaced blades that separate and dispense hay flakes intact, using a hydraulic motor-driven chain and sprocket system to control the separation and dispensing process, allowing for precise distribution of hay flakes where needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual dispersing with hand and shovel or pitchfork is used, then the hay can be dispersed over pasture, but the hay's leaves are damaged and nutritional content is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The hay bale is segmented into flakes of controlled size through the flake-separating mechanism, allowing intact distribution of nutritional components rather than random scattering that damages leaves
Solution Approach 2:
The flake-separating mechanism acts as an intermediary between the hay bale and the pasture, processing the hay to separate intact flakes that can be dispersed without damaging the leaves and nutritional content
2Productivity
If pulverizing devices are used to disperse hay, then dispersing becomes simple, but the nutritional value is greatly reduced by threshing or pulverizing
Solution Approach 1:
The hay is segmented into flakes of controlled size through the flake-separating mechanism, maintaining nutritional integrity while enabling efficient dispersal without the need for pulverizing that destroys leaf structure and nutrients
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically controls the flake separation and dispensing process, adjusting the mechanism to separate and dispense flakes intact rather than pulverizing, thereby maintaining nutritional value while achieving productivity
3Ease of operation
If manual spreading is used for hay dispersal, then the hay can be distributed, but the distribution is barely controlled and leaves too much or too little hay in wrong locations
Solution Approach 1:
The flake-dispensing mechanism provides controlled distribution with the ability to regulate the quantity and location of hay flakes dispensed, eliminating the uncontrolled nature of manual spreading and ensuring precise placement where livestock are feeding
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the flake dispensing process to provide controlled distribution, allowing precise regulation of hay quantity and location rather than the static, uncontrolled manual spreading method
Data Source
AI summary
A chain driven push arm advances a hay bale along a bed toward an opening including a pair of vertically aligned, spaced-apart idle wheels each including plural radiating blades. As the hay bale advances along the bed, the wheels rotate freely causing the blades to impinge on successive regions of the hay bale to separate a succession of flakes from the hay bale remainder. The bed is mounted on a wheeled truck or vehicle that is towable behind a tractor as the tractor driver remotely selectively operates the push arm to dispense flakes along the ground. An optional, towable conveyor can be used to load the bed with a succession of hay bales.