Processing of baled material includes a bale opening stage, a separation stage, and a decortication stage. The bale opener features a conveyor moving incoming bales toward a toothed extractor with an array of teeth driven on a revolutionary path moving upwardly past the adjacent end of the conveyor to rake through the bale and extract material therefrom. The conveyor tilts upward reduce a working angle between the conveyor and the toothed extractor to urge the shrinking bale toward the moving teeth. A separation stage features multiple sets of vertically stacked, counter-rotating rollers with different characteristics from one set to the next. A decorticator has an external container, an internal drum rotatably supported therein, and an array of teeth on the drum. Driven rotation of the internal drum spins the fibrous stalks around the internal drum and impacts the fibrous stalks against surrounding interior wall surfaces of the external container.

A sled assembly for the transport of a one or more round bales across a ground surface being soft. Said sled configured to slide on top of said ground surface. Said hitch assembly having said lowered configuration and said raised configuration. Said hitch assembly configured to selectively attach to said vehicle and to enable said sled assembly to be dragged behind said vehicle. Said sled comprising said side rail assemblies and said cross beams. Said hitch assembly fixed to a first end of said sled. Said sled assembly further comprising a one or more wheel assemblies.

A system and method for removing material wrapped around a hay bale is provided. The system may comprise first and second generally opposing arms, a cutting device, and a grabbing device. The first and second arms are adapted for receiving a bale therebetween. One or both of the arms may be pivotably movable or linearly movable in order to receive and be positioned proximate a side of a bale. The cutting device may be movably coupled to the first arm and adapted for selectively traveling between first and second ends (e.g., a proximal end and a distal end) of the first arm. The grabbing device may be movably coupled to the second arm and adapted for selectively traveling between first and second ends (e.g., a proximal end and a distal end) of the second arm.

A hay bale handling apparatus for handling multiple hay bales at once includes a frame which is configured to mount to a vehicle. A pair of bale holder assemblies is coupled to the frame. Each bale holder assembly is configured for holding a hay bale. The bale holder assemblies are laterally spaced from each other with respect to the frame and are movable between a retracted condition and an expanded condition wherein the pair of bale holder assemblies move away from each other from the retracted condition to the expanded condition. At least one actuator is coupled to at least one of the pair of bale holder assemblies. The at least one actuator is operable to move the pair of bale holder assemblies between the retracted condition and the expanded condition.

A bale receiving table having a turntable assembly for an agricultural bale transport vehicle for receiving, forming, and manipulating on the turntable assembly successive layers of mid-size or big bales for tilting up and placement on a load table of the transport vehicle. After a transverse bale layer is assembled on the table, the transverse bale layer may be selectively centered on the turntable assembly and selectively elevated along the vertical axis of the turntable assembly and rotated 90 degrees about its horizontal plane to be aligned longitudinal to the table to form a bale tie layer with the integrated bales aligned longitudinal to the table and the transport vehicle.

A round hay bale pickup and releasing apparatus includes a frame assembly, a loading-arm mechanism, a bale-pushing mechanism, a wheel assembly, and a tilting mechanism. The frame assembly is configured with a first frame-shaft and a second frame-shaft and provides sufficient length to load and transport round hay bales. The loading-arm mechanism is operatively coupled to the first frame-shaft and the second frame-shaft to pick up and loads the round hay bales onto the frame assembly. The bale-pushing mechanism is operatively coupled to the first frame-shaft and the second frame-shaft so that each of the loaded hay bale can be pushed towards the back end of the frame assembly. The wheel assembly is operatively coupled to the first frame-shaft and the second frame-shaft through the tilting mechanism, as the tilting mechanism angularly lifts up the first frame-shaft above the second frame-shaft to dump the loaded hay bales.

A bale spear device has a first upper plate having an aperture, a second upper plate having an aperture, an upper cross tube for connecting the first upper plate and the second upper plate together in a spaced apart arrangement, a first lower plate connected to the upper cross tube, a second lower plate connected to the upper cross tube, a lower cross tube for connecting the first lower plate and the second lower plate together in a spaced apart relationship, a socket extending out of the upper cross tube, a spear having a tip end and a socket end with the tip end for insertion into the aperture of the second upper plate and the socket end for insertion into the aperture of the first upper plate, and a locking device for locking the socket end of the spear in the aperture of the first upper plate.

A three-point hitch adapter has: a structural frame; a three-point hitch connector at a leading end of the structural frame; a three-point hitch at a trailing end of the structural frame; and a fifth wheel coupling mounted on the structural frame. A bale wrap roller assembly has a structural frame; a hitch connector at a leading end of the structural frame; a wrap-receiving spool; and a motor connected to rotate the wrap-receiving spool.

An apparatus for splitting bales and retaining wrap includes a frame having an interior framework oriented at an angle relative to forwardly-projecting tines, the framework and tines together defining an upwardly-opening cradle that supports and centers a bale of forage bound with a wrap above an inverted apex of the cradle. The apparatus also includes an elongate hooking mechanism extending laterally across the underside of the wrapped bale and configured to capture the wrap together with a thin layer of forage, and an elongate blade rotatably supported on the frame and configured to rotate downward through the bale toward the inverted apex of the cradle. The apparatus further includes a first actuation device that activates the hooking mechanism to capture the wrap and layer of forage, and one or more second actuation devices that rotate the elongate blade downward through the forage to split the bale.

A receiver hitch mounted bale mover is provided that connects directly to a standard receiver hitch on a vehicle, allowing for quick and easy transport of a bale without removing the tailgate. The bale mover comprises an elongated rigid base member, a rotating spear mount member with multiple spears, and a hydraulic system for rotating the spears between up and down configurations. The hydraulic system may be operated remotely from the vehicle cab. The bale mover is compatible with modern vehicle technologies like backup cameras and can be used with various vehicle types, including flatbed pickups. A stabilizing mechanism provides additional support during transportation over rough terrain. The bale mover allows for trailer connection while mounted and raises the bale sufficiently to maintain tail light visibility during transit.