Hay Bale Cover

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to a protective cover for large round hay bales which are produced by present day hay baling equipment while such bales are positioned outdoors with the bales oriented endwise on the ground surface or other supporting surface. The cover is in the form of an arcuate panel positioned on the cylindrical surface of the hay bale and covering the upper portion thereof and being constructed to snugly fit and cling to the hay bale thereby eliminating the necessity of using tie-downs to retain the cover in place on the hay bale.

2. Description of the Prior art

Haystacks and hay bales frequently are stored outdoors where they are subject to adverse affects of inclement weather. In order to protect hay stored outdoors, various structures have been provided to protect the hay bales or stacks. The following U.S. patents are exemplary of the efforts which have been made to provide covers for hay bales, haystacks and the like:

U.S. Pat. No. 265,003; Sept. 26, 1882

U.S. Pat. No. 637,159; Nov. 14, 1899

U.S. Pat. No. 2,635,562; Apr. 21, 1953

U.S. Pat. No. 2,876,715; Mar. 10, 1959

U.S. Pat. No. 3,327,434; June 27, 1967

U.S. Pat. No. 4,041,654; Aug. 16, 1977

An object of the present invention is to provide a hay bale cover in the form of an arcuate panel adapted to cover the top portion of the cylindrical surface of a round hay bale when lying endwise on a support surface to protect the hay bale from inclement weather such as rain, snow, hail and the like.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hay bale cover in accordance with the preceding object in which the arcuate panel is constructed with flexible, resilient characteristics to enable the side edges of the panel to be flexed outwardly to fit down over and around a portion of the cylindrical surface to snugly fit and cling to the hay bale thereby eliminating the necessity of using tie-downs to retain the cover in position on the hay bale.

A further object of the invention is to provide a hay bale cover in accordance with the preceding objects in which the arcuate panel is provided with end flanges with the end flanges having radial corrugations therein to provide flexibility to the arcuate panel and to provide a spring or resilient action thereto so that the side edges of the panel can be moved apart and the resiliency of the panel and end flanges will bias the edges of the panel into snug clinging engagement with the hay bale.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a hay bale cover in accordance with the preceding objects in which the arcuate panel is provided with a plurality of longitudinally extending ribs throughout the length thereof to rigidify the panel longitudinally and enable flexing to vary the radius of curvature with the ribs being positioned so that the two remote side edges of the panel have a rib position closely adjacent thereto.

Yet another important object of the present invention is to provide a hay bale cover in accordance with the preceding objects which is simple in construction, easy to install, effective for protecting the hay bale, and does not require the use of extraneous tie-downs or other structure for retaining the cover in position on the hay bale.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the hay bale cover of the present invention installed on a hay bale.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the hay bale cover removed from the hay bale illustrating the radius of curvature of the cover when disassociated from the hay bale.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal, vertical sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 3--3 of FIG. 1 illustrating further structural details of the hay bale cover and the relationship of the end flanges to the hay bale.

FIG. 4 is a transverse, sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 4--4 of FIG. 3 illustrating further structural details of the hay bale cover including the ribs formed therein.

FIG. 5 is a fragmental sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 5--5 of FIG. 2 illustrating the manner in which the end flanges are attached to the arcuate panel of the hay bale cover.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, the hay bale cover of the present invention is generally designated by reference numeral 10 and is illustrated in association with a conventional cylindrical hay bale 12 when positioned lengthwise on a supporting surface such as the ground surface or the like. Hay bale 12 is that type which is produced by present day hay baling equipment and is a large cylindrical bale which frequently is left stored out of doors and is subjected to environmental conditions such as inclement weather including rain, hail, sleet, snow and the like. The cover 10 is positioned in overlying and protective relationship to a portion of the cylindrical surface 13 of the hay bale 12 and extends from end to end thereof as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4.

The hay bale cover 12 includes an elongated arcuate panel 14 having a plurality of parallel, outwardly extending ribs 16 extending from end to end thereof in which the ribs are integral with the panel and are generally rectangular in cross-sectional configuration although the sidewalls thereof may diverge downwardly and inwardly as illustrated in FIG. 5 with the ribs 16 defining a plurality of longitudinally extending, inwardly opening channels. As illustrated, the ribs 16 are continuous and form a part of the panel 16 with two of the ribs 16 being positioned adjacent the side edges 18 of the panel 14 with the ribs being equally spaced from each other. The number of ribs 16 may vary depending upon the distance between the side edges 18 with the ribs 16 being equally spaced and providing rigidity lengthwise of the panel 14 but enabling arcuate flexing of the panel 14 to vary the radius of curvature of the panel 14 from that illustrated in FIG. 2 to that illustrated in FIG. 1 when the cover 10 is installed on the hay bale 12.

Each end of the panel 14 is provided with an inwardly extending end flange 20 which is radially corrugated with the corrugations being designated by numeral 22. The flange 20 may be integral with the panel 14 or secured thereto by an inwardly extending flange 24 at the outer edge of the flange 20 and rivets or other fastening elements 26 extending through the flange 24 and the panel 14 adjacent the end edges thereof as illustrated in FIG. 5. The corrugations 22 in the end flanges 20 enable the panel 14 to be flexed outwardly and increases the resiliency or spring action of the panel 14 so that it will snugly fit and cling to the cylindrical surface 14 of the hay bale 12 with the end flanges 20 positioned along the end surfaces of the hay bale 12 to prevent wind and rain from entering between the cover 10 and the hay bale 12. The construction of the cover 10 enables it to be positioned onto the top surface of a hay bale 12 with the cover 10 arcuately curved in a shorter radius than the radius of the cylindrical surface 13 of the hay bale 12. The cover 10 than may be forced downwardly which will cause the side edges 18 of the panel 14 to move apart and the corrugations 22 in the flange 20 to be stretched outwardly from their normal condition so that when the panel 14 reaches a radius of curvature conforming with the external surface of the hay bale 12, the spring action or resiliency of the panel 14, ribs 16, corrugation 22 and end flanges 20 will bias the side edges 18 toward each other thereby snugly engaging the hay bale 12 and actually clinging to the hay bale 12 which eliminates the necessity of using tie-downs to retain the cover in place on the hay bale 12. The end flanges 20 prevent wind from entering between the hay bale 12 and the cover 10 thereby further eliminating the necessity of tie-downs to retain the cover 10 in place.

The cover 10 may be constructed of sheet metal, plastic or the like and may be of one-piece unitary construction or may be of assembled construction as illustrated. As indicated, the dimensional characteristics of the cover may vary with the length thereof generally conforming with the length of the hay bale and the flanges 20 being generally on the order of 5 inches in width and provided with 1 inch corrugations 22. The ribs 16 may be approximately 2 inches high and the construction of the cover is such that the side edges 18 may move apart approximately 8 inches when installed on the hay bale. The cover does not extend around one-half of the hay bale but does protect the uppermost portion thereof and sheds water toward the outermost portions of the cylindrical surface so that any water which drips from the side edges of the cover will be deflected outwardly by the surface of the cylindrical hay bale thereby reducing penetration of moisture into the hay bale and reducing the adverse affects of inclement weather on hay bales stored outdoors. When it is desired to use the hay bale, the cover may be easily removed by merely lifting upwardly on the side edges thereof.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.