Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
1117490
This invention is concerned with a load carrying
apparatus including a swingin~ arm and is pflrticularly though
not exclusively a??licable to apparatus in which the swinging
arm is attached tl) a tanker, trailer, tractor, or other vehicle.
In ~an~J infitances it is required to move a swinging
arm through an arc exceeding 90 and sometimes approaching or
exceeding 180. If the arm carries a heavy load or meets
heavy resistance it is difficult to arran~e an adequste actuating
force from a linear ~otor such as a hydraulic ram. Particular
difficulties are experienced in agricultural vehicles where it is
undesirable to have the actuating mechansim positioned lowdown on the
vehicle.
Accordingly it is an object of the invention to provide
an improved load carrying apparatus having means for actuating a
swinging arm which will overcome some of the existing problems and
disadvantages.
The invention consists in apparatus for spreading slurry
or liquid manure comprising:
a chassis;
wheels mounted on the chassis;
~ a tank for the slurry or manure defining an upwardly facing
slurry or manure input and having means for discharging the slurry
or manure;
`~
means for mounting the tank on the chassis; and means for loading
the slurry or manure from a sunken pool into the tank, the loading
means comprising a main swinging arm mounted on the chassis at one end
by a pivot located rearward of the wheel mounts with respect to the
~normal direction of travel of the apparatus and having a bucl~et at its
outer end, and a power operated mechanism for causing pivotal
movements of said swinging arm, the mechanism comprisi~ a
reciprocati.nF fluid-actuated ram having one element connected to an
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1~17490
al Jrage and the other element connected via a pivotal linkage to a
point on the swinging arm displaced from its main pivot, and
including guide means for ~uiding a part of said pivot linkage to
~ove in a path remote fro~ the main swinging arm, the arrangement
being such that the mechanism can move the swinging arm from a first
oosition in which the outer end of the swinging arm is below the
lowermost point of the wheels and a second position in which the
bucket discharges its contents into the tank through the input.
Conveniently the guide means comprises a pivoted
control arm with its pivot point located near but displaced from
the pivot axis of the main swinging arm. In a particular pre-
ferred construction the control arm has a pivot displaced towards
the hydraulic ram in relation to the pivot of the main arm, and
the effective length of the control arm is greater than the
effective distance between the pivot of the main arm and the point
on the arm to which the linkage is connected.
~ he invention also consists in load carrying
apparatus including aswingingarm having a container
or other load carrying device at its outer end and includ-
in~ power operated mechanism for swinging the arm through
an arc greater than 90, comprising a four-bar mechanism
whose links are, in increasing length order, a frame, a first
lever, a coupler, and a second lever, the first lever being
extended to form the arm, and a reciprocating fluid-
actuated ram coupled between the second lever and an
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extension of the frame outside the linkage~
The invention may be performed in various ways
and one specific em~odiment will now be described, b~
way of example, with reference to the accompanying
5 drawings, in which:-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a slurrytank vehicle trailer;
Figure 2 is a part vertical section throuB
: the slurry tank of Figure 1;
Figure 3 i8 a rear view of the trailer;
Figure 4 is a somewhat diagrammatic side elevation
on an enlarged scale illustrating the control mechanism
11174~90
and linkage with the arm~ in a lowered position; and
Figure 5 i8 a similar view illustrating the
mechanism with the arms raised.
In this example the trailer comprises a chassis
10 supporting a long cylindrical tank 11 intended to hold
liquid manure or slurry. The chassis consists of a main
central spine 12 with a rear su~-frame 13 on which the
two ground wheel~ 14 are mounted. ~he tank 11 has an
inlet opening in the form of a hopper 15 at its rear end
and a discharge device which includes a centrifugal pump
50 connected to a discharge pipe 51. A pair of swinging
loader arm~ 16 are pivotally mounted on the rear of the
chassis on a hinge axi~ 17, the two arm~ being pivotally
connected at their free ends 18 to a swinging scoop or
bucket 19. ~he bucket 19 has a square section metal
bar 40 secured to it by, for example, welding, and the
ends of the bar project laterally from the flat end walls
41 of the bucket 19. ~he pro~ecting ends of the bar
ætrike the inclined edges 42 of the side walls 43 of the
hopper 15 when the arms reach the raised position shown
in Figure 1, and this causes the bucket 19 to pivot about
the ends 18 and discharge its contents into the tank.
The front of the bucket can, if desired, be tapered some-
what ~o as to help prevent slurry spilling over the side~
of the hopper.
Referring to Figure 2, the tank 11 contains an
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auger 60 which i8 mounted in sealed auger bearings 61
at each end of the tank. The auger may carry flails 70
to help break up the slurry to ease its flow. The auger
is driven by a double articulated PT0 drive shaft 71
at the front of the tank. This form of drive helps to
reduce problems when the tractor or other vehicle pulling
the tank makes a sharp turn. Slurry 62 which has been
tipped into the tank i8 conveyed by the auger 60 to the
rear of the tank, where it i8 pumped by the centrifugal
pump 50 up the discharge pipe 51, and leaves the pipe
at the open end of the inverted U-portion 6~, this open
end being positioned above the level of the slurry 62
in the tank.
The pressure of slurry in the pipe 51 will cause
a spring-loaded flap valve 64 to open so that the slurry
can be sprayed in a downward direction. The ~lurry is
also deflected by the flap valve 64 so as to give a wide
area of cover, as indicated by the arrows. ~he tension
of the spring 80 which connects the valve 64 to the portion
63 may be adjusted i~ order to control the application
rate of the slurry. Additional control i~ pro~ided by
adjusting the position of the spring8~ or by varying
the tractor Qpeed and PT0 speed. It has been found that
- by spra~ing the slurr~ downwards and from a level above
that of the 91urry in the tank, there i~ less risk of
spreading disease and infection to livestock than if
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the slurry were to be sprayed up into the air. Any
large stones in ~e slurry fall into a stone trap 65 at
the rear end of the tank 11 and do not foul the pump 50.
The stone trap 65 can be emptied at periodic intervals.
The level of the slurry in the tank can be
determined by means of a rod 66 attached to a ball float
67 which is pivotally mounted on the tank at 68. ~he
rod 66 projects through an air vent 69 at the front of
the tank and is readily visible from the cab of the tract-
or or other vehicle which tows the tank. ~he rod 66 can
be graduated to give a direct reading in, for example,
litres of the amount of slurry in the tank.
In an alternative embodiment of the invention (not
illustrated), the tank is completely open at the top
and i5 mounted in bearin~s on a support frame so as to
be rotatable about a horizontal, longitudinal axis. The
extent of rotation of the tank can be adjusted às required
in order to discharge the tank contents at any desired
rate while the tank is being pulled by a tractor. A
spreading rotor inside the tank helps to discharge the
contents, and the rotor ma~ be fitted with flails for
more efficient spreading.
The mechanism for actuating the loader arms 16
comprises a pair of double-acting hydraulic rams 22,
one on each side of the chassis, pivotally mounted at
their forward ends 23 to an anchorage on ~he chassis and
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having a rearwardly directed pi~ton rod 24. This is
pivotally connected at 25 to the cross piece 26 o~ a
~-link 27 which is pivotally mounted on the chassis at
its lower en~ 28. A further connecting link 29 is
pivotally attached at ~0 to the other end of the cross
arm and this link 29 is further connected at a hing0
pin 31 to a bracket 32 secured to ~e upper side of each
loader arm 16.
In this particular example the length of the T-
link 27 is fifteen inches, the length of the link ~9 is
thirteen inches, the distance 17-31 is eleven inches and
the distance between the hinge pivots 28 and 17 is appro-
ximately eight inches, the pivot 28 being approximatel~
three inches lower than the pivot 17.
With this geometry the hydraulic rams 22 can raise
and lower the swinging load arms from the depressed
position of ~igure 5 to the fully raised position of
Figure 6, which is through an arc of approximately 180.
Even further movement in excess of 180 i8 possible.
Moreover it will be seen that the mechanism provides
a substantial force on the loader arms in the initial
stages of the lifting movement particularly when the
arms are horizontal and therefore the resistance is
greatest.
Instead of the ~winging control arms 27 other
guides ma~ be pro~ided to control the linXage particularly
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the path of the hinge connection 30. ~owever in agricult-
ural equipment a linkage guide is preferred since it is
less likely to be affected by dirt. ~he two hinge points
25 and 30 may be combined and some benefit will be obtained
even if the arm 27 is of the same length as the distance
17-31 though the full possible benefit will be missed.
Instead of arranging the rams to pull the arms up
on their retraction strokes, the mechanism can be reversed
~o that they raise the arms as they extend. But thi~
is not preferred, a~ the rams and the linkage would have
to be mounted lower down on the vehicle and the piston
rods would mostly be left exposed.
Each linkage is, in effect, a four bar
mechanism whose links are, in increasing length order, a
frame (sub-frame 13) a first lever (arm 16~, a coupler
(link 29) and a second lever (~-link 27), the first
lever being extended to form the complete arm 16. ~he
associated ram is coupled between the second lever and an
extension of the frame outside the linkage.
The linkage system and the rams are preferably
covered by guards for safety and also to keep out dirt.
