Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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AUGER FOR FILLING SEEDERS
This invention deals with the field of augers for filling
seeders, and in particular such an auger that can be used to
load seeders from hopper-bottomed trailers.
1o BACKGROUND
Present day agricultural seeders, and particularly air
seeders, commonly are equipped with an auger for loading seed,
fertilizer and so forth into the tanks of the seeder. These
i5 seeder augers comprise a straight tube, with an auger or screw
conveyor inside, a flexible spout at the top discharge end for
directing material into the proper tank, and a hopper at the
bottom end for receiving material from a truck.
Zo Examples of such augers on conventional drills, where the
seed/fertilizer tanks extend the width of the implement, are
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shown in United States Patent Numbers 5,484,249 to Klatt and
5, 529, 455 to Kaster et al. An early application on an air
seeder, where the seed/fertilizer tanks are located in a
mounted tank in the centre of the implement width, is shown in
s United States Patent Number 4,312,621 to Quanbeck et al.
Since that time, such air seeder tanks have become most
commonly towed on a cart ahead of or behind the implement.
The auger is mounted on a swivelling linkage so that it may be
to adjusted to direct seed/fertilizer from the truck to the
proper tank, and further so that the receiving end may be
positioned under the clean-out ports of the seed/fert.i_lizer
tanks to allow transfer~fr_om the tanks back into the truck.
The hopper on the end of the auger is often plastic, and
15 rotatable on the auger tube so that it may be turned for clean
out. The auger hopper configuration is however substantially
the same as that indicated in the above prior patents: a
straight tube with a flexible spout at the top and a hopper at
the bottom.
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On today's large farms, hopper-bottom semi-trailers are
commonly used for hauling grain to market. The owners of
these semi-trailers also wou7_d like to use them for hauling
seed and fertilizer to the field for loading into air seeders.
s The presently known air seeder augers do not, however, allow
dumping from the centrally located trailer dump chute into the
auger hopper since the angle on the auger causes the auger to
contact the sides of the trailer before the auger hopper is in
position under the chute. To overcome this problem, extra
io chutes may be cut into the slanting wall of the trailer
hopper, and a short spout attached thereto for directing the
material into the auger hopper. This method is inexpensive
however it leaves a considerable amount of material in the
bottom of the trailer that must be manually pushed up and
i5 through the side hole.
Alternatively, there are available short augers which are
mounted on the semi-trailers which carry the seed or
fertilizer from the trailer' s central dump chute to the auger
2o hopper. These are expensive and also require power which is
most often taken from the hydraulic system of the air seeder
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auger, requiring hooking up hydraulic hoses when filling and
then disconnecting again when finished.
A seeder auger which could be used directly to load from the
central chutes of hopper-bottom semi-trailers would be
beneficial.
SUML~1ARY OF THE INVENTION
to
It is an object of the present invention to provide an auger
conveyor for mounting on an agricultural seeder that will
receive seed or fertilizer f.r_om the central dump chute of a
hopper-bottom trailer and convey same to the tanks of the
i5 seeder.
It is a further object o.f the present invention to provide a
kit for installation on an existing seeder auger conveyor so
that such auger conveyors will receive seed or fertilizer from
2o the central dump chute of a hopper-bottom trailer and convey
same to the tanks of the seeder..
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The invention accomplishes these objects providing in one
aspect an auger conveyor adapted for_ mounting to an
agricultural seeder for conveying bulk granular material such
as seed and fertilizer from the central dump chute of_ a
s hopper-bottom trailer to tanks located on the seeder, said
auger conveyor having a loading position and a stored
position, said auger conveyor comprising: a straight auger
enclosed in a tube, said tube extending substantially from the
ground to a point above the loading ports of said tanks when
io said auger conveyor is in said loading position, said tube
having a discharge end at the top thereof and an intake end at
the bottom thereof; an angular drive; an auger extension
having a drive end and a free end, said auger extension
operatively attached at.the drive end thereof to the bottom
i5 end of said straight auger by said angular drive such that
when said auger conveyor is in said loading position, said
auger extension extends substantially horizontally along the
ground and such that when said straight auger is rotating,
said auger extension is also rotating; an auger hopper having
2o an attached end and a free end, said attached end thereof
attached to said intake end of the tube, said auger hopper
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having an open top and enclosing said intake end of the tube
and enclosing said auger_ extension, said auger hopper further
rotatably attached at said free end thereof to said free end
of the auger extension, said auger hopper directing bulk
granular material received by said hopper into said auger
extension and said intake end of the tube for conveyance up
said auger conveyor and into said tanks; and means to
rotationally drive said straight auger.
io In a second aspect the invention provides a kit for
installation on an auger ~cc>nveyor, said auger conveyor mounted
to an agricultural seeder f_or conveying bulk granular material
such as seed and fertilizer to tanks located on the seeder
when said auger conveyor is moved into its loading position,
is said kit, when installed, allowing said auger conveyor to
convey said bulk granular rnaterial from the central dump chute
of a hopper-bottom trailer to said tanks, said kit comprising:
an angular drive adapted to attach to the bottom end of the
auger of said auger conveyor; an auger extension mavly
2o drive end and a free end, said auger extension operatively
attached at the drive end thereof to said angular drive such
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that when said auger conveyor is in said loading position,
said auger extension extends substantially horizontally along
the ground and such that when said straight auger is rotating,
said auger extension is also rotating; and an auger hopper
having an attached end and a free end, said attached end
thereof adapted for attachment to said auger conveyor, said
auger hopper having an open top and enclosing the bottom end
of said auger conveyor and enclosing said auger extension,
said auger hopper further adapted for rotatable attachment at
1o said free end thereof to said free end of the auger extension,
said auger hopper, when installed, directing bulk granular
material received by said hopper into said auger extension and
said auger conveyor for conveyance up said auger conveyor and
into said tanks.
The auger hopper could further comprise at least one clean-out
port along the bottom thereof and means to selectively open
and close the clean-out port, such as a sliding panel.
2o A steady bearing could be rotatably attached to the drive end
of the auger extension with the housing of the steady bearing
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attached to the bottom of the auger hopper. The steady
bearing would stabilize the auger extension and reduce
vibration and wear.
s The angular drive could be a universal joint, thereby allowing
the auger hopper to rotate around the auger tube as is done
with prior art hoppers to facilitate clean out. The universal
joint is preferably operatively connected to the auger
extension by a pin with a rectilinear cross-section sliding in
to a mating aperture on the axis of said auger extension. The
connection allows the universal joint to operate with less
vibration and stress as the shaft is allowed to slide in the
auger extension and follow the slight movements of the
universal joint as it rotates. The opposite enci of the
i5 universal j oint could be. connected to the straight auger by a
pin, as sliding movement in one end only will reduce
vibration.
Where clean out ports are used, the hopper can be fixed to the
2o auger tube and in that case, the angular drive could be a gear
box or any other angular drive which would transmit rotation
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from the driven auger of= the auger conveyor to the auger
extension, since in that case the drive angle between the
straight auger and the auger extension could be fixed.
The auger hopper could be supported by a wheel for moving the
auger hopper along the ground. The wheel could be rotatably
attached to the free end of the hopper. The axis of the wheel
could be substantially parallel to the axis of the auger
extension, for conveniently swinging the auger hopper under
1o the hopper-bottom trailer chute, or could be on a castor or
have any other convenient configuration preferred by the user.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:
While the invention is claimed in the concluding portions
hereof, preferred embodiments are provided in the accompanying
detailed description which may be best understood in
conjunction with the accompanying diagrams where like parts in
2o each of the several diagrams are labeled with like numbers,
and where:
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Figure 1 is an end view of the embodiment mounted on an
air-seeder tank cart and in the loading position under a
hopper bottom trailer;
Figure 2 is a top view of the illustration of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a top view of the embodiment, a kit mounted
on an existing auger conveyor;
to Figure 4 is a cross-sectional side view along line XX in
Figure 3;
Figure 5 is a cross-sectional end view along line YY in
Figure 3.
Figure 5A is an enlarged cross-sectional view as
indicated on Figure 5 of the sliding connection of the
universal joint to the auger extension.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS:
Figures 1 and 2 show a preferred embodiment of the invention
in use. An auger conveyor i is mounted to an air-seeder tank
cart 2 for conveying bulk granular material such as seed and
fertilizer from the central dump chute 3 of a hopper-bottom
trailer 4 to tanks 5 located on the air-seeder tank cart 2.
The auger conveyor 1 has a 1_oading position as ill ustrated for
loading the tanks 5, and a stored position (not illustrated)
io for use when the air-seeder is working in the field.
The auger conveyor comprises a straight auger 6 enclosed in a
tube 7. The tube 7 extends substantially from the ground 8 to
a point above the loading port 9 of the tanks 5 when in the
i5 loading position. The tube 7 has a discharge end 10 at the
top thereof and an intake end 11 at the bottom thereof . A
flexible spout 12 is located at the top discharge end 10 of
the tube 7 to direct the bulk granular material into the
loading port 9.
Figures 3 and 4 illustrate a kit installed on an existing
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auger conveyor 1. A universal joint 13 is used as an angular
drive, allowing the auger hopper 20 to rotate around the auger
tube 7 as is done with prior art hoppers to facilitate clean
out. It is attached to the bottom end of the straight auger
6 by insertion into the hollow core of the straight auger 6
and is secured by a pin or bolt 14. The opposite end of the
universal joint 13 is a pin 45 with a rectilinear cross-
section as shown in Figure 5A. The pin 45 slides into the
hollow core of the drive end 16 of the auger extension 15
io which hollow core is formed into a mating aperture 46 to
slidingly engage the pin 45. This preferred connection
transmits rotation from the universal joint 13 to the auger
extension 15 but also allows the pin 46 to slide in and out of
the aperture 46 a short way as the universal joint 13 rotates,
i5 thereby reducing vibration and wear.
The drive end 16 of the auger extension 15 is secured in a
steady bearing 48 which is attached to the auger hopper 20 by
bearing bracket 49 fixed to a reinforcing plate 50 attached on
2o the bottom of the auger hopper 20 by bolts 51 through the
auger hopper 20.
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The free end 17 of the auger extension 15 extends tizrough a
hole 18 in the free end l9of the auger hopper 20 where it is
secured in a bearing 21. The bearing 21 is mounted to the
outside of the free end 19 of the auger hopper 20 in a pillow
block 22 secured to the free end 19 by bolts 23.
The attached end 24 of the auger hopper 20 is attached to the
intake end 11 of the tube 7 by clamp 30 and bolts 31. The
clamp 30 may be tightened to the tube 7 so that it is fixed
to thereto or may be left loose so that it may be rotated on the
tube 7 for clean out. Clamp stop 47 is welded to the tube 7
to prevent the clamp 30, in this loosened state, from sliding
down the tube 7 and causing the pin 45 to disengage from the
aperture 46.
The auger hopper 20 has an open top 25 and encloses the intake
end 11 of the tube 7 and encloses the auger extension 15. The
sloping sides 26 of the auger hopper 20 direct the bulk
granular material received by the auger hopper 20 from the
2o central dump chute 3 of a hopper-bottom trailer 4 into the
auger extension 15 and the intake end 11 of the tube 7 for
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conveyance up the auger conveyor 1 and into the tanks 5.
As best seen in Figures 4 and 5 the auger hopper 20 has a
clean-out port 40 in the bottom thereof which is closed by a
s conventional sliding panel 41 held by guides 42. One or more
of these may be provided to facilitate cleaning out the auger
hopper 20.
Existing auger conveyors for air-seeders have an upper portion
l0 27 of the tube 7 at the intake end 11 removed to allow the
bulk granular material to enter the auger conveyor 1. While
the invention will work satisfactorily with this open portion,
Figures 3 and 4 illustrate an optional cover 28 to cover this
open portion in order to improve feeding and prevent bulk
i5 granular material from being thrown about by the action of the
universal joint 13 as it rotates. Where the invention is not
in kit form, but is manufactured as original equipment, this
upper portion 27 of the intake end 11 of the tube 7 may be
left in place instead of being removed, or a slide could be
2o employed to allow adjustment of the open portion.
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The straight auger 6 is rotationally driven by a hydraulic
motor 29 at the upper discharge end 12 of the tube 7, and when
the straight auger 6 is rotating the auger extension 15 is
also rotating.
As illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, a wheel 32 is rotatably
mounted to the free end 19 of the auger hopper 20 by wheel
bracket 33 attached by the bolts 23 that hold the pillow block
22. In the illustrated embodiment, the axis of the wheel 32
io is substantially parallel to the axis of the auger extension.
Other configurations, such as a castor wheel could also be
used. One of the objectives is to keep the hopper kit
relatively light, since putting the auger conveyor 1 into the
stored position requires the operator to manually lift the
i5 intake end 11 of the tube 7, and therefore the auger hopper
20, into a raised saddle.
The kit then consists of the universal joint 13, the auger
extension 15, the auger hopper 20, pillow block 22, bearing
20 23, wheel 32, wheel bracket 33, the steady bearing 48 with
bracket 49 and plate 50, clamp stop 47 and clamp 30. The kit
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may further include a cover 28 for installation over the
removed upper portion 27 of the intake end 11 of the tube 7.
The cover 28 could be resilient material such as plastic that
would snap over the tube 7. The auger hopper 20 is also
s preferably a plastic material to reduce weight. When
originally manufactured, these features would be built into
the auger conveyor 1.
As can be seen in the figures, when the auger conveyor 1 is in
io the loading position as illustrated, the auger extension 15
extends substantially horizontally along the ground 8.
Figures 1 and 2 show the auger hopper in position under the
central dump chute 3 of the hopper-bottom trailer 4. The
auger conveyor 1 is conventionally mounted to the air-seeder
i5 tank cart 2 at the two pivotal connections 35, 36 allowing the
auger hopper 20 to be rolled along approximately the path
indicated by the broken line P in Figure 2 to a position under
the central dump chute 3.
2o The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the
principles of the invention. Further, since numerous changes
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and modifications 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 such suitable changes or_ modif_ications in
s structure or operation which may be resorted to are intended
to fall within the scope of the claimed invention.
