US 10,743,475 B2 · Agricultural wagon with unload auger operable on both sides

Abstract

An agricultural wagon, for example a grain cart, of the type including an upright unload auger at the front end of the grain receiving bin which can be pivoted between left side and right side discharge positions, further includes a gearbox supported at the bottom end of the unload auger. The gearbox has a main shaft directly coupled to the unload auger. An input shaft of the gearbox, coupled to the main shaft by gear reducing bevel gears, receives an input rotation from a drive source external of the gearbox, for example the PTO of a tractor, for driving the main shaft and the unload auger. A second pair of bevel gears transfer some of the input rotation of the main shaft to an output shaft of the gearbox which is connected to a lower auger along the bottom of the grain receiving bin.

An agricultural wagon for receiving particulate material therein, the agricultural wagon comprising:

a storage bin extending in longitudinal direction between a first end and a second end of the storage bin for receiving the particulate material therein;
wheels supporting the storage bin thereon for rolling movement along a ground surface in the longitudinal direction of the storage bin;
a lower auger operably supported within the storage bin at a bottom end of the storage bin to convey the particulate material in the storage bin in the longitudinal direction to the first end of the bin;
an unload auger assembly supported at the first end of the storage bin to extend upwardly from an inlet end to an outlet end of the unload auger assembly;
the unload auger assembly including an unload auger tube in communication with the lower auger within the bottom end of the storage bin at the inlet end of the unload auger assembly;
the unload auger tube being pivotal relative to the storage bin about a swing axis oriented in the longitudinal direction of the storage bin between a first position offset laterally from the lower auger to one side of the storage bin and a second position offset laterally from the lower auger to an opposing side of the storage bin;
the unload auger assembly including an unload auger rotatably supported in the unload auger tube to convey the particulate material upwardly from the inlet end to the outlet end of the unload auger assembly;
a gearbox supported at the inlet end of the unload auger assembly so as to be operably connected to both the lower auger and the unload auger;
the gearbox comprising:
an input shaft adapted to receive an input drive rotation from a drive source externally of the gearbox for rotation of the input shaft about an input axis of the input shaft;
a main shaft having a first output portion which is directly coupled to the unload auger for rotation together about a main axis of the main shaft;
an output shaft having a second output portion which is directly coupled to the lower auger for rotation together about an output axis of the output shaft;
and
a plurality of transfer gears operatively connected between the input shaft, the main shaft and the output shaft to transfer the input drive rotation from the input shaft to both the main shaft and the output shaft;
wherein the transfer gears include a pair of input transfer gears operatively connected between the input shaft and the main shaft so as to transfer the input drive rotation from the input shaft to the main shaft and a pair of output transfer gears operatively connected between the output shaft and one of input shaft or the main shaft so as to transfer the input drive rotation to the output shaft;
and
wherein the input transfer gears comprise a first input transfer gear fixed on the input shaft to rotate together and a second input transfer gear fixed on the main shaft to rotate together, the first input transfer gear having fewer teeth than the second input transfer gear;
and
wherein the second input transfer gear on the main shaft and the first output portion of the main shaft are at diametrically opposing sides of the output axis of the output shaft.

16 more elements

Agricultural wagon with unload auger operable on both sides

Life of this patent

Agricultural wagon with unload auger operable on both sides

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims16