Front-mounted tank system and method

An agricultural machine for distributing commodity to soil, comprising:

• a tractor having a front end, a rear end, and a front frame movably coupled to the front end, the front frame comprising an upper portion and a lower portion, the upper portion having a first pair of brackets and the lower portion having a second pair of brackets, each bracket of the first and second pair of brackets having outer edges that converge to a middle portion of the bracket;
• a main tank configured to store commodity;
• a front tank configured to be supported above the ground by the front frame, the front tank having a first pair of cantilevers and a second pair of cantilevers;
• an implement coupled to the rear end of the tractor, the implement including row units configured to distribute commodity received from the main tank to the soil;
• and
• a supply line configured to transfer additional commodity from the front tank to the main tank as commodity from the main tank is distributed to the soil via the row units;
• wherein the supply line includes an outlet coupled to the main tank and an inlet that is fixed to the front frame for movement therewith relative to the front end of the tractor, and
• wherein the first and second pairs of cantilevers are configured to, in response to a movement of the front frame, self-center to the middle portion of, and rotate relative to, a corresponding bracket of the first and second pairs of brackets to engage the inlet of the supply line with an outlet of the front tank.

A method for distributing commodity comprising:

• engaging a front frame of a tractor with a front tank that has commodity therein;
• pivoting the front frame relative to a front end of the tractor to engage a supply line, which is fixed to the front frame, with the front tank;
• advancing a first bracket pair on an upper portion of the front frame and a second bracket pair on a lower portion of the front frame toward corresponding first and second cantilever pairs on the front tank such that (1) the first and second cantilever pairs self-center to middle portions of the first and second bracket pairs, respectively, and (2) hooks of the first cantilever pair rotate relative to brackets of the first bracket pair and posts of the second cantilever pair seat at middle portions of the second bracket pair as an inlet of the supply line engages with an outlet of the front tank;
• and
• transferring commodity from the front tank to a main tank via the supply line after the supply line is engaged with the front tank.