Auger flight support for plural auger coal mining systems

An auger flight support for supporting a plurality of auger flights by connecting together respective first ends of parallel auger flights, the auger flights each having a respective helical flighting affixed exteriorly therearound and having a respective outer diameter and respective second ends having a drive socket, the auger flights being adapted for use with an augering apparatus of the type used for rotating and advancing a plurality of side-by-side cutting heads of a drilling section, the drilling section which is driven horizontally into the side of a hill with the cutting heads driven rotationally through the drive sockets by the augering apparatus, the unitized auger flights being inserted between the drilling section and the augering apparatus in a rotationally coupled end-to-end manner as drilling progresses, the auger flight support comprising:

• a pair of support posts, each having a bearing housing and a radially dependent support leg;
• a pair of drive shafts each having a first end adapted to closely fit within and be affixable to the first end portion of a respective flight auger, a second end portion of mating configuration to the drive sockets, and a middle bearing portion which fits within said bearing housing;
• at least one bearing disposed within each of said bearing housings between the respective bearing housing and said bearing portion of the respective said drive shaft, said at least one bearing which rotationally supports and longitudinally retains the respective drive shaft to the respective support post;
• and
• a tie bar adapted to rigidly interconnect said support posts at such a spacing that the respective of said outer boring diameters of said flightings are closely adjacent one another, and said support legs extend generally downwardly to provide support for the auger flights.