Silo unloader
AssigneeHanson Silo Company
InventorsGregg W. Hanson, Howard D. Jacobson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The silo unloader having one or more augers journaled for rotation therein is arranged to travel in a circular manner within a tower silo to auger silage to a collection point at the center thereof. Located proximate the central collection point is a transfer conveyor comprising two vertically oriented snowmobile track assemblies arranged to have corresponding flights of the track belt engaged with one another. As the tracks are driven by an electric motor, silage becomes entrained between the two adjacent tracks and is propelled therealong onto a discharge conveyor that leads to a drop chute opening in the wall of the silo.
Claims12
In a silo unloader for removing silage from a tower silo by propelling silage out of a drop chute opening of the silo, the silo unloader being of the type including a frame adapted to be suspended within the silo from an upper portion thereof, an auger arm coupled to the frame for moving the silage to a collection point, the auger arm having a pair of cooperating augers journaled therein and adapted to rotate relative to the frame in a generally horizontal plane to sweep circumferentially across the silage and a discharge conveyor leading to the drop chute opening, the improvement comprising:
- (a) first and second endless belts, each deployed about a set of spring-loaded bogie wheels to define adjacent parallel belt flights extending from the collection point toward the discharge conveyor and adapted to capture silage therebetween;
- and
- (b) drive means for providing a driving force to the first and second endless belts, the pair of augers and a force for rotating the auger arm in said generally horizontal plane.
A silo unloader for removing silage from a tower silo by propelling silage out of a drop chute opening of the silo comprising, in combination:
- (a) a frame adapted to be suspended within a tower silo from an upper portion thereof, said frame including an annular track;
- (b) an auger arm suspended from the frame for travel over a circular area, the auger arm having at least one auger journaled for rotation therein and adapted to scrape and move silage from a perimeter of the tower silo to a collection point proximate a center of the annular track;
- (c) an elongated discharge conveyor affixed to the frame and having a bed supporting an endless conveyor belt driven by a first drive means, the discharge conveyor being alignable with the drop chute opening;
- and
- (d) a transfer assembly for moving silage from the collection belt onto the discharge conveyor, said transfer assembly including a pair of endless belts entrained over bogey wheels to define a path between two adjacent, parallel belt flights and driven by a second drive means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.