Intermittent drum feeder with adjustable loading position

A feed mechanism comprising:

• a cylindrical trough having at the lower part thereof an axially extending material discharge opening,
• a feed auger screw disposed coaxially with said trough,
• means to feed material to one end of said auger screw,
• means to rotate said auger screw to distribute the material from said one end along the length of said trough,
• a sleeve circumscribing said trough and said opening, said sleeve having an opening adapted to at least partially register with the opening of said trough whereby the flow passing through said trough opening may be regulated by angularly adjusting said sleeve on said trough to afford restriction of the flow of material from said trough along its length through said registering openings, and a bucket conveyor in which spaced-apart buckets are supported at their ends between spaced parallel conveyor chains, said auger screw being operable to distribute material across the full width of the bucket,
• said trough being surrounded by an intermittent-opening drum having a series of openings spaced circumferentially around the drum at a pitch corresponding to the spacing of the conveyor buckets on said conveyor chain, said drum being coaxially secured to a sprocket engageable with said conveyor chains, and said feed mechanism operable to discharge material through its opening into and through the drum openings for feeding material to said conveyor buckets.

A feed mechanism comprising:

• a cylindrical trough having at the lower part thereof an axially extending material discharge opening,
• a feed auger screw disposed coaxially with said trough,
• means to feed material to one end of said auger screw,
• means to rotate said auger screw to advance the material from said one end along the length of said trough,
• a sleeve circumscribing said trough and said opening, said sleeve having an opening adapted to at least partially register with the opening of said trough whereby the flow passing through said trough opening may be regulated by angularly adjusting said sleeve on said trough to afford restriction of the flow of material from said trough along its length through said registering opening, and
• an intermittent-opening drum surrounding said sleeve and having a series of openings spaced circumferentially around the drum at a predetermined pitch, said mechanism being operable to discharge material through its opening into and through the drum openings.