Vehicle having a containment vessel and auger discharge device

A vehicle for transporting and discharging materials, the vehicle comprising:

• a frame;
• a material containment vessel, said material containment vessel pivotally mounted to said frame and having an interior and a rear portion with a rear wall, said rear wall defining the rear end of the interior and including an opening therein;
• a tubular shell, said tubular shell structurally attached to said material containment vessel and including first and second longitudinal ends, a discharge port, and an opening therein, said opening of said tubular shell in fluid communication with said opening of said material containment vessel;
• an auger, said auger including a shaft having first and second ends and a helically wound blade having external edges, said auger further including a generally cylindrical enveloping region along its length, the perimeter of which is defined by said external edges of said helically wound blade, said auger extending through said opening of said rear wall of said material containment vessel and into the interior of said material containment vessel with at least a portion of said enveloping region of said auger at every cross-section along its entire length from said first end to said second end being located external of said interior of said vessel;
• and
• a motor for rotating the shaft to convey material from the interior of the material containment vessel to the discharge port;
• wherein said opening in said tubular shell is located between said first and second longitudinal ends of the tubular shell, and wherein said rear wall is convex having a rearwardmost center section and a forwardmost section where the convex section terminates, said opening in said rear wall extending from the rearwardmost center section to at least one area of the forwardmost section.

A vehicle for transporting and discharging materials, the vehicle comprising:

• a frame;
• a material containment vessel, said material containment vessel mounted to said frame and having an interior and a rear portion with a rear wall, said rear wall including an opening therein;
• a tubular shell, said tubular shell structurally coupled to said material containment vessel and including first and second longitudinal ends, a discharge port, and an opening therein between said first and second longitudinal ends, said opening of said tubular shell in fluid communication with said opening of said material containment vessel, wherein tubular shell is located substantially entirely outside of the interior of said material containment vessel;
• an auger, said auger extending at least partially through said opening of said rear wall of said material containment vessel and into the interior of said material containment vessel, said tubular shell encasing said auger on both sides of said opening in the rear wall;
• a motor for rotating the auger to convey material from the interior of the material containment vessel through the tubular shell to be discharged out the discharge port;
• and
• means for pivotally mounting said material containment vessel to said frame and at least one extensible lift cylinder extending between said frame and said material containment vessel for pivoting said material containment vessel relative to said frame.

A vehicle for transporting and discharging materials, the vehicle comprising:

• a frame;
• a material containment vessel, said material containment vessel mounted to said frame and having an interior and a rear portion with a rear wall, said rear wall including an opening therein;
• a tubular shell, said tubular shell structurally coupled to said material containment vessel and including first and second longitudinal ends, a discharge port, and an opening therein between said first and second longitudinal ends, said opening of said tubular shell in fluid communication with said opening of said material containment vessel;
• an auger, said auger extending at least partially through said opening of said rear wall of said material containment vessel and into the interior of said material containment vessel, said tubular shell encasing said auger on both sides of said opening in the rear wall;
• a motor for rotating the auger to convey material from the interior of the material containment vessel through the tubular shell to be discharged out the discharge port;
• and
• means for pivotally mounting said material containment vessel to said frame and at least one extensible lift cylinder extending between said frame and said material containment vessel for pivoting said material containment vessel relative to said frame;
• wherein said auger includes a shaft having first and second ends and a helically wound blade having external edges, said auger further includes a generally cylindrical enveloping region along its length, the perimeter of which is defined by said external edges of said helically wound blade, at least a portion of said enveloping region of said auger at every cross-section along its entire length from said first end to said second end being located external of said interior of said vessel.

A vehicle for transporting and discharging materials, the vehicle comprising:

• a frame;
• a material containment vessel, said material containment vessel pivotally mounted to said frame and having an interior and a rear portion with a rear wall, said rear wall defining the rear end of the interior and including an opening therein;
• a tubular shell, said tubular shell structurally attached to said material containment vessel and including first and second longitudinal ends, a discharge port, and an opening therein, said opening of said tubular shell in fluid communication with said opening of said material containment vessel;
• an auger, said auger including a shaft having first and second ends and a helically wound blade having external edges, said auger further including a generally cylindrical enveloping region along its length, the perimeter of which is defined by said external edges of said helically wound blade, said auger extending through said opening of said rear wall of said material containment vessel and into the interior of said material containment vessel with at least a portion of said enveloping region of said auger at every cross-section along its entire length from said first end to said second end being located external of said interior of said vessel;
• a rear door pivotally mounted on said rear portion of said material containment vessel, said rear door forming said rear wall and having said opening therein;
• and
• a motor for rotating the shaft to convey material from the interior of the material containment vessel to the discharge port.