GB2304517A

GB2304517A - Agricultural trailer for spreading granular material

Info

Publication number: GB2304517A
Application number: GB9618982A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Patrick Begadon; John Bowe
Original assignee: HILLWAY HOLDINGS Ltd
Current assignee: HILLWAY HOLDINGS Ltd
Priority date: 1995-09-11
Filing date: 1996-09-11
Publication date: 1997-03-26
Anticipated expiration: 2016-09-11
Also published as: GB2304517B; GB9618982D0

Abstract

An agricultural trailer for spreading a material such as animal feed or fertiliser onto the ground comprises a frame (10) having a hitch (11) at the front for connection to a tractor or other agricultural machine and a pair of wheels (12). A container (13) is mounted on the frame for receiving a charge of material to be spread, and a hopper (14) is formed in the base of the container adjacent the rear wall of the container. An auger (21, Fig. 4) in the hopper drives material in the hopper through an aperture in the rear wall of the container. An inclined plate (25) is mounted for front-to-rear reciprocation in the container for pushing material in the container towards the hopper. A circular plate (30) is mounted for rotation at the rear of the container for scattering material discharged from the aperture by centrifugal force.

Description

AGRICULTURAL TRAILER This invention relates to an agricultural trailer for spreading material, such as animal feed or fertiliser, onto the ground.

According to the present invention there is provided an agricultural trailer for spreading material onto the ground, the trailer comping a frame having ground-engaging wheels and a hitch at the front for connection to a tractor or other agncultural machine, a container mounted on the frame for receiving a charge of material to be spread, means for discharging material from the container, and means for scattering material discharged from the aperture by centrifugal force.

The invention further provides an agricultural trailer for spreading material onto the ground, comprising a frame having a bitch at the front for connection to a tractor or other agricultural machine and a pair of wheels one on either side towards the rear, a container mounted on the frame for receiving a charge of material to be spread, a hopper formed in the base of the container adjacent the rear wall of the container, means in the hopper for driw material z rye hopper driving an aprture in the rear walt of the container, means mounted for front-to-rear reciprocation in the container for pushing material in the container towards the hopper, and means mounted for rotation at the rear of the container for scattering material discharged from the aperture by centrifugal force.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a trailer according to the embodiment of the invention, Figure 2 more detailed perspective view of the rear end of the trailer of figure 1, Figure 3 is a side view of the trailer, and Figure 4 shows the interior of the container of the trailer.

Referring to the drawings, the trailer coinprises a frame 10 having a hitch 11 at the front for connection to a factor or other agriculnualmachinc, and a pair of wheels 12 one on either side of the frame towards the rcar. A shallow generally rectangular container 13 is mounted on the fame 10 for receiving a charge of material to be spread, such as animal feed or fertiliser. The longitudinal axis of the container extends in the front to rear direction of the frame 10. A hopper 14 is formed in the base 15 of the container adjacent the rear wall 16 of the container 13, the hopper being formed by walls 17, 18 and 19 which converge downwardly to a rectangular aperture 20 in the rear wall 16 of the container.

An auger 21 rotatably mounted in and across the width of the hopper 14 has oppositely orientated screw membon 22, 23 respectively on each half of the auger which upon rotation of the auger 21 drive material in the hopper to the center of the hopper and through the aperture 20 in the rear wall 16. In use the auger 21 is rotated by a hydraulic motor 24 mounted outside the hopper. The motor 24 can be controlled to rotate the auger at any selected speed in the range 1. = pom by adjustment of a respective one of four levers 27 on a control panel 28 at the front of the trailer.

An upwardly and forwardly inclined plate 25 is mounted in guides (not shown) for front-to-rear reciprocation in the container 13. The plate 25 extends the flll width of the container 13 and is driven by a pair of double acting hydraulic rams 26 connected between the front of the frame 10 and the plate 25. When the rams 26 are extended the plate 25 is driven towards the hopper 14 and when they are retracted the plate is withdrawn towards the front of the container 10. The rams are controlled by a second of the four levers 27 on the control panel 28. A lid 29 hinged to the front edge of the container 10 may be closed down against the top of the container (in the drawings the lid is shown open to permit cleaning of the container).The lid comprises a mesh through which material is loaded, to prevent large lumps of material entering the container. When the rams 26 are extended the plate 25 sweeps out the volume between the lid 29 and the base 15 of the container to push material in the container 13 towards the hopper 14. In use the plate 25 is moved gzduallr towards the hopper 14 to maintain a steady supply of afresh material to the hopper 14 as material from the hopper 14 is discharged through the aperture 20.

A circular plate 30 is mount horixontay on a rearward extension 31 of the frame 10 for rotation about a substant vertical axis passing through its center. In use the plate 30 is spun at high speed, typically up to 3000tpm, according to the prevailing conditions, by a further hydraulic motor 40 mounted below the extension 31, The speed of rotation of the further motor 40 is controlled by a third one of the levers 27 on tht control panel 28. An annular plate 32 is mounted concentrically above and parallel to the circular plate 30 for rotation therewith, there being a gap 33 between the two.

A U-shaped plate 34 fixed to the rear of the hopper 14 just outside the aperture 20 acts as a guide to direct material emerging from the aperture 20 onto the upper surface of the circular plate 30 through the aperture 35 in the annular plate 32. In use, when the plate 30 is revolving at high speed, material discharged from the hopper 14 through the apermre 20 onto the plate 30 is scattered outwardly through the gap 33 by ccnrieugal force. A guard 36 is mounted on the rear of the hopper 14 for pivotting between a raised position as seen in figures 2 and 3 to a substantially horizontal position over the revolving plates 30, 32.

The effeRve size of the aperture 20 may be adjusted by adjusting the vertical position of a plate 37 which can slide downwardly across the aperture 20 to block off all or part of the aperture 20. The plate 37 is biassed upwardly by a tension spring 38 so that the aperture 20 is normally flilly open, but it can be driven downwardly against the bias of the spring 38 by extending a single acting hydraulic ram 39 mounted parallel with the spring 38. The ram 39 is controlled by the forth of the four levers 27 on the control panel 28.

In use the container 13 is first charged with material to be spread. Then the trailer is drawn across the ground where the material is to be spread as the auger 21 is rotated and the circular plate 30 spun As material is discharged from the hoppcr 14 onto the circular plate 30 the plate 25 it pushed towards the rear of the container 13 to mainin the supply of material to the hopper 14. The speed of rotation of the auger 21 and thc plate 30, the effective size of the aperture 20, and the rate of moment of the plate 25 are all delectable in accordance with the nature of the material being spread and the desired rate of discharge and spreading. Hydraulic power for the rams and the hydraulic motors is derived from the hydraulic system of the tractor or other agricultural machine to which the trailer is connected.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein which may be modified or varied without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. An agricultural trailer for spreading material onto the ground, the trailer comprising a frame having ground-engaging wheels and a hitch at the front for connection to a tractor or other agricuituraL machine, a container mounted on the frame for receiving a charge of material to be spread, means for discharging material from the container, and means for scattering material discharged from the aperture by ceneifugal force.

2. An agricultural trailer for spreading material onto the ground, comprising a frame having a hitch at the front for connection to a tractor or other agricultural machine and a pair of wheels one on either side towards the rear, a container mounted on the frame for receiving a charge of material to be spread, a hopper formed in the base of the container adjacent the rear walt of the container, means in the hopper for driving material in the hopper thrOugh an aperture in the rear wall of the container, means mounted for ft to rear reciprocation in the container for pushing material in the container towards the hopper, and means mounted for rotation at the rear of the container for scattering material discharged from the aperture by centrifugal force.

3. An agricultural trailer as claimed in claim 2, wherein the scattering means comprises a substantially circular plate mounted for rotation about a substantially vertical axis at the rear of the container, and means for directing material emerging from the aperture in the rear wall of the container onto the upper sutZace of the circular plate.

4. An agricultural trailer as claimed in claim 3, fixrliber including an annular plate mounted substantially concentrically above and parallel to the circular plate for rotation therewith, and a gap between the circular plate and the annular plate, wherein material emerging from the aperture in the rear wall of the container is directed onto the upper surface of the circular plate through the aperture in the annular plate and is scattered outwardly through the gap.

5. An agricultural trailer as claimed in claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein the container has a lid and the pushing means comprises a plate which sweeps out the volume between the lid and the base of the container.

6 An agricultural trailer as claimed in claim 5, wherein the plate is inclined upwardly and forwardly in the container

7. An agricultural trailer as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the driving means comprises an auger rotatably mounted across the width of tile hopper.

8. An agriculniral trailer as claimed in claim 7, wherein the aperture in the rear wall of the container is located substantially centrally in the rear wall and wherein the auger has oppositely oriented screw members respectively on each half of the auger which upon rotation of the auger drive material in the hopper to the center of the hopper and through the aperture in the rear wall.

9. An agricultural trailer substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.