GB2078664A - Silage supply truck - Google Patents

Abstract

A silage supply truck has a downward discharge opening along one side of the truck, loosening rollers 7, 8 within the truck adjacent the discharge opening, and a conveyor 4 in its floor for advancing blocks 15 of sage contained in the truck towards the loosening rollers and the discharge opening. Spikes 14 in the roof 12 of the truck resist movement of the tops of the silage blocks 15 so that shear forces are applied to the blocks, and also an angular displacement, whereby the blocks are so deformed that they more readily collapse in the area of the discharge opening to facilitate loosening of the silage. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECiFICATiON Silage supply truck The invention concerns a silage supply truck with rotatable loosening devices above one of the bottom edge areas, for example one or more loosening rollers or chains with cross-bars and pins and with a transporter for carrying the silage loaded into the truck over the bottom of the loosening devices.

Normally, silaged feed, hereinafter briefly called "silage", is loaded with the aid of a front loader, a crane or similar tool. This has the disadvantage not only that the silage, particularly separate parts of the silage, reach the truck in an uncontrolled manner but also that unchecked parts are taken off the silage. The result is that a particularly large surface area of the silage loaded on to the truck deteriorates through the effects of oxygen and is lost. A further difficulty with loading a silage supply truck in this way is that the loaded weight is relatively low.

Making use of a block cutter for cutting loose and transporting ensilaged feed is known, with the aid of which rectangular blocks can be cut from the piled silage. Such blocks can be loaded on to a silage supply truck and the degree of loading is then better but difficulties arise in loosening it, particularly with long-fibred silage, which partly owing to its horizontal position causes the loosening devices to seize up.

The invention is intended to create a silage supply truck which makes a full degree of loading possible, which when loaded with blocks can be made ready for use during the weekend without deterioration occurring through the access of oxygen, and from which the silage can be unloaded without difficulty.

For this purpose the silage supply truck is characterised in that it is equipped with means for manipulating the blocks loaded into it in such a way that sliding forces are induced in the blocks according to the layering and also an angular displacement whereby the blocks are so unshaped that they can collapse more or less along the bottom side and the loosening means obtain an optimum grip on them.

As a result, the blocks will first make contact with the loosening means on unloading initially in the area of the projecting underside and thereby be unshaped and tipped and can collapse.

According to the invention, manipulating means for the blocks can further include retaining means which act on the upper sides of the blocks.

Assuming that the blocks are placed on the truck with the layering horizontal, the co-operation of these retaining means and the movement of the bottom transporter will produce the effects described above, which promote the loosening even of long-fibred material and prevent seizing up.

The retaining means can in this case be formed by pins which are pressed into the blocks from the top side.

To ensure that no parts of the silage blocks carried to the loosening roller are thrown away over the roller, a screen e.g. in the form of plates and/or combs can be fitted in the top front edge zone of the first block.

By a further development of the invention, the pins are fastened to a pivotting frame which bears on the side of the truck where the loosening means are located and the opposite, free end of which is equipped with a flap for closing off the side of the truck where the blocks are entered.

This produces a very simple design in which after loading, through the downwards movement of the pivotting frame the retaining means for the blocks on the one hand take effect and, on the other, the closing flap is brought into position.

To clarify the invention, an embodiment of the silage supply truck will now be described with reference to the drawings.

The Drawing shows: Fig. 1 a side-view of a silage supply truck; Fig. 2 a front-view of the facility according to Fig. 1; Fig. 3 a diagrammatic cross-section of the truck during loading; and Fig. 4 a diagrammatic cross-section of the loaded truck during unloading.

According to the drawing, a silage supply truck is equipped with a chassis 1 with wheels 2 and a loading box 3. The loading box bottom is equipped with a conveyor belt 4 consisting of two endless chains with cross-bars 5. The conveyor belt is driven by a tractor (not shown) set up in front of the supply truck via a gearbox 6 and a hydraulic motor 6' placed in front of it.

Further, two loosening rollers of a type known per se 7 and 8 are set up above each other in the loading area. The two drums are driven from the tractor (not shown). For this purpose, a shaft 9, driven from the tractor, is fitted on the truck and drives the bottom loosening roller 7 via a chain transmission. The upper loosening roller 8 is then driven via a chain 11. As the drawing further shows, the sidewall ends short near to the loosening rollers so that material loosened by these rollers can be removed outwards through it.

The upper side of the truck is further equipped with a pivotting frame 12 which is linked by hinges to the side wall of the truck, at which point the loosening rollers are fitted. The pivotting frame is moved by means of a piston and cylinder set 13.

The pivotting frame is also provided with pins 14 penetrate the silage blocks 1 5 loaded on the truck as the pivotting frame 12 moves downwards from its upwards slewed state (see Fig. 3). The pivotting frame 12 is further provided with a closing clamp 1 6 at the side lying opposite the pivot, which closes off the appropriate side of the loading box when the pivotting frame is in its downwards slewed position.

The operation of the facility will now be further described. As Fig. 3 shows, the silage blocks 1 5 are placed on the truck with their fibres in horizontal direction. After the pivotting frame 12 has moved downwards and the blocks are held fast by the upper side by the pins 14, the conveyor belt 4 is moved slowly. As a result, angular displacement and sliding forces will be introduced in the layering in the blocks, which have the effect of loosening the layers whereby the block, at least in the area of the projecting underside, can more or less collapse, so that the pins of the loosening means can grip them effectively.

It will be clear that with the continuing loosening of the silage blocks, they will begin to tip increasingly, so that proper removal by the rollers is ensured.

It should be noted that, within the framework of the invention, a large number of variations is possible. Not only can use be made of a loosening chain or the like instead of loosening rollers, but the pins 14 can be of adjustable or sprung form, to ensure that they penetrate the silage blocks to a suitable depth. Further, use is made in the embodiment shown of a supply truck which unloads sideways, but it is clear that use can also be made of a larger supply truck on which several blocks can be loaded and which may unload from the front or rear, for example, with or without a cross conveyor. The drive of the various elements to be driven may also be achieved by means other than shown.

In order to ensure that no large unprocessed parts of a largely processed block can be thrown over the top roller and thus be removed without having been loosened, a screen 17, e.g. in the form of plates and/or combs, can be fitted in the upper front edge zone of the front block, this screen holding back such unprocessed parts.

Claims (6)

1. Silage supply truck with rotating loosening means above one of the bottom edge areas, for example one or more loosening rollers or rollers or chains with cross-bars and pins and with a conveyor carrying silage loaded into the truck across the floor to the loosening means, characterised by means for handling the blocks loaded into it in such a way that sliding forces re induced in the blocks along the layering and also angular displacement whereby the blocks are so unshaped that they can more or less collapse at the bottom side and the loosening means obtain an optimum grip on them.

2. Supply truck as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the handling means for the blocks comprise retaining means which take effect on the top ends of the blocks.

3. Supply truck as claimed in claim 2 characterised in that the retaining means are formed by pins which can be pressed into the blocks from the top side.

4. Supply truck as claimed in any of the preceding claims characterised by a screen, for example in the form of plates and/or combs, in the top front edge area of the first block.

5. Supply truck as claimed in claim 3 characterised in that the pins are fastened to a pivotting frame which bears on the side of the truck in which the loosening means are located and the opposite, free end of which is equipped with a flap for closing off the side of the truck, where the blocks are entered.

6. Silage supply truck, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.