GB2304092A - Grain Transport - Google Patents

Abstract

A method and apparatus for grain transport utilises a self-unloading tipping trailer 10 with integral auger elevator 20 to transport the grain from a combine harvester to a roadgoing bulk grain vehicle (Fig 2). The latter has a generally horizontal belt-type rear discharge conveyor and can thus discharge without making a significant height requirement as is the case with bulk tipper trucks. The auger elevator 20 of the trailer is shaft-driven from the tractor pto via a shaft extending co-axially through the trailer tipping pivot to eliminate drive geometry changes during tipping. Preferably, the auger has a horizontal input end, an elevated section and a horizontal discharge section.

Description

GRAIN TRANSFER SYSTEMS This invention relates to a method and apparatus for grain transport. There is included within the invention an improved grain transport vehicle together with a system of grain transport applicable to field harvesting operations employing combine harvesters.

Conventional systems for transporting grain between a combine harvester and a farm-based grain storage system involve the use of numerous farm trailers and associated tractors, each with its own driver.

Typically, a farm-type grain trailer will carry one tank-load of grain from a combine harvester. This may, for example, be about 6 to 8 tonnes.

Accordingly, the usual system is for the tractor and trailer periodically to drive alongside the combine harvester as it harvests and to take the full complement of the harvester's full grain tank. The tractor and trailer then proceed back to the farm and the grain is tipped out and eventually stored in a grain silo. The tractor and trailer return to the field harvesting operations and the sequence of operations is repeated.

Due to the time taken for the various aspects of the above-described sequence of operations, it is found that there is a need for, for example, as many as three tractors and trailers to meet the needs of a combine harvester carrying out continuous field harvesting.

Conventional bulk roadgoing tipper trucks could be employed for transporting grain from the field harvesting site to the storage facilities, but these have very substantial clearance height requirements when fully tipped and such is frequently not available at the discharge location for harvested grain.

e have discovered that a roadgoing bulk transport vehicle of the kind which has hitherto been used for the bulk road transport of potatoes can be adapted and successfully used for the corresponding bulk transport of grain from the scene of field harvesting operations back to the farm if some means can be found for loading the grain from the combine harvester into the bulker vehicle, and for allowing the internal conveyor system to handle grain.

We have devised and invented a method and apparatus applicable to the transportation of grain based upon these principles, as described in the embodiments which follow.

According to the invention there is provided a method and apparatus applicable to the bulk transport of grain as defined in the accompanying claims.

In the described embodiments there is provided a grain transport system and method wherein a self unloading trailer receives grain from a combine harvester and transports same to a roadgoing bulk trailer having a generally horizontal belt or scrapertype rear discharge conveyor. The bulk trailer is a non-tipping trailer. The self-unloading trailer elevates the grain via its discharge auger so that the grain is deposited in the bulk roadgoing trailer and the latter transports the grain to a storage location, for example on the farm. At that location the bulk roadgoing trailer discharges the grain without tipping by use of its generally horizontal discharge conveyor.

This is able to discharge substantially the entire crop by virtue of sloping walls within the trailer feeding the grain to the generally horizontal discharge conveyor.

The bulk roadgoing trailer has an internal conveyor-shielding grain support structure which enables the conveyor to be driven below the mass of grain, by shielding the conveyor from the weight of the grain. In use, the grain falls from the grain support structure laterally into the trough in which the conveyor operates.

By the use of the combination of a self-unloading trailer with an auger elevator in the field operation, in combination with a bulk roadgoing trailer to transport the grain from the field operation back to the storage location, the efficiency of the operation is greatly enhanced. Previously, the use of bulk roadgoing trailers of this kind had been limited to crops such as potatoes. This has been due to the fact that the design of such bulk roadgoing vehicles has been based upon the requirements of potato crops. In many cases such roadgoing trailers require the presence of an operative within the load- carrying of the trailer during the discharge operation in order to progressively uncover successive portions of the discharge conveyor as unloading proceeds.Such an arrangement would be largely out of the question in the case of the transportation of a grain crop due to the different crop characteristics and the likely difficulty of successively freeing the conveyorcovering boards from under the weight of the grain crop. A further factor which has inhibited the use of such trailers having horizontal discharge conveyors from use in grain transport systems has been the fact that horizontal belt type discharge conveyors have been considered unsuitable for a crop such as grain.

Grain is traditionally conveyed by tipping or by augers, or possibly even by troughed conveyor belts, but almost never by flat-bed-type belt conveyors since such will normally only be able to carry a very limited grain pay load.

By arranging matters so that the generally flatbed type conveyor is located within a generally troughed structure within the vehicle body, the belt is able to carry a substantial body of grain.

Moreover, by constructing the drives of the conveyor and the grain-confinement surfaces within the vehicle so that they co-operate with the driven belt and do not permit unacceptable volumes of grain to enter the internal portions of the vehicle and its conveyor drives, jamming is avoided.

In the preferred embodiment described below, the trailer employed for transportation between the combine harvester and the bulk roadgoing trailer is a tipping trailer having an elevating discharge auger system. The trailer comprises a transverse auger conveyor located at the end towards which the grain is tipped. The transverse auger feeds the grain to the elevating auger. The drive for the augers is transmitted through a shaft which is disposed coaxially with the tipping axis of the trailer.

By providing the feature of the drive shaft extending co-axially with the hinging or tipping axis of the trailer the advantage is provided that the drive is transmitted without any geometrical changes as tipping of the trailer proceeds. Accordingly, where chain drives are employed, there is no need for chain tensioners to accommodate such changes.

Likewise, a simple mechanical drive system can be employed where otherwise a hydraulic drive system might have been considered otherwise necessary.

Previous self unloading trailers known to the applicants, such as the product of one well known manufacturer of farm machinery equipment have been unduly complicated and costly. In the instance concerned, the trailer consists of a tank portion and corresponding discharge augers which appear to have been transferred from the grain storage and discharge system of a combine harvester, substantially without any changes. Accordingly, such a system has sloping sides within the tank and a relatively low capacity coupled with a relatively high cost. By providing a system as described above in which a rear discharge facility is provided together with an elevating auger driven in the manner indicated, a conventional high capacity farm trailer can be employed, having the usual flat bed and vertical sides, with a minor adaptation at the rear.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Fig 1 shows a side elevation view of a grain transport trailer; and Fig 2 shows a rear elevation view of the trailer of Fig 1 located alongside a roadgoing bulk grain vehicle for discharge of grain into the container thereof.

As shown in Fig 1, a grain transport trailer 10 comprises ground wheels 12, a draw bar 14 for connection to the hitch hook of a tractor, and a chassis structure 16 carrying a grain container 18.

Discharge means 20 for container 18 comprises a tipping mechanism located below container 18 at the location indicated by arrow 22, and a drivable discharge elevator 24 driven by a drive shaft 26 adapted to be coupled to the pto of the tractor in the conventional way.

Trailer 10 is, in its general construction and arrangement of similar form to standard agricultural trailers and therefore no further description will be provided in relation to ground wheels 12, draw bar 14, chassis 16 and grain container 18, except to say that the latter is of standard rectangular form, having a generally flat base and vertical side walls 28 and an open top.

In a standard tipping trailer, the rear wall of the container is usually openable so that material contained within the container can be discharged as the container is tipped. In the present case, the rear wall 30 of the container is mounted at a fixed attitude, as shown in Fig 1, in which it is slightly rearwardly inclined so as to produce a short wedgesection addition to the container internal volume, and corresponding wedge-shaped or tapering fillets 32 are welded therein so as to define, with rear wall 30, an extension 34 of the internal container volume. Below extension 34 there is located an upwardly-opening auger trough 36 containing a conventional spiral grain auger 38 (shaft shown - not flight).The auger feeds grain from right to left as seen in Fig 2 into a short downwardly-extending link tube 40 which leads to the main upwardly-extending auger tube 42 which discharges into a transverse auger tube 44 for final deposition of the grain into the adjacent vehicle, as described below.

The drive system for the helical auger flights within the auger trough 36 and elevator auger tube 42 and transverse auger tube 44 will now be described.

Input drive shaft 26 extends lengthwise of vehicle 10 and centrally thereof to a rear gearbox 46 having an output shaft 48. Sprockets 50, 52 on shaft 48 transmit drive via chains 54, 56 to the auger flights within trough 36 and tube 42. Drive from chain 56 to the auger in tube 42 proceeds via a gearbox (not shown). Drive is transmitted onwards to the auger flight within tube 44 in a similar manner.

Grain is discharged from an opening at the end of tube 44 via a guide cowl 57.

Particular attention is drawn to the geometric arrangement of transverse shaft 48 with respect to the structure of grain container 18, and more particularly in relation to the axis 58 about which it is tipped.

It will be noted that the output shaft 48 of gearbox 46 actually extends through the hinge bracket structure 60 at one side of trailer 10, which bracket structure, along with a similar bracket structure 62 permits container 18 to tip under the control of mechanism 22 which is powered by the hydraulic system of a tractor drawing the trailer.

Auger tube 42 is mounted at a fixed attitude as shown in Fig 1 with respect to container 18 by means of a support bracket 64.

In use, trailer 10 is drawn via draw bar 14 and loaded with grain through the open top of container 18. Grain fills the container and also fills extension 34 and enters auger tube or trough 36.

When it is desired to discharge grain via transverse auger tube 44 and cowl 57, the pto drive is engaged and drive proceeds via shaft 26, gear box 46, output shaft 48 and the chain and sprocket drives 50, 52, 54 and 56.

Initially, during the grain discharge operation, there is no need to tip container 18 since there is sufficient grain already located in and above the auger tube 36. In due course however, as the grain at the rear of trailer is cleared, there is a need to supply more grain to the discharge system, and container 18 is progressively tipped. Elevator auger tube 42 is accordingly likewise tipped and this changes slightly the position of transverse tube 44 with respect to the roadgoing vehicle 66 into which the trailer 10 discharges.

As container 18 is progressively tipped, it will seen that the geometry of the drive to the auger discharge system remains unaffected due to the coaxial relationship between shaft 48 and the container tipping axis 58.

Turning now to the structure of roadgoing vehicle 66, this is shown in Fig 2 and the vehicle is a roadgoing or highway vehicle generally constructed in the form of a potato bulker as described in our UK patent GB 2275907 B. We hereby incorporate into the present application the entire disclosure in our aforesaid prior patent for disclosure purposes.

However, for the purposes of the use of vehicle 66 for grain transport purposes, certain significant adaptations have been made including the provision of enhanced sealing facilities to restrict and control the free-flowing nature of harvested grain and to prevent its escape from the bulk container body 68 of vehicle 66, its entry into the drive mechanism of discharge conveyor 70 thereof, and related modifications.

There is provided at the rear discharge opening 72 of container body 68 a raisable gate structure 74 which co-operates with conveyor 70 in defining a grain-tight openable discharge facility for the bulk container body. Gate 74 is operated by a pivoted handle structure 76 and conveyor 78 is driven by a motor 78 via a drive 80.

Other features of vehicle 66 which can be seen from Fig 2 include road wheels 82 and rear lights 84 and a convex-profiled roof structure 86 which serves to support a removable crop cover or canopy (not shown).

In use, container body 68 is filled by two or three full loads of grain from trailer 10 and is drawn by a conventional roadgoing tractor to the grain storage location. There, opening rear gate 74 causes grain to pour out initially. Then, when the flow slows, motor 78 is caused to drive conveyor 70 and the grain discharge operation continues.

Claims (11)

CLAIMS :

1 A grain transport vehicle, adapted for use in receiving harvested grain from a combine harvester during field harvesting operations and for transporting same across the field to an unloading location, said vehicle comprising : a) ground wheels; b) a container mounted thereon; c) discharge means for said container to elevate and discharge said grain; d) said discharge means comprising at least one driven auger conveyor; characterised by e) a tipping mechanism for said container; and f) the arrangement being such that when said container tips the grain therein is tipped towards said driven auger to be conveyed thereby.

2 A self unloading transport vehicle for grain or other particulates comprising a drivable discharge elevator, characterised by said vehicle comprising a power-tip mechanism for a container of said vehicle and adapted to tip the contents of said container towards said drivable discharge elevator for discharge thereby.

3 A vehicle according to claim 2 characterised by said discharge elevator comprising an auger.

4 A vehicle according to claim 1 or claim 3 characterised by said auger extending generally horizontally at the end of said container towards which said grain cr other particulate is tipped.

5 A vehicle according to claim 4 characterised by drive means for said auger comprising a shaft extending generally co-axially with respect to the axis of tipping of said container.

6 A vehicle according to claim 5 characterised by said shaft extending through a hinge assembly of said tippable container.

7 A transport vehicle having a tippable material container and discharge auger means for said container, characterised by a drive shaft for said auger and extending generally co-axially with respect to the axis of tipping of said container.

8 A vehicle according to claim 5 or claim 6 characterised by said discharge elevator comprising a series of driven augers disposed in series to discharge grain, each to the next, and all said driven augers being driven by said shaft extending generally co-axially with respect to said axis of tipping.

9 A vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims characterised by said material container comprising a generally rectangular tippable trailer body with said auger mounted at the rear end with respect to the normal direction of forward motion thereof.

10 A method of transporting grain from field harvesting operations to storage facilities via public highways comprising a) discharging grain from a combine into a trailer having an auger-type discharge elevator; and b) discharging the grain from said trailer via said elevator and into a bulk container of a roadgoing vehicle; and c) discharging the grain from said road-going vehicle at said storage facility; characterised by d) said road-going vehicle comprising a nontipping bulk container body having a generally horizontally-disposed rear discharge conveyor, said bulk container being adapted to receive and retain grain therein substantially without loss, the method comprising the step of discharging said grain in a generally rearward horizontal direction by driving said conveyor below the mass of grain therein while grain falls onto said conveyor from a conveyorshielding grain support structure, without the necessity to tip said bulk container, whereby said discharge can be effected directly below a fixed structure or building which would prevent tipping of said bulk container.

10 A method of transporting grain to storage facilities characterised by elevating the grain directly from a trailer into a non-tipping bulk container body of a road going vehicle and discharging same subsequently by driving a generally horizontal discharge conveyor in said vehicle body.

11 A method according to claim 9 or claim 10 characterised by employing as said trailer a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 8.