GB2328853A

GB2328853A - Spreaders

Info

Publication number: GB2328853A
Application number: GB9818669A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Scott Hillam
Original assignee: HILLAM FARM MACHINERY Ltd
Current assignee: HILLAM FARM MACHINERY Ltd
Priority date: 1997-09-02
Filing date: 1998-08-28
Publication date: 1999-03-10
Anticipated expiration: 2018-08-28
Also published as: GB9818669D0; GB2328853B

Abstract

A spreader for spreading many forms of slurry, the spreader having a rear slurry gate 10 which is movable upwardly and rearwardly relative to the remainder of the spreader by means of fluid-operated rams, the slurry gate being guided during its upward and rearward movement by guideways 14 on the walls of said spreader. The spreader includes a front panel 6 which is movable towards and away from said slurry gate, and the spreader will incorporate vertical or generally vertical twin beaters at its rear.

Description

SeRE,= This invention relates to spreaders and more particularly to agricultural spreaders used for spreading many forms of sluny and other material.

The invention is particularly concerned with spreaders which have a movable rear slurry gate which is movable upwardly relative to the side walls ofthe spreader so as to control and vary the amount of material leaving the spreader and passing to distribution means for spreading the slurry On such spreaders, the rear sluny gate is raisable vertically or generally vertically in its own plane, and with scurries having a very high liquid content there will be a sudden rush of slurry when the gate is raised and as soon as there is sufficient room underneath the gate for tile slurry to flow. There is no happy medium - either the slurry will rush out through the gap created when the slurry gate is raised or the slurry will not flow.

The present invention therefore seeks to provide an improved fonn of spreader which will obviate the known disadvantages of conventional spreaders.

According to the present invention there is provided a spreader having a rear slimy gate which is movable rearwardly and upwardly relative to the remainder ofthe spreader.

The upward and rearward movement of the rear slurry gate will preferably be by means of fluid-operated rams.

Preferably, said rear slurry gate will be guided during its rearward and upward movement by means on the walls of said spreader.

The spreader will preferably include a front panel which is movable rearwardly towards said sluny gate, and said spreader will preferably incorporate vertical or generally vertical twin beaters at its rear.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, an embodiment thereof will now be described, by way of example only, reference being made to the accompanying drawing, the single figure of witch is a diagrammatic representation of a body of a spreader in accordance with the invention.

Reniiig to the drawing, the spreader, indicated generally by reference numeral 2, includes a body 4 for containing slurry or other material (not shown), the body being mounted on wheels, not shown. Within the body 4 is a front panel 6 which is movable, by linked hydraulic rams (not shown), in the direction of arrow 8 so as to enable the slurry or other material within the body to be moved to the rear thereof for spreading. Spreading of the slurry or other material is achieved by means of a pair of vertical rotary beaters located at the rear of the spreader, the centre lines of said beaters being indicated by reference numeral 20.

The rear of the body 4 is closed by a rear slurry gate 10 which is raisable vertically or generally vertically relative to the remainder of the body from the position indicated at 10A to the position indicated at lOB. At the commencement of its travel between positions 10A and lOB, the slurry gate 10 moves rearwardly in the direction of arrow 12, the rearward and upward movement ofthe slurry gate 10 being simultaneous. The rearward and upward movement of the slurry gate by hydraulic rams (not shown) - is enabled by guideways on the side walls ofthe body 4, one such guideway being indicated by reference numeral 14, such guideways being engaged by sideways extensions (not shown) near the lower extremity of the gate.

When the slurry or other material to be spread is fairly solid or has little or no liquid content, the rear slurry gate 10 will be raised to a suitable position - even to the extent of being fully raised - and the slurry or other material will be pushed towards the beaters by moving the front panel in the direction of arrow 8 and towards the rear of the spreader.

When, however, the slurry or other material to be spread has a high liquid content, such that the sluny or other material is flowable, raising of the rear slurry gate as suggested in the preceding paragraph would result ill the slurry or other material rushing from the body 4 as soon as there is sufficient room for the slurry or other material to flow under the gate. There is no happy medium - either the slurry or other material rushes out or the slurry will not flow. This is overcome by raising the slurry gate only to the position indicated at lOC, and stopping such movement at that position. It will be appreciated that at the position lOC, the slurry gate has moved rearwardly towards the beaters as well as upwardly away from the bottom of the body 4 so as to create a gap between the bottom ofthe gate 10 and the bottom of the body 4. The creation of such gap enables the beaters to draw out the slurry or other material before it would flow through the gap of own accord, thus creating the same evenness of application throughout the slurry spreading operation.

Thus the invention provides a spreader which overcomes the problems of spreading slurries with a high liquid content by means of conventional spreaders having a rear movable slurry gate.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A spreader having a rear slurry gate which is movable upwardly and rearwardly relative to the remainder of the spreader.

2. A spreader according to Claim 1, wherein said rear slurry gate is moved upwardly and rearwardly by means of fluid-operated rams.

3. A spreader according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein said rear slurry gate is guided during its upward and rearward movement by means on the walls of said spreader.

4. A spreader according to any of Claims 1 to 3, wherein said spreader includes a front panel which is movable rearwards towards said scurry gate.

5. A spreader according to any of the preceding Claims, wherein said spreader incorporates vertical or generally vertical twin beaters at at its rear.

6. A spreader substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.