US2992724A - Barn cleaning apparatus - Google Patents

Description

G. C. BERGER BARN CLEANING APPARATUS July 18, 1961 Filed Dec. 18, 1958 United States Patent 2,992,724 BARN CLEANING APPARATUS George C. Berger, Erskine, Minn. Filed Dec. 18, 1958, Ser. No. 781,397 1 Claim. (Cl. 198-164) This invention relates to barn and stable cleaning apparatus for the removal and delivery of accumulating refuse and manure from the gutters traversing the rear end of the stalls in a barn or stable.

Apparatus of the prior art in most instances requires special installation of the barn gutters or complicated installations of conveyor and elevator or in some instances reversible conveyor mechanism with the added disadvantage of reversal before removal operation.

None of the prior art, to my knowledge, provides a simplified combination conveyor and elevated discharge or loader, effective at the exterior of the barn for removing by means of one leaf or run of an endless conveyor all the refuse contained in an elongated continuous trough of a barn and for also elevating the moving material and removing the same from the barn and unloading the material upon a manure spreader or other form of vehicle disposed outside the barn.

It is an object of my invention to provide a simplified but highly eflicient apparatus of the class described wherein essentially one continuous endless conveyor disposed at the bottom of the continuous gutter in a barn may serve to collect, remove, elevate and discharge the refuse from said gutter upon a vehicle disposed outside the barn or alternatively to pile the same at such location.

A further object is the provision of barn cleaning apparatus which may be readily installed within conventional barns and wherein the conveyor means such as an endless chain or belt is housed and ventilated with the exception of the working leaf or run thereof which is disposed in the continuous barn gutter.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of apparatus of the class described wherein an elevated discharge chute with a power source for driving the conveying means is disposed exteriorly of the barn for continuously dumping and loading refuse onto a vehicle disposed therebelow and which for conveying and elevating discharge requires only one elongated continuous endless conveyor.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will more fully appear from the following description, made in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical section (foreshortened) taken through a conventional type of cattle barn along the inner longitudinal edge of one of the refuse gutters therein and illustrating an embodiment of my apparatus in operation;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary cross section taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a detail section taken along the line 33 of FIG. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

An embodiment of my apparatus for cleaning, discharging and loading refuse from the gutters of animal barns or stables as illustrated is applied longitudinally to a cattle barn B of conventional structure having the usual cattle stalls S disposed in side by side spaced relation and having a continuous feeding trough F formed in the floor and outside wall forwardly of the sides of said stalls, and having also formed at the rear of said stalls a continuous refuse or manure trough T which extends substantially from the rear end of said barn to the forward end A in the conventional manner. My invention includes a continuous conveyor medium disposed in the Patented July 18, 1961 bottom of trough T and preferably comprising a flexible endless conveyor indicated as an entirety by the letter C so distended and mounted that the lower run or leaf L is guided horizontally and smoothly across the bottom of trough T. As shown, the bottom of the trough T, for smooth guiding effect and improved sanitation, is provided with a metal liner strip X, although this is unneccessary insofar as the purposes of my invention are concerned.

The upper run U of conveyor C is guided and distended through a substantially horizontal path and is preferably enclosed within an elongated horizontal duct D extending substantially the full length of the barn and suitably supported from such means as hanger brackets H which may be rigidly aflixed to the ceiling of the lower chamber of the barn.

Endless conveyor C as shown is guided by and trained about a plurality of preferably rotary conveyor guiding elements which as shown are in the form of sprockets intermeshing with two sets of conventional conveyor chains 5 which are composed of rectangular lengths hinged together for flexibility. The sets of parallel endless chains are secured by equally spaced opposed links through cleats or scraper bars 6 throughout the length of the endless conveyor C, which bars as shown comprise angle plates having the ends thereof rivet-ed or otherwise aflixed to lateral lugs integrally formed in the appropriate links, extended inwardly from the sides of the links. The angle bars 6 at their longitudinal apexes rigidly carry heavy rods 6a which are adapted to bear against the bottom of trough T in the operation of my apparatus.

Referring in detail to the conveyor or chain distending and guiding elements it will be noted that in the rear of the barn just above the trough T, a shaft 7 is suitably journaled carrying at the end thereof sprockets 7a over which the two endless chains of the conveyor C are trained. Near the front A of the barn, a second shaft 8 is suitably journaled just above the collection portion of the trough having afiixed to the ends thereof sprockets 8a which are also engaged by the two side chains of the conveyor.

An upwardly extending, preferably inclined elevator housing or chute 9 communicates at its lower and inner end through a curved bottom plate 9:! with the forward end of trough T and has a discharge opening 9b at the forward portion thereof which is disposed outwardly of the front wall of the barn for some distance and at a height for unloading of the refuse material upon a manure spreader or other form of vehicle V positioned exteriorly of the front end of the barn. Endless conveyor C is housed by the elevator 9 and for its initial operation is supported upon and guided by the curved plate 9a and the bottom of the housing.

In the form of the invention shown the elevator housing 9 has rigidly afiixed thereto a supporting casing 10 rigidly secured to one of the side walls thereof and eX- tending laterally therefrom. Casing 10 is a rigid structure and has a base at 10a upon which, as shown, an electrical motor M is mounted having an armature or power take off shaft 11 provided with a V belt pulley 11!: which is engaged by an endless V belt 12 trained about a variable speed split pulley 13 aflixed to the outer end of a counter shaft 14. Counter shaft 14 extends perpendicularly to the line of travel of the conveyor and as shown is suitably journaled in bearings 15 and 16 supported from casing 10 and adjacent the side wall of the elevator housing 9 respectively. The counter shaft 14 is driven at a much slower speed than the speed of motor shaft 11 and in turn through a pinion 14a connected by an endless chain 17 with a pinion 17a drives a second counter shaft 18 suitably journaled near the outer and upper extremity of the elevator housing. Shaft 18 at its end opposite to pinion 17a rigidly carries a second pinion 1712 which is connected by an endless chain 19 to drive a stub shaft 20 to the inner end of which is affixed the chain pinion 21 for driving one of the chains of the endless conveyor.

The shaft 14 at its inner extremity and located just inwardly of the adjacent wall of the elevator housing has aflixed thereto a second chain pinion 22 for engaging and driving the second chain of the conveyor, pinions 21 and 22 being synchronized and driven at precisely the same speed. Said pinions 21 and 22 will further guide and distend the forward angled portion of the endless conveyor being trained about more than half of the diameter of said sprockets.

The outer and upper end of the elevator housing or chute is rigidly supported by overhanging heavy beams 23 which are aflixed at their base portions 23a to the front wall of the barn.

The forward end of the upper chain duct D as shown has forwardly extending and depending shaft-mounting bars 24 rigidly secured thereto in which a transverse shaft 25 is mounted having affixed near the end thereof chain guiding sprockets over which the conveyor is trained and guided in operation into the forward open end of duct D.

A ventilating flue 26 communicates as shown with the forward end of duct D from above and extends for some distance above the top of the barn to provide adequate draft for efficiently venting the entire duct D.

As shown in FIG. 1, a depending duct section D1 communicates with the rear end of the main duct D extending downwardly to approximately the trough T and being of a width for loosely accommodating and enclosing the rear leaf or portion of the conveyor.

Chain tightening mechanism of suitable form is applied to the upper rear corner of the endless conveyor C, and as illustrated in FIG. 1 comprises a pair of rigidly interconnected spaced arms 27 pivoted on pins 27a at their lower ends at points just above trough T and carrying at their upper ends a transverse shaft 27 17 upon which idler chain sprockets 28 are mounted for guiding the chain and downwardly angling with curved effect on the travel thereof. The arms 27 are urged rearwardl'y by a coil compression spring 29 interposed between a supported channel 36 and a cup or channel element 31 affixed to the upper portion of arms 27. It is to be understood that other suitable chain tightening mechanism may be employed which might comprise the hinging of the duct section D1 at the lower end thereof, with said duct section itself at the upper end being physically disconnected from the main duct section D and carrying the chain pinions 28. In this case the spring 29 is pressed directly against the hinged duct section D1.

If the scraper bars 6 are spaced closely together, no additional conveying mechanism is needed in the elevator housing 9. However, I prefer to space said bars distances approximately within a range between 9 to 15 inches, in which instance it is desirable at the bottom of the elevator housing to provide an auxiliary bottom elevating conveyor. As shown in the drawings, a short apron type endless conveyor 32 is disposed in the bottom of elevator housing 9 with its upper leaf lying substantially flush with the said bottom of a width narrower than and to work between the two endless chains of the conveyor, being trained upon friction drums 33 and 34 respectively and driven at a synchronized speed to the travel of the main conveyor C by chain and sprocket driving connection with shaft 123 (not shown). The apron 32 on its outer surfaces has formed a multiplicity of closely spaced rubber cleats which supplement the elevating action of the angle bar scrapers on the main chain, assisting in moving and elevating the refuse including straw, manure and the like to the discharge 9!; of the elevator housing.

Suitable stripper mechanism is provided for removing adhering straw and refuse from the conveyor after dis charge of the material. Various scraping means such as tines may be utilized. In the form illustrated (see FIG. 1) I employ a resilient flap or strip 35, which may be constructed of a material such as rubber, secured at its upper end. A supporting bracket 35a is positioned just forwardly of the chain sprockets 25a. The free lower edge of the stripper 35 is preferably slotted adjacent the ends thereof to straddle the edges of the links of the conveyor chain and the medial portion of the stripper frictionally engaging against the bars or slots 6 of the conveyor wiping material therefrom in the return travel of the conveyor.

Operation A small amount of straw is usually distributed upon the chain conveyor at the bottom of the gutter or trough T. After refuse has collected in the trough T, the same may be very quickly removed, elevated and discharged by starting the motor and continuing the operation of my apparatus for a relatively short period usually from five to ten minutes.

The driving of conveyor C, continuously forward throughout the lower or operating run thereof through the forward movement of the cross bars 6 pushes and scrapes refuse material and straw forwardly of the gutter and ham to the entrance of the elevator housing 9. The material is then guided upwardly by the curved plate 9a and the bottom 9 of the elevator housing. The cooperating lower or bottom apron conveyor 32 with its closely spaced cleats 32a cooperates to elevate the material to the discharge opening 9b where the material drops from some height and may be discharged into a vehicle V or may be piled if desired outside of the barn.

The conveyor after discharge of the material is engaged by stripper mechanism 35 whereby substantially all straw and adhering refuse is removed before respective sections of the conveyor enter the horizontal duct D.

The elongate ventilating flue 26 thoroughly vents the duct D and also the extension D1.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that I have provided a comparatively simple but highly eflicient cleaning, discharging and loading apparatus for the refuse gutters of barns and stables which may be quickly installed without requiring skilled workmen in ordinary barns and without reconstructing or changing the gutters and other structural portions of the barn or stable.

My apparatus is positive in action and improves cleanliness and sanitation as contrasted with apparatus of the prior art.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts without departing from the scope of my invention which consists of the matter shown and described herein and set forth in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

Cleaning, discharge and loading apparatus for the refuse gutters of animal barns and the like, having in combination an elongated, endless conveyor mounted and distended with its lower run disposed longitudinally at the bottom of a refuse gutter and with an upper run trained and guided in widely spaced overhanging relation to said lower and operating run, said conveyor being comprised of a pair of elongated flexible elements interconnected by a multiplicity of transverse scraper and conveyor bars, and upwardly extending elevator housing at one end of the barn having its lower end communicating with one end of said gutter and having an upper discharge opening, said endless conveyor passing through said elevator housing, a plurality of conveyor-guiding elements about which said conveyor is trained and distended, one thereof being disposed adjacent the upper end of said elevator housing, another being disposed at the forward end of said gutter adjacent the communication area between said gutter and the lower end of said housing and another being disposed adjacent the rear end of said gutter, a cQfifinuous duct mounted in said barn in widely spaced, overhanging relation to the lower operating run of said conveyor and housing the upper run of said conveyor, said duct having an upwardly extending section at the rear end thereof communicating with said overhanging seotion and extending downwardly to intercommunication with the rear of said gutter and also housing said conveyor, air vent means communicating with the upper portion of said duct, controllable means for driving said conveyor in a continuous direction with the lower operating run thereof progressing forwardly to said elevator housing and then upwardly through said housing and across said discharge opening and thereafter rearwardly throughout said duct, and an auxiliary bottom conveyor mounted at the lower portion of said elevator housing and including an endless driven element having a multiplicity of transversely spaced cleats which work through the bottom of said elevator housing, further characterized by the upwardly extending section of said duct having conveyor-guiding means near the upper end thereof and being mounted for outward shifting relation of said upper end thereof relative to said upper duct section, and means for urging said upwardly extending section outwardly through said guiding means to apply tension to said endless conveyor.

References Cited in the file of this. patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 592,280 Crandall Oct. 26, 1897 615,748 Richner Dec. 13, 1898 888,765 Stevens May 26, 1908 1,197,060 Petersen Sept. 5, 1916 1,600,357 Peil Sept. 21, 1926 1,640,825 Flintrop Aug. 30, 1927

Images