Feed material handling apparatus

Abstract

The feed material handling apparatus has a frame vertically supporting a feed material blower with an upwardly extending transition discharge member and horizontally supporting an impeller with a rotor for delivering feed material to the blower. The blower discharges the material upwardly through the transition member. In the two forms of the horizontal impeller the rotor turns clockwise in one and counterclockwise in the other. The frame is mounted on detachable wheels. .Iadd.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is: .[.1. A material conveying apparatus adapted to initially break up heavy clumps of received crop material and then impel the crop material into a blower and subsequently blow the crop material through a transition member to a silo or the like, said apparatus comprising: 
     
       2. means for feeding crop material into the forage blower including a. a crop receiving hopper having a bottom wall and crop confining side wall means extending upwardly therefrom to define an initial feed opening for receiving crop material dropped in the hopper, said side wall means having a discharge opening therein;   b. means for mounting said hopper adjacent said infeed aperture in said blower side wall,   c. transfer means for guiding said crop material between said discharge opening and said aperture,   d. a rotor rotatably mounted within said hopper to impel crop material deposited within said hopper to said blower housing,   e. said rotor comprising a plurality of blades each having a crop material contacting surface extending generally upwardly from said hopper bottom wall at least to a substantially horizontal plane that passes through said aperture and said opening, means for supporting said blades in a spaced radial array and means for journalling said support means for rotation about a generally vertical axis through said bottom wall of said hopper,   f. said initial feed opening being open upwardly to permit crop material to be dumped directly onto a substantial portion of said rotor blades under conditions where said rotor is rotated about said vertical axis, and   g. said drive means further comprising means for driving said rotor at a relatively high speed to permit said blades to engage crop material and impel it in a direct path out of said hopper via said discharge opening and through said infeed aperture in a generally air-borne state whereby said transfer means cooperate with said rotor to guide the material into the path of said fan blades with an initial velocity in the direction of rotation of said fan blades..]. .[.11. A crop conveying apparatus as set forth in claim 10, wherein said transfer means comprises a plurality of walls forming a passageway from said opening to the infeed aperture and said material transfer means is disposed at an acute angle relative to said one side wall, whereby said crop material impelled by said rotor is delivered through the passageway of said transfer means in a generally air-borne state..]. .[.12. A crop conveying apparatus as set forth in claim 11, wherein said rotor is mounted above said hopper bottom wall and lying in a plane parallel thereto, said transfer means walls include an impervious floor, said floor is in the same plane and is co-extensive with the hopper bottom wall..]. .Iadd. 13. Forage blower apparatus adapted to initially break up clumps of crop material, then throw the disintegrated crop material into a blower, and then blow the crop material upwardly through a pipe to a silo or the like, said apparatus comprising, in combination:   a. a support frame,   b. a blower housing mounted on said frame and including spaced apart generally vertically extending side walls interconnected by a band and transition outlet member,   c. a fan within said blower housing journalled thereon for rotation about a generally horizontal axis and having crop engaging fan elements,   d. a drive for rotating said fan,   e. said blower housing having an infeed opening in one of said side walls and below the axis of said fan through which crop material may be admitted to the housing in the path of movement of said fan elements, said infeed openings and said transition outlet member being angularly spaced from each other relative to said horizontal axis,   f. a hopper comprising a bottom wall and crop confining wall means extending upwardly from said bottom wall to define an initial feed opening for receiving crop material dropped in the hopper, said hopper being in operative communication with said infeed opening,   g. crop breaking and metering means comprising a rotor mounted adjacent said bottom wall of said hopper and journalled on a generally vertically extending axis,   h. said rotor having a plurality of angularly spaced blades thereon extending in a radial direction, each blade having a height substantially less than said crop confining wall means whereby each blade engages and impels a bottom layer of crop material in said hopper and each blade traveling in a horizontal plane that generally passes through said housing infeed opening,   i. said initial feed opening being open upwardly to permit crop material to be dumped directly onto a substantial portion of said rotor blades under conditions where said rotor is rotated about said vertically extending axis,   j. drive means operable to rotate said rotor at sufficient speed to cause clumps of crop material engaged by said rotor blades to be broken up and then thrown horizontally and radially in an air-borne state by said blades, and   k. feed material wall transfer means cooperative with said rotor to guide the crop material broken up and thrown by said rotor blades from said hopper and into said blower housing through said infeed opening in said side wall of said blower housing, said wall transfer means extending at an acute angle to said blower housing side wall when viewed from above and in the direction of rotation of said fan elements at said infeed opening,   1. the velocity imparted to the crop material by said rotor blades facilitating the subsequent engagement of the material by said fan elements for discharge upwardly to the silo. .Iaddend..Iadd. 14. Forage blower apparatus as recited in claim 13 wherein said feed material transfer wall means comprises a bottom wall, two upright side walls, and a top wall forming a tubular structure extending from said hopper to said housing infeed aperture to confine and guide crop material trajected by said rotor blades into said housing. .Iaddend. .Iadd. 15. Forage blower apparatus as recited in claim 13 wherein said hopper wall means is generally cylindrical and has a discharge opening communicating with one end of said transfer wall means, and said transfer wall means including an upright wall extending tangentially relative to said cylindrical wall means of the hopper. .Iaddend..Iadd. 16. Forage blower apparatus as recited in claim 13 wherein there is a baffle mounted on said hopper above the plane of movement of said rotor blades and in front of said transfer wall means so that clumps of crop material dropped on said rotor are arrested by said baffle and prevented from entering said transfer wall means whereby such clumps are reduced in size by said blades before being trajected from said hopper. .Iaddend. .Iadd. 17. Forage blower apparatus as recited in claim 13 wherein the length of each rotor blade is less than the distance from said vertical axis of rotation to said hopper crop confining wall means, said rotor further including a plate rotatably mounted about said vertical axis of rotation for supporting said plurality of blades. .Iaddend..Iadd. 18. Forage blower apparatus as recited in claim 13 wherein said infeed opening in said blower housing is located in the quadrant of said blower housing at the commencement of upward movement of said blower fan elements. .Iaddend.