An animal feeder has a hopper body adjustably mounted on a mounting base for directing feed material in a selected direction. The mounting base includes a pair of ground support elements pivotally mounted on a lateral support plate with a pair of pivot bolts, and further including a locking bolt that enables the lateral support plate to be pivotally adjusted with respect to the pair of ground support elements. The hopper body is rotatably mounted on the lateral support plate via a center bolt. A feed dispensing mechanism discharges the feed material through a feed discharge aperture, in a direction that is adjusted via the positioning of the adjustment base.

A material spreader has an auger drive assembly and a slinger disc that are simultaneously driven by a mule-drive assembly. The mule-drive assembly is configured to be connected to and powered by a power-take off drive of vehicle, such as a tractor. The auger drive assembly includes a concentric auger drive shaft disposed within a tubular auger shaft and a step-down gearbox. The auger drive shaft is connected to the input of the step-down gearbox and the tubular auger shaft is connected to the output of the same gearbox. This arrangement allows the tubular auger shaft to rotate at a slower speed than the auger drive shaft and provides a compact assembly of the material spreader.

A hand-held spreader is provided having a housing with a compartment for particulate material, a chamber below the compartment having a bottom wall with a circular aperture, an impeller mounted for rotation in the chamber along such bottom wall responsive to a hand crank, a discharge opening, and a path along which the particulate material passes into the chamber for discharge via the discharge opening. The impeller has an outer circular periphery proximal to and extending over an outer edge of the aperture to form a gap between the impeller and the bottom wall of the chamber that seals the gap from the particulate material larger than the gap from entering under the impeller and risking obstruction of impeller rotation. Any particulate material that enters the gap passes downward through the aperture to enable self-cleaning of particulate material that would otherwise collect under the impeller in the chamber.

The disclosure shows an exemplary system for unloading and distributing bulk materials. In one embodiment, a powered conveyor system including a conveyor belt is coupled with the bed of a truck. There may be one or more wings attached to the truck bed for directing the flow of a bulk material from the truck with the conveyor system. Various other embodiments implement different types of vehicles for transporting bulk material.

The invention comprises a chassis rail comprising an elongate frame member having a first end for mounting a head pulley and a second end for mounting a tail pulley; a first plurality of spaced-apart apertures to allow visual inspection of a plurality of bed rollers; and a second plurality of spaced-apart apertures to allow visual inspection of a plurality of return rollers.

The present inventors have recognized that a spinner spreader system may he augmented with an air assist system in which an air current is generated to engage particles after they have left the spinner spreader system to thereby enhance the trajectory of the particles. In one aspect, one or more fans with appropriate ductwork may be added below one or more spinning disks to direct jets or curtains of air in the direction of the broadcast pattern of particles leaving the one or more disks. The directed air stream should preferably be faster than the particles leaving the one or more disks, thereby adding additional acceleration to the particles compensating opposing forces.

A method and assembly for broadcast distributing a granular agricultural material. The assembly includes a container that is configured to be supported by a chassis of a self-powered vehicle and contain a volume of a solid granular material. The assembly includes a spinner assembly that includes a first disk and a second disk that are disposed toward opposite lateral outboard sides of the vehicle. A mount arrangement is disposed between the spinner assembly and the chassis and is adjustable to manipulate a position of the first spinner and the second spinner relative to the chassis. Preferably, the mounting arrangement is configured to simultaneously adjust the position of the first spinner and the second spinner relative to the chassis.

A system and method of automatically adjusting an amount of agricultural granular material delivered to a field in response to vehicle steering activities. The system includes a sensor that is associated with a steering system of a vehicle configured to apply the material to a field. The sensor is connected to a controller that is configured to determine a deviation value associated with discrete turning activities. The controller is configured to manipulate operation of a first commodity delivery system and a second commodity delivery system such that different amounts of the agricultural material can be delivered to alternate lateral sides of the vehicle in response to turning activities.

A manually operable spreader which can be moved from behind on a surface is especially suitable for distributing salt and other particulate materials which tend to conglomerate or clump in a hopper of the spreader. Wheels are mounted to a frame also support the hopper. A horizontal drive shaft between the wheels is coupled to rotate a vertical shaft. A distributor below the hopper rotates with vertical shaft rotation to distribute particulate material which drop via openings in the bottom of the hopper. The vertical shaft extends via a hole in bottom of hopper and carries at the top thereof an auger having a helical vane. The auger is rotatable with the vertical shaft as the spreader is moved on its wheels. The auger circulates the particulate material in the hopper as the spreader moves while directing material in the hopper towards the bottom thereof.

A method of spreading granular fertilizer includes driving a small framed truck over an electronically mapped area that is in need of granular fertilizer. As the small framed truck is driven over the mapped area, a GP S sensor is read to determine the location of the small framed truck on the mapped area. An electronic control determines the application rate of granular fertilizer needed to the left of the truck and the application rate of granular fertilizer needed to the right of the truck in relation to the location of the truck on the mapped area. The method includes dispensing left and right amounts of granular fertilizer from a hopper carried on the truck, with the left and right amounts being separately dispensed at rates determined in the determining step. Apparatus to carry out the method is also disclosed.