Pig feeder with feed flow adjustment

Abstract

A feeder for pigs includes a hopper and a trough for receiving the feed where an elongate opening is defined by an elongate shelf to control the amount of feed discharged from the hopper to the trough. An adjustment linkage for lifting the shelf against the weight of feed in the hopper includes a first lift screw and a second lift screw each for applying a lifting force to the elongate adjustment member located at spaced positions from the end walls of the hopper. Each of the screws includes a gear box with a shaft connected between the two gear boxes to communicate drive therebetween for simultaneous operation of the lift screws by a hand crank connected to one at the top of the feed in the hopper.

Claims

1. A feeder for pigs comprising: a hopper for containing a feed material to be dispensed to the pigs for feeding therefrom; a trough for receiving the feed from the hopper from which the pigs can take the feed, the trough having end walls and side walls; an elongate shelf mounted above the trough and extending along the trough between the end walls; the shelf defining with a bottom edge of the hopper an opening through which the feed passes so that the amount of feed discharged from the hopper is controlled by a width of the opening, the shelf extending along a length of the opening; the shelf being located in contact with feed in the hopper so that the feed applies a load to the shelf during adjustment movement; and an adjustment linkage for operating said adjustment movement of the shelf, the linkage including a first lift member and a second lift member each for applying a lifting force to the shelf; wherein each of the first and second lift member is spaced inwardly from a respective end of the shelf and from respective end walls of the trough so that there is a portion of the shelf which is cantilevered beyond a respective one of the first and second lift members; a first and a second support beam each extending across the hopper at a position spaced from the end walls of the hopper to which a respective one of the first and second lift members is attached and onto which forces therefrom are applied; wherein there is provided a hand operated crank for actuating one of the first and second lift member; wherein each of the lift members includes a screw by which a rotary motion from the hand crank applies a lifting force thereto; wherein each of the first and second lift members includes a gear box with a shaft connected between the two gear boxes to communicate drive therebetween for simultaneous operation of the first and second lift members; wherein each of the first and second lift members comprises an elongate member extending downwardly from the respective one of the first and second beams to the shelf; and wherein the adjustment linkage includes an upstanding elongate body separate from the elongate members of the first and second lift members; the upstanding elongate body being lifted by movement of the shelf caused by said first and second lift members; the upstanding elongate body located at and extending along one end wall of the hopper, the upstanding elongate body cooperating with a marked gauge member at said one end wall which indicates a height of the upstanding elongate body and hence a height of the shelf.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) One embodiment of the invention will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a feeder according to the present invention.

(3) FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view through the feeder according to the present invention of FIG. 1 showing the design and arrangement of the shelf which allows the use of the feeder for pigs ranging from weanlings at roughly 20 pounds to finisher pigs which can weigh 200 to 300 pounds.

(4) FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view on an enlarged scale of the embodiment of FIG. 1 showing the arrangement of the shelf.

(5) FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the feeder of FIG. 1 showing a modified adjustment system according to the present invention.

(6) FIG. 5 is a second isometric view partly broken away of the feeder of FIG. 4 showing the modified adjustment system according to the present invention.

(7) In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(8) The feeder shown herein is similar in construction to that shown in the above patents of the present inventor, to which reference may be made for further detail.

(9) A feeder is generally indicated at 10 and includes a hopper 11 and a trough 12. The trough is connected to the hopper by end walls 13 so as to form an integral structure with generally open top 14 through which feed can be inserted for containing in the hopper and for discharge into the trough 12 for feeding by one or more pigs. In the embodiment shown there is provided a shelf 15 with a generally horizontal surface 16 and an upturned curled edge 17.

(10) A water supply 19 into the trough can be provided which includes an upstanding feeder pipe 19A, a pipe 19B along the trough and a plurality of downwardly extending nipples 19C with a pin or lever 19D under operation by the pig as is known in the above patents. A bottom end of the pin or actuator is shown at 19E.

(11) The shape and arrangement of the hopper and trough can be varied and can provide either a two-sided structure as shown or a single sided structure.

(12) The height of the shelf relative to the end wall of the hopper is adjusted by raising straps 20 where each strap is arranged at a respective end of the shelf and lies along the end wall 13 parallel to the end wall. The strap is raised and lowered by a lever 21 which can be connected to a support 23.

(13) The elongate trough 12 has a flat horizontal base 12A and a sidewall 12B for receiving and containing feed and arranged such that the head of the pig can reach over a top edge 12C of the sidewall to the base 12A for eating the feed.

(14) The elongate shelf 15 extends substantially along a full length of the trough and provides a substantially horizontal surface 16 for receiving feed. The horizontal surface of the shelf is arranged rearwardly of the top edge 12C and separate from the trough such that any feed falling therefrom along the full length thereof can fall directly vertically downwardly into the trough and so as to allow access by the head of the pig to the shelf for direct feeding therefrom, and between the shelf and the top edge to the base. The hopper 11 has an elongate lowermost edge 11A mounted and arranged such that the lowermost edge extends substantially wholly along, adjacent to and spaced from said horizontal surface by a vertical distance and spaced from a front edge 17 of the shelf by a horizontal distance such that the angle of repose of the feed from the lowermost edge to said shelf prevents the feed from falling over the front edge of the shelf and thus automatically controls deposit of further feed onto the shelf.

(15) The water pipe 19B is located underneath the shelf along the shelf with a plurality of water dispensing nipples 19C mounted on the pipe at spaced positions along the pipe and extending from the pipe downwardly toward the base of the trough, the nipples being operable by the pigs to dispense water downwardly into the trough for mixing with any feed in the trough.

(16) The shelf is substantially fixed in height at a common height for use by the pigs both as weanlings and as they grow to finisher pigs. The shelf is adjustable as described hereinafter only in relation to the edge 11A to control feed flow depending on the flow characteristics of the feed and not to compensate for or to accommodate for changes in size of the animal caused by growth.

(17) The shelf 15 is fixed at the substantially fixed height relative to the upper front edge 12C of the side wall such that the weanlings can reach the feed on the shelf.

(18) The shelf 15 is fixed at the same substantially fixed height relative to the upper front edge of the side wall and the nipples such that the finisher pigs reach over the top edge 12C of the side wall under the front edge 17 at the bottom 18A of the lip 18 of the shelf and operate the nipples.

(19) The shelf 15 is adjustable in height over a distance sufficient only to adjust the space between the bottom edge of the hopper and the horizontal surface of the shelf to control supply of material onto the shelf and not to accommodate for growth. That is the shelf is adjustable in height by a distance less than 1.0 inch.

(20) The shelf has an edge portion 18 at the front edge 17 defined by a hem or curled edge stiffening member which extends upwardly. However if a depending edge flange is used this can extend downwardly from the horizontal surface 16 to bottom edge 18A a distance which less than 2.0 inches and preferable less than 1.5 inches.

(21) The shelf has an edge portion defined by a curl on the sheet metal forming the shelf edge and is reinforced by a flange 18C on the shelf at the center of the shelf which can be underneath extending downwardly or can extend upwardly.

(22) Thus the shelf, as shown in FIG. 3, is formed of two portions of sheet material 18D, 18E each of which has a side edge portion 18 of the sheet material forming the shelf defined by a curled portion 18F of the sheet material which is curved upwardly and inwardly such that the edge 18G of the material sits on an upper surface 18H of the material. The curled portion is located wholly on top of the upper surface 18H such that a bottom surface 18J of the shelf at the edge is substantially flat with no depending portion. The curled portion 18F is generally cylindrical so as to be curled around an axis 18X raised from the upper surface 18H of the shelf sheet metal so that the whole of the curl is above the upper surface. The edge 18G is tightly located at the upper surface 18H so as to seal as far as possible the curled portion to make a closed annular lip.

(23) Preferably the shelf is reinforced by a flange 18C extending longitudinally of the shelf at a positon spaced rearwardly from the side edge and typically lying along a center line of the shelf. The flange preferably extends upwardly but can be depending. The flange 18C is formed by bringing together two flange portions 181, 182 of the components 18E and 18D and fastening then together to define a common structure strongly stiffened by the double flange arrangement.

(24) As shown in FIG. 2, the underneath of the shelf provides a totally flat surface with no downwardly projecting components. Thus the bottom of the shelf can be easily cleaned was it has no protuberances which can interfere with the flow of a cleaning fluid. The curled edges 18 can be curled as shown so that they are wholly above the horizontal surface or then can have slight downward component centered around an axis aligned with the horizontal portion (not shown). The curled cylindrical edges and the stiffening flange provide sufficient stiffness to prevent the shelf from sagging when supported only at the two ends.

(25) The shelf has a distance D1 from the horizontal surface to the base of less than 8.0 inches and preferable less than 7.0 inches and in the example shown specifically 6.7 inches.

(26) The shelf can also be stiffened along the length of the shelf by a stiffening member which can be v-shaped or a channel member with two legs along an underside of the shelf at a position spaced from the front edge 17. As the stiffening member is located at the center, it does not interfere with the access by the animal to the nipples since it is above the pipe 19B.

(27) In order to allow the finisher pig to reach the nipple lever 19D the bottom end 19E of the nipple is located a distance D3 from the base of less than 2.0 inches and preferably less than 1.5 inches and typically of the order of 1.0 inch and specifically 1.2 inches.

(28) The front edge of the shelf 17 has a closest distance D2 from a top edge 12C of the side wall which is less than 7.0 inches. The side wall 12 of the trough has a height D4 which is no greater than 5 inches in height.

(29) As shown, the trough and the shelf are both a double sided such that the pigs can access both from each side with the shelf located midway across the trough. However single sided feeders with the same dimensions and characteristics can manufactured for example for mounting in feed lines.

(30) As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 there is shown a modified adjustment system for the feeder described above. Thus the feeder for pigs includes the hopper 11 for containing the feed material with inclined side walls and vertical end walls 11 extending to an open top. The trough 12 acts as a receptacle for the feed. The shelf 15 defines an elongate opening between the shelf and the edge 11A through which the feed passes so that the amount of feed discharged from the hopper to the receptacle is controlled by a width of the opening.

(31) The shelf thus forms an elongate adjustment component extending along a length of the opening. The shelf carries the weight of the feed in the hopper so that the feed applies a load to the adjustment component during adjustment, particularly when pulled upward to reduce the width of the opening.

(32) In this embodiment an adjustment linkage 20A is provided for operating adjustment movement of the shelf. The linkage includes a first lift member 21 and a second longitudinally spaced lift member 22. Each acts to apply a lifting force to the shelf and can be lowered to lower the shelf to increase the width of the opening.

(33) As shown best in FIG. 5, the first and second lift members 21 and 22 are spaced inwardly from a respective end wall 13 and thus from an end of the elongate shelf 15 so that there is a portion 15A of the shelf between the members and a cantilevered portion 15B, 15C beyond the end of the each member extending to the end wall 13.

(34) Each of the lift members comprises a threaded rod portion 21A communicating with a threaded sleeve 21B so that rotation of one relative to the other drives the shelf up or down with high mechanical advantage relative to the force applied.

(35) Each of the lift members includes a gear box 23A with a shaft 24 parallel to the shelf and extending along the hopper connected between the two gear boxes to communicate drive therebetween for simultaneous operation of the lift members.

(36) Each of the gear boxes includes a series of bevel gears in a housing 25 arranged such that a gear attached to the sleeve 21B rotates the sleeve, which acts as a vertically extending screw member, around a vertical axis to apply the lifting force upward on the shelf 15 or to lower the shelf depending on the direction of rotation.

(37) The housing includes a second bevel gear attached to s stub shaft 27 which drives the gear on the screw through two side bevel gears. A hand crank 28 is provided for operating one of the gear boxes by driving the input stub shaft 27. And extension piece 29 is provided to allow the hand crank to be operated as shown on the left in FIG. 4 from an elevated positon if required. Thus the system can be operated though the hand crank by selecting one of the stub shafts to provide an input into the adjustment system.

(38) Each of the gear boxes is carried on a respective one of a pair of support beams 30, 31 each extending across the hopper at a position spaced from ends 13 of the hopper so that the lift members apply forces from the load on the shelf to the beams and thus into the hopper structure.

(39) Thus the lift members are located within the hopper with a hand operated actuator located at a top of the feed in the hopper. This locates the adjustment system at a position spaced inwardly from the ends 13 and thus within the exterior shape of the hopper

(40) The adjustment linkage further includes a strap or other elongate member 34 lying flat against and extending along the end wall 13. The strap includes a marked gauge member 35 which indicates a position of the elongate adjustment component. Thus upward and downward movement of the strap caused by the adjustment of the shelf rotates a gear wheel 35 on a rack 36 of the strap and the wheel carries an marking lever 37 which rotates around the axis of the gear wheel to provide an indication relative to a scale 39 of the adjusted height of the shelf.