Material Spreader Bucket for Loaders

Abstract

A loader bucket has material spreaders on opposing sides of the loader bucket to spread material from within the loader bucket received through discharge openings in the rear wall of the bucket from an auger located in the bottom of the bucket. Each material spreader includes a spinner formed with blades to spread the material received through the discharge openings. The material spreaders are positioned below the apex of the V-shaped bucket and operable within a path of distribution that includes an interior boundary member oriented with a forward end closer to the center of the bucket than the rearward end to provide a distribution forwardly and laterally of the bucket. A low baffle mounted at the bottom periphery of the spinner blades forces material upwardly into a fluffy pattern. A high baffle provides a second boundary limit for the distribution of material.

Claims

1. A spreader apparatus for distributing bedding material within a farm structure, comprising: a loader bucket having upright forward, rearward and side walls terminating in an open top and a closed bottom and defining an interior cavity for retaining a supply of said bedding material, said rearward wall having an opening therein proximate to each lateral end of said loader bucket; an auger rotatably mounted at the bottom of said loader bucket to convey said bedding material to lateral sides of said loader bucket for discharge through said respective openings; a pair of spinner members supported on said loader bucket rearwardly of said rearward wall in communication with respective openings to receive said bedding material therefrom, each said spinner being rotatable to discharge the bedding material from the loader bucket, each spinner including upright spinner blades having a first height dimension; a distribution channel formed below said apex in communication with each respective said spinner, each said distribution channel directing the discharge of the corresponding said spinner externally of said loader bucket; and a low baffle supported in each said distribution channel and being mounted circumferentially with respect to the corresponding said spinner, each said low baffle having a second height dimension that is less than said first height dimension of said spinner blades.

2. The spreader apparatus of claim 1 wherein said distribution channels are open from a first boundary member extending forwardly of said loader bucket to a second boundary member positioned laterally of said loader bucket such that each said spinner is operable to distribute said bedding material both forwardly and laterally of said loader bucket.

3. The spreader apparatus of claim 2 wherein each said low baffle is connected to a high baffle having a third height dimension at least as great as said first dimension of said spinner blades, said high baffle defining said second boundary member of said distribution channel and limiting the distribution of said bedding material in said lateral direction from said loader bucket.

4. The spreader apparatus of claim 3 wherein said auger is rotated in a manner to present an undershot feed of bedding material through the respective said opening onto the corresponding said spinner.

5. The spreader apparatus of claim 4 wherein said spinners are rotated such that a forward face of the rotating spinner has the spinner blades moving from forwardly of said loader bucket to laterally of said loader bucket.

6. The spreader apparatus of claim 5 wherein each said opening is provided with a gate member movable relative to said rearward wall of said loader bucket to control the size of said opening through which said bedding material is fed onto the corresponding said spinner.

7. The spreader apparatus of claim 5 wherein said spinners are supported on said loader bucket at a position that is rearward of said rearward wall and below said apex so that said spinners are above a plane of said forward wall when said loader bucket is oriented in a lowered position to load said bedding material into said interior cavity.

8. A spreader apparatus for distributing particulate material, comprising: a loader bucket having forward, rearward and side walls terminating in an open top and an apex at a closed bottom and defining an interior cavity for retaining a supply of said bedding material, said rearward wall having an opening therein proximate to each lateral end of said loader bucket; an auger rotatably mounted above the apex of said loader bucket to convey said bedding material to lateral sides of said loader bucket for discharge through respective said openings in said rear wall; a pair of spinner members supported on said loader bucket rearwardly of said rearward wall and below said apex so as to be in communication with respective said openings in said rearward wall to receive said particulate material therefrom, each said spinner being rotatable to discharge the bedding material from the loader bucket, each spinner including upright spinner blades having a first height dimension; and a distribution channel formed below said apex in communication with each respective said spinner, each said distribution channel directing the discharge of the corresponding said spinner externally of said loader bucket, said distribution channels being open from a first boundary member projecting forwardly of said loader bucket to a second boundary member located laterally of said loader bucket such that each said spinner is operable to distribute said particulate material both forwardly and laterally of said loader bucket.

9. The spreader apparatus of claim 8 further comprising: an anti-bridging member rotatably mounted in said interior cavity of said loader bucket above said auger.

10. The spreader apparatus of claim 8 further comprising: a low baffle supported in each said distribution channel and being mounted circumferentially with respect to the corresponding said spinner, each said low baffle having a second height dimension that is less than said first height dimension of said spinner blades.

11. The spreader apparatus of claim 10 wherein said first boundary member of each distribution channel is oriented such that a forward end of said first boundary member is closer to a centerline of said loader bucket than a rearward end of said first boundary member to provide a laterally inward distribution of said particulate material from said spinner.

12. The spreader apparatus of claim 10 wherein said second boundary member is a high baffle having a third height dimension that is at least equal to said first height dimension of said spinner blades.

13. The spreader apparatus of claim 10 wherein said auger is rotated in a manner to present an undershot feed of bedding material through the respective said openings onto the corresponding said spinner.

14. The spreader apparatus of claim 13 wherein said spinners are rotated such that a forward face of the rotating spinner has the spinner blades moving from forwardly of said loader bucket to laterally of said loader bucket.

15. The spreader apparatus of claim 10 wherein each said opening is provided with a gate member movable relative to said rearward wall of said loader bucket to control the size of said opening through which said bedding material is fed onto the corresponding said spinner.

16. A method of distributing bedding material in a farm structure housing farm animals, comprising the steps of: providing a spreader apparatus formed as a loader bucket with spinners supported at lateral ends of the loader bucket to receive said bedding material from internally of said loader bucket for distribution externally of said loader bucket; loading a supply of said bedding material into said loader bucket and transporting said bedding material to said farm structure where distribution is desired; and feeding said bedding material onto said spinners while said spinners are rotated to distribute said bedding material along a distribution path that extends from directly forwardly of said loader bucket to directly laterally of said loader bucket.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of: placing a low baffle having a height less than a corresponding height of blades on said spinners circumferentially around each said spinner so that said spinners push a portion of said bedding material upwardly above said low baffle into a discharge path of said bedding material from said spinner blades above said low baffle to create a fluffy pattern of said bedding material.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of: defining said distribution path with a first boundary member that is located on an interior side of each respective said spinner, said first boundary member being oriented with a forward end closer to a centerline of said loader bucket than a rearward end of said first boundary member so that the first boundary member is not parallel with said centerline of said loader bucket, said first boundary member providing said distribution path for said bedding material that is forwardly and laterally inwardly from each respective said spinner.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising the step of: further defining said distribution path with a high baffle that is positioned rearwardly of said low baffle and has a height dimension that is at least equal to a corresponding height dimension of said spinner blades, said high baffle is positioned outboard of each respective spinner to limit a laterally outward portion of said distribution path.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said loader bucket is formed in a V- shaped configuration with a lower apex, said method further comprising the step of: positioning said spinners below said apex to receive said bedding material from said openings above said spinners, and to permit said spinners to establish said distribution path forwardly and laterally of said loader bucket.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The advantages of this invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed disclosure of the invention, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

[0028] FIG. 1 is a photograph showing a front elevational view of the spreader bucket apparatus with the apparatus being in an upright orientation for spreading materials;

[0029] FIG. 2 is a photograph showing a left side elevational view of the spreader bucket apparatus in the lowered orientation to scoop material into the interior cavity of the bucket, the front wall shown in FIG. 1 is now oriented parallel to the ground;

[0030] FIG. 3 is a photograph showing the interior cavity of the spreader bucket apparatus with the auger being located near the apex of the bucket and the anti-bridging member being rotatably mounted above the auger;

[0031] FIG. 4 is a photograph showing a left side elevational view of the spreader bucket apparatus in the upright position, a cover plate being removed to show the location of the hydraulic motor for driving the rotation of the auger;

[0032] FIG. 5 is a photograph showing a right side elevational view of the spreader bucket apparatus, a cover plate being removed to show the location of the chain drive mechanism transferring rotational power from the rotated auger to the anti-bridging member;

[0033] FIG. 6 is a photograph showing a lower, rear perspective view of the spreader bucket apparatus that depicts the diverter valve and the mounting bracket on the rear side of the bucket;

[0034] FIG. 7 is a photograph showing a left rear perspective view of the spreader bucket apparatus, a protective flap being lifted to show the location of the hydraulic motor powering the rotation of the left spinner;

[0035] FIG. 8 is a photograph showing a right rear perspective view of the spreader bucket apparatus, a protective flap being lifted to show the location of the hydraulic motor powering the rotation of the right spinner;

[0036] FIG. 9 is a photograph showing an enlarged front elevational view of the right distribution channel and right spinner for distributing material from the bucket;

[0037] FIG. 10 is a photograph showing an enlarged right elevational view of the right spinner;

[0038] FIG. 11 is a photograph showing an enlarged front elevational view of the left distribution channel and left spinner for distributing material from the bucket;

[0039] FIG. 12 is a photograph showing an enlarged left elevational view of the left spinner; and

[0040] FIG. 13 is a photograph showing an enlarged perspective view of the left spinner.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0041] Referring now to the drawings, the structural components of a spreading apparatus for distributing bedding materials incorporating the principles of the instant invention can best be seen. Any left and right references are used as a matter of convenience and are determined by standing at the rear of the spreading apparatus, such as from the orientation from the operator compartment of the skid steer loader, and facing the forward direction, the normal direction of travel of the skid steer loader, with the spreading apparatus mounted on the forward end of the skid steer loader. One skilled in the art will understand that the principles of the instant invention are not limited to a skid steer loader and that the spreading apparatus could be mounted onto any loader that supplies a source of hydraulic power for connection to the hydraulically powered components, as will be described in greater detail below.

[0042] As best seen in FIGS. 1-6, the spreader apparatus 10 is formed as a loader bucket 11 that is mountable on a loader, such as a skid steer loader (not shown), to provide motive and operational power thereto. The loader bucket 11 is formed with a forward wall 11a, a rearward wall 11b and side walls 11c interconnecting the forward and rearward walls 11a, 11b, with the front and rearward and rearward walls 11a, 11b diverging upwardly from a lower apex to an opened top. The rearward side 11b of the bucket 11 is provided with the mounting apparatus 12 that is associated with being coupled to a conventional loader mounting plate, as will be recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art. The mounting apparatus 12 is supported on a frame 12a to present the mounting apparatus 12 in a vertical orientation for mating with a loader mounting plate. Once mounted on the mounting plate of a loader (not shown), the bucket 11 can be pivotally moved between a lowered position, as depicted in FIG. 2 where the forward side 11a of the loader bucket 11 is oriented parallel to the floor or the ground to scoop bedding material through the open top into the interior cavity of the bucket 11, and an upright position, as shown in FIGS. 4-6, in which the spreader apparatus 10 is used to distribute the collected bedding material, as is described in greater detail below.

[0043] Once the interior cavity of the loader bucket 11 is filled with appropriate bedding material, the bucket 11 is placed into the upright position and the hydraulically powered spinners 20 at the ends of the bucket 11 are operated to distribute the bedding material from within the bucket 11. As seen in FIG. 3, the interior of the bucket 11 is provided with an auger 15 at the lower apex of the V-shaped bucket 11 and an anti-bridging member 19 located above the auger 15. Both the auger 15 and the anti-bridging member 19 are rotatably mounted within the bucket 11 and powered hydraulically through the hydraulic motor 18 and associated drive mechanism 19a located on the opposing side walls 11c, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The auger 15 is preferably formed with flighting 16 that is either notched with notches 17 or segmented, but the flighting 16 is spiraled in opposite directions from the center of the auger 15 to deliver the bedding material toward the opposing ends of the bucket 11.

[0044] The opposing ends of the rearward wall 11b of the bucket 11 are provided with openings 13 that have gate members 14 mounted on the outside of the bucket 11 to control the size of the opening 13 during operation thereof. The bedding material will flow from the interior of the bucket 11 through the opening 13 and onto the corresponding spinner 20 for distribution as is described in greater detail below. The gate members 14 are independently movable and can be manipulated to close one side of the bucket 11 relative to the opposing side of the bucket 11 so that the bedding material can be selectively distributed from only one of the spinners 20, if desired. Preferably, the auger 15 is rotated in a manner that causes the auger flighting 16 to feed the bedding material through the openings 13 in an undershot orientation, as is reflected by the arrow A in FIG. 3.

[0045] The spinners 20 are rotatably powered by hydraulic motors 21 mounted above the spinners 20, as seen in FIGS. 7 and 8, so as to be positioned in a location that would not subject the motors 21 to damage from the operation of the spreading apparatus 10. Furthermore, the spinners 20 are located below the lower apex of the bucket 11 but positioned rearwardly thereof so that the spinners 20 are above the plane of the front side of the bucket 11 when the bucket 11 is lowered to scoop bedding material, as is depicted in FIG. 2. Each spinner 20 is rotated in a counter direction relative to the opposing spinner 20 so that the spinner blades 22 are rotated, when viewed from above, to move from the center of the bucket 11 toward the outside of the bucket 11 along the forward face of the spinner 20.

[0046] As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 9-12, each spinner 20 is rotatable within a horizontal distribution channel 23 that is open from the interior side of the forward face of the spinner 20 rotation to a position that is laterally of the bucket 11. The distribution channel 23 has a first inward boundary member 24 that is preferably oriented in a manner so as to be non-parallel to the direction of travel with the forward end of the boundary member 24 being closer to the center of the bucket 11 than the rearward end thereof. As a result, each spinner 20 has a clear, open path of distribution that extends for more than 90 degrees along the forward and side faces of the spinner rotation that allows the bedding material to be spread both forwardly of the bucket 11, as well as laterally of the bucket 11. Accordingly, the spreader apparatus 10 is operable to spread bedding material along a path that is forwardly of the bucket 11 and to both lateral sides of the bucket 11 simultaneously, assuming that both gate members 14 are raised to allow a free flow of material through the respective openings 13.

[0047] Each spinner 20 is also provided with a circular low baffle 25 that is centered on the axis of rotation of the respective spinner 20 and extends around the open distribution path for the spinner 20. The low baffle 25 has a height that is less than the height of the spinner blades 22, as is best seen in FIGS. 9-13. The low baffle 25 terminates adjacent a high baffle 26 at the rear lateral side of the spinner 20. The high baffle 26 has a height at least as high as the spinner blades 22 so that the high baffle 26 blocks the movement of the bedding material from the spinner 20. Accordingly, the high baffle 26 is positioned to provide a second boundary limit to the lateral distribution of the bedding material from the spinner 20. The low baffle 25, however, forces a portion of the distribution of bedding material from the spinner blades 22 into an upward direction which, in turn, causes the bedding material to come out of the spinners 20 in a fluffy pattern that provides a very uniform layer of distribution of the bedding material across the distribution path of the spreader apparatus 10, both forwardly and laterally from the spreader apparatus 10, which is advantageous in both free stall dairy barns and in chicken houses.

[0048] From a dimensional standpoint, each spinner 20 can have a diameter of approximately seventeen inches and includes two to six spinner blades 22 projecting vertically from a generally horizontal plate. Each spinner blade 22 has a height of approximately three inches, while the low baffle 25 has a height of approximately one and a half inches, corresponding to approximately half the height of the spinner blades 22. The high baffle 26 has a height of approximately three inches or more to block the discharge from the spinner blades 22. Preferably, each spinner blade 22 is formed in a bent configuration with the top portion bent into the direction of rotation of the spinner 20 to enhance the discharge characteristics of the spinner blades 22. Furthermore, each spinner blade 22 is preferably formed with a distal end portion that is toothed to be aggressive in the engagement of the bedding material flowing from the openings 13.

[0049] In operation, the spreader apparatus 10 is mounted on a loader plate (not shown) of an operable loader, such as a tractor-mounted front end loader or a skid steer loader or other prime mover, that includes a source of hydraulic fluid under pressure. The hydraulic system 30 of the spreader apparatus 10 is connected to the source of hydraulic fluid under pressure through hoses 31 to provide operative hydraulic power to the hydraulic motors 18, 21 driving the auger 15 internally of the loader bucket 11 and the spinners 20. Preferably, the hydraulic system 30 includes hoses 33 that deliver hydraulic fluid to and return hydraulic fluid from a diverter valve 32 that directs the hydraulic fluid to the respective hydraulic motors 18, 21.

[0050] The operation of the mounting plate (not shown) in a conventional manner through the hydraulic system of the prime mover (not shown) is operable to cause the mounting plate to be raised and lowered vertically, as well as to be tipped forwardly and rearwardly. The forward tipping of the mounting plate (not shown) will cause the top of the bucket 11 to move forwardly of the bottom of the bucket 11 to position the front wall 11a of the bucket 11 when in the upright orientation to be located parallel to the surface of the ground, thereby positioning the top of the bucket 11 in a forwardly open orientation to engage a pile of bedding material. Forward movement of the prime mover will cause the bedding material to enter the bucket 11 whereupon the mounting plate is tipped back to return the bucket 11 to the upright orientation with the interior of the bucket 11 filled with bedding material to be distributed.

[0051] Movement of the prime mover to a place where the bedding material is to be distributed, such as a free stall dairy barn or a chicken house as examples, will locate the spreader apparatus 10 in a position to operate the spinners 20 for distribution of the bedding material. Opening the gate members 14, will allow the flow of the bedding material from the auger 15 within the interior of the bucket 11 onto the spinners 20. Rotation of the auger 15 in an undershot manner as described above feeds the bedding material through the openings 13 onto the rotating spinners 20 driven by the hydraulic motors 21 in a manner to discharge the bedding material through the distribution channel 23 that is opened both forwardly and laterally of the bucket 11. The rotation of the anti-bridging member 19 above the auger 15 keeps the bedding material from bridging above the auger 15 and moves the bedding material downwardly into engagement with the auger 15.

[0052] The provision of the low baffle 25 around the opened circumference of the rotation path of the spinner blades 22 establishes a discharge pattern that creates a uniform layer of bedding material along the distribution path of the spinners 20. The low baffle 25 forces a portion of the bedding material being discharged off of the spinner blades 22 into an upward direction that engages the bedding material discharged off of the spinner blades 22 above the low baffle 25 and creates a uniform discharge pattern from the spinner blades 22 across the entire distribution path of the spinners 20. By operating the prime mover (not shown) in a rearward direction as the bedding material is being distributed, the layer of bedding material discharged by the spreader apparatus 10 will be uniform and undisturbed both forwardly and laterally of the spreader apparatus 10.

[0053] It will be understood that changes in the details, materials, steps and arrangements of parts which have been described and illustrated to explain the nature of the invention will occur to and may be made by those skilled in the art upon a reading of this disclosure within the principles and scope of the invention. The foregoing description illustrates the preferred embodiment of the invention; however, concepts, as based upon the description, may be employed in other embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention.