A forage box container is essentially a container utilized to transport livestock feed. The container may be mounted on a wagon chassis and towed by a powered vehicle. The container may be mounted on a truck chassis. The transport is usually from the field in which the feed was harvested to a feed storage facility, where the feed is stored for later provision to the livestock. Such transport is frequently along public roads, where maximum vehicle widths are set by the authorities and enforced.
Most commonly a forage box container is used to haul corn that is chopped as it is harvested from the field. In this condition, most of the entire corn plant is conveyed into the forage box container for transportation and later use as feed. Such corn may be quite heavy and may adhere to the side walls of the forage box container, especially when the corn is wet.
Forage box containers typically include powered mechanisms for removing the feed from the forage box container. These powered mechanisms typically include aprons in the floor of the forage box container. Aprons are specially shaped chains that are drawn lengthwise along the floor of the box container from the front to the rear of the box container. Bars, typically constructed of angle iron, are transversely affixed to the apron chains and are drawn forward by the apron chains, pulling the feed rearward in the box container as the bars move rearward. The feed is then discharged from the box container at the rear of the box container through an opening defined at the bottom of a top hinged rear door. The rear door also functions as a side member of the box container (in conjunction with the other three sides of the box container) when the rear door is in a latched and closed disposition.
Forage box containers typically have side mounted drive mechanisms for powering the aprons. The drive mechanisms are typically mounted exterior to the box container itself. The side mounting of these mechanisms has at least two disadvantages. The first is that the total width of the forage box container must conform to the maximum width of a vehicle permitted to travel on a highway. The width dimension of the drive mechanism (being mounted exterior to the box container itself) contributes to the total width of the forage box container. Accordingly, the box container width dimension of the forage box container must be reduced by the amount of the width of the drive mechanism in order for the forage box container to be in compliance with the maximum width limitation for travel on a highway. The reduced width of the box container substantially reduces the capacity of the box container, requiring more trips to transport a given quantity of feed.
A second disadvantage of the side mounted drive mechanism is that the apron bars are powered from only the side of the forage box container on which the drive mechanism is mounted. Heavy, wet feed in the forage box container adheres to the inner sides of the forage box container and resists being moved rearward by the aprons for discharge. Since the aprons are powered only at one side, great span-wise bending forces are generated in the individual bars of the apron mechanism. These forces may bend the bars or twist the bars to such a degree that the apron mechanism becomes inoperable. The feed must then be manually removed from the forage box container and repairs of the apron mechanism effected before the forage box container may be used again.
What is needed in the industry is a forage box container in which the width of the box container can take full advantage of the maximum width dimension allowable for travel on a highway in order to maximize the capacity of the box container. Further, it would be an advantage to minimize the effects that a load of heavy, wet feed can have on the apron mechanism.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds