Filling air seeder product tanks
First Claim
1. A transport apparatus for transporting agricultural products to an air seeder, where the air seeder comprises a laterally extending furrow opener implement mounted on wheels for travel in an operating travel direction, and a tank cart towed behind the laterally extending furrow opener implement, the tank cart comprising a first tank with a first tank fill opening on a top of the tank cart at a front of the tank cart, and a second tank with a second tank fill opening on the top of the tank cart rearward of the first tank fill opening, the transport apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of product containers mounted on a container vehicle, each product container configured to release product contained therein through a container output port;
a vehicle operator'"'"'s station at a forward location on the container vehicle;
a gate on each container output port operative to control flow of the product through the container output port, and a gate control operative to control each gate;
a conveyor system configured to receive product from each container output port and transfer same to a conveyor discharge, wherein the conveyor discharge is movable from a discharge transport position to a discharge operating position;
wherein when in the discharge operating position the conveyor discharge is located lateral to the operator'"'"'s station, and wherein a horizontal distance between a front end of the container vehicle and the conveyor discharge is less than a horizontal distance between a rear side of the laterally extending furrow opener implement and the first tank fill opening, such that when the furrow opener implement, the tank cart, and the container vehicle are aligned in the operating travel direction, and the conveyor discharge is oriented to discharge into the first tank fill opening, the container vehicle is lateral to the tank cart and the front end of the container vehicle is rearward of the rear side of the laterally extending furrow opener implement; and
a guidance system operative to compare a location of the conveyor discharge with a location of a selected one of the tank fill openings, and to adjust a path of the container vehicle to maintain the conveyor discharge at a location where same is oriented to discharge into the selected one of the tank fill openings as the container vehicle and air seeder move in the operating travel direction.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A agricultural product transport apparatus has a plurality of containers mounted on a vehicle. A gate on each container controls flows out to a conveyor system that receives product from each container and transfers same to a conveyor discharge located beside the operator'"'"'s station. The horizontal distance between a front end of the container vehicle and the conveyor discharge is less than the horizontal distance between a rear side of the furrow opener implement and a front fill opening on the product cart, such that the container vehicle can be driven forward behind the air seeder and the conveyor discharge positioned to discharge into the front tank fill opening while the front end of the container vehicle is rearward of the rear side of the implement. A weighing system connected to a controller allows an operator to control and management of product flow from storage to the field.
26 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A transport apparatus for transporting agricultural products to an air seeder, where the air seeder comprises a laterally extending furrow opener implement mounted on wheels for travel in an operating travel direction, and a tank cart towed behind the laterally extending furrow opener implement, the tank cart comprising a first tank with a first tank fill opening on a top of the tank cart at a front of the tank cart, and a second tank with a second tank fill opening on the top of the tank cart rearward of the first tank fill opening, the transport apparatus comprising:
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a plurality of product containers mounted on a container vehicle, each product container configured to release product contained therein through a container output port; a vehicle operator'"'"'s station at a forward location on the container vehicle; a gate on each container output port operative to control flow of the product through the container output port, and a gate control operative to control each gate; a conveyor system configured to receive product from each container output port and transfer same to a conveyor discharge, wherein the conveyor discharge is movable from a discharge transport position to a discharge operating position; wherein when in the discharge operating position the conveyor discharge is located lateral to the operator'"'"'s station, and wherein a horizontal distance between a front end of the container vehicle and the conveyor discharge is less than a horizontal distance between a rear side of the laterally extending furrow opener implement and the first tank fill opening, such that when the furrow opener implement, the tank cart, and the container vehicle are aligned in the operating travel direction, and the conveyor discharge is oriented to discharge into the first tank fill opening, the container vehicle is lateral to the tank cart and the front end of the container vehicle is rearward of the rear side of the laterally extending furrow opener implement; and a guidance system operative to compare a location of the conveyor discharge with a location of a selected one of the tank fill openings, and to adjust a path of the container vehicle to maintain the conveyor discharge at a location where same is oriented to discharge into the selected one of the tank fill openings as the container vehicle and air seeder move in the operating travel direction. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A transport apparatus for transporting agricultural products to an air seeder, where the air seeder comprises a laterally extending furrow opener implement mounted on wheels for travel in an operating travel direction, and a tank cart towed behind the laterally extending furrow opener implement, the tank cart comprising a first tank with a first tank fill opening on a top of the tank cart at a front of the tank cart, and a second tank with a second tank fill opening on the top of the tank cart rearward of the first tank fill opening, the transport apparatus comprising:
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a plurality of product containers mounted on a container vehicle, each product container configured to release product contained therein through a container output port; a vehicle operator'"'"'s station at a forward location on the container vehicle; a gate on each container output port operative to control flow of the product through the container output port, and a gate control operative to control each gate; a conveyor system configured to receive product from each container output port and transfer same to a conveyor discharge, wherein the conveyor discharge is movable from a discharge transport position to a discharge operating position; wherein when in the discharge operating position the conveyor discharge is located lateral to the operator'"'"'s station, and wherein a horizontal distance between a front end of the container vehicle and the conveyor discharge is less than a horizontal distance between a rear side of the laterally extending furrow opener implement and the first tank fill opening, such that when the laterally extending furrow opener implement, the tank cart, and the container vehicle are aligned in the operating travel direction, and the conveyor discharge is oriented to discharge into the first tank fill opening, the container vehicle is lateral to the tank cart and the front end of the container vehicle is rearward of the rear side of the laterally extending furrow opener implement; and a weighing system configured to determine a weight of agricultural products in the product containers. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification