SPREADER ASSEMBLY

• US 20180014458A1
• Filed: 07/14/2016
• Published: 01/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kuhn North America, Inc. (Bucher Industries AG)
• Original Assignee: Kuhn North America, Inc. (Bucher Industries AG)
• Inventors: HABECK, Kody, Fennell, Casey, Williams, John
• Granted Patent: US 10,575,458 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 15/00 Fertiliser distributors combined with seeders A01C7/06
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 17/001 Centrifugal throwing devices with a vertical axis
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 17/003 Centrifugal throwing devices with a horizontal axis
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 3/06 Manure distributors, e.g. dung distributors
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 19/203 Centrifugal spreaders with substantially vertical axis

Abstract

A spreader assembly to distribute materials on a ground surface, including a container to hold the materials, a frame affixed to the container, a beater assembly supported by the frame that receives the materials from the container and processes the materials to obtain processed materials, and a spinner assembly that receives the processed materials and expulses the processed materials from the frame onto the ground surface. The beater assembly includes a pair of rotating elements that blends the materials to produce the processed materials, and a deflector located between the pair of rotating elements configured to prevent the formation of agglomerates in the processed materials.

Claims

1. A spreader assembly to distribute materials on a ground surface, comprising:

a container to hold the materials;

a frame affixed to the container;

a beater assembly supported by the frame that receives the materials from the container and processes the materials to obtain processed materials, the beater assembly including,

first and second rotating elements that blend the materials to produce the processed materials; and

a deflector located between the first and second rotating elements configured to prevent the formation of agglomerates in the processed materials.

2. The spreader assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein rotation axes of the first and second rotating elements are horizontal.

3. The spreader assembly as claimed in claim 1, including a spinner assembly, wherein the spinner assembly receives the processed materials and expulses the processed materials from the frame onto the ground surface.

4. The spreader assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the deflector includes a head located upstream to a center plane that contains the first and second rotating elements.

5. The spreader assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein the head has one of a spheroidal cross section, a triangular cross section, and a lozenge-shaped cross section.

6. The spreader assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein the head has a rounded edge that faces the upstream direction and a sharp edge that faces each rotating element.

7. The spreader assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein the deflector includes a tail that extends the head in a downstream direction between the first and second rotating elements, the tail having a first trailing surface that faces upward and a second trailing surface that faces downward.

8. The spreader assembly as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first trailing surface has one of a flat shape, a concave shape, and a convex shape;

and

the second trailing surface has a concave shape.

9. The spreader assembly according to claim 2, wherein a first deflector is located between the first rotating element and the second rotating element, and

wherein a second deflector is located above the first deflector.

10. The spreader assembly as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first deflector includes a first head located upstream to a center plane that contains the first rotating element and the second rotating element, and the second deflector includes a second head located upstream to the second rotating element.

11. The spreader assembly as claimed in claim 10, wherein the first head has one of a spheroidal cross section, a triangular cross section, and lozenge-shaped cross section.

12. The spreader assembly as claimed in claim 11, wherein the first head has a first sharp edge that faces the upstream direction and the second head has a second sharp edge that faces the container.

13. The spreader assembly as claimed in claim 10, wherein the first deflector includes a first tail that extends the first head in a downstream direction between the first rotating element and the second rotating element, the first tail having a first upper trailing surface that faces the second rotating element and a first lower trailing surface that faces the first rotating element;

and the second deflector includes a second tail that extends the second head in a downstream direction above the second rotating element and having a second lower trailing surface that faces the second rotating element.

14. The spreader assembly as claimed in claim 13, wherein the first upper trailing surface has one of a flat shape, a concave shape, and a convex shape;

the first lower trailing surface has a concave shape; and

the second lower trailing surface is parallel to the first trailing surface.

15. The spreader assembly as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first deflector and the second deflector have identical cross section.

16. The spreader assembly according to claim 1, wherein the first and second rotating elements have a substantially vertical rotation axis.

17. The spreader assembly as claimed in claim 16, wherein the deflector protrudes from a center plane containing the first and second rotating elements in an upstream direction.

18. The spreader assembly as claimed in claim 17, wherein the deflector includes a front trailing surface configured to receive the materials and break down large agglomeration of materials.

19. The spreader assembly as claimed in claim 18, wherein the front trailing surface has a V-shaped cross section that points in the upstream direction.

20. The spreader assembly as claimed in claim 18, wherein the front trailing surface is substantially parallel to a center plane containing the first and second rotating members in an upstream direction.

21. The spreader assembly as claimed in claim 18, wherein the front trailing surface is tilted backwards to the container.