IL150518A - Feed mixer for livestock - Google Patents

Description

150518 |7'Ji I 453412 mn Feed mixer for livestock Dan Yosef C. 139489 FEED MIXER FOR LIVESTOCK FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a feed mixer for livestock in particular a vertical feed mixer with multiple augers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Preparing feed for livestock is a considerable task requiring significant time and machinery. Increased through-put and quality of mixing is important especially as the mixture of feed for livestock has become sophisticated with the addition of many feed ingredients such as vitamins, mineral supplements, grains, molasses and other additives therefore requiring a thorough mix of the feed.

Feed mixers (at times also referred to in the art as mixers or feeders) are commonly used to mix such livestock feed ingredients required to constitute suitable mixed rations. To perform their task, the feed mixers typically comprise a container (mixing chamber) into which the feed ingredients are received and then the feed is mixed by mixing and/or chopping means such as augers and paddles, thereby producing an appropriately homogeneous livestock feed. The terms "auger" or "augers" are used hereinafter in the specification and claims to denote any form of mixing and/or chopping means, e.g. augers, paddles, bars, et cetera, or any combination thereof.

Feed mixers may be part of a self-propelled system that delivers the feed to livestock pens or troughs, or the feed mixers may be towed, for example, by an agricultural tractor. The mixers can be driven by the power take-off of the tractor or, if mounted as part of a self-propelled system, they can be operated by the engine which also drives the vehicle.

Alternatively, the feed mixer can be stationary with the resultant mixed feed being transferred to a delivery system.

Feed mixers may be self-fed, having scoops or diggers to input feed, or they may be fed by loaders. In the case where the feed mixer is fed by a loader, a low feed mixer height is advantageous so as to allow even small loaders to be used to feed the mixer.

Feed mixers are generally of two types; vertical and horizontal, characterized by whether the augers are disposed about one or more vertical or horizontal axes, respectively, within the mixing chamber.

Vertical feed mixers typically comprise a single auger or two augers - and in some cases three augers. Augers of presently existing vertical feed mixers comprising three augers, are disposed in a straight row i.e. in a linear configuration such that their axes are disposed in a parallel configuration. This results in a narrow feed mixer, to allow easy maneuvering and passage along animal feed troughs or pens during delivery of the feed to the livestock and for traveling on the road. A drawback of this linear auger configuration is that the feed charged into the mixer takes a long time to distribute between one end and the other and thus it takes a long time to mix the feed thoroughly.

Thus, while it seems logical that feed mixers with multiple augers would theoretically provide a high throughput and a high quality feed mix, this is not necessarily the case.

To help provide for and improve the thorough and rapid mixing of the feed, mixer designs may include baffles or auxiliary agitator blades or paddles, and the like. Examples of feed mixers having various mixing means are provided in patents: US 4,189,240 to Scheppele, US 5,645,345 to O'Neill et al, and US 5,967,657 to West.

In US Patent No. 4,189,240, Scheppele discloses a stationary in-line animal feed mixer including a housing that forms an upright passage containing rapidly rotating agitator blades which maintain the feed in a fluidized condition. The feed mixer comprises a plurality of baffles that direct the feed to the rotating agitator blades. The mixed feed is deposited onto a conveyor belt that carries the feed to animal feeding stations.

US Patent No. 5,645,345 to O'Neill et al describes a feed mixer wagon comprising a mixing compartment and a dispensing compartment. A mixing rotor mixes the animal feed and urges the feed into the dispensing compartment. The mixing rotor comprises a rotor shaft and a plurality of mixing paddles. The paddles are beveled at an acute angle to prevent the build up of the feed on the paddles.

US Patent No. 5,967,657 to West discloses a feed mixer vehicle, typically tractor drawn, for mixing and distributing animal feedstuffs. The mixer has only one longitudinal agitation rotor, that is centrally located, but includes helical sweeping bars acting as a skeleton auger for driving material into a discharge zone.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved vertical livestock feed mixer with efficient chopping and/or mixing of feed ingredients with a high through-put of a high quality feed mixture. In particular it is an object of the present invention to provide a stationary feed mixer with a mixing means with a plurality of augers that are arranged to rapidly mix large quantities of animal feed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention there is provided a vertical feed mixer for livestock, comprising a hopper (mixing chamber) and multiple augers (mixing members), wherein each of the multiple augers is adjacent at least two other augers. The feeder mixer according to the invention is typically a stationary feed mixer, although alternatively it can be pulled by a tractor.

According to a particular embodiment of the present invention the feed mixer comprises three augers (mixing members) and they are disposed in a triangular configuration and preferably, said augers are disposed in a substantially equilateral triangular configuration.

However, more than three augers may be provided and in various polygonal configurations. For example, there may be provided four augers disposed in a substantially rectangular or square geometry.

In accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention, adjacent augers rotate in directions that are counter-directional to each other.

In accordance with some particular embodiments of the present invention the multiple mixing members are preferably disposed with their axes extending vertical and parallel with one another, said augers disposed in an essentially horizontal plane.

Due to the horizontal design of the augers, the feed mixer of the present invention can be built with a large volume while still having a relatively low height for ease of feed loading whether fed manually or by a tractor with a scoop.

The vertical multi-auger feed mixer of the present design has a number of advantages including, but not limited to, the following: The multiple adjacent auger configuration eliminates the slow distribution of the feed, associated with linear triple-augered mixers, and saves mixing time.

The counter-directional rotation of adjacent augers is believed to produce a high mechanical action and turbulence for more efficient cutting/mixing action.

The feed mixer can be built relatively low to the ground with a similar mixing volume as mixers with only one or two augers, and is therefore easily charged with feed.

For the embodiment of the feeder mixer wherein it is a stationary feeder mixer, there are additional advantages, as follows: There are no the issues related to the difficulty of driving the rotational members while operating a towing tractor or vehicle, for example placing stress on the power take-off of either the tractor or the vehicle during start-up, etc.

There is not the limited dimensional and weight restraints typical of portable mixers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In order to understand the invention and to see how it may be carried out in practice, an embodiment will now be described, by way of a non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a top perspective view of a feed mixer comprising a triangular auger arrangement, according to the present invention; and Fig. 2 is top view of the feed mixer shown in Fig. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring first to Fig. 1, a stationary feed mixer generally designated 10 is shown, mounted on a base 12. The mixer 10 has a downwardly tapering hopper (mixing chamber) 16, of a rounded generally equilaterally triangular shape, that is open at its top, defined by rim 18, to allow for inserting livestock feed. The hopper 16 is defined by three sidewalls 20, 22 and 24 and a bottom 26.

Three augers 28 are located inside the hopper 16 adjacent the bottom 26. The augers 28 are mounted on vertically extending and parallel axes, and are driven by a motor, or motors, (not shown) which is operated by a control box 30 comprising a control panel 32 having control buttons 34 to control the operation of the feed mixer 10. The control box 30 is commonly located remotely and connected by cable (not shown) or it may be located, as shown, adjacent the mixer 10 by an arm 35 thereby minimizing vibration of the control box 30 during operation of the mixer 10.

The three augers 28 are arranged in an equilateral triangle configuration, such that their axes are vertical and parallel with one another. This configuration provides for excellent mixing versus linearly arranged augers in that the feed is inherently nearer at least two augers 28 and is believed to result in superior distribution and mechanical action.

Sidewall 24 comprises a reclosable door 36, for access to the feed after the feed mixer 10 has mixed it. The door 36 is typically opened and closed by a hydraulic arm (not shown). The mixed feed may be transferred to the troughs for feeding the livestock by wheeled means (e.g. a tractor) or there may be provided some automated means, e.g. a belt (not shown). To remove the feed, the door 36 is opened and the augers 28 are operated, thereby throwing the feed out of the hopper 16 via centrifugal force.

The ultimate height of rim 18 is determined by the maximum height of a scoop of a tractor used to feed the mixer 10. The height of the rim is also influenced by the geometry of the augers 28, the slope of the sidewalls 20, 22 and 24 as well as the designed-for quantity of feed to be mixed.

In Fig. 2 a detailed top view of the feed mixer 10 is shown, wherein the augers 28 are disposed adjacent the bottom 26 and comprise spiral mixing blades 50 and cutters 52 disposed on the edges of the blades 50. The cutters 52 are fastened to the blades 50 by fasteners 54 at the edges of the spirally configured blades 50, which together cut, chop and mix the feed. The cutters 50 are of various sizes and comprise teeth 58 at their edges. The blades 50 spiral up and out from central shafts 56.

For good mechanical action of mixing and turbulence, the augers 28 typically spin in directions that are counter to each other, as shown by arrows 90, 91 and 92.

It should be noted that various components of the feed mixer 10 described above are provided merely by way of illustration and are by no means exclusive, and many variations and modifications thereof are possible.

For example, the feed mixer could comprise four augers or even more (not shown). The hopper could therefore be of a generally square or rectangular shape or of another shape appropriate to proper mixing and the number of augers. In an embodiment comprising four augers, and potentially more, the mutually counter rotation of adjacent augers is also possible.

In another example, the augers could be of different sizes, shapes, etc. from each other.

It will be appreciated that the above descriptions are intended only to serve as examples, and that many other embodiments are possible within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims (10)

- 8 - 150518/2 CLAIMS:

1. A vertical feed mixer for livestock, comprising a hopper and multiple augers, each of which adjoins at least two other augers and wherein each of said multiple augers comprises: - a central shaft vertically extending within the hopper; a spiral mixing blade which spirals up and out from the central shaft such that each of said augers has an external profile that lies on a substantially conical surface; multiple cutters disposed on an edge of the blade; and wherein at a top elevation, peripheral most edges of adjoining augers are substantially tangent.

2. A feed mixer according to Claim 1, wherein the feed mixer is a stationary feed mixer.

3. A feed mixer according to Claim 2, comprising three augers disposed in a substantially triangular configuration.

4. A feed mixer according to Claim 3, wherein the three augers are disposed in an equilateral triangular configuration.

5. A feed mixer according to Claim 1, wherein adjacent augers rotate in directions that are counter to each other.

6. A feed mixer according to Claim 1, wherein there are four augers that are disposed in an essentially rectangular or square geometry.

7. A feed mixer according to Claim 1, wherein the multiple augers are in an essentially horizontal plane with their axes extending parallel to one another.

8. A feed mixer according to Claim 1, wherein the hopper is downwardly tapered.

9. A feed mixer according to Claim 1, wherein the feed mixer is designed to be pulled by a tractor.

10. A feed mixer according to Claim 1, wherein the 'augers are not all of the same size and/or geometry.