Patent ID: 6497545
Filing Date: 2002-12-24
Classification: A01F,B65D,B65G

Abstract:
A crop storage bin comprising:a substantially horizontal floor pad defining a horizontal pad surface; a bin wall arrangement mounted on the horizontal pad surface so as to stand upwardly therefrom and to define with the horizontal pad surface a container for a crop material; a pit arranged below the pad surface into which crop material can fall from the horizontal pad surface; the pit forming an elongate trough extending from a center of the floor pad to one side edge of the floor pad leaving a remainder of the horizontal floor pad on each side of the pit on which the crop material sits; the pit having thereon a horizontal cover over the pit at the horizontal pad surface; the horizontal cover of the pit having an opening therein adjacent the center of the horizontal floor pad for passage of crop material from the horizontal pad surface to the pit, the at least one opening having a door operable to be moveable from a closed position preventing discharge of material through the opening into the pit to an open position allowing discharge of the material into the pit by gravity to a bottom collection location of the pit below the opening; the pit extending to a position beyond the bin wall at said one side edge of the horizontal floor pad so as to provide an exterior opening outside the bin wall; the pit being shaped such that a straight line from the bottom collection location of the pit extending through the exterior opening extends to an exterior location outside the bin wall raised from the ground whereby the pit can cooperate with an auger standing outside the container with an inclined auger tube extending downwardly from a top discharge end of the auger at the exterior location to a bottom feed end of the auger at the bottom collection location of the pit.