Grain gage

A device for determining when the material in a grain bin or similar container has reached a predetermined level of fullness. The device includes a transparent tube having feeding tubes in communication between the transparent tube and the interior of the bin. The upper feeding tube is open at a predetermined level which may be adjusted, and the lower tube may also be set to a desired lower level of grain in the bin. Both tubes slant at approximately 45 degrees to the horizontal.

In many installations it is desirable to know whether or not the material 
held in a container has reached a certain level. In the storage of cereal 
or feed grains such as corn, soybeans, wheat or the like, it is usually 
not vital to know whether the bin is half full or one-third full, and yet 
it may be very important to know when the contents reach the level of 
fullness so that the bin will not overflow. 
Most bins do not now have any gage or marker to indicate the level of the 
contents. However, if the bin if filled to overflowing, there can be a 
significant loss of material which will occur before the supply can be cut 
off. Therefore, some type of indicator to show when the level has reached 
a near-full level may be important. 
By my device I provide an inexpensive but accurate and convenient gage 
which will give a clear visible indication as to the time at which the 
contents of the bin reach a certain level. That level will usually be at a 
nearly full mark, but is not limited to that level. It may also indicate a 
lower level as the bin is being emptied.

DESCRIPTION 
Briefly my invention comprises a visual gage usable in a grain bin or the 
like, by which an observer may see when the contents reach a certain level 
while the bin is being filled. It may also be used to indicate a lower 
level being reached when the bin is emptying. 
More specifically, my device is adapted to be used with a grain bin having 
sidewalls 10 and a roof 11. Although I have illustrated a circular bin, 
the device may also be used on any other shape, although the gaging may be 
somewhat more localized on another shape. The device is also adapted for 
use particularly on a bin which is filled from the center of the top of 
the bin. 
The device consists of a transparent sight tube 13 made preferably of some 
clear and hard plastic material. The tube 13 is connected at its lower end 
to the bin by a tube 14 of about the same diameter as the sight tube 13. 
The lower connecting tube 14 is open to the interior of the bin. 
An upper connecting tube 15 extends from the top of the sight tube 13 into 
the bin. The top lip 16 of this tube should be at the level at which the 
indicator is to be effective. Because the grain will not fill the tube 
from the bottom as a liquid would, the sight tube 13 will not indicate the 
level of the grain until the grain spills into the tube from the top. 
Therefore it is only when the grain reaches the level of the lip 16 that 
the tube 13 begins to fill and indicates that the grain has reached that 
level. For that reason, the sight tube 13 may be placed at approximately 
eye level while the lip 16 may indicate a grain level substantially 
higher. 
Further, since the grain will not fill the sight tube 13 unless the upper 
tube 15 slants substantially from the horizontal, and will not empty 
properly through the lower tube 14 except in the same condition, it is 
important that these tubes do slope. I have found that an angle of 
approximately 45-degrees, and certainly no less than 30-degrees works 
well. Steeper angles than 60-degrees require more tubing than is 
necessary. My preference is, therefore, an angle of approximately 45 
degrees from horizontal. 
In order to adapt the gage to various bins, I can provide an outer tube 18 
which will telescope either over or within the upper tube 15. That feature 
will allow some adjustment as to the actual level at which the lip 16 lies 
so as to provide some adjustment of the desired level of indication. A set 
screw 19 may be used to hold the outer tube in its adjusted position. 
Although it is of less use in the present configuration, the lower tube 14 
could also be used as an indication of the degree to which the bin has 
been emptied. Grain will not flow out of the sight tube 13 until the lower 
tube 14 is also free of blockage by grain in the bin so that if it should 
be desirable to know when the bin is emptied to a certain level, the 
device can be used for that purpose also. The lowest placement of the tube 
on the bin may be controlled by this requirement. That low placement 
should be at the low control level desired. Thus, as the bin is emptied, 
the tube 13 will remain full until the level within the bin reaches the 
opening in the lower tube 14. At that point, the grain will drain out of 
the tube leaving an empty tube 13. Thus, there is a gage of the emptying 
of the bin down to the lower control level. 
Therefore, the gage can be used to determine when the grain in the bin 
reaches either an upper or a lower level. Those levels may be controlled 
by the length of the upper tube 15 or the lower tube 14 and their 
placement within the bin.