Portable grain cart

A portable grain cart that has independently operated, endless, rubber belted conveyors for moving material out of the hopper and then discharging the material into a truck or other transport or storage facility. A first rubber belted conveyor is mounted inside of the hopper to pick up the material from the hopper and then discharge the material outside the cart onto a second conveyor which then moves the material into the truck. The outside or discharge conveyor is pivotally mounted so that it can be swung to a number of positions, including a storage position, and it also can be elevated to different heights depending upon the truck or storage facility into which the material is to be discharged.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The invention relates to a grain cart having an improved conveyor system 
for moving grain from the cart and discharging it to a desired location. 
Portable grain carts are commonly used during the harvesting of grain to 
temporarily store the grain during the harvest. The portable cart is 
usually towed by a tractor alongside the combine to receive the grain as 
it is harvested. The cart is then towed to a truck where the grain is 
discharged from the cart into the truck for transport to a storage 
facility such as a grain bin, grain elevator, etc. The use of grain carts 
therefore can greatly improve the efficiency of the harvest. 
There are numerous manufacturers of grain carts of varying designs. As is 
well known to those skilled in the art, the grain cart typically includes 
an auger conveyor usually mounted with its inlet end inside the hopper and 
then extending toward the front or left front corner of the grain cart. 
The auger conveyor moves the grain from the bottom of the grain cart 
hopper upwardly and outwardly where grain can be discharged into a truck 
for transport. Because the auger must extend outwardly from the hopper of 
the grain cart a sufficient distance and height to enable efficient 
unloading, the auger is usually made in two sections. A lower section is 
mounted inside or on the side of the hopper to move the grain out of the 
bottom of the hopper, and an upper section is mounted outside the hopper 
and connected to the lower section to carry the grain to a sufficient 
height for discharge into a truck or other storage or transport facility. 
Because it is undesirable during storage or transport of the grain cart 
for the auger to extend outwardly from the cart, the upper section is 
usually mounted so that it can be swung out of the way alongside the grain 
cart. The necessity of providing for movement of the upper part of the 
auger between a transport position and a operating position requires that 
a suitable connection be provided between the upper and lower sections. 
The design of this connection creates problems of how to drive the two 
auger sections and seal the joint between them. Typical grain carts having 
various auger arrangements are shown in Grieshop U.S. Pat. No. 5,013,208, 
Warsaw U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,621 and Barker U.S. Pat. No. 4,274,790. With 
the auger systems of the grain carts illustrated by these prior art 
patents, the grain can be distributed as it is discharged by the auger 
only by moving the cart since the upper auger section is fixed to the 
lower auger section once they are locked in place in the operating 
position. Tharaldson U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,344 shows a portable grain cart 
which has two independently operable augers, each driven by a hydraulic 
motor. This arrangement permits the upper or discharge auger to be swung 
through a wide arc during discharge of the grain thereby allowing 
discharge of the grain to be spread without moving the cart itself. 
Regardless of the particular arrangement of the system for removing the 
grain from the cart and discharging it into a truck or storage facility, 
the known prior art systems employ an auger in two sections or use two 
independent augers. Although these prior art carts are extensively used in 
grain harvest, they are not suitable for all types of crops and other 
material, and occasionally, the material being handled can be damaged by 
the auger resulting in losses to the farmer. There is therefore a need for 
an improved discharge system that is capable of handling almost all crops 
and other materials without the fear of damage to the material. Any such 
improved discharge system for grain carts must also be such that it has 
all of the advantages of the prior art system without the disadvantages, 
including ease of use and maintenance. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The portable grain cart of the invention provides independently operated, 
endless, rubber belted conveyors for moving material out of the hopper and 
then discharging the material into a truck or other transport or storage 
facility. A rubber belted conveyor is mounted inside of the hopper to pick 
up the material from the hopper and then discharge the material outside 
the cart onto a second conveyor which then moves the material into the 
truck. The outside or discharge conveyor is pivotally mounted so that it 
can be swung to a number of positions, including a storage position, and 
it also can be elevated to different heights depending upon the truck or 
storage facility into which the material is to be discharged. The 
conveyors are independently driven by hydraulic motors and moved to 
different positions by hydraulic cylinders.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION 
The drawings illustrate a grain cart having a hopper 10 mounted on a 
supporting frame 12 supported by ground engaging wheels 14. A tow bar 16 
provides for attachment in any suitable manner to a towing vehicle (not 
shown). 
The hopper 10 includes downwardly and inwardly sloping side walls 18 and 20 
that are joined by the downwardly and inwardly sloping front wall 22 and 
rear wall 24. All of the walls 18, 20, 22 and 24 are topped with a 
vertically extending top edge 26. One or more structural braces 28 may be 
provided to reinforce and stabilize the hopper 10. The side walls 18 and 
20 and front wall 22 and rear wall 24 form at their lowest juncture a well 
30 into which the grain or other material in the hopper 10 will flow by 
gravity. The foregoing description is generally typical of grain carts of 
the type commonly known and used in the agricultural industry. This 
invention relates to the conveying system for unloading the grain from the 
hopper 10 and discharging it into a truck or other transport vehicle or 
storage facility. 
Mounted inside of the hopper 10 is a conveyor 32, the lower or inlet end 34 
of which is positioned in the well 30. Conveyor 32 is of a commonly known 
type that has an endless flexible belt, usually of rubber, that passes 
around cylindrical pulleys 38 at the outer ends of the conveyor 32. The 
belt has on its outer surface a plurality of spaced apart paddles 37 which 
aid in lifting the material out of the hopper 10. The conveyor 32 is 
preferably driven by a hydraulic motor 40 attached directly to the pulley 
38 at the discharge end of the conveyor. However, the conveyor 32 can be 
driven in any suitable manner. As shown in the drawings, the conveyor 32 
preferably is mounted so as to extend forwardly toward the left side wall 
18 so that the conveyor 32 will discharge material, such as grain, 
contained in the hopper 10 from the left front corner of the hopper 10. 
Grain carried by conveyor 32 is discharged through an opening 42 in the 
left side wall 18 onto the inlet end of a discharge conveyor 44. A 
flexible boot 46 surrounding opening 42 and attached to the inlet end of 
conveyor 44 confines and guides the grain being discharged from conveyor 
32 onto discharge conveyor 44. 
The discharge conveyor 44 is also a standard belt-type conveyor having an 
endless belt containing a plurality of spaced apart paddles 47 moving 
between side frames 48 around pulleys 50 mounted between the side frames 
48 at the inlet and discharge ends of the conveyor 44. If desired, the top 
of conveyer 44 may be covered to minimize grain from spilling over the 
sides. At the inlet end of the conveyor 44 side frames 48 are pivotally 
mounted by horizontal pivot pins 56 at the upper ends of a pair of 
L-shaped supporting arms 52, one on each side of the conveyor 44. The 
lower ends of the supporting arms 52 are in turn mounted by a vertical 
pivot pin 59 to the mounting structure 58 affixed to the frame 12 at the 
left front of the hopper 10 for turning movement of the conveyor 44 about 
a vertical axis. 
The lower ends of supporting arms 52 are connected at a point offset from 
the axis of pivot pin 59 to the operating rod of hydraulic cylinder 60 
which is secured to mounting member 62 that forms a part of the supporting 
frame 12. Thus, when the hydraulic cylinder 60 is actuated, it can swing 
the discharge conveyor 44 about vertical pivot pin 59 from an outwardly 
extending position as shown in FIG. 2 to a transport position with the 
conveyor 44 extending alongside the left side wall 18 as shown in FIG. 1. 
Also secured to the mounting structure 58 is a second hydraulic cylinder 64 
which has its operating rod 68 pivotally connected in any suitable manner 
to brackets 66 secured to and extending downwardly from the underside of 
the side frames 48. When hydraulic cylinder 64 is actuated, the discharge 
conveyor 44 will therefore be swung upwardly about horizontal pivot pins 
56 to move the discharge end of the conveyor 44 to a desired height for 
convenient loading onto a truck or other grain receiving facility. A boot 
70 secured to the outer end of the discharge conveyor 44 confines and 
guides the grain to minimize losses. 
The discharge conveyor 44 is preferably driven by a hydraulic motor 72 
mounted at the discharge end of the discharge conveyor 44 near the 
mounting structure 58. 
With the foregoing described structure, the grain or other material 
contained in hopper 10 is efficiently and easily conveyed by conveyor 32 
upwardly out of the hopper 10 where it is discharged through the opening 
42. Because of the mounting arrangement for the discharge conveyor 44, the 
discharge conveyor can be raised with its discharge end to a desired 
height, and the discharge conveyor 44 can also be swung during operation 
without moving the cart to distribute the grain being discharged. 
Moreover, because the discharge conveyor 44 is totally independent from 
the conveyor 32, the grain can be discharged a selected distance from the 
cart. By driving the conveyors 32 and 44 independently and hydraulically, 
complex and high maintenance mechanical drive systems are eliminated. 
Moreover, there is no mechanical connection between the two conveyors 32 
and 44 thus eliminating problems normally associated with the prior art 
auger system. Movement of the discharge conveyor 44 from one position to 
another and from the unloading to transport position is quickly and easily 
accomplished. 
Having thus described the invention in connection with the preferred 
embodiments thereof, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that 
various revisions can be made to the preferred embodiments described 
herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is 
my intention, however, that all such revisions and modifications that are 
evident to those skilled in the art will be included within the scope of 
the following claims.