EQUIPMENT FOR THE HANDLING OF CROP MATERIAL

Abstract: An equipment for handling a crop material includes two separate mobile units, namely a loading vehicle (3) having a container (4) for the crop material and a mobile device (60) for dosage of chemicals or other additives to the crop material. These two units are arranged to be docked to each other into an integrated treatment unit, which is stationary as long as the two units are docked to each other, one of the gables of the container being turned towards the dosage device. The container, which can be opened in said gable, so that in said gable a discharge opening (15) is formed, is provided with a device (18), which feeds the crop material through the discharge opening. Also, the dosage device (18) is provided with an input portion (65), which is turned towards the docked container (4) and includes a first conveyor (66) for the crop material (70), which is discharged from the container, a level guard (83) also being disposed in a space (75) for the crop material (70) in the input portion. The level guard sends a signal to or controls automatically the discharge device (18), so that the latter is stopped or gets a slower working speed, in case the space (75) between the container (4) and the first conveyor (66) of the dosage device is filled with corp material up to the level guard.

Description: Equipment for the Handling of Crop Material. The Technical Field The present invention relates to a crop material equip- ment. The present invention relates more specifically to an equipment for treatment of a chopped crop material in the field or in connection with the harvest place or with a provisional receiving or storing facility. The Background of the Invention To harvest all the crop is a new yet old method designed to utilize all valuable ingredients of the crop material, i.e. not solely the grains but also the straw, the leaves and the chaff. In its modern variety this technique involves a chopping of all the plant, except the ro t system and a short stubble, directly in the harvester. The chopped mate¬ rial is accumulated in a container on a loading vehicle, which is hauled by the harvester or is mounted on the lat- ter. When the container is filled, it is either transported to a center, in which the chopped material is separated in¬ to its various component parts, which may be treated in various ways, or to a storing facility, which normally is situated close to the harvest place. In this "barn" or storing facility the crop material is stored, until it is transported to a central treatment facility. Thus, the sto¬ ring facility is used as a "satellite" of the central treat¬ ment facility, in which the crop material, after the separa¬ tion ' into its component parts, can be improved to a high degree. By means of the system of a plurality of "satel¬ lites", which serve a central processing facility, the latter may achieve a very high ratio of production to ca¬ pacity, which is important in order to achieve a satisfac¬ tory total economy in the system. However, in order to achieve a satisfactory total econo¬ my the work in the "satellite" must also be conducted in a judicious manner. Also, the satellites must be mobile, which means that it must be easy to move the equipment and position it close to those fields, which are to be served during the current cultivation period. However, qualified equipments designed for a well balanced dosage of chemicals to the crop material have so far been used only in stationary facilities, which cannot be used in a system requiring a high degree of mobility. A Brief Description of the Present Invention The object of the present invention is to suggest an equipment, which solves the above-described problem bet- ter than known equipments. This object is achieved in accordance with the present invention by means of an equipment, which comprises two separate mobile units, namely a loading vehicle having a container for the crop material as well as a mobile device for dosage of che i- cals or other additives to the crop material, in that said two units are designed to be docked to an integrated handling unit, which can be viewed as a stationary faci¬ lity as long as the two units are docked to each other, that one of the gables faces the dosage device, that the container can be opened in said gable, the latter thereby forming a discharge opening for the crop mateiral, and that it is provided with a device for feeding the crop material through said discharge opening, that said do¬ sage device is provided with an input portion, which fa- ces " said docked container and includes a first conveyor for the crop material discharged from said container, that said input portion of said " dosage device comprises at least two lateral walls, that said container, docked with said dosage device, said lateral walls as well as said first conveyor define a space between the container and the first conveyor, which space is closed, at least laterally and has a bottom formed by said first conveyor, that a stripper for the crop material, when it is fed up¬ wardly by means of said first conveyor, is provided in the upper portion of said space at a distance from said conveyor, so that the input portion feeds an even volumet¬ ric crop material flow into the dosage device, that a le¬ vel guard is provided in this space between the container and the stripper, the level guard being provided to manu¬ ally or automatically controll the discharge device, so that the latter is stopped or is driven with a slower wor¬ king speed, m case the space between the container and said first conveyor of said dosage device is filled with crop material, so that said level guard is activated. Said input portion of said dosage device and the first conveyor preferably have the same width as the container. Another object of the present invention is that the loading vehicle is equipped in such a fashion that the device which is used to feed the crop material through the discharge opening also can be used for compacting the crop material in connection with the accumulation of the crop material in the loading vehicle out in the field. Thus, the equip¬ ment must be adapted to the requirements of the mobile do¬ sage unit as well as to the crop work, so that the capaci- ty of the dosage facility can be adapted to the capacity of the harvester, a maximal utilization of harvesters, loa¬ ding vehicles and said dosage device being possible. Con¬ sequently, the container is provided with a discharge de¬ vice, which includes a mobile wall, which is disposed bet- ween the longitudinal walls of the container and between the bottom of the container and up to a level, which cor¬ responds to at least the main portion of the total height of the container, displacement devices being provided in order to displace the movable wall from a forward end po- sition backwards towards the discharge opening in order to move the whole amount of crop material in the container backwards towards the discharge opening, so that the crop material gradually is forced to be discharged from the con¬ tainer in the shape of a more or less continuous body. The first conveyor in the dosage device extends from a lower level, which is placed lower than the bottom of the contai¬ ner, and up to an upper level, which is placed considerably higher than the bottom of the container-., while the level guard is placed at a level between the bottom and the cei¬ ling of the container. Although the movable wall of the container can be designed in various ways, it is preferred that the lower portion of the movable wall slopes downwards backwards, i.e. acts as a wedge facing the rear end wall of the container and the discharge opening, when the rear wall is opening, respecti¬ vely. A suitable angle of inclination is 35 -55 , whereas the upper portion of the movable wall ought to be substan¬ tially vertical. Other wall configurations are possible, which in their lower portion forms a wedge and which in their upper portion are more or less vertical or at least very steep. Plane wall surfaces are preferred for several reasons, but curved surfaces can be used, e.g. concave sur¬ faces facing the discharge opening/doors. Due to the rear¬ ward movement of the movable wall, regardless of its shape, the pressure of the crop material increases, partly against the upper portion of the wall, partly against the lower slanting portion, and thus a force vector results, which prevents the wall from being forced back to ards the for¬ ward portion of the container due to the counter pressure of the crop material, when the displacement devices exert their force on the movable wall close to the bottom of the container. The movable wall suitably is placed on a sledge or a carri- age, which can slide and roll respectively on the bottom of the container and is not provided with a floor or a base. This sledge or carriage can be designed as a U-shaped frame with its opening facing backwards. When the movable wall has been moved to its forward end position the displacement devices, which are designed as a hydraulic package, are dis- posed below the slanting wall portion, between the two legs of the frame. In order to additionally ensure that the mo¬ vable wall does not tip due to the weight of the crop mate¬ rial, when the sledge/carriage is moved rearwards in the con¬ tainer, a strip or similar outstanding device suitably is disposed along the two longitudinal walls of the contai¬ ner, in parallell with the bottom, as a distance of about 25-30 mm above the sides of the sledge/carriage. The movable wall or at least its lower slanting portion can also be made revolving in relation to the sledge/car¬ riage, so that the wall can rotate about a hinge in the foot point on the sledge/carriage. Also, in this connection displacement devices can be disposed in order to turn the the wall increasingly backwards towards the discharge ope- ning, when the movable wall has reached its rear end posi¬ tion in order to tip possible remaining amounts of the crop material, which have not slided out along the slanting wall in spite of a suitable coating of a low friction mate¬ rial on its surface. As an alternative the lower portion of the wall can be rotated around said hinge by pressing the lower edge of the wall against a stop means, while at the same time the displacement devices of the sledge or wall push the wall increasingly a distance forward. The displacement of the movable wall forward and backward in the container can as a principle be accomplished by means of various types of displacement devices, such as forced screws, wire winches, gear-rack-transmissions or hydraulic cylinders. It is suitable to use, according to a preferred embodiment, a group of hydraulic cylinders, connected in series and in pairs and supported by the bot- torn of the container, the rod pistons of the consecutive hydraulic cylinder stages thus being alternatingly turned forward towards the front end of the container and back¬ ward towards the movable wall respectively. In at least every stage, which follows the first one, in relation to the front end of the container, are included, according to a selected embodiment, two parallell hydraulic cylinders, the cylinders of every succeeding stage being disposed outside the cylinders of the preceding stage. The first stage has a fastening point in the container and the last stage two fastening points attached to the movable wall or rather to the sledge, on which the wall is mounted, so that the connecting lines between the three fastening points form an equally sided triangle, when the hydraulic rods are maximally projected, i.e. are placed in their plus positions, and the movable wall is placed in its rear end position, the base of the triangle being turned to¬ wards the movable wall and its point being turned towards the front end of the container. It is possible to attain the same speed in the different stages, which is particu- larily advantageous, when the container is to be connected directly to a succeeding device for dosage of additives to the crop material. The hydraulic package turns very com¬ pact, when it is brought together, which means that it is accomodated inside the space, which is available below the slanting portion of the movable wall between the two sides of the sledge/carriage. Also, a"very favorable distribu¬ tion of the forces on the sledge/carriage is attained by means of the triangular force system, which in addition to the construction for the rest contributes to preventing the creation of a drawer effect. In order to attain very long stroke lengths and simultaneously 'a short hydraulic package, when it is brought together, a clamp-shaped yoke can be connected between at least two of the consecutive cylinder pairs, which yoke connects the piston rods of one of these cylinder pairs with the piston rods of the other one of said cylinder pairs. When the hydraulic package is compressed, i.e. when the pistons are placed in their mi¬ nus positions, the cylinders and said yoke form a tight hydraulic package, the yoke and the connecting elements being disposed between the adjacent consecutively coupled cylinders, which are connected to each other by means of the yoke, the cylinders contacting sliding surfaces on said connecting elements. When the container and the dosage device are docked to- gether, the space between the container and the dosage de¬ vice is laterally defined by a pair of lateral walls on the dosage device. The bottom of the space is formed by said first conveyor but it is open upward. A stripper for crop material, which is discharged by the discharge device in the container and which gradually is fed upward by the first conveyor, is mounted in the upper portion of said space at a distance from the conveyor, so that from the in¬ put portion an even volumetric flow of crop material is fed into the device. The first conveyor suitably is an endless conveyor belt having roughly the same width as the contai¬ ner, which conveyor belt slants upward/inward in the dosage device. Additional characteristic features of the integrated equip- ment and of the two units, which are parts of the same, i.e. the loading vehicle and its container and the dis¬ charge device as well as the dosage device and its convey¬ ors, are stated in the patent claims as well as in the following description of a preferred embodiment. A Brief Description of the Drawings. In the following description of a preferred embodiment re¬ ference is made to the enclosed drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a harvester and a loading vehicle mounted on it, the exterior features of which are known but which as to its interior can be equiped according to the present inven¬ tion; Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the loading vehicle; Figure 3 shows the interior features in a view along line III-III in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a top view of a hydraulic package in the loading vehicle, when it is brought together; Figure 5 shows the same hydraulic package, when it is maximal- ly expanded; Figure 6 is perspective view showing the movable wall, the sledge and the hydraulic package in the front end position; Figure 7 is a perspective view of the loading vehicle, which is being backed by a tractor, to be docked to a dosage device, which is connected to a storage facility for the treated crop material; Figure 8 is a top view of the dosage device and the rear por¬ tion of the container, which is docked to the dosage device; Figure 9 is a side elevational view along line IX-IX in Fi- gure 8; Figure 10 shows the dosage device from its rear side in a view X-X in Figure 8; and Figure 11 shows diagrammatically an alternative embodiment of the movable wall shown in Figure 6. A Description of a Preferred Embodiment Figure 1 shows a harvester 1. Its rear portion is provided with a loading shifter 2 and on.the latter is a loading ve- hide 3 mounted, which comprises a container 4 on a loading vehicle frame 5, which can be transformed into a trailer. To accomplish this a post 6 can be bent down by rotating it about a hinge 7 and the loading vehicle frame is provided with two pairs of wheels in its rear end. The crop material can be fed from harvester 1 to container 4 through an air blow duct 9 in a way known per se . Container 4 comprises a plate bottom 10, fully covering longitudinal walls 11, a fully covering roof 12, which is fastened to longitudinal walls 11, transverse beams 13 in the front end, which are extended between longitudinal walls 11 and hold together the container, and doors 14 in the rear end. Doors 14 can be two conventionally designed doors, which manually can be opened and shut by turning in hinges 16 about vertical axes of rotation. As an alterna- tive one or several doors can be provided, which can open and shut automatically output opening 15 in the rear end of the container. In this instance a folding door is sui¬ tably used, which is folded upwards. Inside container 4 a movable wall 18 is provided, which is mounted on and fastened to a sledge 19, ' which is disposed on and can be moved on bottom 10 of the container. Sledge 19 consists of two lateral beams 20 and one transverse beam 21. The three beams 20,21 are joined to a U-shape. The sledge does not have a bottom. Lateral beams 20 abut longitudinal walls 11 in the corners between bottom 10 and the longitudinal walls. Wall 18, which can be moved in container 4 and is mounted on sledge 19, is extended trans¬ versely between the two longitudinal walls 11. Wall 18 con- sists of a lower portion 22, which is inclined, and an up¬ per portion 23, which is vertical and is an extension of the lower portion. Lower portion 22 is inclined with an angle of 45 against bottom 10 and is on its upper side coated with a low friction material 24. The inclined por- tion 22 is extended to container bottom 10 having a point 25 in front of transverse beam 21. Upper vertical wall por- tion 23 is extended from about half the height of the con¬ tainer up to a level of about 400 mm below the interior surface of roof 12 of the container. Thus a gap-shaped opening 26 results between the upper edge of wall 18 and roof 12. When loading vehicle 3 is mounted on loading shif¬ ter 2, Figure 1, and sledge 19 and wall 18 are in their front end position, Figure 2, air blow duct 9 is extended into this gap-shaped opening 26 in order to blow the crop material into container 4 in space 57 between movable wall 18 and doors 14 in the output end. Wall 18 can be either fastened to sledge 19, according to the embodiment shown in Figure 6, or rotatable in relation to the same about a horizontally disposed hinge 90, as is shown in the diagram- matically depicted embodiment in Figure 11, in which the sledge has reference numeral 119, the lower wall portion 122 and the upper vertical wall portion 123. In the previous embodiment, Figure 6, the two portions 22 and 23 of wall 18 have been welded with a gable wall 27 on either lateral beam 20. In the subsequent embodiment, Figure 11, displacement devices, e.g. hydraulic cylinders 91, can be disposed between sledge 119 and lower wall portion 122 in order to rotate the latter about hinge 90, which suitably is disposed adjacent to the upper edge of sledge 119. In this embodiment, Figure 11, wall portions 122 and 123 are not fastened to each other, but instead wall portion 122 rests in its normal position with its upper edge against vertical portion 123 and is pressed against the latter by the material in the container. In order to be able to turn rotatable wall portion 122 about hinge 90 without lower portion 124 of the wall hitting the floor of the container or other obstacles a recess 125 can be made. In Figure 11 a stop means has reference numeral 126. Since the rear edge of wall 122 is pressed against stop means 126, wall 122 can be rotated about hinge 90 without additional dis- placement devices 91, if the movement to the right of sledge 119 is continued some distance from the position of vertical wall portion 123 (indicated by continuous lines) to a position called 123*. The final position of movable wall portion 122 has been indicated by position 122'. The displacement devices used to move sledge 19 and thus wall 18 in the container are hydraulic cylinders in a plu¬ rality of hydraulic cylinder stages I, II, III, IV in se¬ ries. In every stage II-IV there is two cylinders in paral- lell 31, 32 and 33 respectively, which are identical , i.e. have the same length and the same piston area. Hydraulic cylinder 30 in first stage I has the same length as the rest but its piston area is suitably twice as large. As an alternative also this stage includes two cylinders con¬ nected in parallell and is identical with the rest. Piston rod 30A in first stage I is fastened to the mid-portion of the lowest one of transverse beams 13 in the front end of the container. The exterior of cylinder 30 is by means of plates 34 welded to the two hydraulic cylinders 31 in the second stage. The piston rods 31A in this second cy- linder stage are turned in the opposite direction in rela¬ tion to said first piston rods 30A and are connected to a yoke 36. Yoke 36 is shaped as a clamp and is provided with connection elements 37, which consist of box girders, one on each side outside said second hydraulic cylinders 31. Elements 37 connect foremost fastening plate 38 of yoke 36 (to which piston rods 31A are connected) to two rear¬ most fastening plates 39, which extend transversely out¬ ward and are connected to piston rods 32A belonging to said third hydraulic cylinders 32. Connecting elements 37 are on their surfaces provided with low friction coatings 40. Cylinders 31 and 32 abut and slide against these low friction coatings 40, when hydraulic assembly 41 is expan¬ ding. In this hydraulic assembly are finally included hyd¬ raulic cylinders 33 in the fourth stage. In the same way as cylinders 30 and 31 are connected to each other by means of plates 34 cylinders 32 and 33 are welded to each other via plates 35. Cylinders 33 are turned in the opposite di¬ rection in relation to cylinders 32. Piston rods 33A are are connected to transverse beam 21 in sledge 19. When hydraulic assembly 41 is brought together maximally, Fi- gures 4 and 6, there is enough space for it in space 42 below inclined portion 22, between the two lateral beams 20 of sledge 19, where hydraulic cylinders 30-33 and yoke 36 with its connection elements 37 are disposed directly against bottom 10 of container 4. All hydraulic cylinders 30-33 are double-acting. From a hydraulic pump, not shown, a first hydraulic duct 43 leads to the plus chamber of one of the two other hydraulic cy¬ linders 31 and from there via first and second hydraulic tubes 45 to the plus chamber of first hydraulic cylinder 30. From the plus chamber of first cylinder 30 a second hydraulic duct 46 leads to the plus chamber of one of said fourth hydraulic cylinders 33 and from there a third, a fourth and fifth hydraulic tube 47-49 leads to the plus chambers of the rest of hydraulic cylinders 32 and 33 re¬ spectively. I an analogous way third and fourth hydraulic ducts 50,51 and sixth - tenth hydraulic tubes 52-56 are connected to and connecting the minus chambers of the same hydraulic cylinders 30-33. The dosage device generally has reference numeral 60 and will be described now, reference being made to Figure 8- 10. It is mobile like loading vehicle 3 and mounted on a carriage 61 having wheels 62, a carriage beam 63 as well as upright members 64 for temporary placing of the assemb¬ ly. An input portion for crop material^ 0 has a reference nu¬ meral 65. The bottom of input portion 65 consists of an input conveyor, also called first conveyor, which consists of an endless conveyor belt, which -slants upwards into do¬ sage device 60 in the working position of the equipment. The foremost, lower portion 66A can be erected into a ver¬ tical position about a shaft 71, as is shown by the dot- ted lines in Figure 9. Portion 66A is moved into this po- sition, when device 60 is transported or is put aside for quite a long time. Input portion 65 is laterally limited by two substantially triangular lateral walls 67, which by hinges 72 are connected to two doors 69, which from a transport position,when they are closed, in order to shut the interior of device 60, can be let out in order to place them in parallell with lateral walls 67. In this position they are extensions of said lateral walls 67 and contri¬ butes substantially to defining the receiving room for crop material 70 in input portion 65. A roof 68 connects lateral walls 67. Input conveyor 66 is driven hydraulical- ly via shaft 71. The hydraulic equipment of the device ge¬ nerally has a reference numeral 73. It is also possible to let forward a roof portion above the forwardly turned por¬ tion of the input conveyor in order to get a completely closed space. Behind input conveyor 66 and at a lower level than its up¬ per portion there is a second, transverse conveyor 74, which can be a screw feeder. The latter leads to a fan 76. A pow- der feeder 77 is mounted on the other end of carriage 61. From this powder feeder a duct 78 leads to the second con¬ veyor 74 for a volumetric dosage of a chemical to the crop material. Driving and transmission means for fan 76 gene¬ rally has the reference numeral 79. Fan 76 is connected to a duct 80, which leads to a storage facility 81, which in this embodiment is a very large tent. The integrated functions of the previously described devi¬ ces are to be described as follows. Firstly, ho loading ve- hi e 3 functions on the crop field will be explained a little. When harvester 1 is moved along the field to be harvested, the crop material is blown into space 57 behind wall 18 by air blower duct 9, the point of which is exten¬ ded into gap-shaped opening 26 between the upper edge of wall 18 and the ceiling of the container. The driver knows by experience how long a so called pull is (a pull is that distance, which he must move the harvester in order to fill the container) . While doing a pull the crop material ordinarily is compressed once or several times. In case the crop material is" composed of full grains in a chopped condition, it is sufficient to compress the crop material once by means of movable wall 18. In case it is dry hay, it may be more suitable to make several compression strokes, while a green mass should not be compressed at all, since it then will become too heavy. The compression strokes are suitably made, when the equipment turns at the end of the field. When hydraulic oil is fed through first hydraulic duct 43, hydraulic rods 30A-33A are extended, so that the system of cylinders and piston rods increasingly attains the shape of an equally sided triangle, its point being placed in lower beam 13 in the front end of container 4 and its base in transverse beam 21 of sledge 19. During the extension movement cylinders 31 and 32 slide against low friction coatings 40 on connection elements 37 of yoke 36. This contact and sliding is important for the stiffness of the construction as is the case with the triangular force system, which has a stabilizing influence on sledge 19,119 and contributes to a prevention of a drawer effect. During the compression strokes doors 14 are closed. Wall 18 pushes the crop material in front of it towards said closed doors, the lower inclined portion 22 and 122 re¬ spectively being pushed like a wedge below the crop mate¬ rial. Increasingly the counter pressure of the crop mate¬ rial mounts against wall 18. The pressure on vertical upper wall portion 23 and 123 respectively tends to tip wall 18 counterclockwise (see Figure 2) , i.e. against the front end of the container, while the pressure against inclined portion 22,122 pushes sledge 19,119 downwards against the floor and prevents its tipping. In order to further see to it that sledge 19,119 does not tip while being influenced by the counter pressure of the crop mate¬ rial, a longitudinal list 58, which projects into the con¬ tainer, is mounted on each lateral wall about 25-30 mm above sledge 19,119. When the crop material has been comp¬ ressed to the desired degree all of the hydraulic pistons are returned by hydraulic oil instead being fed to the mi¬ nus chambers through tube 50. In this way the process can be repeated, until the container 4 has been filled with the desired amount of crop material. When container 4 has been filled with the desired amount of more or less compressed crop material, loading vehicle 3 is removed from loading shifter 2 in a known way and is converted, according to actually new principles, into a carriage, which can be pulled by a tractor, which trans- ports the loading vehicle to a receiving station or the like, in which dosage device 60 is placed. Doors 14 are now opened and loading vehicle 3 is backed backwards and docked with dosage device 60, Figure 7. Hydraulic oil is fed into the plus chamber of cylinders 30-31 via connec- tion tube 43 in the same way as when the compression stroke is made. Sledge 19,119 and consequently wall 18,118 is then fed with a regular speed backwards against discharge ope¬ ning 15. The compressed crop material constitutes a body, which is more or less continuous depending on the proper- ties of the material and the degree of compression. Gra¬ dually this crop material body is pushed out of discharge opening 15 into space 75 in input portion 65 of dosage device 60. In case the embodiment according to Figure 11 is used, the final discharge of the material is accomp- lished by turning wall 122 upwards to a position 122' . Crop material 70 falls on input conveyor 66 and is fed upwards/inwards by means of the same. Lateral walls 67 and doors 69 prevent crop material 70 from falling out¬ wards in a lateral direction from the device. The figures show that input conveyor 66 with its lower portion 66A is projected below container 4 at a level, which is substan¬ tially below bottom 10 of the container. In this way it is avoided that the crop material also is lost in a for¬ ward direction below loading vehicle 3. The figures also show that container 4 has been backed into a position bet- ween doors 69. Input conveyor 66 is inclined about 35 upwards/inwards towards the interior of dosage device 60. Crop material 70, which is fed out of container 4 by means of movable wall 18, gradually falls into the second transverse con¬ veyor 74. The first conveyor, i.e. input conveyor 66, is able to deliver a volume-calculated material flow to the other conveyor 74 by means of stripper 82, which in a way known per se is mounted at a certain distance above input conveyor 66 in the upper portion of space 75 in input por¬ tion 65. Stripper 82 is a known construction in the form of a rotating reel with pins, the rotation shaft of which is parallell with the shafts of the input conveyor. Strip¬ per 82 rotates in the opposite direction in relation to the feeding direction of input conveyor 66, as is shown by the arrows. In case input conveyor 66 would not be able to run as fast as the discharge device of container 3, i.e. movable wall 18,118, then space 75 would be increasingly filled with crop material. In case space 75 would be filled to such a degree, that the discharged crop material would contact a level guard 83, disposed in space 75 between discharge opening 15 of container 3 and stripper 82, the feeding of movable wall 18,118 would be stopped or its feeding speed would be lowered by choking the hydraulic flow to hydraulic cylinders 30-33. This can be done manu¬ ally by a signal sent from level guard 83, so that an ope¬ rator will be alerted, who interrupts or slows down the feeding of wall 18,118. Preferably, however, this is done by designing level guard 83 in such a way, that it direct- ly controls the feeding of hydraulic cylinders 30-33. Level guard 83 can be a device known per se in the form of a propeller or some rotating device, the rotation of which is stopped in case crop material 70 reaches and contacts the rotating device. Level guard 83 is disposed at a level above bottom 10 of container 4 and roughly at the same level as the lower portion of stripper 82. Material, which has been delivered from input conveyor 66, is recieved by second conveyor 74, which delivers it to fan 76. While the crop material is transported by said se¬ cond conveyor between input portion 65 and fan 76, it re¬ ceives a volume-calculated chemical from powder feeder 77, which chemical e.g. can be a preservative having a crys¬ talline phase. Since it is possible to volume fill the chemicals from powder feeder 77 as well as volume fill crop material 70 from input portion 65, all desired mix¬ tures can be obtained, while at the same time conditions for fan 76 to work optimally are obtained. Finally, by means of fan 76 the crop material and the admixed chemical are blown into storing facility 81. Figure 7 shows that the crop material is blown out horizontally from dosage device 60. Also, fan 76 can be turned upwards, as is shown in Fi¬ gure 9, in order to blow the material up into a silo or any high storing device.

Claims: Claims : 1. An equipment for handling a crop material, c h a ¬ r a c t e r i z e d in that said equipment includes two separate mobile units, namely a loading vehicle (3) ha- ving a container (4) for the crop material and a mobile device (60) for dosage of chemicals or other additives to the crop material, that said two units are designed in such a way, that they can be docked to each other, to an integrated treatment unit, which is stationary as long as the two units are docked to one another, one of the gables of the container being turned to the dosage device, that the container can be opened in said gable, so that a discharge opening (15) in the gable is formed, and that it is provided with a device (18,118) designed to discharge the crop material through said discharge opening, that the dosage device (60) is provided with an input portion (65), which is turned to the docked contai¬ ner (4) and includes a first conveyor (66) for the crop material (70) discharged from the container, that the in- put portion of the dosage device at least has two lateral walls (67,69), that the container (4) , which is docked to the dosage device (60), said lateral walls (67,69) as well as said first conveyor (66),define a space (75) bet¬ ween the container and the first conveyor, which space is closed, at least laterally, and has a bottom, which con¬ sists of said first conveyor, that a stripper (82) for the crop material, which is fed upwards by the first con¬ veyor, is disposed in the upper portion of said space*... (75) at -a distance from the conveyor, so that the input por- tion (65) feeds a regular volume flow of crop material into the dosage device (60) , that a level guard (83) is disposed in this space between the container and the strip¬ per (82) and that the level guard is designed to send a signal or to automatically control the discharge device (18,118), so that the same is stopped or gets a slower working speed, in case the space (75) between the contai¬ ner (4) and the first conveyor (66) of the dosage device is filled with such a large amount of crop material, that the level guard reacts. 2. An equipment according to claim 1, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that the input portion of the dosage device and said first conveyor roughly have the same width as the container. 3. An equipment according to claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that the discharge device of the contai¬ ner includes a movable wall (18,118) , which extends between the longitudinal walls (11) of the container and from the bottom (10) of the container up to a level, which corre- sponds to at least the main part of the total interior height of the container, that displacement devices (30-33) are disposed to move the movable wall from a front end po¬ sition backwards towards the discharge opening (15) in or¬ der to feed all the volume of crop material present in the container backwards towards the discharge opening, so that the crop material gradually is forced to leave the contai¬ ner as a more or less continuous body, that said first con¬ veyor (66) in the dosage device is extended from a lower le¬ vel, which is lower than the bottom (10) of the container, up to an upper level, which is substantially higher than the bottom of the container, and that the level guard (83) is placed on a level between the bottom and the ceiling of the container. 4. An equipment according to any of claims 1-3, c h a ¬ r a c t e r i z e d in that the lateral walls (67,69) are disposed at a distance from each other, which is some¬ what larger than the exterior width of the container, and that the input portion also has a roof at a level, which is somewhat higher than the level of the roof of the con- 5.An equipment according to any of claims 1-4, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that the first conveyor is an endless conveyor having roughly the same width as the container, which conveyor belt slants upwards and inwards into the dosage device (60) . 6. An equipment according to any of claims 1-5, c h a ¬ r a c t e r i z e d in that the crop material, which is volume filled by a cooperation between the discharge device (18,30-33) of the container, the first conveyor (66) of the dosage device , the level guard (83) and the stripper (82) , is delivered on a second conveyor (74) and that dosage devices (77,78) are mounted to admix one or several chemi¬ cals to the crop material, which has been delivered onto and which is fed by the second conveyor (74) . 7. An equipment according to claim 6, c h a r a c t e ¬ r i z e d in that the second conveyor is connected to a fan (76) in order to transport the treated crop material out of the integrated equipment.

Inventors: BRUNER HASSE, PERSSON LARS-INGE, BRUNER, HASSE, PERSSON, LARS-INGE
Applicants: RIPPELTON NV, RIPPELTON N.V.
Application year: 1987
Main classification: B65G65
IPC codes: A01D87, A01D90