Patent ID: 7699119

Claim:
An auger assembly comprising: a) a motor driven shaft having a transverse bore; b) a tubular drive coupler piece having a longitudinal bore, a transverse bore through a sidewall of the drive coupler piece communicating with said longitudinal bore, and a threaded surface exposed at one end, wherein the longitudinal bore of the drive coupler piece in the region of the threaded surface exhibits a flat bore surface and wherein the longitudinal bore of the drive coupler piece is mounted to said driven shaft and a first fastener mounted through the transverse bores of said driven shaft and said drive coupler piece secures the drive coupler piece to the driven shaft; c) an auger containing spiral fluting that radially projects from a central auger shaft and having an auger coupler end having a longitudinal bore and a transverse bore through a sidewall of the auger coupler end communicating with said longitudinal bore of the auger coupler end; d) an elongated stub shaft having at one end an end fitting with a flat sidewall surface mounted to mate with the flat bore surface of the drive coupler piece and including a flange surface that radially projects from a sidewall of said stub shaft and a transverse bore that extends through the sidewall of said stub shaft, wherein the transverse bore of the stub shaft is supported in the longitudinal bore of the auger coupler end, and wherein a second fastener mounted through the transverse bores of the stub shaft and auger coupler end secures the stub shaft to the auger coupler; and e) a tubular collar piece rotatably connected to and displaceable along said auger coupler end and having a bore exhibiting a threaded surface and wherein the collar piece draws the flange surface and the auger to the drive coupler upon interconnecting the flat surfaces of the stub shaft and drive coupler piece and the threaded surfaces of said collar piece and the drive coupler piece to secure the auger to the driven shaft.