Self-propelled stall cleaning apparatus

摘要

A self-propelled stall cleaning apparatus has a frame assembly, one pair of drive wheels, a motor attached to the assembly for driving the drive wheels and a motor driven collector head. The collector head has a pivoting fork with tines for collecting manure and debris. The fork picks up the manure and debris and tosses it onto a sifting conveyor. The sifting conveyor separates the manure from the bedding and delivers the manure to a lift conveyor which drops the manure into a collection bin. The collection bin is moveable from a stowed position to a dumping position.

主权项

1. A self-propelled stall cleaning apparatus comprises:
a frame assembly; a pair of handles extending rearwardly from the frame for steering the apparatus; one pair of drive wheels; a motor attached to the assembly for driving the pair of drive wheels; a motor driven collector head, the collector head having a pivoting fork with tines for collecting manure and other debris, the fork having a pair of pivoting arms each with a movable pivot end slidably located in a “U” shaped cam guide wherein the pivoting arms are driven by a rotatable cam or link arm, the cam or link arm being connected through a clutch and head control lever wherein activation of the head control lever engages the clutch and moves the fork, wherein as the cam or link arm rotates it guides the pivot end along the “U” shaped guide path that first lowers the pivot ends, moves the fork forward in a generally horizontal thrust causing the fork to engage the manure, the “U” shaped guide path turns vertically up causing the pivot to move upward causing the fork to rapidly rotate and pivot upwardly tossing the manure rearwardly and wherein the apparatus has an overall width and an overall length to be maneuverable into and turnable within a stall for cleaning and removal of manure and other debris; a sifting conveyor made of open wire mesh, the sifting conveyor receives the tossed manure and debris and sifts bedding material as it moves rearwardly to drop the manure and debris; a manure debris material lift conveyor, the lift conveyor receives the manure debris material rearwardly dropped from the mesh conveyor and lifts the material on an incline upwardly where it is dumped; and a collection bin positioned at the rearward elevated location below the lift conveyor and wherein the collection bin is affixed to one or more curved guide tracks, the collection bin being movable from a low stowed position for receiving manure and other debris to an upward position along the guide tracks to a tilted debris dumping position by an operator activated lift mechanism.