Abstract: A riding lawnmower transmission housing assembled from four unitary sheet metal parts including a floor, a central engine plate, a first J-shaped plate, and a second J-shaped plate. The housing's manufacture and assembly is facilitated by its use of few parts which enhance adherence to design specifications and tolerances of the housing. The housing includes an engine wall which acts as thermal barrier, impeding heat transfer between the engine and the transmission. The transmission housing is slidably movable along slots, facilitating movement of the housing relative to the drive wheels, allowing drive chain adjustments and replacement.

Abstract: An automatic grain distributor for interfacing between a grain elevator discharge fitting and a plurality of remote delivery locations includes a grain distributor housing which is coupled by a grain inlet to the elevator discharging fitting and an inner spout which is disposed within the grain distributor housing and couples the grain inlet to a selected one of the grain delivery apertures. Movement of this inner spout from one grain delivery aperture to another grain delivery aperture is accomplished by means of an electromechanical mechanism which includes an eccentric plate and follower as well as a geneva-style mechanism. A gearmotor and clutch arrangement are coupled to the eccentric plate so as to provide a single revolution to the plate with each energizing command to the motor. As the eccentric plate makes a single revolution, it drives a follower which raises the inner spout to a slightly elevated position above its corresponding grain delivery aperture.

Abstract: A grain cup for use with the conveyor belt of a grain elevator includes two oppositely disposed, flat side panels which are perpendicularly joined with a flat rear panel. Joined between the two side panels and extending upwardly from the base of the rear panel is a forward panel which has two separately curved portions. A first portion is of a part-cylindrical shape having a constant curvature about a first axis and the forward panel includes a leading edge having a constant curvature about a second axis. The second portion is also part-cylindrical and has a constant curvature about a third axis. This third axis being at an acute angle relative to the first axis. The grain cup is fabricated as a single integral member out of polyethylene and includes a series of vent holes in the leading panel and adjacent the rear panel for facilitating the scooping of grain into the cup.

Abstract: The grain retarder comprises a vertically extending tubular member of generally rectangular cross section having two sets of upwardly opening buckets mounted on a pair of opposite side walls of the tubular member. The buckets of one set are staggered vertically relative to the buckets of the other set. The bottom walls of the buckets are curved and provided with openings at the lowermost portions thereof to enable the buckets to empty themselves of grain when the flow to the upper end of the tubular member is terminated.

Abstract: A grain distributor for use with a bucket elevator. The distributor has an inlet at its upper end and an inner spout, the upper end of which is aligned with the inlet. The spout is inclined downwardly and is rotatable for aligning the lower end thereof with any one of a plurality of circularly arranged outlets at the lower end of the distributor. The spout is formed with a lower section which is adapted to be lifted out of and lowered into the distributor outlets.

Abstract: A shredding device for paperboard cartons having two vertically spaced rotors provided with teeth around their periphery. The teeth on the two rotors overlap radially. A conveyor is arranged to feed cartons to the shredding rotors and to crush the cartons, if they happen to be oversize, to a predetermined maximum vertical dimension. The rotors have a diameter approximately twice the maximum vertical dimension of the cartons fed to the shredding rotors.

Abstract: A bucket elevator wherein the boot extending between the upright hollow legs of the elevator has a readily removable cover at its upper end. The bucket belt is trained around an idler pulley journalled in the boot. The bearings for the opposite ends of the pulley shaft are mounted on a pair of support rods which extend vertically in the boot and upwardly through the cover thereon. The upper ends of the support rods are accessible from above the cover for adjusting the support rods and the pulley vertically in the boot.