Abstract: An auger conveyer having an elongated auger shaft with closely spaced spirally wound bristles having their base ends affixed to the shaft and having the bristle tips extending outwardly from the shaft. A tubular housing extends from the input end of the spiral to the output end. The shaft is mounted for rotation about the shaft axis and when rotated conveys particles, such as grain, from the input end to the output end. The first several spiral flights of bristles at the input end are filled with a plastic material to solidify the bristles and form a substantially solid spiral to inhibit particle expulsion which otherwise would be caused by the bristles.

Abstract: Apparatus for unloading from the bottom of a silo having a conventional horizontal floor with a central opening characterized by apparatus extending from the pit radially outwardly for removal of the material and at least one radial sweep auger having its interior end within the pit with its outer adapted for powered rotational movement, the auger having a tapered central shaft that is larger adjacent its exterior end than adjacent its interior end such that the flights of auger blade may be uniformly spaced and pick up material along its full length, since each will handle progressively greater quantities of material near the center, for uniform withdrawal from storage. Also disclosed are the details of specific drive means, track clearing means and other equipment in a preferred embodiment.

Abstract: A low profile auger and hopper assembly for use in conveying and distributing a granular product such as animal feeds or the like is disclosed herein. The apparatus preferably comprises a hopper for receiving the product such as feed or the like and an associated auger assembly for distributing the hopper contents. The hopper preferably comprises a rigid, planar surface which is oriented substantially parallel with the ground or other surface for supporting the apparatus and a plurality of sidewalls which extend integrally upwardly from the planar surface and are rigid therewith. The auger assembly includes a tubular housing member having a rotatable auger disposed therewithin, and it is received by the hopper and oriented substantially obliquely with respect to the planar hopper surface. The lower end of the auger includes a tapered flighting portion positioned substantially adjacent to the planar surface of the hopper so that mechanical contact between the planar surface and the auger is obviated.

Abstract: A sweep auger, mounted for rotation in a horizontal plane within a circular storage bin is comprised of two flights. The first flight has a constant diameter and a constant pitch. The second flight has the same constant diameter but a variable pitch so as to form a composite flight having sections of variable thickness longitudinally of the sweep auger. The sweep auger is capable of removing a uniform layer of grain and beans and the like from the bin floor during each complete revolution across the floor of the storage bin, and is adapted to handle a variety of material particle sizes.

Abstract: A bottom silo unloader is disclosed in which a tapered sweep auger has its inner end of largest diameter supported for rotation about a transverse vertical axis at the center of a silo so that it sweeps over the silo floor as it is also rotated on its longitudinal axis to feed material to a center-located hopper therebelow with which a discharge auger communicates. The outer smaller end of the sweep auger is spaced off the silo floor and unsupported other than through the driven inner end. In its specifically disclosed form the tapered shaft of the sweeper auger is composed of three equal length sections of constant diameter, the diameters of which are progressively increased from shaft section to shaft section in the direction of the supported inner end of the sweep auger.