Abstract: A livestock feeding apparatus having an endless belt supported on an elongated table above a feed bunk by a plurality of stands. The stands are laterally and vertically adjustable to level the apparatus and accommodate different sized bunks. The belt has an upper run that rides on a wood deck secured to the support. An idler pulley and drive pulley engages one end of the belt opposite ends. The belt is retained in driving engagement with the drive pulley by a driven roller engageable with the lower run of the belt adjacent the drive pulley. A motor drives the roller at a speed so that the surface speed of the roller is greater than the linear speed of the belt to maintain the lower portion of the run of the belt between the roller and the drive pulley under tension. A sweep assembly slidably mounted on the wood deck operates to move the material off of the side of the top run of the belt into the bunk.

Abstract: Tobacco handling apparatus that receives tobacco from a source, such as a trailer, and elevates it by a conveyor to a discharge end from which it is discharged in a flow path having a substantial maximum horizontal extent disposed above a container that has a longitudinal horizontal extent aligned with and underneath the flow path for receipt of the tobacco leaves therefrom in condition for subsequent curing. A leaf distributing mechanism is included for varying the horizontal extent of the flow path within the maximum extent in a generally uniform manner to cause the leaves to be distributed substantially uniformly along the longitudinal extent of the container. The container is preferably a large size bulk curing container and the leaf distributing mechanism is preferably a plurality of deflectors which are oscillated laterally in conjunction with a longitudinal reciprocating movement. The leaves can be handled after harvesting at the barn or while harvesting takes place in the field.

Abstract: A method of placing bulk potatoes in a storage facility, the method comprising a powered potato conveyor external to the storage facility upon which a stream of potatoes is deposited. Thereafter the stream of potatoes is deposited upon at least one potato conveyor belt located in the upper portion of the storage facility and extending the full axial length thereof. Potatoes are shaken by vibration of the external conveyor to remove dirt and other tare, and a picking station is provided exterior to the facility wherein remaining foreign objects are removed manually prior to storage, tare conveyor belts being provided to collect and displace the dirt and foreign objects to tare trucks for disposal. Inside the storage enclosure, the potatoes are moved gently from one or more main storage conveyors by a rotating brush onto one or more cross conveyor belts selectively settable at any point along the entire length of the main storage conveyor, and are evenly distributed across the enlarging potato pile below.