Material handling apparatus

Claim 1

FORAGE HANDLING APPARATUS COMPRISING AN UPRIGHT HOUSING GENERALLY CIRCULAR ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS AND PROVIDED WITH AN UPWARDLY EXTENDING TANGENTIAL DISCHARGE SPOUT AT ONE SIDE OF THE HOUSING, SAID HOUSING HAVING SPACED APART VERTICALLY EXTENDING FRONT AND REAR WALLS, SAID FRONT WALL HAVING AN INFEED OPENING ADJACENT A LOWER PORTION ONLY OF THE HOUSING AND SUBSTANTIALLY ANGULARLY SPACED FROM SAID DISCHARGE SPOUT, A GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL PERIPHERAL WALL CONNECTING SAID FRONT AND REAR WALLS, A FAN JOURNALLED IN SAID HOUSING AND ROTATABLE AT HIGH SPEED ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS COMMON WITH THE HOUSING AXIS, SAID FAN HAVING BLADES WHICH MOVE DOWNWARDLY PAST SAID INFEED OPENING AND THEN SWEEP UPWARDLY ALONG SAID PERIPHERAL WALL AND DISCHARGE MATERIAL UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID SPOUT, A HOPPER HAVING A PAIR OF SPACED SIDE WALLS AND A BOTTOM WALL EXTENDING AWAY FROM SAID BLOWER HOUSING FRONT WALL AND FORMING A HORIZONTAL TROUGH IN REGISTER WITH SAID INFEED OPENING, ONE OF SAID SIDE WALLS BEING LOCATED CLOSER TO SAID SPOUT THAN THE OTHER SIDE WALL, AN END WALL ON SAID HOPPER SPACED FROM SAID BLOWER HOUSING, AN AUGER WITHIN SAID TROUGH AND ROTATABLE IN THE SAME DIRECTION AS SAID FAN ABOUT AN AXIS GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE FAN AXIS TO CONVEY MATERIAL DEPOSITED IN THE HOPPER THROUGH SAID INFEED OPENING, AN ELONGATED BAFFLE MOUNTED ON SAID ONE HOPPER SIDE WALL ABOVE SAID AUGER AND EXTENDING PARALLEL TO THE AUGER FROM AN END