Tailgate auger

Claim 2

In combination with a vehicle having a tiltable, material carrying body provided with a bed and an upstanding tailgate on the bed having a discharge aperture, an unloader comprising: an open top, closed bottom, hopper on the tailgate exteriorly of the body disposed to receive and collect material from the body flowing through said aperture when the body is tilted; an elevator assembly having a lower end within the hopper and extending upwardly through said top beyond the latter, said assembly including a tube and an auger rotatable in the tube; an upright shaft supported by the bottom of the hopper for rotation in a common plane with said auger, said shaft having an inner end within the hopper and an outer end outside of the hopper; a prime mover disposed externally of the hopper and coupled with said outer end of the shaft for driving the latter; and a Coupling in said hopper drivingly and pivotally interconnecting said inner end of the shaft and the auger for swinging of the assembly within said plane about an axis intersecting the plane while said auger is rotated.

Claim 3

In combination with a vehicle having a tiltable, material carrying body provided with a bed and an upstanding tailgate on the bed having a discharge aperture, an unloader comprising: an open top, closed bottom, hopper on the tailgate exteriorly of the body disposed to receive and collect material from the body flowing through said aperture when the body is tilted; an elevator assembly having a lower end within the hopper and extending upwardly through said top beyond the latter, said assembly including a tube and an auger rotatable in the tube; an upright shaft supported by the bottom of the hopper for rotation in a common plane with said auger, said shaft having an inner end within the hopper and an outer end outside of the hopper; a prime mover disposed externally of the hopper and coupled with said outer end of the shaft for driving the latter; and a Coupling in said hopper drivingly and pivotally interconnecting said inner end of the shaft and the auger for swinging of the assembly within said plane about an axis intersecting the plane while said auger is rotated.

Claim 4

In combination with a vehicle having a tiltable, material carrying body provided with a bed and an upstanding tailgate on the bed having a discharge aperture, an unloader comprising: an open top, closed bottom, hopper on the tailgate exteriorly of the body disposed to receive and collect material from the body flowing through said aperture when the body is tilted; an elevator assembly having a lower end within the hopper and extending upwardly through said top beyond the latter, said assembly including a tube and an auger rotatable in the tube; an upright shaft supported by the bottom of the hopper for rotation in a common plane with said auger, said shaft having an inner end within the hopper and an outer end outside of the hopper; a prime mover disposed externally of the hopper and coupled with said outer end of the shaft for driving the latter; and a Coupling in said hopper drivingly and pivotally interconnecting said inner end of the shaft and the auger for swinging of the assembly within said plane about an axis intersecting the plane while said auger is rotated.

Claim 5

The invention of claim 1, said hopper having a pair of sloping sides converging toward said bottom, said assembly swinging from one of said sides to the other of said sides.

Claim 6

The invention of claim 2, said shaft being centered with respect to said sides, said axis of swinging movement of the assembly extending through said aperture.

Claim 7

The invention of claim 1; and a frame attaching said tube to a portion of said coupling for maintaining the tube and the auger in concentric relationship.

Claim 8

The invention of claim 1, said axis of swinging movement of the assembly extending through said aperture.

Claim 9

The invention of claim 1, said hopper having a wall removably mounted on said tailgate and containing said aperture, said prime mover being mounted on the hopper whereby the entire unloader, including the hopper, elevator assembly and the prime mover, may be treated as a unit and removed from or replaced on the vehicle at will.

Claim 10

The invention of claim 6; and means on said wall restricting swinging of the assembly to said plane.

Claim 11

The invention of claim 7, said assembly restricting means including an arcuate track concentric with the axis of swinging movement of the assembly, and an element mountable along the track and coupled with the assembly.

Claim 12

For use with a vehicle having a tiltable material-carrying body provided with a bed and an upstanding tailgate on the bed having an opening, a self-contained unloader removably mountable on the tailgate comprising: an open top, closed bottom hopper having a wall adapted for removable disposition across said opening with the hopper disposed outside of the body, said wall having an aperture for discharging material into the hopper for collection thereby when the unloader is mounted on the tailgate and the body is tilted; an upstanding material elevator mounted in the hopper with its upper end extending beyond the top of the hopper; a power device drivingly coupled with the elevator and carried by the hopper, whereby the entire unloader, including the hopper, the elevator and the power device, may be treated as a unit and removed from or replaced on the vehicle at will, said elevator including a rotatable auger; an upright shaft driven by said device and supported by the bottom of the hopper for rotation in a common plane with the auger; and a coupling in the hopper pivotally and drivingly interconnecting the shaft and the auger for swinging of the elevator within said plane about an axis intersecting the plane during operation of the auger.

Claim 13

For use with a vehicle having a tiltable material-carrying body provided with a bed and an upstanding tailgate on the bed having an opening, a self-contained unloader removably mountable on the tailgate comprising: an open top, closed bottom hopper having a wall adapted for removable disposition across said opening with the hopper disposed outside of the body, said wall having an aperture for discharging material into the hopper for collection thereby when the unloader is mounted on the tailgate and the body is tilted; an upstanding material elevator mounted in the hopper with its upper end extending beyond the top of the hopper; a power device drivingly coupled with the elevator and carried by the hopper, whereby the entire unloader, including the hopper, the elevator and the power device, may be treated as a unit and removed from or replaced on the vehicle at will, said elevator including a rotatable auger; an upright shaft driven by said device and supported by the bottom of the hopper for rotation in a common plane with the auger; and a coupling in the hopper pivotally and drivingly interconnecting the shaft and the auger for swinging of the elevator within said plane about an axis intersecting the plane during operation of the auger.

Claim 14

The invention as claimed in claim 9, said device being mounted externally of the hopper, said shaft having an inner end within the hopper coupled with the auger and an outer end outside of the hopper coupled with the device.

Claim 15

The invention as claimed in claim 9; and means on said wall of the hopper restricting swinging of the elevator to said plane.

Claim 16

The invention as claimed in claim 11, said elevator restricting means including an arcuate track concentric with said axis of swinging of the elevator, and an element movable along the track and coupled with the elevator.

Claim 17

In a material transporter and unloader: a tiltable material-carrying body having a bed and a plurality of upstanding walls on the bed; an open top, closed bottom material-receiving hopper outside the body on one of said walls, said one wall having a material discharge aperture therein communicating the hopper with the body such that, when the body is tilted in a manner to dispose said one wall lower than the other walls of the body, material flows along the bed toward said one wall, through said aperture and into the hopper for collection by the latter; an upstanding elEvator mounted in the hopper with its upper end extending beyond the top of the hopper for conveying material out of the hopper as it collects therein to thereby unload the body, said elevator including a rotatable auger; an upright driven shaft supported by the bottom of the hopper for rotation in a common plane with the auger; and a coupling in the hopper drivingly and pivotally interconnecting the shaft and the auger for swinging of the elevator within said plane about an axis intersecting the plane.

Claim 18

In a material transporter and unloader: a tiltable material-carrying body having a bed and a plurality of upstanding walls on the bed; an open top, closed bottom material-receiving hopper outside the body on one of said walls, said one wall having a material discharge aperture therein communicating the hopper with the body such that, when the body is tilted in a manner to dispose said one wall lower than the other walls of the body, material flows along the bed toward said one wall, through said aperture and into the hopper for collection by the latter; an upstanding elEvator mounted in the hopper with its upper end extending beyond the top of the hopper for conveying material out of the hopper as it collects therein to thereby unload the body, said elevator including a rotatable auger; an upright driven shaft supported by the bottom of the hopper for rotation in a common plane with the auger; and a coupling in the hopper drivingly and pivotally interconnecting the shaft and the auger for swinging of the elevator within said plane about an axis intersecting the plane.