Battery powered feed cart

Claim 2

A battery powered feed cart having a relatively long, high and narrow body profile comprising in combination: an undercarriage chassis structure having a pair of spaced apart side walls; wheel means mounted underneath said undercarriage chassis structure; a feed box disposed above said undercarriage chassis structure; means mounted within said feed box for distributing feed therefrom; an electric motor mounted to said undercarriage structure; auger drive means interconnected between said electric motor and said auger drive means for driving an auger means; wheel drive means interconnecting said electric motor with said wheel means for driving said wheel means; a battery drawer transversely disposed and slideably mounted generally midway between the side walls of said undercarriage structure having a relatively low and central location within said feed cart and being slidable outwardly from either side of said undercarriage structure; and battery means disposed within said battery drawer and operatively connected to said electric motor for powering said electric motor.

Claim 3

A battery powered feed cart, as recited in claim 1, wherein said battery drawer extends substantially the width of said undercarriage structure and includes a pair of laterally spaced upright end plates which are generally co-planar with said side walls of said undercarriage structure when said battery drawer is wholly contained within said undercarriage structure.

Claim 4

A battery powered feed cart, as recited in claim 2, wherein said battery drawer includes a flat bottom plate extending between said end plates and wherein said drawer includes a plurality of rollers disposed on each side thereof with said rollers being engageable with a pair of guide rails disposed transversely within said undercarriage structure.

Claim 5

A battery powered feed cart, as recited in claim 3, wherein said battery drawer includes a spring biased locking pin, and wherein said locking pin is particularly adapted to be received be a receiving aperture formed within said undercarriage structure, such that said drawer is normally held stationary relative to said undercarriage structure, and wherein the removal of said locking pin from said receiving aperture enables said drawer to be pulled outwardly from either side of said undercarriage.

Claim 6

A battery powered feed cart, as recited in claim 1, wherein said wheel drive means includes a two speed, forward-reverse transmission having a speed control arm and a directional control arm extending therefrom, and a transmission control linkage operatively connected to said two speed, forward-reverse transmission for actuating the same, said transmission control linkage comprising: a control lever moveably mounted adjacent said feed cart and adapted to move both laterally and fore-and-aft, an intermediate actuating tab fixed to said control lever and operatively connected to one of said control arms extending from said transmission for actuating said one arM in response to the fore-and-aft movement of said control lever; a bell crank pivotally mounted adjacent said intermediate actuating tab and operatively connected to said other control arm extending from said two speed, forward-reverse transmission, said bell crank having a stud fixed thereto and confined within an elongated fore-and-aft extending slot formed within said actuating tab, whereby fore-and-aft movement of said control lever is relatively ineffectual relative to said bell crank, and wherein lateral movement of said control levdr operates to pivot said bell crank and thereby actuate said other arm extending from said two speed, forward-reverse transmission.

Claim 7

A battery powered feed cart, as recited in claim 5, wherein said transmission control linkage includes a pair of generally parallel extending connecting rods, one rod interconnected between one transmission control arm and said bell crank, and the other connecting rod interconnected between the other transmission control arm and said actuating tab, said other connecting rod being particularly arranged relative to the total transmission control linkage such that lateral movement of said control lever is relatively ineffectual to actuate said other connecting rod and the transmission arm connected thereto since said last mentioned rod tends to swing in an arc in response to such lateral movement.

Claim 8

A battery powered feed cart, as recited in claim 1, wherein said wheel drive means interconnecting said electric motor with said wheel means comprises: a transmission drivingly interconnected to said electric motor; an adjustable jack shaft having a first chain sprocket fixed thereto and drivingly interconnected with said transmission by a first chain, said adjustable shaft having a second chain sprocket drivingly interconnected with a wheel differential by a second chain; and an adjustably mounted structure having said shaft rotatively mounted therein and particularly adapted to move said adjustable shaft generally vertically and fore-and-aft relative to said transmission and wheel differential for adjusting the tension in said first and second chains.

Claim 9

A battery powered feed cart, as recited in claim 7, wherein said adjustable mounting structure includes a pair of laterally spaced brackets having said adjustable shaft rotatively mounted therein, said brackets being adjustably mounted for both vertical and fore-and-aft movement to an inner support structure extending from said undercarriage structure.

Claim 10

A battery powered feed cart, as recited in claim 8, wherein said inner support structure and said brackets are provided with corresponding vertical and fore-and-aft slots and bolt assemblies secured within said slots.

Claim 11

A battery powered feed cart, as recited in claim 9, wherein said brackets include a draw bolt assembly for fore-and-aft adjusting of said shaft.