Expandable material mover with augers

Abstract

A material moving apparatus includes a housing assembly with a central section and at least one wing section positioned on a lateral end of the central section that is movable toward and away from the central section; and an auger arrangement carried by the housing assembly having at least one auger that includes a plurality of auger shafts which are telescopically movable relative to each other and a plurality of flight sections that each have a first end and a second end. Each flight sections is rotated by a corresponding auger shaft and at least one of the flight sections is configured to slide its first end past a second end of another flight section without rotating as its corresponding auger shaft telescopically moves.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]1. Field of the Invention[0002]The present invention relates to material movers, and, more particularly, to material movers equipped with augers.[0003]2. Description of the Related Art[0004]Material movers, such as snow blowers, are known that direct material from ends of the material mover toward a blower or other similar element, typically located near the center of the material mover, that can direct the material to a desired location. The material movers can have a fixed width, i.e., distance between the ends of the material mover from which material is moved, or have an adjustable width. An advantage of an adjustable width material mover is being able to increase the width of the material mover to increase the amount of material that can be moved but also being able to decrease the width of the material mover when a larger width is either unnecessary or would interfere with desirable operation.[0005]When the material mover incorporates an auger ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention is a material moving apparatus that has several advantages. Firstly, it can be extended using a simpler construction compared to existing methods. Secondly, the flow of the material within the apparatus can be controlled without the need for a separate mechanism to rotate the augers. This eliminates the need for a separate mechanism and reduces complexity.

Problems solved by technology

When the material mover incorporates an auger system to direct material toward the center from the ends, it is difficult to extend and retract the auger flight due to its helical shape and rigidity that is needed to effectively direct material toward the center of the material mover.

One shortcoming of these extendable augers is that their construction is relatively complex, which provides multiple possible failure points during operation.

This construction requires a mechanism that allows the hollow flight and solid flight to rotate independently of one another so that the solid flight can be threaded into the hollow flight, which adds complexity to the system.

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