US2439853A - Demountable drier for hay and the like having a perforate floor and air circulating means - Google Patents

Description

April 1948- F. w. MOFFETT, JR 2,439,853

DEMOUNTABLE DRIER FOR HAY AND THE LIKE HAVING A PERFORAT'E FLOOR AND AIR CIRCULATING MEANS I Filed 0012. 19, 1945 7 Sheets-Sheet} IN V EN TOR.

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Aprll 20, 1948. w, MQFFETT, JR 2,439,853 DEMOUNTABLE DRIER FOR HAY AND THE LIKE HAVING A v 'PERFORATE FLOOR AND AIR CIRCULATING MEANS Filed Oct. 19, 1945 '7 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

Aprll 20, 1948. R w MQFFETT, JR 2,439,853

DEMOUNTABLE DRIER FOR HAY AND THE LIKE HAVING A PERFORATE FLOOR AND AIR CIRCULATING MEANS Filed Oct. 19, 1945 7 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN VEN TOR. W

Aprll 20, 1948. w, MQFFETT, JR 2,439,853

DEMOUNTABLE DRIER FOR HAY AND THE LIKE HAVING A PERFORATE FLOOR AND AIR cIRcULATING MEANS '7 Sheets-Sheet 4 April 20, 1948. w MOFFETT, JR 2,439,853

DEMOUNTABLE DRIER FOR HAY AND THE LIKE HAVING A PERFORATE FLOOR AND AIR CIRCULATING MEANS Filed Oct. 19, 1945 '7 Sheets-Sheet 5 LA 1g.

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DEMQUNTABLE DRIER FOR HAY AND THE LIKE HAVING A PERFORATE FLOOR AND AIR CIRCULATING MEANS Filed Oct. 19, 1945 '7 Sheets-Sheet 6 W02! {MQMN April 20, 1948. F w. p DEMOUNTABLE DRIER FOR HAY AND THE LIKE HAVING A PERFORA'IE FLOOR AND AIR CIRCULATING MEANS Filed Oct. 19, 1945 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 a 1 I I P- #L 5 l 1 Q I l I I I A L 1 L T I 1 T n I i I I u #i INVENTOR. 4

Patented Apr. 20, 1948 DEMOUNTABLE DRIER FOR HAY AND LIKE HAVING A PERFORATE FLOOR AND AIR CIRCULATING MEANS Frank Wesley Moffett, Jr., Gates, N. Y.

Application October 19, 1945, Serial No. 623,298

Claims.

. This invention relates to a rack for drying hay and other wet materials, and has for its purpose to afiord a structure that enables drying large masses of freshly cut wet hay quickly, economically, and effectively.

More particularly, the invention has for its object to provide a practical and efiicient construction by whichwet hay or other materials can be d 2 of the rack and acting to maintain the fabric chamber andthe bottom wall in place.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts thoroughly and uniformly dried through the in'.,

troduction of hot air upwardly from a point underneath the material to be dried.

Another purpose of the invention is to enable using artificially heated air to dry hay or other materials in such a way that maximum efficiency is derived from the heated air while the hay is dried in the quickest time,, and with great uniformity.

A further object of the invention is to afiord a structure of such design that a large volume of wet hay or other materials can be dried by the movement of hot air upwardly through the material from a point underneath, hot air being distributed evenly throughout the zone immediately under the material being dried and moving upwardly in such manner as to dry the material in different sections of a horizontal zone at substantially the same speed, so that every portion of each succeeding layer of material is brought to a completely dried state at approximately the same time.

Another purpose of the invention'is to afford a portable knock-down construction which can be quickly assembled into operative relationship or taken apart and which makes it possible for the rack to be set up at any convenient point and used, in conjunction with a portable or other hot air apparatus, to receive and dry a' crop of freshly cut wet hay or other material, after which the .hay is removed andthe rack can be quickly taken down and easily transported to another location wherever required.

Still an additional object of the invention is to ailord a bottom wall composed of removable flexible sections permitting passage of air therethrough, and under and around the bottom wall a substantially air-tight fabric open-top chamber through which hot air is'introduced, and which .ice.

A further object of the invention is to provide simple *and efiicient removable and portable means for supporting the fabric chamber and the bottom wall of the rack, together with convenient that will-appear clearly from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the novel features bein pointed out in the claims following the specification. a

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in end elevation of a knockdown hay rack constructed in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention, and showing a portable hot air apparatus arranged to furnish heated air to the open top fabric chamber under the bottom wall of the rack;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view taken centrally of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken above the bottom wall of the rack and illustrating in elevation the bottom wall and the associated parts therebeneath;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail vertical sectional view taken in a plane at right angles to Fig. 2

through the bottom wall of the rack and illustrating the parts associated therebeneath;

Fig. '5 is an enlarged detail vertical sectional view in a plane similar to Fig. 2, and showing a portion of the side wall in elevation;

Fig. 6 is a view in elevation of one of the removable flexible sections composing the bottom wall of the rack;

Fig. 7 is a view in end elevation showing the removable flexible floor section of Fig. 6 partially rolled;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail sectional view in a plane similar to Fig. 2, showing a portion of the side wall in elevation;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the canvas opentop chamber beneath the bottom wall;

Fig. 10 is a detail perspective view of one of the retaining members or rails which hold the canvas chamber in position and support the side walls of the rack;

Fig. 11 is ayiew in side elevation of one of the sidewall sections, and

Fig. 12 is a plan view of the same.

The structure comprises in general a rack consisting of knockdown side walls and removable bottom wall sections supported within an opentop chamber which extends beneath and around the bottom wall, the latter having openings. that permit movement of hot air upwardly through v the wet'material supported on the bottom wall, knock-down structure composing the side walls while the chamber is in communication with a walls by means of an adjustable blower pipe l3,

source of hot air such as a portable air heater, which forces hot air into the chamber, and is supported on a removable floor consisting of separable panels resting on removable stringers which in turn are mounted on portable foundation blocks, and the structure shown embodies one practical embodiment illustrative of the invention, which,. however, can be carried out in a variety of ways.

Referring more particularly to the drawings in which like reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the several views, the rack includes side walls composed of removable units, each of said removable side wall units comprising spaced vertical slats l suitably connected by wires 2 to end posts 3, thus permitting each side wall unit to be removed and rolled up when the structure is knocked down to be transported. The end posts 3 are provided with suitable eyes or brackets l by which they are removably connected to the hooks i on supporting posts 8, located at the corners and at spaced intervals along the sides of the rack to afford means for holding the removable side wall units in position.

The and posts 3 of the side wall units and the supporting posts 6 are removably supported on rails 'I which extend around the edges of the bottom wall to be described presently, and are provided with upstanding flanges 8 that retain the posts and side wall units in position. Each supporting post 6 is retained in vertical position by means of feet 9 positionable on the rails l and connected by links ID to the vertical bars ll attached to the sides of the post 8, and when taken apart, the feet I can be collapsed or folded downwardly into alinement with the post to permit ready handling. The corner posts i are secured by means of anchor rods i2 removably connected to the corner posts I and suitably anchored in the ground, see Fig. 1.

In this manner, the removable side walls are formed by separable units and removable corner\ posts, and when in place aflord a completeenclosing wall within which the wet hay or other material is placed on a bottom wall for drying.

In actual operation, after the side walls of the rack are operatively positioned, wet hay in a chopped state can be delivered from suitable feeding apparatus into the space-within the side or by hand, or in any other convenient fashion.

The supporting rails I are removably located at the edges of the bottom wall and serve, in addition to supporting the posts and side wall units as already described. to hold in place the upper edges of-the sides of a removable chamber of canvas or other fabric located under the bottom wall of the rack, as will be described presently.

The bottom wall just referred to consists of a series of separate removable flexible sections such as shown in Figs. 6 and '7, and each consisting of a multiplicity of spaced parallel slats ll connected by a series of tapes i6 extending crosswise of the slats and suitably attached thereto so as to maintain the slats in spaced relation and to permit rolling the section when removed.

The bottom wall of the rack is formed by a .multiplicity of these flexible removable sections arranged in adjacent relationship, and the spaces between the slats I 4 permit the hot air to move upwardly through the wet hay or other material being dried. The removable floor sections are supported on spaced removable partition members i5 which extend beneath the slats ll crosswise thereof, as illustrated inFig. 4, and are mounted in removable metallic brackets I having vertical walls l1 affording a space therebctween to receive a partition member ii.

The partition members 15 are arranged in spaced parallelism below-the bottom wall of the rack and thus afford a series of passages ll through which the hot air travels beneath the bottom wall, and which cause the hot air to traverse the bottom wall from one side to the other and thus be evenly distributed under the mass of wet material before passing upwardly so that all areas of the wet hay in any given horizontal plane are dried uniformly.

It is "important to provide an air-tight chamber under the bottom wall to conduct hot air thereto and one that will permit ready assembly ortransporting of the parts, and this is preferably accomplished by a fabric chamber located under and around the bottom wall and communicating with the hot air supply, as will now be described.

The partition members Iisupport the removable flexible sections composing the bottom wall already described and are located between the bottom wall and a canvas bottom ls of a chamber, preferably formed of canvas or other acceptable fabric, and extending beneath the partition members Ill. The canvas chamber includes the bottom i9 and sides 20, the upper edges 2| of which extend beneath the rails I already de scribed. The rails I rest on the top edges of the canvas sides 20, holding the latter against the outer edges of the bottom wall of the rack and thus aifording an open-top chamber completely edges of the bottom wall of the rack on three sides of the latter which increases uniform distribution of hot air, and in order to furnish a continuous supply of hot air to the rack, the canvas chamber is provided on one side with an extended portion 22 affording a hot air inlet and terminating in a circular mouth 23 that is adapted to be removably attached to a discharge pipe 24 forming the outlet of a portable hot air apparatus of any convenient form.

When the latter is in operation, hot air is forced in through air inlet 22 of the canvas chamber and thence through the conduits I! under the bottom wall of the rack, between and around the various partition members It, and thence upwardly through the openings between the slats of the bottom wall sections, it being understood that the hot air is at a controlled temperature suflicient to cause it to dry the mass of wet material speedily and effectively.

The bottom IQ of the canvas chamber rests on a floor consisting of removable panels 25 which may be of plywood or other suitable construction to permit easy removability, and toaflord a level supporting base for the bottom of the canvas chamber. The removable panels 25 rest on stringers 26 constructed preferably of wood or other suitable material, the latter in turn being supported on cement or cinder blocks 21 which in turn rest removably on the ground.

It is desirable to provide the rack with a top covering or roof, and this is preferably in the form of canvas 28 supported on the center posts 29, which in turn rest on foot plates 30 supported on the bottom wall of the rack, while 3! designates side posts supported on the ground, with proper position on the bottom 19 of the canvas chamber. The partition members l5 are then positioned between the vertical walls ll of the brackets l6, after which the removable flexible bottom wall sections are unrolled and placed over the top edges of the partition members l5, as shown in Fig. 3. The bottom wall is then ready to receive the top edges 2| of the sides 20 of the canvas chamber; which are positioned over the sideedges of the bottom wall, as shown in Fig. 4, and held in place by the rails I that are arranged along the edges of the bottom wall and serve by their weight and the weight of the side walls resting thereon, to hold the upper edges of the sides of the canvas chamber securely in place, thus affording an open-top chamber with completely closed sides beneath the bottom wall of the rack. The rails I are then ready to receive the corner and intervening posts 6, to which the removable side wall units are fastened by means of the eyes 4 engaging suitable hooks on the posts, the corner posts being anchored to the ground in the manner already described. After the parts are positioned as described and the roof covering 28 secured in place, the rack is ready to receive a charge of hay through the adjustable blower pipe I3, and the hay is dried by forcing a supply of hot air into the canvas chamber and thence between the partition members and upwardly through the hay supported on the rack.

With this structure, the material at the bottom of the pile isdried first. and the hot air is distributed uniformly upwardly through all portions of the mass of wet material, so that by the time the hot air reaches the top, the heat will have been almost completely transferred to the wet material and the moisture thereby carried off quickly. The drying operation is completed in a minimum space of time and hay can be effectively cured in a manner that utilizes the hot air efiiciently, the hot air when it reaches the wettest portions being at its lowest temperature and thus permitting the curing to take place gradually, and as the operation continues, the hottest air always strikes the driest portions of the hay first, while the wetter portions of hay are contacted by the air in a somewhat cooler'state.

The complete structure is of a knock-down character, and when the drying operation is completed and the hay removed, it can readily be taken apart in separable units that can be conveniently handled and transported for use at any selected location, in conjunction with a portable hot air apparatus or other convenient source of heated air.

While the invention has been described with reference to the particular construction shown, it is not confined to the details or exact arrangements herein disclosed, and this application is intended to cover such modifications or depar- 6 tures as may come within the purpose of the improvements or the scope of the following claims.

I claim: 1

1. A portable knock-down rack for drying hay and the like comprising side walls, a bottom .wall having openings therein, a canvas member folded to form a chamber beneath the bottom-wall and having side walls with a portion of the side walls resting on the bottom wall, means resting on the bottom of said canvas chamber and supporting said bottom wall, an air inlet communicating with said chamber, and means for forcing hot air into said air inlet.

2. A portable knock-down rack for drying hay and the like comprising side walls, a bottom wall having openings therein, a canvas member folded to form a chamber beneath said bottom wall and having side walls, the top edges of which extend over and are retained on the side edges of said bottom wall, means resting on the bottom of said canvas chamber and supporting said bottom wall, an air inlet communicating with said chamber, and means for forcing hot air into said air inlet.

3. A portable knock-down rack for drying hay and the like comprising side walls, a bottom wall having openings therein, a canvas member folded to form a chamber beneath said bottom wall'and having side walls, the top, edges of which extend over the side edges of said bottom wall, means resting on the bottom of said canvas chamber and supporting said bottom wall, removable retaining means holding said top edges against the side edges of the bottom wall, an air inlet communicating with said chamber, and means for forcing hot air into said air inlet. I

4. A portable knock-down rack fordrying hay and the like comprising side walls, a bottom wall having openings therein, a canvas member folded to form a chamber beneath'said bottom wall and having side walls with a portion of the side walls resting on the bottom wall, partition members supported on the bottom of said canvas chamber in spaced parallel relation within said chamber affording conduits, an air inlet communicating with said chamber, and means for forcing hot air into said air inlet.

5. A portable knock-down rack for drying hay and the like comprising side walls, a bottom wall having openings therein, partition members arranged in spaced parallel relation beneath the bottom wall affording conduits between the partition members, a canvas member folded to form a chamber beneath said bottom wall having side walls with a portion of the side walls resting on the bottom wall and spaced laterally from the partition members affording a passage beneath the bottom wall and around the partition members, the partition members resting on the bottom of said canvas chamber, an air inletcommunieating with said chamber, and means for forcing hot air into said air inlet.

6. A portable knock-down rack for drying hay and the like comprising side walls, a bottom wall having openings therein, partition members arranged'in spaced parallel relation beneath the bottom wall affording conduits between the partition members, a canvas member folded to form a chamber beneath said bottom wall having side walls with a portion of the side walls resting on the bottom wall and spaced laterally from the partition members affording a passage beneath said bottom wall and around the partition members, said partition members resting on the bottom of said canvas chamber, and means for forcing hot air into said canvas chamber.

ranged in spaced parallel relation beneath the bottom wall affording conduits between the partition members, a canvas member folded to form a chamber beneath said bottom wall having side walls with a portion of the side walls resting on the bottom wall and spaced laterally from the partition members affording a passage beneath said bottom wall and around the partition members, the top edges of the canvas sides being held against the top of the bottom wall at the edges of the latter, an air inlet communicating with said chamber, the partition members resting on the bottom of said canvas chamber, and means for forcing hot air into said air inlet.

8. A portable knock-down rack for drying hay and the like comprising side walls, a bottom wall consisting of separate removable sections each having openings therein, supporting partition members removably positioned beneath the bottom wall in spaced parallel relation, an opentopped chamber removably located beneath and surrounding said supporting partition members and consisting of a canvas bottom under said supporting members and canvas sides having their top edges removably held against the side edges of the bottom wall, the partition members resting on the bottom of said canvas chamber, an air inlet communicating with said chamber, and means for forcing hot air into said air inlet.

9. A portable knock-down rack for drying hay and the like comprising side walls formed of removable units, a bottom wall consisting of separate removable sections having openings therein, supporting partition members removably arranged beneath said bottom wall in spaced parailel relation affording conduits extending under the bottom walLan open-topped removable chamber located beneath and surrounding said supporting partition members and consisting of a canvas bottom and canvas sides surrounding said partition members in spaced relation thereto and having their top edges held against the side edges of the bottom wall, the partition members resting on the bottom of said canvas chamber, an air inlet communicating with said chamber, and means for forcing hot air into said air inlet.

10. A portable knock-down rack for drying hay and the like comprising side walls and removable flexible bottom wall sections having openings therein, partition supporting members removably positioned beneath said bottom wall, an open-topped chamber removably located beneath and surrounding said supporting partition members and consisting of a canvas bottom and canvas. sides having their top edges removably held against the side edges of said bottom wall, the partition members resting on the bottom of said canvas chamber, a floor removably arranged under said canvas bottom of the chamber, supporting stringers under said floor, an air inlet communicating with said chamber, and means for forcing hot air into said air inlet.

11. A portable knock-down rack for drying hay and the like comprising side walls formed of removable units, a bottom wall consisting of separate removable flexible sections having openings therein, supporting partition members removably positioned beneath said bottom wall sections, an open-topped chamber removably located beneath and surrounding said supporting partition members and consisting of a canvas bottom under said supporting members and canvas sides having their top edges removably held against the side edges of said bottom wall, the partition members resting on the bottom of said canvas chamber, a floor removably arranged under said canvas bottom of the chamber, supporting stringers under said floor, an air inlet communicating with said chamber, and means for forcing hot air into said air inlet.

12. A portable knock-down rack for drying hay and the like comprising side walls formed of removable units, a bottom wall consisting of separate removable flexible sections having openings therein, supporting partition members removably arranged beneath said bottom wall in spaced parallel relation affording conduits extending under the bottom wall, an open-topped removable chamber located beneath and surrounding said supporting members and consisting of a canvas bottom and canvas sides having edges extending over the side edges of the bottom wall, the partition members resting on the bottom of said canvas chamber, fastening means engaging the edges of said canvas sides and retaining them against the side edges of the bottom wall, an air inlet communicating with said chamber, and means for forcing hot air into said air inlet.

13. A portable knock-down rack for drying hay and the like comprising side walls formed of removable units, a bottom wall consisting of separate removable flexible sections embodying spaced slats adapted to be rolled when removed. supporting partition members removably arranged beneath said bottom wall in spaced parallel relation affording conduits extending under the bottom well, an open-topped removable canvas chamber located beneath and surrounding said supporting members and consisting of a bottom under the supporting members and sides having their top edges overlying the side edges of the bottom wall and removably secured thereto, the partition members resting on the bottom of said canvas chamber, an air inlet communicating with said chamber, and means for forcing hot air into said air inlet.

14. A portable knock-down rack for drying hay and the like comprising removable supporting piers, spaced stringers arranged on the piers, floor panels removably supported on the stringers, an open-topped canvas chamber including a bottom supported on said floor panels, supporting partitions mounted on said canvas bottom,

removable bottom wall sections mounted on said partitions and having openings therein, the canvas chamber including sides extending upwardly from the bottom and side edges overlying the outer edges of the removable bottom wall sections, means engaging said side edges of the canvas sides and retaining them on the removable bottom wall sections, posts mounted on said retaining means, means for forcing hot air into said canvas chamber, and side wall units removably attached to said posts.

15. A portable knock-down rack for drying hay and the like comprising removable supporting piers. spaced stringers arranged on the piers, door panels removably supported on the stringers, an open-topped canvas chamber including a bottom supported on said floor panels, supporting partitions mounted on said canvas bottom, removable bottom wall sections mounted on said supporting partitions and each consisting of spaced strips connected by flexible means permitber including sides extending upwardly from said bottom in spaced relation to said supporting partitions and side edges overlying the outer edges of the removable bottom wall sections, means for forcing hot air into said canvas chamber, retaining means engaging-said side edges of said canvas sides and acting to hold them engaged with the bottom wall sections, posts supported on said retaining means, and side wall units removably attached to said posts.

FRANK WESLEY MOFFETT, JR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in th file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PA'I'IIN'IS Number Name Date 450,505 Cook Apr. 14, 1891 7 481,954

Jewel u Sept. 6, 1892 Number Number France Mar. 25, 1930

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