This invention relates generally to animal pens and, more specifically to an apparatus for use in repairing and replacing the slat flooring of an animal pen.
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Animal pens, such as hog pens, are commonly used in the industry for raising, nurturing and marketing domesticated animals. Referring to
Referring to
The animal pen slatted flooring generally comprises a gathering pit 13 for the collection of animal wastes. Gathering pit 13 includes an encompassing sidewall 14 having a ledge 14a extending therefrom, a plurality of preferably cement posts 15 extending vertically upwards from a floor 13b of the gathering pit 13, and a plurality of cement beams 16 extending along the entire width or length of the gathering pit 13 with the plurality of cement beams 16 supported on a top end of the plurality of posts 15. The concrete slats 11 are then supported by the ledge 14a of the encompassing sidewall 14 and the plurality of cement beams 16 to enclose the entire gathering pit 13.
Each of the concrete slats 11 include a plurality of slots 12 that extends from a topside 11a to a bottom side 11b of the slat 11 with plurality of slots 12 functioning to provide an avenue for animal waste to escape from the animal supporting topside 11a to the bottom side 11b of the slat 11.
During use of the animal pen the concrete slats 11, and some of the supporting structure including cement posts 15 and cement beams 16, deteriorate over time and need to be replaced. Initial construction and installation does not present a serious problem since the enclosing barn is usually built after the pit and flooring have been completed. Since the slats and supports are heavy and somewhat cumbersome, industrial type equipment is needed in order to accomplish the process of replacing the slats within the confines of a roofed barn with some degree of efficiency and at a reasonable cost.
One system for slat replacement uses a stationary large base with an attached frame having an extended arm which is carried by the frame to reach the flooring slats which need replacement Another device utilizes a large non-movable structure with outriggers for providing stability and an upwardly extended rotatable pedestal with a pivotally mounted boom. Apparently the latter is also intended to be adaptable for remote control in lieu of manual control by an experienced operator.
While the prior art describes the nature of the subject matter which the invention must deal with, i.e. the structure of the animal pen, the cumbersome weight and bulk of the cement slats, the need for and difficulty of removal of deteriorated slats, etc., it does not deal with the nature of all of the somewhat complex functions necessary to complete the process of removing and replacing the bulky damaged slats.
Rather than designing and building somewhat complex large and immobile structures as in the prior art, the instant invention utilizes commercially available vehicles modified by the inventor(s) as needed to provide less costly, maneuverable, manually operable apparatus with greater flexibility undertake and complete the task of repairing the slatted animal pen flooring.
The instant invention utilizes a stripped down, at least in part, commercially available engine-driven manually operated wheeled vehicle outfitted as necessary with manually controlled hydraulically powered devices all being manually operated by a skilled experienced operator. A pair of spaced-apart forward extending rigid parallel arms with attached tools at their distal ends for securing or firmly holding a slat, are pivotally mounted on the vehicle at their proximate ends and are hydraulically raised and lowered by the operator. The operator maneuvers the vehicle to place the tools at the damaged slat and operates the hydraulic device(s) as necessary to engage, lift and remove each damaged cement slat from its supporting structure, usually a beam and/or a post, and transport the damaged slat to a disposal site where it is deposited. The vehicle is also used to either pick up and return with a replacement slat or repeat the same steps on the next deteriorated slat. Since the vehicle is maneuvered and moved back and forth over at least part of the slat flooring, weight reduction of the vehicle is significant. The forces on the vehicle attributable to lifting and transporting the slat are balanced by rearward-attached weights. The tools for carrying the slat are releasably coupled to each slat that is removed and its replacement and are released from the slat when the slat is disposed.
A feature of the instant invention is its mobility and flexibility. The experienced operator of the vehicle, who also operates the various equipment controls, is able to adjust quite quickly as circumstances dictate. Also the vehicle with the attached, or attachable, equipment can be readily transported as needed from one barn location to another.
Slat buggy 17 generally comprises a manually operable engine driven wheeled vehicle 18 characterized by being supportable on a slotted concrete slat flooring and on the area proximate thereto similar to the slotted concrete slat flooring of the animal pen 10 of
Slat buggy 17 includes a pair of spaced apart parallel rigid forward extending arms pivotally mounted to the engine driven wheeled vehicle 18 at their proximal ends and slat engaging tools extending from the distal ends of the arms for releasably engaging flooring concrete slat 11 and a manually operated hydraulic actuated member coupled between the arms and the engine driven wheeled vehicle 18 for selectively pivotally raising and lowering the arms to lift and deposit an engaged concrete slat 11.
In the embodiment of
In
In the embodiment of
In order to provide weight counter balance adjustability to weight-adjustable bracket assembly 24, the extendable arms 27 of weight-adjustable bracket assembly 24 each includes a plurality of spaced apart length adjusting orifice 31 extending therethrough along the length of the extendable arms 27 to allow the user to manually adjust the lengths of the extendable arms 27 to correspond to the weight to the engaged concrete slat 11. For example if slat buggy 17 is to engage a concrete slat 11 of a heavier weight the user would manually extend the length of extendable arms 27 to a desired corresponding length after which the user would then align the closes length adjusting orifice 31 to a locking slot 32 located on receiving tubes 25, 26 and then lock the extendable arms 27 in place by extending a locking device such as but not limited to a locking pin or locking bolt through locking slot 32 and the corresponding length adjusting orifice 31.
More specifically, weight-adjustable bracket assembly 22 operates to counter balance a weight of the engaged slat 11 by two different method, namely by supporting buckets 28 supporting of different amounts of weights therein and by adjustment of the length of the extendable arms 27 of weight-adjustable bracket assembly 24.
T-bolt slat-grasping tool 30 also includes a slat engaging base member 34 having a riser 34a located at each of the ends of the slat engaging base member 34 and a slat engaging surface 34b. Extending from slat engaging surface 34b midway between the riser 34a is shaft 36 supporting a pair of washers 37 and a compression spring 38 thereon with the compression spring 38 positioned on shaft 36 between the washers 37. In the embodiment of
As T-bolt slat-grasping tool 30 is pushed downwards, compression spring 38 increases a counter force against the enlarged end 36a of shaft 36 such that once the user's downward pressure on T-bolt slat-grasping tool 30 is released, compression spring 38 will pull base member 34 towards the underside 11b of slat 11 until the slat engaging surface 34b of slat 34 is against the underside 11b of slat 11. In the embodiment of FIG. 8, the risers 34a are shown each engaging the slots on slat 11 located adjacent or proximal centrally located slots 11c to assist in preventing the rotation of base member 34 after the slat engaging surface 34b of slat 34 engages the underside 11b of slat 11.
In order to disengage T-bolt slat-grasping tool 30 from slat 11, the user pushes T-bolt slat-grasping tool 30 downwards until the base member 34 disengages the underside 11b of slat 11 after which the base member 34 is then rotated to a direction running parallel to the direction of the centrally located slots 11c. T-bolt slat-grasping tool 30 may then be removed from slat 11
The present invention also includes a method for repairing and replacing the flooring comprising of slotted concrete slats 11 over a gathering pit 13 in an animal barn, that includes the steps of (1) providing a manually operated wheeled vehicle 17 suitable for being supported on a flooring comprising of slotted concrete slats 11 and on the area adjacent the flooring, the vehicle 17 having a pair of spaced-apart forward extendable rigid parallel arms 21, 22 with slat-engaging tools 30, 40 at their distal ends, the arms 21, 22 pivotally mounted at their proximal ends to the vehicle 17 and a hydraulically operated member 23 coupled between the arms 21, 22 and the vehicle 17 for pivotally raising and lowering the arms 21, 22; (2) operating the vehicle 17 to maneuver the vehicle 17 to position the slat engaging tools 30, 40 proximate a used slat 11 in the slatted flooring; then, (3) placing the slat engaging tools 30, 40 to engage the used slat 11; (4) manually controlling the hydraulically operated member 23 to pivotally raise the arms 21, 22 to lift the damaged slat 11 from its supporting structure; (5) maneuvering the vehicle 17 to carry the damaged slat 11 to a disposal site; then, (6) removing the slat engaging tools 30, 40 from the used slat 11 to release the used slat 11 at the disposal site.
The aforementioned may also include the steps of (7) operating the vehicle 17 to maneuver it to a site having replacement slats; (8) placing the slat engaging tools 30, 40 to engage a replacement slat; (9) manually controlling the hydraulically operated member 23 to lift the replacement slat; and then, operating the vehicle 17 to deposit the replacement slat in the flooring.