Ag Best Corporation

Chore-time Equipment, Inc.

Carl V Gilst

Ingmar N Kallin

There is disclosed a system for dispensing feed and water for livestock which includes a container arranged to receive the feed and water and is adapted to permit access to the feed and the water by the livestock for consumption. The system further includes a feed delivery means for dispensing feed into the container and water dispensing means for dispensing water into the container means. The water dispensing means includes a delivery portion extending into the container which houses a water level sensor. A control means is arranged to actuate the feed delivery means to dispense a controlled amount of feed into the container and is also arranged to actuate the water dispensing means to dispense water into the container through the delivery portion after actuation of the feed delivery means. The water level sensor within the delivery portion disables the water dispensing means after a predetermined level of water within the container is reached and the delivery portion is arranged within the container for washing residual feed within the container from the delivery portion to thereby preclude interference or clogging of the delivery portion and the water level sensor by the residual feed.

Livestock feeder system with water level control

Gate latching apparatus is provided for detachably hingedly connecting an end of a tubular animal closure panel member to a relatively fixed support post or the support structure. The panel member includes downwardly protruding hinge pin members at the upper and lower portions thereof which engage in loop brackets provided at the top and bottom of the fixed support structure. To hold the panel member in position, a locking member in the form of a rectangular shaped closed loop is provided which has one side serving as a handle to be operated manually and the other side connected to and guided on a bolt. A spring surrounds the bolt and biases the locking member toward the fixed support structure. The locking member is axially movable and rotatable on the bolt member against the force of the spring between a locking position extending vertically and an unlocking position extending transversely to the vertical. The fixed support structure includes a U-shaped channel for rotatably locking the locking member when in the locking position. When in the unlocking position, the spring member around the bolt biases the locking member against the channel member so as to hold the same in the unlocking position. No separate tools and no separate parts other than those continuously carried at the support structure for the panel member are required for connecting and disconnecting the hingedly mounted panel members.

Gate latching apparatus for animal closure panels

A pig nursery feeder is provided which has an overall box-shaped configuration and is made substantially of steel plates welded to one another. The upper section of the feeder which constitutes the major feed storage volume thereof, includes tapered lower side walls which converge to form a decreasing cross-sectional area in the downward direction. Feed openings are provided at the bottom of the lower section of the feeder. At an intermediate section at the upper part of the lower section, the side walls of the feeder converge outwardly so as to present an increasing cross-section expanded throat portion for promoting free flow of the feed into the lower portion and to the feeder openings. To accommodate adjustment of the openings, the slide panels are connected to hand operable cranks disposed at the top of the feeder so that the feeder opening adjustments can be made independently of the amount of feed in the feeder and independently of any separate tools.

Growing community of inventors

Goshen, IN, United States of America

Carl V Gilst