Work vehicle with dual mode unloader apparatus and method

• Main Authors: Guhr, Quentin L, Link, John F, Schroeder, Jay D
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 03.01.2006

A work vehicle is provided for conveying an agricultural product via a movable member or tube to an adjacent product receiving bin. The movable member is controllable to swing back and forth accurately over the bin under precise operator control to enable the bin to be "topped off". An auger or other conveyer device is used to feed product into the movable member. The vehicle's control system includes an extend switch and a retract switch which operate in a latched first mode when the conveyer device is not actuated. In the latched first mode, the extend or retract switches are pressed once to start the swinging motion of the movable member and are pressed a second time to stop the swinging motion. However, when the conveyer device is turned on to feed product into the movable member, the vehicle's control system switches to an unlatched second mode. In the unlatched second mode, the operator presses the extend or retract switch and the corresponding swinging motion commences upon such contact. However, the extend or retract motion ceases when the operator ceases contacting the corresponding switch. The unlatched second mode provides the operator with substantially improved control of the back and forth swinging motion of the movable member above the receiving bin when product is flowing through the movable member while the bin is being "topped off".