Combined feeder, conditioner, and dewaterer for a dehydrator

Claim 1

APPARATUS ADAPTED TO BE USED WITH A DEHYDRATOR FOR HAY AND THE LIKE COMPRISING MEANS ESTABLISHING AN ANGULARLY DISPOSED CONTINUOUS SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL CHANNEL FOR THE PASSAGE OF HAY AND THE LIKE THERETHROUGH; SAID MEANS INCLUDING ELEVATOR MEANS FOR MOVING THE HAY AND THE LIKE FROM THE LOWER END THEREOF TO THE UPPER END THEREOF, DEWATERER MEANS IN SUBSTANTIALLY UNRESTRICTED COMMUNICATION ADJACENT THE LOWER END THEREOF WITH SAID ELEVATOR MEANS ADJACENT THE UPPER END THEREOF FOR MOVING THE HAY AND THE LIKE FROM SAID ELEVATOR MEANS TO THE UPPER END OF SAID DEWATERER MEANS AND FOR DEWATERING AND CONDITIONING THE HAY AND THE LIKE, SAID DEWATERER MEANS AND SAID ELEVATOR MEANS BEING IN CO-AXIAL LONGITUDINAL ALIGNMENT WITH THE LONGITUDINAL AXES THEREOF BEING INCLINED RELATIVE TO A HORIZONTAL PLANE, AND DISCHARGE MEANS IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE UPPER END OF SAID DEWATERER MEANS FOR DISCHARGING THE HAY AND THE LIKE INTO A DEHYDRATOR; SAID DEWATERER MEANS COMPRISING COMPRESSING AND CONDITIONING MEANS INCLUDING KNIVES AND MEANS FOR MOVING THE HAY AND THE LIKE AGAINST SAID KNIVES TO COMPRESS THE LIQUID THEREFROM AND TO FLATTEN, TEAR AND BREAK THE STEMS OF THE HAY AND THE LIKE; RIB SECTIONS SURROUNDING SAID COMPRESSING AND CONDITIONING MEANS; EACH OF SAID RIB SECTIONS INCLUDING A BACKING SCREEN HAVING INTERSTICES THEREIN TO PERMIT THE LIQUID FROM THE HAY AND THE LIKE TO PASS THERETHROUGH, A SECOND SCREEN HAVING SMALLER INTERSTICES THAN THE INTERSTICES IN SAID BACKING SCREEN, SAID SECOND SCREEN BEING DISPOSED ADJACENT SAID BACKING SCREEN ENTIRELY AROUND THE INTERIOR THEREOF AND ENTIRELY AROUND SAID COMPRESSING AND CONDITIONING MEANS, AND A PLURALITY OF RIB MEANS ATTACHED TO SAID BACKING SCREEN IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP ALONG THE LENGTH THEREOF AND EXTENDING OUTWARDLY THEREFROM.