Unloading tailgate for self-unloading forage wagon

Claim 1

An unloading tailgate for a self-unloading chopper wagon to increase the versatility of the wagon which comprises a wagon box having a floor supported on a chassis in turn supported on wheels with the floor of the wagon located above the uppermost extent of the wheels of the wagon and adapted at the forward end to be hitched to a tractor, at least one unloading chain supported by rear and forward shafts disposed in said box and adapted to be driven rearwardly over the floor of the box when the shafts are rotated from the tractor, upstanding members intermittently secured to the chain to engage the bottom of a load of material located in the wagon and unload the material rearwardly when the chain is rotated, a single door at the rear of the wagon consisting of an unloading tailgate hinged at the lower end to the rear of the wagon and extending upwardly completely over the rear opening in the wagon box, a plurality of laterally spaced inverted supporting channels extending longitudinally of the tailgate, reinforcing stringers extending across the top of the channels, an angle iron member secured to the forward end of the channels, hinges secured to the angle iron and pivoted to the rear of the wagon box for pivotal movement of the tailgate, and a flat guide plate secured to the stringers and extending over the angle iron members substantially to the floor of the wagon box to provide a smooth surface for discharging the load of material, means secured to the tailgate and the wagon and actuated from the tractor to pivot the tailgate to a closed position or swing the tailgate so that it gradually slopes from the rear of the box to the ground, and at least one unloading chain revolved rearwardly over the tailgate by the unloading chain in the box and having upstanding means intermittently secured thereto to engage and unload the load of material received from the box onto the ground, the said tailgate having a minimum angle of slope from the rear of the wagon to the ground to unload the stored material without cracking or otherwise damaging the load of material and thereby subject it to disintegration or deterioration by the elements as the tractor pulls the chopper wagon forwardly.