US2475584A - Overhead traveling carrier - Google Patents

Description

July 12, 1949. F. P. BAERTSCHI 2,475,534

OVERHEAfi TRAVELING CARRIER Filed Oct. 24, 1945 v I/lril Patented July 12, 1949 UNITED STATES O FFICE OVERHEAD TRAVELING, CARRIER- Fred P. Baertschi, Rockford; Ill.v

Application October 24, 1951.5, Serial N0. 624,308

Claims. 1

This invention relates; generally to overhead: traveling carriers; although it is herein disclosed as applied to hay carriers, for use in unloading hay from a hay-rack-andf hoisting it to the loft and depositing it; there at the desired, placeor places Complicatedand expensive rigs have been devised heretbfore for-this simple operation, usually designed and." intended to. be driven by a stationaryengine or off. the power takeoff of a tractor; Obviously,,suchrigsrequired.an involved system of cables with windlasses andclutches and control-leversand called for a fairly high degree of skill to operate successfully, and hence the average farmer hasnot-looked-with.favor on these devices and mostfarmers have continued to, unlfoad hay in the slow and, laborious hand method with pit-chforks, Rural, electrification hasbecome so. commonnow thatthe use of'el'ectrio, power forsuch work is clearly indicated. It. is therefore the principal, object ofmy invention to provide an electric, motor operated hay carrier. of; simple, practical, and, economical construction.

A salientfeature of the hay carrier of my in.- vention isthe mounting of a holstfdrum in acarriage having gear-toothed" rollers running on perforated tracks as racks,,the tracks extending. the full length of the loft in the peak portion of the roof, andjthe rollers being driven in either direction by one reversible electric motor under remote control of the operator fromthe floor off the loft, and the hoist;,drum being driven inv either direction, by another reversible electric motor, under remote control, of, the, operator from the. same point each mQtOIt, having forward and, 118?" vfersejbuttons for controlithereof;

Another object is. to provide. the tra-cksin. parallel relationjsuspended oninverted U-shaped. hangers, thetracks being rnade from, angle irons, for economy, one flange beingperforatedfor rack, teeth and. the, other flange. projecting. upwardly;

at right anglesffor fastening tov the hangers,

which are also preferably made of bent angle iron. pieces one flange being secured to, the track pieces and th other fla e. p o ect upwar ly for fastening, suitable hanger] means, thereon,

where, that flange, is notuseddirectly to. fasten t the, rafters.

Still another objectistoprovide asubstantially fully enclosedzcarrier unit with they two, motors, mountedtherein in a comnact arrangement, one

aboye. and the otherb'elow, the, sameslmport, thus.

avoiding the depositing, of. "dirt, in, the motors, and.

also reducing fire hazard, IZhe mountingv of; an.

electrical extension cord on eyelets slidable on a wire st-rung in parallel relation to the tracks and arranged'tobe stretched out and gathered together inthe back and forth movements of the carrieris also with a view to avoiding the fire hazard which would otherwise be-entailed with a sliding contact or brush that would be apt to cause sparks.

The invention is illustrated in theaccompanyingdrawing in which Fig. 1 is a view on a small scale of a hay loft showing my improved hay carrier and track structure and extension cord support therefor; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectionon a largerscale through thecarriage; Fig. 3 is a cross section on the same scale-through the carriage and tracks, on 1ine3-3- of Fig. 2, and. Fig. 4 is a sectional detail on line-4'-4 of Fig. 2.

The same reference numerals are applied to corresponding parts in these views.

Referring first to-Fig. 1, thenumeral 5 designates the hay carrier or carriage appearing in Figs. 2-to 4; with a hay-fork 6 carried on the end of-t'he hoistingoable 1' and arranged to be tripped from the floor 8 of the loft inthe usual way by a pull on the rope 9 =to deposit the hay H! at whatever place desired. The carriage 5 runs on an elevated supporting track structure H which extends preferably lengthwise of the loft in the peak of the roof and is suitably secured to or suspended from the rafters. The electric motors in-thecarriage 5*, numbered I2 and IS in Figs. 2

to l, aresupplied with electric current from a plug l4 inserted ina wall socket through a flexible extension cord 15 which is strung by means of eyelets l6 on a tight wire I! that is stretched in the loft from end to end inparallel relation to the track structure II; A :control panel I8 is connected to the cord 15 and has suitable push buttons 19 to close, normally open switches in the panel for selective operation of the motors l2 and 13' in eitherdirection, as desired. This panel I'B'may be portable or; attached to the wall 20, whichever-is preferred by the operator, and it is clear that the rope 9- should be long enough to reach to wherever the operatorstands while running the carriage- 5'so that when the carriage hasautomatic overload circuit breaker (not shown)" opens, the, circuitso, that no harm is done to motor 12;,1ikewise ifany overloading of motor I3 occurs in connection,with the hoisting operation. The

track ll preferably extends out on a beam extending from the barn over the loft door so that the fork B can be lowered directly onto the hayrack for easy pickup of hay thereon. It requires no skill to control the movements of the carriage 5 because it is only necessary to depress one button [9 for travel in one direction and another for travel in the opposite direction; likewise for up and down movement of the fork 6. Furthermore it is a simple matter to install the track and carriage in any barn loft and the invention is usable wherever the barn has been wired for electric service.

The carriage comprises a housing 2| formed by separable upper and lower sections 22 and 23. The top Wall 24 of the lower section provides a support on the top thereof for motor l2 and on the bottom of the upwardly offset end portion 25 for motor l3. This makes for great compactness, as appears in Fig. 2, the worm 26 on the armature shaft 27 of motor [3 being closely beneath the wall 24 under motor 12. Bearings 28 carried by wall 24 support the worm at opposite ends so that a good meshing engagement with worm gear 29 is assured, regardless of possible slight misalignment of motor l3 relative to the worm. The same is true of worm 30 on armature shaft iii of motor I2 which is carried in bearings 32 projecting upwardly from wall 25, worm 30 meshing with a Worm gear 34. Now, worm gear 34 is carried on cross-shaft 35 mounted in bearings 36 on wall 24 and keyed to gear-toothed rollers 37 at its opposite ends. These rollers run on spaced parallel tracks II in which holes 38 are punched to serve as racks. The motor l 2, being reversible, therefore provides for positive drive of the carriage 5 in either direction. Other rollers 39 mounted on the other end of the carriage run on the same tracks II and serve to support that end of the carriage.

The worm gear 29 is keyed on another cross shaft 493 mounted in bearings 4| in the side walls of the lower housing section, said shaft also having a pinion 42 keyed thereon near one end for transmitting drive to a hoisting drum 43 by meshing engagement with a gear 44 fixed on one end thereof, said drum and gear being freely rotatable with a cross shaft 45 mounted in bearings it in the side Walls of the lower housing section. An inturned flange 41' on one side Wall of the lower housing section encloses and protects the gear 44, as indicated in Fig. 3. It is clear that the symmetrical arrangement of the supporting and driving rollers 3'! and 39 relative to the housing 2| makes for smooth and easy operation. The tracks H are far enough apart to allow easy travel of the housing therebetween, and this arrangement insures proper meshing of the gear teeth on rollers 3'! in the holes 38 at all times. Any dirt collecting on the tracks H will have an opportunity to drop through the holes 38 or be forced through by the gear teeth so that the rollers 31 and 39 will always run smoothly thereon.

The tracks ll being made from pieces of angle iron are not apt to get crooked and will not bend readily under load. Furthermore, the upwardly projecting flanges 41 on these members can be welded or otherwise secured easily to the flanges d8 of other angle iron yokes or hangers 69 that are bent to inverted U-shape. The outwardly projecting flanges of these angle iron hangers are easily secured to rafters or may have strips 5! fastened thereto for fastening to the rafters. Obviously, the flanges 50 give the necessary rigidity to the hangers so that the tracks I! will re- 4 main a predetermined distance apart as required for easy operation of the carriage 5, and the U-shape of the hangers is of advantage in providing head-room for the upper housing section 22, which, as shown in Fig. .3, is arched to snugly enclose the motor [2. Screws 52 fasten the housing sections together. Rollers 31 and 39 are mounted between the side walls of the housing 25 and the side walls of the cover 22, as appears in Figs. 3 and 4, thus reducing likelihood of hay or any litter interfering with the easy operation of these rollers.

It is believed the foregoing description conveys a good understanding of the objects and advantages of my invention. The appended claims have been drawn to cover all legitimate modifications and adaptations.

I claim:

1. In a hay handling apparatus, the combination of an overhead track, a power operable carrier running on said track, a power operable hoist drum on said carrier, a hay fork suspended on a cable wound on said drum and openable by remote control by a rope extending downwardly from the fork, two reversible electric motors on said carrier, one associated with drive means on the carrier for back and forth movement thereof on said track, and the other associated with drive means for the drum to raise and lower the fork, a. supporting guide wire extending parallel to said track, a source of electric current sup ply, a flexible extension cord for conducting electric current to said motors on said carrier from said current source suspended on said guide wire at longitudinally spaced points by guide members movable freely along said guide wire, and a manually operable remote control switch means connected between said extension cord and said current source for remote control of said motors.

2. In a traveling carrier, the combination of an overhead track formed by a pair of closely laterally spaced parallel angle iron members having inwardly directed longitudinal flanges and upwardly directed longitudinal flanges, inverted U- shaped suspension yokes connected to said upwardly projecting flanges, a carriage comprising an elongated housing narrow enough to operate between the rails and disposed between the inwardly directed flanges and having wheels mounted on opposite sides thereof running on said last mentioned flanges, a reversible electric motor enclosed in said housing and associated with drive means connected to at least one pair of said wheels to drive the same selectively in either direction for back and forth movement of the carriage on said track, remote control means for said motor, a hoist drum rotatablymounted in said housing having a cable wound thereon for suspendin a load attaching member, a reversible electric motor also enclosed in said housing and associated with drive means connected to said drum to turn the same selectively in either direction, and remote control means for said last mentioned motor.

3. In a traveling carrier, the combination of an overhead track formed by a pair of laterally spaced parallel angle iron members having inwardly directed longitudinal flanges and upwardly directed longitudinal flanges, suspension yokes connected to said upwardly projecting flanges, a carriage disposed between the inwardly directed flanges having wheels mounted on opposite sides thereof running on said last mentioned flanges, a reversible electric motor associated.

with drive means connected to at leastone pair of said Wheels to drive the same selectively in either-direction for back and forth movement of in said carriage having a Leable wound thereon for suspending a load attaching member, areversible electric motor associated with drive means connected to said drum to turn the same selectively in either direction, and remote control means for said last mentioned motor, at least one of the inwardly directedflanges having gear teeth holes provided therein in longitudinally spaced relation and at least one of the driven pair of wheels having rad ally projecting gear teeth arranged to mesh in said holes for positive driving of the carriage. I

' a 4. In a portable carrier, the combination of a housing containing a hoist drum rotatably mounted therein in the lower portion thereof, a cross-shaft mounted in said housing above said drum carrying a pinion meshing with a gear on said drum to drive the same, a worm gear on said cross-shaft, a reversible electric motor mounted in, saidv housing on one side of and above the cross-shaft driving a worm meshing with the worm gear, another reversible electric motor mounted in said housing directly above the worm, a cross-shaft in said housing above the first mentioned cross-shaft and on the opposite side thereof from the first motor having drive wheels mounted on the opposite ends thereof outside the housing, a worm gear on said last named crossshaft driven by a worm driven by the second motor, and another pair of wheels mounted on said housing in the vicinitypf the first mentioned motor and in longitudinal alignment with the first mentioned wheels.

5. In a portable carrier, the combination of a substantially triangular-shaped housing having opposed triangular-shaped side Walls and a top wall connecting the side walls, a hoist drum rotatably mounted in the lower apex portion of said triangular housing between said side walls, a cross-shaft above said drum mounted in the side walls having a pinion thereon meshing with a gear on said drum to drive the same, a worm gear on said cross-shaft, a reversible electric motor mounted on the bottom of the top wall on one side of said cross-shaft and above the same, a worm driven by said motor meshing with said worm gear, a second reversible electric motor mounted on top of said top wall, a cross-shaft mounted in the upper portion of said housing above the first cross-shaft and on the opposite side thereof from the first motor and carrying drive wheels on the opposite ends thereof outside the housing, a worm gear on said last named cross-shaft, and a worm driven by the second motor meshing with the worm gear.

6. In a hay handling apparatus, the combination of an overhead track formed by two closely spaced parallel rails, a power operable carrier running on said track, said carrier comprising an elongated housing narrow enough to operate between said rails, rollers on opposite sides of said housing at opposite ends thereof running on said rails, and a top cover member disposed over and protecting said rollers from hay and litter, a power operable hoist drum in said housing, a hay fork suspended on a cable wound on said drum and openable by remote control by a rope extending downwardly from the fork, two reversible electric motors in said housing in longitudinally spaced relationship to one another, one associated with drive means in the housing connected to certain of the rollers for back and forth movement thereof on said rails, and the other associated with drive means for the drum to raise and lower the fork, and manually operable remote control means for saidmotors.

7. In a hay carrier, the combination of an overhead track formed by a pair of closely laterally spaced parallel angle iron members having inwardly directed longitudinal flanges and upwardly directed longitudinal flanges, inverted U shaped suspension 'yokes connected to said upwardly projecting flanges, a carriage comprising an elongated housing narrow enough to operate between said track members disposed between the inwardly directed flanges and having wheels mounted on opposite sides thereof running on said last mentioned flanges, a reversible electric motor carried on said housing and associated with drive means connected to at least one pair of said wheels to drive the same selectively in either direction for back and forth movement of the carriage on said track, a top cover for said housing enclosing the upper portions of said wheels and also said motor to protect the same from hay and litter, remote control means for said motor, a hoist drum rotatably mounted in said carriage having a cable wound thereon for suspending a hay fork, a reversible electric motor enclosed in said housing and associated with drive means connected to said drum to turn the same selectively in either direction, and remote control means for said last mentioned motor.

8. In a hay carrier, the combination of an overhead track formed by a pair of laterally spaced parallel angle iron members having inwardly directed longitudinal flanges and upwardly directed longitudinal flanges, suspension yokes connected to said upwardly projecting flanges, a carriage disposed between the inwardly directed flanges having wheels mounted on opposite sides thereof running on said last mentioned flanges, a reversible electric motor on said carriage associated with drive means connected to at least one pair of said wheels to drive the same selectively in either direction for back and forth movement of the carriage on said track, a top cover for said carriage enclosing the upper portions of said wheels and also said motor to protect the same from hay and litter, remote control means for said motor, a hoist drum rotatably mounted in said carriage having a cable wound thereon for suspending a hay fork, a reversible electric motor on said carriage associated with drive means connected to said drum to turn the same selectively in either direction, and remote control means for said last mentioned motor, at least one of the inwardly directed flanges having ear teeth holes provided therein in longitudinally spaced relation and at least one of the driven pair of wheels having radially projecting gear teeth arranged to mesh in said holes for positive driving of the carriage.

9. In a portable carrier, the combination of a housing containing a hoist drum rotatably mounted therein in the lower portion thereof, a cross-shaft mounted in said housing above said drum carrying a pinion meshing with a gear on said drum to drive the same, a worm gear on said cross-shaft, a reversible electric motor mounted in said housing on one side of and above the cross-shaft driving a worm meshing with the worm gear, another reversible electric motor mounted in said housing directly above the worm, a cross-shaft in said housing above the first mentioned cross-shaft and on the opposite side thereof from the first motor having drive wheels mounted on the opposite ends thereof outside the tions of said wheels.

10. In a portable carrier, the combination of a substantially triangular-shaped housing having opposed triangular-shaped side walls and. a top wall connecting the side walls, a hoist drum rotatably mounted in the lower apex portion of said triangular housing between said side walls, a cross-shaft above said drum mounted in the side walls having a pinion thereon meshing with a gear on said drum to drive the same, a worm gear on said cross-shaft, a reversible electric motor mounted on the bottom of the top wall on one side of said cross-shaft and above the same, a worm driven by said motor meshing with said worm gear, a second reversible electric motor mounted on top of said top wall, a cross-shaft mounted in the upper portion of said housing above the first cross-shaft and on the opposite side thereof from the first motor and carrying drive wheels on the opposite ends thereof outside the housing, a worm gear on said last named cross-shaft, a worm driven by the second motor meshing with the worm gear, and a top cover for said housing enclosing said second motor and the upper portions of said wheels.

FRED P. BAERTSCHI.

REFERENCES CITED The following referenlces are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 560,145 McGehee May 12, 1896 580,415 Miller Apr. 13, 1897 884,595 Libby Apr. 14, 1908 981,820 True Jan. 17, 1911 1,047,944 Howland Dec. 24, 1912 1,694,084 Straight Dec. 4, 1928 2,006,871 Neuman July 2, 1935 2,254,083 Nickles et a1 Aug. 26, 1941 2,391,881

Clay Jan. 1, 1946

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