US3283856A

US3283856A - Tobacco lifting machines

Info

Publication number: US3283856A
Application number: US502960A
Authority: US
Inventors: Sr David C Stewart
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1965-10-23
Filing date: 1965-10-23
Publication date: 1966-11-08
Anticipated expiration: 1983-11-08

Description

Nov. 8, 1966 D. c. STEWART, SR

TOBACCO LIFTING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed OCL. 25, 1965 INVENTOR.

DAVID C.STEWART,SR. B

Nov. 8, 1966 D. c. STEWART, SR 3,283,856

TOBACCO LIFTING MACHINES Filed OGC. 23,- 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR:

J DAVID C. STEWART, SR.

United States Patent Office 3,283,856 Patented Nov. 8, 1966 3,283,855 TOBACC() LIITTING MACHlNES David C. Stewart, Sr., PD. Box 193, Ellerbe, N.C. Filed Get. 23, 1965, Ser. No. 502,960 6 Claims. (ci. la7- 9) This invention relates to new and usefulimprovements in conveyor type lifts, and in particular the invention concerns itself with a lift which may be conveniently and effectively employed for raising sticks of green tobacco to the top of a barn for curing.

Ordinarily three workers are necessary for handling the tobacco sticks in their travel from a `tobacco looper to a barn, but by using the lift of the invention only two workers are needed, one to place the sticks on the lift conveyor and the other to kremove the sticks `from `the conveyor and hang them in the barn.

It is, therefore, the principal object of the invention to ease, simplify and expedite the tobacco stick lifting procedure so that it can be carried out with convenience and eiciency and with the employment of a minimum amount of labor.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a conveyor type lift for tobacco sticks which is not only of a portable nature, but which is capable of conversion from an upstanding operative position to a substantially horizontal traveling position, so that it may be easily and unobtrusively transported `from one site of operation to another.

The lift of the invention is simple in construction, durable, efficient in operation, and adaptable to convenient and economical manufacture.

With the foregoing more important objects and featuresin view and such other objects and features as may become apparent as this specication proceeds, the invention will be understood from the following description taken `in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters of reference are used to designate like parts, and wherein:

FIGURE l is a side elevational View of the portable lift of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a rear elevational view thereof, taken in the direction of the arrow 2 in FIG. l;

FIGURE 3 is a rear elevational view, similar to that shown in FIG. 2, but illustrating the lift in its traveling position; and

FIGURE 4 is a horizontal sectional view on a reduced scale, taken substantially in the plane of the line 4-4 in FIG. 2.

Referring now to the accompanying -drawings in detail, the general reference numeral 161 designates a portable, conveyor type lift such as may be used for raising sticks of green tobacco to the top of a barn for curing. For illustrative purposes, dotted lines in FIGS. l and 2 show a stick 11 carrying tied bunches of green tobacco 12.

The lift comprises a base 13 supported by a set of casters, as for example, by two casters 14 on one side and a third caster 1 4 on the relatively opposite side, so that the base may be readily moved along the ground in any desired direction.

The wheeled base 13 carries a lframework designated generally as 15, the framework including a pair of transversely spaced uprights 16 which are supported by enlarged, substantially triangular frames 17, rigidly secured to the lower end portions of the uprights. The frames 17 include bottom members 17 which ordinarily rest on the base 13 when the ma-chine is in its operative position as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In addition, the framework includes a transversely extending panel 18 which is disposed in an inclined plane and has its opposite side edges secured to the frames 17 at one side of the uprights 15, as is best shown in FIG. l. The panel 18 serves to connect the frames 17 together and also to act as a guiding apron for tobacco, as will be hereinafter explained.

The framework 15 carries an endless conveyor comprising a pair of transversely spaced endless chains 19 provided with hook-shaped prongs 2t) for receiving the tobacco sticks 11. At their upper ends the chains 19 pass over sprockets 21 mounted at the upper ends of the uprights 16, while at their lower ends the chains pass around sprockets 22 secured to a transverse shaft 23 which is rotatably journalled in the lower end portions of the uprights. The shaft 23 also carries a relatively large pulley 2d driven by a belt 25 from a relatively small pulley 26 on a countershaft 27 which is suitably journalled in bracket means 2S secured to the base 13, as is best shown in FIGS. 2-4. The countershaft 27, in turn, carries a pulleyA 29 driven by a belt 30 from a pulley 31 on the armature of an electric motor 32, or some other prime mover, which is suitably mounted on the base 13, as will be apparent.

When the motor 32 is energized, the driving:

belts

30, 25 will impart rotation to the shaft 23 to propel the conveyor chains 19 in the direction of the arrow 33, so that tobacco lsticks 11 placed by a worker on the prongs 20 at the lower end portion of the conveyor are conveyed to the top, where they may be conveniently removed from the conveyor by another worker and placed in a barn for curing, this operation continuing in an endless manner without the necessity of intermittently stopping the conveyor. It will be observed that the aforementioned inclined panel 13 of the framework 15 is disposed at the lower end of the loaded side of the conveyor where it effectively covers the conveyor driving mechanism at that side and serves as a guiding apron to prevent the tobacco leaves 12 from becoming entangled with the drive mecha nism when the tobacco `sticks are loaded onto the conveyor.

As already stated, the bottom members 17 tof the frames 17 rest on the base 13, but the framework 15 as a whole is connected to the base by a single arm 34 which has its upper end rigidly secured to the lower end portion of one of the uprights 15 and has its lower end pivoted or hinged as at 35 to one side of the base 13. As a result, the entire framework 15 together with the conveyor which it carries, may be swung about the pivot means 35 from the upstanding, operative position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 to a substantially horizontal traveling position at one side of the base 13, as shown in FIG. 3, so that the entire machine may be conveniently and unobt-rusively transported from one site of operation to another. In this respect it may be noted that the vertical extent or high-t of the uprights 16 (and of the associated conveyor) may be considerable in order to reach the top of the barn, so that swinging of the framework to a substantially horizontal position has definite advantages in transporting the machine from one location to another.

The conveyor drive mechanism is particularly adapted to permit folding of the framework 15 from its operative to its traveling position under circumstances where one part of the drive, namely, the driving pulley 26, is mounted on the base 13, while another part of the drive, namely, the driven pulley 24, is carried by the swingable framework 15. This folding of the framework is permitted by simply removing the drive belt 25 from the

pulleys

24, 26, whereupon the framework may be swung to its traveling position as shown in FIG. 3. In so doing, the driving belt 25 may be si-mply disengaged from the pulley 24 and permitted to remain around the shaft 23, so that it is readily available for placement on the

pulleys

24, 25 when the framework is subsequently raised to its operative position, as will be apparent from FIG. 3.

While in the foregoing there has been described and shown the preferred embodiment of the invention, various modifications and equivalents may become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates. Accordingly, it is not desired to limit the invention to this disclosure, and various modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is:

1. A portable lift for tobacco sticks, comprising in combination, a wheeled base, an upstanding framework provided on said base, an endless conveyor supported by said framework, means for driving said conveyor, and means hingedly connecting said framework to said base for swinging movement of the framework between an upstanding operative position and a substantially horizontally extending traveling position at one side of said base, said framework including a pair of transversely spaced uprights, enlarged frames provided at `the lower ends of said uprights, and ltransversely extending means connecting said frames together, said means hingedly connecting said framework to said base comprising an arm pivotally attached at one end thereof to said base and secured at its other end to one of said uprights, said enlarged frames resting on said base when the framework is in its operative position.

2. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein said transversely extending means of said framework comprises an inclined panel secured at its opposite side edges to said enlarged frames of the framework, said panel protective- 1y overlying at least a portion of said conveyor driving means and constituting a guiding apron for tobacco placed on the conveyor.

3. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein said conveyor includes a pair of transversely spaced endless chains supported by the respective uprights of said framework, tobacco stick engaging prongs carried by said chains, a transverse shaft journalled in lower end portions of said uprights, and sprockets provided on said transverse shaft, said sprockets `operatively engaging said chains.

4. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein said conveyor includes a pair of transversely spaced endless chains supported by the respective uprights of said framework, tobacco stick engaging prongs carried by said chains, a transverse shaft journalled in lower end portions of said uprigits, and sprockets provided on said transverse shaft and operatively engaging said chains, said means for driving said conveyor including a driving pulley mounted on said base, a driven pulley secured to said transverse shaft, and a belt operatively connecting said driving and driven pulleys, said belt being removable from said pulleys t0 permit swinging of said framework from its operative position to its traveling position.

5. The device as defined in claim 4 wherein said conveyor driving means also includes a motor mounted on said base, and means operatively connecting said motor to said driving pulley.

6. In a portable lift for tobacco sticks, the combination of a Wheeled base, an upstanding framework provided on said base and including a pair of transversely spaced uprights, enlarged frames provided at the lower ends of said uprights, and transversely extending means connecting said frames together, .an endless conveyor supported by said framework, and means hingedly connecting said framework to one side of said base for swinging movement of the framework between an upstanding operative position wherein said enlarged frames of the framework rest on said base, and a substantially horizontally extending traveling position wherein the framework is disposed at said one side of the base.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 835,312 11/1906 McNabb 189-163 925,585 6/1909 Lewis 214-515 1,862,192 6/1932 Michaux 214-55 3,209,932 10/1965 Schiltz 214-8336 EVON C. BLUNK, Primary Examiner.

H. C. HORNSBY, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. A PORTABLE LIFT FOR TOBACCO STICKS, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A WHEELED BASE, AN UPSTANDING FRAMEWORK PROVIDED ON SAID BASE, AN ENDLESS CONVEYOR SUPPORTED BY SAID FRAMEWORK, MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID CONVEYOR, AND MEANS HINGEDLY CONNECTED SAID FRAMEWORK TO SAID BASE FOR SWINGING MOVEMENT OF THE FRAMEWORK BETWEEN AN UPSTANDING OPERATIVE POSITION AND A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING TRAVELING POSITION AT ONE SIDE OF SAID BASE, SAID FRAMEWORK INCLUDING A PAIR OF TRANSVERSELY SPACED UPRIGHTS, ENLARGED FRAMES PROVIDED AT THE LOWER ENDS OF SAID UPRIGHTS, AND TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING MEANS CONNECTING SAID FRAMES TOGETHER, SAID MEANS HINGEDLY CONNECTING SAID FRAMEWORK TO SAID BASE COMPRISING AN ARM PIVOTALLY ATTACHED AT ONE END THEREOF TO SAID BASE AND SECURED AT ITS OTHER END TO ONE OF SAID UPRIGHTS, SAID ENLARGED FRAMES RESTING ON SAID BASE WHEN THE FRAMEWORK IS IN ITS OPERATIVE POSITION.