US3575308A

US3575308A - Conveyer-enclosure structure for dump trucks

Info

Publication number: US3575308A
Application number: US782022A
Authority: US
Inventors: Herald Moon; Stephen H Moon
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1968-12-09
Filing date: 1968-12-09
Publication date: 1971-04-20
Anticipated expiration: 1988-04-20

Abstract

The present invention comprises a conveyer-enclosure structure, either made integral with or attachable to the bed structure of a truck, for completing the enclosure of the bed structure when the latter is in horizontal position and, alternatively, when the bed structure is preferably tilted to dump position, for conveying in an even manner the contents of the bed structure, for selected purposes. In essence, the invention includes a rear, slanted, conveyor bed or floor, with which is operatively associated an endless, revolving conveyor. A finger-including spindle is disposed above the conveyor so as to break up clod accumulations of material as the same is discharged over the conveyor floor of the conveyor-enclosure structure.

Description

- on V United States Patent 72] Inventors Herald Moon 1189 N. Main, Farmington, Utah 84025; Stephen H. Moon, 213 East 1700 South,

Bountiful, Utah 84010 [2]] App]. No. 782,022 [22] Filed Dec. 9, 1968 [4S] Patented Apr. 20, 1971 [54] CONVEYER-ENCLOSURE STRUCTURE FOR DUMP TRUCKS 2 Claims, 7 Drawing Figs. [52] U.S. Cl 214/508, 214/8314 [51] Int. Cl 1360p 1/04 [50] Field otSearch 214/508, 509, 83.26, 83.30, 83.14; 239/657; 222/166 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,947,543 8/1960 Raybould 239/657 3,010,726 11/1961 Smoker et a1 2l4/509X 3,018,908 1/1962 Wilton et al. 214/508 3,300,068 l/1967 Tarrant, Sr... 214/508 2,636,628 4/1953 Prang 214/509 3,128,894 4/1964 Nelson 214/509 Primary Examiner-Albert J. Makay Attorney-M. Ralph Shaffer ABSTRACT: The present invention comprises a conveyerenclosure structure, either made integral with or attachable tothe bed structure of a truck, for completing the enclosure of the bed structure when the latter is in horizontal position and, alternatively, when the bed structure is preferably tilted to dump position, for conveying in an even manner the contents of the bed structure, for selected purposes. In essence, the invention includes a rear, slanted, conveyor bed or floor, with which is operatively associated an endless, revolving conveyor. A finger-including spindle is disposed above the conveyor so as to break up clod accumulations of material as the same is discharged over the conveyor floor of the conveyor-enclosure structure.

Pmmmmmsn 3575308 SHEET 1 OF 2 INVENTOR. HEQMD MOON STEPHEN H. MOON THEIR ATTORNEY PATENTED APRZOISYI 3 575308 sum 2 or 2 AELI INVENTOR. F, 5 HERALD MOON STEPHEN H.MOON

THEIR ATTORNEY (IONViElIlEIit-IENCLOSUIRE STRUCTURE FOR DUMP TRUCKS The present invention relates to truck equipment and, more particularly, to a new and improved conveyor-enclosure structure which is mounted to or made integral with the bed enclosure structure of a conventional truck. The purpose for the inclusion of such a conveyor-enclosure structure is, firstly, to complete the bed enclosure of the bed structure when the latter is in a horizontal position and, secondly, to provide a conveyor and conveyor mechanism whereby the contents of the bed enclosure may be conveyed therefrom outwardly and over the end of the conveyor floor of the structure in a uniform, highly satisfactory manner. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the sloping conveyor bed of the conveyor-enclosure structure is sufficient to serve as a slanted tailgate, in effect enclosing the bed structure when the latter is in horizontal position and, alternatively, assumes itself a horizontal position when the bed structure is hoisted to dump position.

In the past, truck beds having the usual tailgate have been used to collect material such as silage, and to transport the silage to a convenient location such as a hopper feeding into a blower-stack combination, for transporting the silage to an upstanding silo. l-ieretofore, it has been a very laborious task and required a number of workmen in order to remove gradually the contents from the bed structure of the truck so that the contents, as removed, are evenly distributed into the subject hopper. The latter usually incorporates a conveyor belt by which the silage material is fed gradually and uniformly to a blower.

The present invention eliminates this hand work by incorporating a slanted, rear petition or conveyor bed as an integral part of a conveyor-enclosure structure which encloses generally the rear portion of the truck bed. When the bed is in horizontal position, then the sloping or slanted conveyor bed of the conveyor-enclosure structure is disposed upwardly, though is slanted somewhat rearwardly, and retains the material inside of the truck bed. When the bed is elevated to the clump position, then the sloping conveyor bed of the structure is disposed substantially horizontally, or nearly so, preferably, so that its own conveyor may operate to satisfactorily eject, gradually and in a uniform manner, the material overfthe conveyor and into the previously mentioned hopper, for example. In addition, there is provided a counterrevolving spindle having a plurality of fingers for breaking up material accumulations or clods as they appear for routing out of the truck bed.

Accordingly, a principal object of the present invention is to provide a conveyor structure for truck beds wherein material such as silage therein may be easily and uniformly removed from the truck bed when the latter is preferably tilted upwardly, in dump position.

A further object is to provide for a truck bed a conveyorenclosure structure, either made integral with or attachable to the general truck bed, whereby contents of the truck bed may be uniformly removed therefrom, and this in an automatic manner so as to eliminate the usual hand labor required.

An additional object is to provide for a truck bed a mechanism of an endless conveyor type wherein the conveyor is disposed solely at the rearward portion of the truck, thereby reducing loading thereon while permitting contents to be removed satisfactorily and easily when the truck bed is tilted.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a truck having a tilted bed proximate silo storage-receiving structure, the bed incorporating conveyor-enclosure structure according to the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, perspective of the conveyor-enclosure structure of the present invention when the truck bed assumes a horizontal position.

FIG. 2A is an enlarged, fragmentary view taken along the line 2A2A in FIG. 2, showing a representative end connection of the conveyor bars to their endless drive means.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged section taken along the line 3-3 in FIG. 2, and illustrates the structure as being attached to and over the rear end of a truck bed enclosure structure; while arrows, indicating certain structural movements, are shown, it will be understood that such movements, in a preferred form of the invention, will take place only when the truck bed tilted to dump position and the rear-slanted conveyor panel or bed, shown at the left side of FIG. 3, assumes a nominally, horizontal position.

FIG. 4 is a top plan of a truck in reduced scale, indicating an optional manner of drive of the conveyor-enclosure structure as well as the physical structural details when the conveyorenclosure structure is selectively attachable to the truck bed.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged detail taking along the arcuate line 5-5 in FIG. 4, indicating the specific structural details of a preferred embodiment of the invention wherein the conveyorenclosure structure is releasably secured to the truck bed.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary section, taken along the line 6-6 in FIG. 5.

In FIG. 1 the truck 10 is shown including a bed structure 11, the latter being disposed in its selected, elevated position in the usual manner. The sloping position of bed structure 11 is produced and retained by conventional hydraulic or pneumatic lift cylinder 12.

In lieu of the conventional tailgate there is disposed, over the rear of the bed, a conveyor-enclosure structure 13 which incorporates the present invention. It is to be noted that the contents of the bed structure 11, when passed outwardly of conveyor structure 13, will fall into hopper 14. The latter is of conventional design and includes the conventional conveyor 15 leading to blower l6. Blower 16 is used to blow grain, silage, and so forth, up stack 17 to storage facilities such as a silo.

The conveyor-enclosure structure 18 includes a pair of side plates 19 and 20, a bottom plate 21 integral therewith, and also a sloping conveyor bed 22 which serves as a fixed structure secured to the sides 19 and 20. .Iournaled between the sideplates plates 19 and 20 are shafts 23 and 24. Keyed to shaft 23 are sprockets 26, 27, 28, and 29. Correspondingly, there are keyed to shaft 24

sprockets

30, 31, 32, 33, and 34. These sprockets may be generally referred to as wheel means and may take any form such as sprockets, spur gears, pulleys and so forth. An ideal form of the invention will be that the wheel means actually comprise sprockets, as shown. In such event the endless, elongate connectors 35-38 will be endless chains resembling bicycle chains, for example.

Disposedbetween respective pairs of chains as illustrated are conveyor bars 39. These may be provided with integral or welded, protruding end pins 40, for example (see FIG. 2A), disposed through aligned link apertures 41 of links 42 of each of the chains. These pins may be secured in position by cotter keys $3 or any other suitable means. Of course, variousmethods of attachment are possible for securing the conveyor bars to and between the elongate endless connectors, e.g. sprocket chains 35-38.

It is, of course, possible to use but two endless chains so far as the conveying means is concerned, and to have the bars interconnecting the chains traverse substantially completely across the sloping conveyor bed 22. However, in such event, the conveyor bars 39 would have to be made substantially stronger and of heavier material than that indicated. For practical construction purposes, it is believed advisable to segment the conveyor bars as illustrated, such that a pair of parallel runs of the conveyor bars 39 are provided for. This portion of the conveying structure illustrates that such as a DC motor 40 may be affixed to sideplate 19 and the output shaft M thereof supplied a pulley 42. A drive chain 43 couples pulley 42 with pulley 44, and the latter is keyed to shaft 45 to rotate the same. Sprocket 46 is likewise keyed to shaft 45 and drives sprocket 47 by means of sprocket chain 48. Sprocket 47 is keyed to shaft which is journaled to side 19; sprocket 47 is also keyed to sprocket 49 which, by sprocket chain 50, drives sprocket in FIG. 2.

Of importance is the design of the spindle structure S associated with shaft 45. It is seen that this shaft, in addition to its end journal bosses 46 (one being shown) affixed to sideplate 19, is provided with a serial of disc plates 53-56 having respective edge portions A to which are welded or otherwise secured angle-iron crossbars 57. Each of the crossbars 57 includes a plurality of outwardly extending, welded fingers 58. These fingers serve to break up silage or other material which may be conveyed rearwardly from the bed structure of the truck over the sloping conveyor bed 22. It is to be noted that the direction of travel of the conveyor means as supplied by conveyor bars 39 is such that material is driven outwardly and rearwardly over the sloping conveyor bed 22. This is accompanied by the simultaneous, counterclockwise revolvement of shaft 45, this so that the fingers 58 may cut into the material advancing upwardly along bed 22 such that accumulations of material into clods or chunks are broken up before the same is deposited, for example, into hopper 14in FIG. 1.

Rather than include a direct -drive motor 40 as shown in FIG. 2, there may be provided a direct coupling from the transmission of the vehicle at 60 in FIG. 4. In such event, there would have to be an adapter 61, of conventional design, coupled to transmission 60, such that when the vehicle is in neutral position. adapter 61 can be actuated to drive the sprocket 44 and, hence, produce the rotation of the three shafts 23, 24, and 45 previously referred to. Such adapter 61 is utilized in common practice to connect the transmission of a vehicle, such as a truck, to perform any one of a number of rotary drive type functions.

To the top of opposite sides 19 and 20 are attached respective, angular, bracket-shaped gussets 63, as by bolt attachments 67. To the bottom of opposite sides 19 and 20 are secured, as by welding, the positioning pins 61. These latter cooperate with and are selectively inserted through truck bed apertures BA normally provided at the opposite, truck bed, exterior longitudinal margins. Once this is accomplished, then the conveyor-enclosure structure gussets 63 are bolted, as by bolt attachments 63, and/or pinned, as by pin means 65, to the sides 11 of the truck bed enclosure, with suitable connection apertures A1--A4 being provided for the structural attachments.

The structure as thus far described operates as follows. During normal usage when the vehicle is transporting silage, grain or other materials on the farm, the truck bed will be horizontal and the conveyor-enclosure structure disposed in manner illustrated in FIG. 3. Of course, it will be apparent that the conveyor-enclosure structure 18 can be removed from the end of the vehicle and the conventional tailgate installed.

When the conveyor-enclosure structure of the present invention is provided the truck, then the truck is loaded with silage or other desired materials. After the silage or other materials have been transported to the location desired, see FIG. 1 for example, then the bed structure is preferably raised in the conventional manner such that the sloping conveyor bed 22 becomes nominally horizontal. At this point suitable power is applied to shaft 45, for example, so that the conveying portion of the structure and the structure associated with shaft 45 directly come into play. Thus, the two conveyor beds comprised of spaced, transverse bars 39 commence operation such that material is transported outwardly in the direction indicated in FIG. 3. Simultaneously there is a counterclockwise rotation of the spindle S (comprised of the fingers 58, transverse bars 57, and discs 53- 56) so that there is a simultaneous breaking up of material as the material is being conducted upwardly and over the end of the conveyor-enclosure structure.

It IS noticed that this mechanism operates to break up material as descends at X in FIG. 1 so that such material is, or may be distributed, in an even, uniform manner into the hopper 15 without clods or other accumulations appearing therein. Thus, the conveyor 15 within hopper 14 operates easily to convey the uniform material into the blower 16. Were the fingers 58 not included in the structure, then clodlike accumulations of silage as might be present would render it difficult, so far as the operation of the blower 16 is concerned, for the material to be blown up stack 17 When the dumping operation is completed as above described, and the truck bed is returned to its horizontal position, then the truck is driven away.

It is to be noted that the sloping conveyor bed 29 serves not only as a conveyor bed when the truck bed structure is tilted, but also as a tailgate enclosure when the truck bed is horizontal.

It will be understood that other types of conveyors, such as cleated or other means, may be used as the conveyor structure to transport the material in the manner indicated by arrow C in FIG. 3. However, the conveying structure shown, that is the multiple, endless, elongate connectors with their crossbars are deemed most appropriate for the function intended.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention in its broader aspects, and within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. In combination, a dump truck having a tiltable bed structure constructed to receive and contain selected material, and a conveyor-enclosure structure secured to and enclosing that side of said tiltable bed structure which is lowermost when the latter is tilted to dump position, said conveyor-enclosure structure including: a conveyor bed which is inclined rearwardly when said tiltable bed structure is in a horizontal disposition, and elongate, endless conveyor means longitudinally circumscribing proximately said conveyor bed and constructed and arranged to discharge said material from said tiltable bed structure, and wherein said conveyorenclosure includes a revolving spindle having a plurality of outwardly extending, mutually spaced fingers disposed over and proximate said conveyor means, and means for driving said spindle to rotate the same in a manner such that said fingers pass counterdirectionally through said material as the latter is advanced by said conveyor means toward and through said fingers.

2. In combination, a dump truck having a tiltable bed structure constructed to receive and contain selected material, and a conveyor-enclosure structure secured to and enclosing that side of said tiltable bed structure which is lowermost when the latter is tilted to dump position, said conveyor-enclosure structure including: a conveyor bed which is inclined rearwardly when said tiltable bed structure is in a horizontal disposition, and elongate, endless conveyor means longitudinally circumscribing proximately said conveyor bed and constructed and arranged to discharge said material from said tiltable bed structure, and wherein said conveyorenclosure structure includes revolvable spindle structure having outwardly extending, mutually spaced fingers and disposed parallel to and above said endless conveyor proximate the outermost end thereof, and means for counterrevolving said spindle structure in a reverse direction manner relative to the travel of said conveyor means.

Claims

1. In combination, a dump truck having a tiltable bed structure constructed to receive and contain selected material, and a conveyor-enclosure structure secured to and enclosing that side of said tiltable bed structure which is lowermost when the latter is tilted to dump position, said conveyor-enclosure structure including: a conveyor bed which is inclined rearwardly when said tiltable bed structure is in a horizontal disposition, and elongate, endless conveyor means longitudinally circumscribing proximately said convEyor bed and constructed and arranged to discharge said material from said tiltable bed structure, and wherein said conveyor-enclosure includes a revolving spindle having a plurality of outwardly extending, mutually spaced fingers disposed over and proximate said conveyor means, and means for driving said spindle to rotate the same in a manner such that said fingers pass counterdirectionally through said material as the latter is advanced by said conveyor means toward and through said fingers.

2. In combination, a dump truck having a tiltable bed structure constructed to receive and contain selected material, and a conveyor-enclosure structure secured to and enclosing that side of said tiltable bed structure which is lowermost when the latter is tilted to dump position, said conveyor-enclosure structure including: a conveyor bed which is inclined rearwardly when said tiltable bed structure is in a horizontal disposition, and elongate, endless conveyor means longitudinally circumscribing proximately said conveyor bed and constructed and arranged to discharge said material from said tiltable bed structure, and wherein said conveyor-enclosure structure includes revolvable spindle structure having outwardly extending, mutually spaced fingers and disposed parallel to and above said endless conveyor proximate the outermost end thereof, and means for counterrevolving said spindle structure in a reverse direction manner relative to the travel of said conveyor means.