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US 10,337,153 B2Granted
Quick-change attachment for material transfer vehicle
AssigneeRoadtec, Inc.
InventorsJohn Eric Hoffmann, Nathan Thomas Beckman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A material transfer vehicle includes a loading conveyor and a loading component (such as a truck-receiving hopper component or a windrow pick-up component) that is adapted to be removably attached to the lower end of the loading conveyor. The loading conveyor has a right guide plate on the right side of the lower end and a left guide plate on the left side of the lower end. The loading component has a right guide bracket that is adapted to align with and engage the right guide plate of the loading conveyor, and a left guide bracket that is adapted to align with and engage the left guide plate of the loading conveyor.
Claims12
A material transfer vehicle comprising:
- (a) a loading conveyor including:
- (i) a lower end with a right side and a left side;
- (ii) a transverse auger at the lower end of the loading conveyor, said transverse auger having a right end and a left end;
- (iii) a right guide plate on the right side of the lower end, said right guide plate supporting the right end of the transverse auger;
- (iv) a left guide plate on the left side of the lower end, said left guide plate supporting the left end of the transverse auger;
- (b) a loading component that is adapted to be removably attached to the lower end of the loading conveyor, said loading component including:
- (i) a right guide bracket that is adapted to align with and engage the right guide plate of the loading conveyor;
- (ii) a left guide bracket that is adapted to align with and engage the left guide plate of the loading conveyor.
5 more elements
A material transfer vehicle comprising:
- a loading conveyor including a lower end with a right side and a left side and further comprising:
- (i) a right guide plate on the right side of the lower end, said right guide plate including a right alignment bracket having a right alignment bracket fastener hole;
- (ii) a right sidewall adjacent the right guide plate, said right sidewall including a loading conveyor fastener hole;
- (iii) a left guide plate on the left side of the lower end, said left guide plate including a left alignment bracket having a left alignment bracket fastener hole;
- (iv) a left sidewall adjacent the left guide plate, said left sidewall including a loading conveyor fastener hole;
- (b) a loading component that is adapted to be removably attached to the lower end of the loading conveyor, said loading component including:
- (i) a right sidewall including a loading component fastener hole;
- (ii) a right guide bracket that is adjacent to the right sidewall, said right guide bracket being adapted to align with and engage the right guide plate of the loading conveyor, said right guide bracket including a right alignment tab having a right alignment tab fastener hole, said right alignment tab being adapted to align with the right alignment bracket on the right guide plate of the loading conveyor so that a right side fastener may be connected between the right alignment bracket fastener hole on the right alignment bracket and the right alignment tab fastener hole and tightened to move the loading component with respect to the lower end of the loading conveyor until the fastener hole in the right sidewall of the lower end of the loading conveyor is aligned with the loading component fastener hole in the right sidewall of the loading component;
- (iii) a left sidewall including a loading component fastener hole;
- (iv) a left guide bracket that is adjacent to the left sidewall, said left guide bracket being adapted to align with and engage the left guide plate of the loading conveyor, said left guide bracket including a left alignment tab having a left alignment tab fastener hole, said left alignment tab being adapted to align with the left alignment bracket on the left guide plate of the loading conveyor so that a left side fastener may be connected between the left alignment bracket fastener hole on the left alignment bracket and the left alignment tab fastener hole and tightened to move the loading component with respect to the lower end of the loading conveyor until the fastener hole in the left sidewall of the lower end of the loading conveyor is aligned with the loading component fastener hole in the left sidewall of the loading component.
7 more elements
A method for removably attaching a loading component to a loading conveyor of a material transfer vehicle, said method comprising:
- (a) providing the loading conveyor with:
- (i) a lower end with a right side and a left side;
- (ii) a right guide plate on the right side of the lower end;
- (iii) a left guide plate on the left side of the lower end;
- (iv) a right side wheel on the right side of the lower end;
- and
- (v) a left side wheel on the left side of the lower end;
- (b) providing the loading component with:
- (i) a right guide bracket that is adapted to align with and engage the right guide plate of the loading conveyor;
- (ii) a left guide bracket that is adapted to align with and engage the left guide plate of the loading conveyor;
- (c) positioning the loading conveyor of the material transfer vehicle with respect to the loading component so that:
- (i) the right guide plate on the right side of the lower end of the loading conveyor is aligned with the right guide bracket of the loading component;
- and
- (ii) the left guide plate on the left side of the lower end of the loading conveyor is aligned with the left guide bracket of the loading component;
- (d) moving the loading conveyor of the material transfer vehicle towards the loading component until:
- (i) the right guide bracket on the loading component engages the right guide plate of the loading conveyor;
- and
- (ii) the left guide bracket on the loading component engages the left guide plate of the loading conveyor.
15 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.