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.
Claims13
A material transfer vehicle comprising:
- (a) a loading conveyor including:
- (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;
- (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.
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.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.