Needle bar securing means on chain gill machines

A chain gill machine comprising a pair of laterally spaced apart endless chains each movable in a path of travel substantially parallel to the path of travel of the other said chain and each said chain having an inner lateral face directed toward the inner lateral face of the other said chain and an outer lateral face directed away from the other said chain, a plurality of substantially parallel elongated needle bars extending transversely of and removably mounted on said chains, each of said needle bars having a first end, a second end and an extension bent relative to the bar extending between said first and said second ends and extending laterally outwardly from said first end, said extension having a free end spaced laterally outwardly from the first end of said needle bar, said first end of each said needle bar being pivotally connected to the laterally outer face of one of said chains and said second end of each said needle bar being pivotally connected to the laterally inner face of the other one of said chains, said first and second ends being pivotally connected about axes extending transversely of the direction of the path of travel of said chains, the pivotal connection of said first and second ends to said chains comprising a first bore associated with said first end and a second bore formed in said second end of each said needle bar and a first pivot located in one of said chains and engageable within said first bore and a second pivot located in the other one of said chains and engageable within said second bore, said first and second pivots connecting said first and second ends of each said needle bar each extending transversely of said chains in the same lateral direction therefrom, and means spaced laterally outwardly from each of said chains and forming a fixed cam groove facing toward the outer lateral face of the adjacent said chain and disposed in parallel relation to the adjacent said chain, and the free end of said extension being engaged in one of said fixed cam grooves and being movable therethrough with the free end of said extension being positioned relative to the base of said fixed cam groove so that said needle bar from which said extension extends is secured against movement in the axial direction of its pivotal connection to said chain adjacent said fixed cam groove whereby said needle bar is retained in pivotal connection with said chains.