Conveyor folding and moldboard operation for excavating and loading systems

An excavating and loading system comprising:

• an excavating wheel assembly comprising axle means and excavating wheel means rotatably supported on the axle means, said excavating wheel means including a plurality of digging buckets each having a cutting edge which extends to a stationary wall and a wall mounted for pivotal movement from a material receiving position to a material dumping position;
• supporting and housing means extending from the excavating wheel means and connected to the axle means for supporting the excavating wheel assembly;
• means including a drive mechanism for rotating the excavating wheel means so that the digging buckets follow an endless path;
• means located within the margins of the excavating wheel assembly and responsive to rotation of the excavating wheel means for positively positioning a movable wall in a material dumping position when the bucket is in the upper and rearward position of the path;
• a vehicle having a front and rear end, said excavating wheel supporting means attached at the front whereby the position of the excavating wheel means engagement with material to be excavated is controlled;
• main conveyor means mounted on the vehicle behind the excavating wheel assembly for movement around a course including a relatively low material receiving portion positioned to receive material from said digging buckets and a material discharge portion positioned relatively high and rearwardly on the vehicle from the material receiving portion;
• means on the vehicle behind the excavating wheel assembly to transfer materials from the digging buckets to the material receiving portion of the main conveyor means;
• support means mounting the material discharge portion of the main conveyor for folding movement in a path downwardly and toward the rear of the vehicle;
• auxiliary conveyor means mounted on the vehicle at a point to the rear of the main conveyor for movement into and out of a position wherein a material receiving end of the auxiliary conveyor is positioned under the material discharge end of the main conveyor and a material discharge end on the auxiliary conveyor is positioned upward and to the rear of the material receiving end;
• and
• means supporting the material receiving end of the auxiliary conveyor for movement upward and out of the folding path of the discharge end of the main conveyor whereby the discharge end of the main conveyor may be folded down below the material receiving end of the auxiliary conveyor and the material receiving end of the auxiliary conveyor may be rotated down adjacent to and over the material discharge end of the main conveyor to thereby lower the clearance height of the vehicle during transportation.

An excavating and loading system comprising:

• a vehicle having front and rear ends;
• an excavating wheel means mounted on the front of the vehicle;
• a drive mechanism mounted on the vehicle for operating the excavating wheel means;
• a main conveyor positioned behind the excavating wheel means for conveying materials in a direction upward and toward the rear of the vehicle, said conveyor having a material receiving end positioned below and rearward of the excavating wheel means and a material discharge end positioned upwardly and to the rear of the vehicle;
• means for delivering material from the excavating wheel means to the main conveyor;
• means mounting the material discharge end of the main conveyor for folding movement in a path downward and toward the rear;
• auxiliary conveyor means mounted on the frame at a point to the rear of the main conveyor for movement into and out of a position for receiving material from the main conveyor and for delivering the material beyond the rear of the vehicle, with a material receiving end of the auxiliary conveyor positioned under the discharge end of the main conveyor and a discharge end of the auxiliary conveyor positioned upward and rearward of the material receiving end;
• and
• means supporting the material receiving end of the auxiliary conveyor for movement upward and out of the folding path of the discharge end of the main conveyor whereby the discharge end of the main conveyor may be folded down below the material receiving end of the auxiliary conveyor and the material receiving end of the auxiliary conveyor may be folded down adjacent to and over the material discharge end of the main conveyor to thereby lower the clearance height of the vehicle during transportation.

In an excavating and loading system of the type having an excavating wheel assembly with an axle means and three rigid excavating wheels rotatably supported on the axle means, each of said excavating wheels including a plurality of digging buckets each having a cutting edge which extends to a stationary wall and a wall mounted for pivotal movement from a material receiving position to a material dumping position, supporting and housing means extending between the excavating wheels and connected to the axle means for supporting the excavating wheel assembly, said three excavating wheels including a center excavating wheel comprising digging buckets spanning continuously between points immediately adjacent to the supporting and housing means and two side excavating wheels each comprising digging buckets spanning continuously from points immediately adjacent to the supporting and housing means to points defining the outer ends of the excavating wheel assembly, means including a drive mechanism extending through the supporting and housing means for rotating the excavating wheels so that the digging buckets follow a circular path, means located within the margins of the excavating wheel assembly and responsive to rotation of the excavating wheels for positively positioning the movable wall of each bucket of the excavating wheels in the material receiving position when the bucket is in the lower and forward portion of the path and for positively positioning the movable wall in the material dumping position when the bucket is in the upper and rearward portion of the path, a vehicle supporting the excavating wheel supporting and housing means and thereby positioning the excavating wheel assembly at the front of the vehicle in engagement with material to be excavated, main conveyor means mounted on the vehicle behind the excavating wheel assembly for movement around a course including a relatively low portion positioned to receive material from each digging bucket of the center excavating wheel upon the positioning of the movable wall of the bucket in the material dumping position and a relatively high material discharge end portion located rearwardly on the vehicle from the lower portion, means positioned on the vehicle behind the excavating wheel assembly to receive material from each digging bucket of the outside excavating wheels upon the positioning of the movable wall of the bucket in the material dumping position and for directing the material to the main conveyor means, auxiliary conveyor means mounted on the vehicle at the rear of the main conveyor for receiving material from the main conveyor and for delivering and discharging the material beyond the rear of the vehicle, a material receiving end on the auxiliary conveyor positioned under the discharge end of the main conveyor and a discharge end on the auxiliary conveyor positioned upward and rearward of the material receiving end;

• the improvement which comprises:
• support means mounting the discharge end of the main conveyor for folding movement in a path downward and toward the rear;
• and
• support means mounting the material receiving end of the auxiliary conveyor for movement upward and out of the folding path of the discharge end of the main conveyor whereby the discharge end of the main conveyor may be folded down below the material receiving end of the auxiliary conveyor and the material receiving end of the auxiliary conveyor may be rotated down adjacent to and over the material discharge end of the main conveyor to thereby lower the clearance height of the vehicle during transportation.

In an excavating and loading system having in combination an excavating wheel assembly comprising axle means and excavating wheel means rotatably supported on the axle means, said excavating wheel means including a plurality of digging buckets each having a cutting edge which extends to a stationary wall and a wall mounted for pivotal movement from a material receiving position to a material dumping position, supporting and housing means extending from the excavating wheel means and connected to the axle means for supporting the excavating wheel assembly, means including a drive mechanism for rotating the excavating wheel means so that the digging buckets follow and endless path, means located within the margins of the excavating wheel assembly and responsive to rotation of the excavating wheel means for positively positioning a movable wall in a material dumping position when the bucket is in the upper and rearward position of the path, a vehicle having a front and rear end, said excavating wheel means attached at the front whereby the position of the excavating wheel means' engagement with material to be excavated is controlled, main conveyor means mounted on the vehicle behind the excavating wheel assembly for movement around course including a relatively low material receiving portion positioned to receive material from said digging buckets and a material discharge portion positioned relatively high and rearwardly on the vehicle from the material receiving portion, means on the vehicle behind the excavating wheel assembly to transfer materials from the digging buckets to the material receiving portion of the main conveyor means, auxiliary conveyor means mounted on the vehicle at a point to the rear of the main conveyor for movement into and out of a position wherein a material receiving end of the auxiliary conveyor is positioned under the material discharge end of the main conveyor and a material discharge end on the auxiliary conveyor is positioned upward and to the rear of the material receiving end;

• the improvement which comprises:
• support means mounting the material discharge portion of the main conveyor for folding movement in a path downwardly and toward the rear of the vehicle;
• and
• means supporting the material receiving end of the auxiliary conveyor for movement upward and out of the folding path of the discharge end of the main conveyor whereby the discharge end of the main conveyor may be folded down below the material receiving end of the auxiliary conveyor and the material receiving end of the auxiliary conveyor may be rotated down adjacent to and over the material discharge end of the main conveyor to thereby lower the clearance height and reduce the length of the vehicle during transportation.

In an excavating and loading system having in combination a vehicle with a front and rear end, a vehicle having a front and rear end, a frame on the vehicle, an excavating wheel means mounted on the front of the frame, a drive mechanism mounted on the frame for operating the excavating wheel means, a main conveyor positioned behind the excavating wheel means for conveying materials in a direction upward and toward the rear of the vehicle, said conveyor having a material receiving end positioned below and rearward of the excavating wheel means and a material discharge end positioned upward and to the rear of the vehicle frame, means for delivering material from the excavating wheel means to the main conveyor, auxiliary conveyor means mounted on the frame at a point to the rear of the main conveyor for movement into and out of a position for receiving material from the main conveyor and for delivering the material beyond the rear of the vehicle, with a material receiving end of the auxiliary conveyor positioned under the discharge end of the main conveyor and a discharge end on the auxiliary conveyor positioned upward and rearward of the material receiving end;

• the improvement which comprises:
• means mounting the material discharge end of the main conveyor for folding movement in a path downward and toward the rear;
• and
• means supporting the material receiving end of the auxiliary conveyor for movement upward and out of the folding path of the discharge end of the main conveyor;
• whereby the discharge end of the main conveyor may be folded down below the material receiving end of the auxiliary conveyor and the material receiving end of the auxiliary conveyor may be rotated down adjacent to and over the material discharge end of the main conveyor to thereby lower the clearance height and reduce the length of the vehicle during transportation.

An excavating and loading system comprising:

• a vehicle;
• excavating means mounted at one end of the vehicle;
• means for selectively actuating the excavating means to excavate material and to thereafter discharge the excavated material;
• a main conveyor mounted on the vehicle for movement around a normally angularly upwardly inclined course including a lower material receiving portion positioned to receive material discharged from the excavating means and an upper material discharging portion positioned at a remote point on the vehicle from the lower material receiving portion;
• an auxiliary conveyor mounted on the vehicle for movement around a normally angularly upwardly inclined course including a lower material receiving portion normally positioned to receive material from the upper material discharging portion of the main conveyor and an upper material discharging portion located at the opposite end of the auxiliary conveyor from the material receiving portion;
• said material receiving portion of the auxiliary conveyor normally being positioned below the material discharging portion of the main conveyor;
• means for selectively pivoting the auxiliary conveyor about a substantially horizontally disposed axis to move the material receiving portion of the auxiliary conveyor out from under the material discharging portion of the main conveyor;
• means for thereafter pivoting the material discharging portion of the main conveyor substantially downwardly about a horizontal axis to a position located substantially below its normal position;
• and
• said auxiliary conveyor pivoting means also for thereafter pivoting the material receiving portion of the auxiliary conveyor to a position wherein it overlies the material discharging portion of the main conveyor, thereby substantially reducing the overall height of the excavating and loading system.

An excavating and loading system comprising:

• a vehicle having a frame;
• wheel means supporting the vehicle for movement over a surface;
• engine means mounted on the frame of the vehicle;
• excavating wheel means supported on the vehicle at the front of the frame for rotation to receive material;
• main conveyor means mounted on the vehicle for receiving material from the excavating wheel means comprising a material receiving portion and for transporting the material to a predetermined point comprising a material discharge portion;
• auxiliary conveyor means detachably supported on the frame of the vehicle for receiving material from the main conveyor means and for transporting the material to a different point;
• means supporting the auxiliary conveyor means for pivotal movement about a vertical axis;
• a plurality of ballast tanks mounted at spaced points on the frame of the vehicle;
• and
• means selectively directing liquid between the ballast tanks and thereby counterbalancing the weight of the auxiliary conveyor means.