Conveyor apparatus for conveying stacks of articles

A conveyor apparatus for conveying stacks of bags held on wicket wires, comprising:

• an apparatus frame;
• a plurality of sprocket assemblies mounted in spaced apart relationship on said frame;
• at least one conveyor chain extending about said sprocket assemblies to define a conveyor path of said apparatus;
• a plurality of wicket wire holding assemblies mounted on said conveyor chain at spaced apart intervals for movement along said conveyor path, each of said wire holding assemblies including a pair of support arms for holding a wicket wire for receiving a stack of bags thereon, and an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the spacing between each pair of support arms;
• and
• an adjustment drive for simultaneously operating said adjustment mechanisms, said adjustment drive comprising an adjustment drive chain extending about said sprocket assemblies, one of said sprocket assemblies including a pair of coaxial shafts, one of said coaxial shafts being joined to a respective sprocket in engagement with said adjustment drive chain, and the other of said coaxial shafts being joined to a respective sprocket in engagement with said conveyor chain,
• said adjustment drive including an input element for rotating said one of said coaxial shafts relative to the other, to move said adjustment drive chain relative to said conveyor chain.