Bulk material bed with improved conveyor
AssigneeTrinity Trailer Mfg., Inc.
InventorsPeter L. Eisenman, James C. Miller, Ren Barry Bai
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A self-unloading bed includes a conveyor with chain bars that are strong, light-weight and non-damaging to the floor upon which the conveyor slides. The preferred chain bar is an elongated bar with two legs, each of said two legs having a foot. The feet extend away from the leading (unloading) direction, the transition from leg to foot being formed by smooth bends, so that no sharp edges exist that would gouge into the floor as the chain bar moves across the floor. The preferred chain bar, made of a single metal bar with four longitudinal bends, is extremely strong for its weight, and it unlikely to bend or gouge into the floor during use.
Claims10
A conveyor for a self-unloading bulk material bed, the conveyor comprising:
- two chains generally parallel to each other and adapted to be moved in an unloading direction;
- a chain bar extending between, and connected to, portions of said two chains, the chain bar having a main body, two legs extending from said main body, and a foot extending from each leg, said foot of each leg extending away from the unloading direction;
- a floor on which each foot of the chain rests and slides relative to the floor in said unloading direction;
- and
- a belt flap connected to said chain bar and adapted to lie generally parallel to said floor for carrying bulk material in the unloading direction to exit the bed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.