Drop and slide mechanism for use with dunnage conversion machine and method

An apparatus comprising a dunnage conversion machine for converting a stock material into a dunnage product, a stock material support for a supply of stock material to be fed to the dunnage conversion machine, and a drop-and-slide mechanism, where the drop-and-slide mechanism is configured to allow the stock material support to be moved between an operating position and a loading position that is spaced horizontally and vertically from the operating position, where the drop-and-slide mechanism includes a guide member and a slide to which the stock material support is mounted, the slide having a longitudinal axis and being supported by the guide member for movement relative to the guide member in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis, the guide member being rotatable about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the slide such that in the operating position the longitudinal axis of the slide is horizontal and in the loading position the longitudinal axis of the slide lies at an oblique angle to the horizontal.