Abstract: The cambered truss header is embodied in a shoring apparatus for pouring substantially horizontal concrete building sections. The truss header extends between and is supported on end runners which may be carried on floor-supported legs or on hangers mounted on upright building sections. A truss header may consist of a truss span having a top chord member, a bottom chord member, and a plurality of like brace members interconnecting the chord members. The brace members form an open web pattern wherein adjacent brace members are reversely inclined with the plurality of apices being connected to the top chord members a spaced apart distance greater than the spaced apart distance between the apices of the bottom chord member. The truss header is thus provided with a camber which tends to assume a horizontal position in response to a load placed on the truss header by the horizontal concrete building section.

Abstract: The soil sampler device has a cylindrical tubular shaped body member, one end portion of which is formed into a soil receiving section comprised of a pair of transversely opposite semicylindrically shaped half members one of which is integral with the body member and the other of which is cut from the body member for movable support thereon into and out of a cylinder forming relation with the integral or stationary half member. The movable member is guided into the cylinder forming relation with the stationary member on ground insertion of the device and such relation is maintained by the pressure applied on a footrest projected laterally from the movable member. An inlet opening of reduced diameter for the soil receiving section provides for a friction free travel of the soil sample material throughout the length of such section, with the sample being removed for testing by merely being dropped from the stationary member when the movable member is out of the cylinder forming relation.

Abstract: A control mechanism for selectively positioning an upright earth working tool carried by a portable vehicle having a source of pressurized hydraulic fluid. The control mechanism includes a shaft rotatably carried on a horizontal base plate at the front end of the vehicle, and pivotally connected to a carrier member for the earth working tool for tilting movement of the carrier member laterally of the vehicle. A first hydraulic cylinder assembly for longitudinally tilting the working tool is pivotally connected at its rearward end on the shaft and at its forward end to the carrier member. A second hydraulic cylinder assembly for tilting the carrier member transversely of the vehicle has one end pivotally mounted on the base plate and is pivotally mounted at its other end to the shaft so that on rotation of the shaft the carrier member is tilted transversely.

Abstract: A reel drive mechanism for use with a reel handling apparatus having a pair of lift arms carried by a vehicle for portable transportation. The reel driving mechanism includes a base frame upon which is mounted an upright roller drive assembly pivotal about an axis transverse to the vehicle. An upper drive roller and a lower drive roller are supported by the upright roller assembly and are rotatable about axes parallel to said transverse axis with the upper roller arranged forwardly of the lower roller. The reel handling apparatus may drivably engage the peripheral surface of a single larger reel or a pair of smaller reels upon the rollers. The upright roller assembly pivots to maintain frictional engagement of both rollers with the reel supported by the reel handling apparatus.

Abstract: A climbing form for progressively raising a form assembly in the construction of a concrete wall comprises has a support frame that adjustably carries a mast form unit, a main mast assembled with the frame for relative up and down movement, and a jib mast, equipped with a lifting means, extended upwardly from the main mast. A carriage within the main mast is releasably locked to the frame when the main mast is moved relative to the frame, and is releasable for up and down movement within the upper section of the main mast to raise and lower a jib form unit. A reversible nut and shaft drive means has the shaft rotatably supported in the mast upper section with the nut mounted on the carriage. With the lower section of the mast secured to the wall, and the frame and carriage in locked engagement, the drive means operates to raise the frame and carriage relative to the main mast to a new pouring position for the mast form unit.

Abstract: The chain gate has a pair of reversely inclined end posts which extend upwardly in a diverging relation and movably support the ends of a plurality of chain members extended therebetween. When the chain gate is in a gateway closing position the chain members are in a vertically spaced relation and in a gateway opening position the chain members form a mass on the ground surface between the end posts. The adjacent ends of the chain members are interconnected by a flexible actuating member so that on closing upward movement of the chain members from lowered ground positions the opposite ends of each chain member are concurrently moved upwardly so as to sequentially move the chain members to their horizontally extended vertically spaced relation defining the gate closing position. The chain members vary in length relative to the reversed inclination of the end posts so as to be drawn taut between the end posts in the gate closing position. The chain gate may be opened or closed either mechanically or manually.

Abstract: Separable mold sections of a tire forming machine are brought together to form a tire cavity within which a preformed tire band is continuously expandable toward and against the inner surface of the cavity side wall. During the tire shaping operation, air is forced by the expanding tire band from the cavity and into the atmosphere through vents having vent opening and closing valve units. As the expanding tire band moves into conforming engagement with the inner surface of the cavity side wall, the final residual air in the cavity is forced therefrom concurrently with the valve units at the terminal cavity ends of the vents being engaged and moved by the expanding tire band to vent closing positions wherein the velve units form a smooth surface continuous with the inner surface of the tire cavity.This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 363,037, filed Mar. 29, 1982, now abandoned, which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 181,461, filed Aug. 20, 1980, now issued as U.S. Pat.

Abstract: The cutter head is adapted to cut material such as wood, frozen meat, vegetables and the like into pieces of predetermined length, width and thickness. The cutter head has a rotor body of a cylindrical shape formed with at least one axially extended piece-receiving cavity that has a leading side; and a knife unit that includes a mounting section with a knife section projected outwardly from a flat side of the mounting section. The knife section has a flat leading side and a flat trailing side which intersect at an acute angle to form a cutting edge. The knife unit is supported in the rotor body with the flat side of the mounting section in a plane parallel to a plane extended diametrically of the rotor body and through the cutting edge when the leading side of the knife section is arranged opposite the leading side of the piece-receiving cavity.

Abstract: A material feed control mechanism for a wood or brush chipper having an upright stop gate vertically movable to a material obstructing position extended transversely across and within the feed housing, and forwardly of the cutter to a material non-obstructing position projected upwardly from the housing. A latch assembly for releasably holding the stop gate in the material non-obstructing position associated with a release mechanism actuated by a lever system operable independently by any one of a plurality of handles one of which is arranged forwardly of the feed housing and a pair of which are located at opposite sides of the feed housing, to permit the fall of the gate to the material obstructing position therefor.

Abstract: A hydraulic fan control for controlling air ventilation in a building having a plurality of fans operated by associated hydraulic motors which are connected in parallel and driven by a single pump and electric motor unit through a hydraulic fluid circuit. The speed of the fans is proportional to the volume of fluid flowing through the associated hydraulic motors per unit time, i.e., the rate of fluid flow. The volume of fluid is regulated by a shunt flow divider valve included in the hydraulic circuit and connected in parallel with the hydraulic motors. The shunt flow divider valve is in turn controlled by an electrical drive circuit responsive to variations in the ambient temperature of the air in the building.

Abstract: The golf practice driving apparatus is adapted for individual home use or for use commercially on a driving range. The apparatus has a ball supply container from which the balls are individually fed to a movable ball transfer member that in a first moved position receives a ball, and in a second moved position, delivers the ball to a teed position on a tee member. The tee member is movable between a ball receiving position and a ball driving position and is interconnected with the transfer member by a releasable locking means so that the weight of a ball in a teed position depresses the tee member to release the transfer member for movement from the second position to the first position therefor, wherein the transfer member is locked to receive a ball from the ball container and the teed ball is fully exposed for driving. When the teed ball is driven, the tee member is movable to concurrently release the transfer member for movement to the second position therefor.

Abstract: A process for pelletizing limestone or other fines into pellets, having controlled properties of hardness and liquid dispersion, by the addition of a suitable binder and water to form a cohesive plastic mix and by extrusion at relatively low pressures through a plurality of orifices in a specially designed die plate. The orifices in the plate are of a predetermined length relative to the thickness of the die plate. Each orifice in the die plate is formed at the inlet end thereof with a compacting zone in which the mix is compacted as it enters the orifice, a zone in which the mix is subjected to a damped flow and high longitudinal stresses, and a zone on leaving the orifice so as to effect microstructure cracks in the surface of the extruded product. The product is vibrated or tumbled for breaking at the surface cracks therein into pellets of a substantially uniform size and is subsequently dried under controlled temperature and time conditions in order to enhance hardness and dispersibility characteristics.

Abstract: An automated, tiered, egg collecting system and method for tiered confinement cage rows for poultry in which each row of confinement cages has a cage-row conveyor for delivering eggs to an end of the cage row. Under the teaching of the invention, a vertically movable, horizontally extended transport conveyor is oriented transversely of the cage row conveyors and adjacent the egg-delivery ends thereof for movement up and down to a plurality of pre-selected, egg-receiving positions. The vertically movable conveyor carries a hydraulically operated motor and drive shaft which provides driving power to each of the cage row conveyors only during the period of time when the vertically movable conveyor is in an egg-receiving position with respect to a tier of cage row conveyors. The drive motor is coupled with a drive shaft on a cage row conveyor through coacting mechanical means as a function of the position of the vertically movable conveyor relative to the delivery ends of a tier of row conveyors.