Abstract: A loading apparatus and method including a stacker conveyor having paired crawler tracks, an inclined conveyor, and an intake end and a discharge end. A wide apron is positioned at the intake end of the conveyor. The apron includes a left-hand side and right-hand side load receiving area that are arranged on opposing sides of the feeder conveyor. Two double hinged feeder blades are positioned at a rear edge of the apron. The feeder blades are arranged to operate asynchronously. Each feeder blade includes a main blade and a wing blade. A straight mechanical drive unit including an engine and two planetary gearboxes that generate the torque required to drive the conveyor. The drive unit includes a torque converter and two planetary gearboxes with planetary sprockets. A chain extends between each planetary sprocket and a corresponding head shaft sprocket on a main head shaft which drives the conveyor.

Abstract: A crop pick-up head for use with a harvesting machine to collect and separate a crop from a continuous paper tray on which the crop has been placed. The pick-up head has a support frame attached to the front of the harvesting machine, a fork to lift the paper tray, a guide plate positioned above the fork for the paper tray to slide between, a forward brush that pushes the crop off of the paper tray and onto the guide plate, a pulling mechanism to pull the paper tray and a conveying mechanism that receives the crop and conveys it to a bin. The pulling mechanism can comprise a roller, brush and mechanism to direct the paper tray between the roller and brush. The conveying mechanism can comprise a tube configured to receive the crop and a source of pressurized air to convey the crop to the bin.

Abstract: A conveying system for heavy material such as overburden that contains large rocks as well as small rocks and dirt. The system has a feed system using two blades that rotate over an apron to push material onto the conveyor and a transition assembly between conveyors that lessens the impact of large rock as it drops from one conveyor onto the next conveyor.

Abstract: Apparatus for gathering particulate material in mines and similar plants has a mobile platform which collects particulate material and surrounds the trailing end of a material removing conveyor. The sides of the trailing end of the conveyor are flanked by plate-like carriers on each of which are fixed several beams serving to push gathered material toward and onto the conveyor in response to movement of the carriers toward the conveyor. The carriers are movable toward and away from the conveyor by motors which are installed beneath the platform, and the apparatus further employs stationary or reciprocable barriers, one behind each beam, which prevent the beams from pushing material away from the conveyor during return strokes of the carriers. Those ends of the beams and barriers which face in the direction of forward movement of the platform slope forwardly and downwardly to facilitate penetration beneath the accumulations of particulate material on the platform.

Abstract: A loading apparatus comprises a ramp defining a loading surface and a pair of loading blades each having a triangular cross-section with a nearly perpendicular front face and a shallow inclined rear face relative to a desired delivery direction for material collecting on the loading surface. The blades are oscillated back and forth about upstanding pivot axes relative to the loading surface. Between the blades is a component or some other means defining a step with a similar configuration to the blades with a steep front face relative to the delivery direction and a shallow inclined rear face. The step defining means assists the blades in the loading work.

Abstract: A loading mechanism operating on a loading apron of a tunnel and gallery excavator or the like comprises an eccentric-carrying crank disk, a crank lever, a shear rake, and a link. The eccentric-carrying crank disk is rotatable about its axis in a single direction of rotation, and the crank lever is connected to an eccentric pivot on the eccentric-carrying crank disk. The crank lever is pivotally connected by a lever arm to the link, which is attached pivotally to the apron behind the eccentric-carrying crank disk with respect to the forward direction of travel of the tunnel and gallery excavator. The shear rake is constructed as a bent lever with a raking arm and a controlling arm and at the vertex of the angle formed between the raking arm and the shear rake is mounted on the eccentric pivot with a vertex joint.

Abstract: An improved material gathering device is for a mining machine or the like of the type which includes a mobile body supporting a mining head at a forward end thereof for dislodging material from a mine face. A gathering platform is on the mobile body adjacent and below the mining head for receipt of the dislodged material thereon. An endless conveyor extends longitudinally of the mobile body to convey the dislodged material away from the forward end to the rearward end of the mobile body. A pair of oscillating arms are on transversely opposite sides of the gathering platform and are driven by a gear train including a transversely extending shaft to cause the arms to feed the dislodged material onto the endless conveyor. The endless conveyor includes a sprocket and drive shaft at a forward end thereof to cause the endless conveyor to extend into the gathering platform to terminate near a forward edge thereof.

Abstract: In a drive arrangement for the loading arms (5) of a loading ramp for a heading machine or longwall shearing machine, each loading arm (5) is rotatably supported in off-center position on a rotary disc (7) and extended beyond its axis of rotation (6) by guide arm (10) arranged so as to swivel around a bearing point on one end of a steering lever (11). The heading machine or longwall shearing machine has--for broadening its loading ramp--laterally outwardly swivellable parts (2) having arranged thereon, in a manner preventing angular movement, an arm (14) extending beyond the pivotal axis (4) of the extendible part (2). For automatic adaptation of the removal width of the loading arms (5) to the selected working width of the loading ramp, the other end of the steering lever (11) is hinged to the free end of the arm (14) connected with the outwardly swivellable part (2).

Abstract: The loading ramp (1) of a heading machine or longwall shearing machine has swivelable loading arms by means of which the cut material is removed onto a conveying means. The surface of the loading ramp (1) can be increased by outwardly swivelling of parts (2). The loading arms (5) are driven by using a pivotal point (6) on a rotary disc (7), noting that a further swivel point (12) is provided outwardly of the circle described by a rotary pivotal point (6) on the rotary disc. The loading arm (5) is guided in a shiftable manner at the swivel point (12) and sweeps when driving the rotary disc (7) over a removal area (15, 18) defined by the relative position of the pivotal point (6) and the swivel point (12). The swivel point (12) is connected with the laterally extendable part (2) and is displaced together with the laterally extendable part (2) thus varying the removal area (15, 18).

Abstract: Apparatus for lifting produce-filled cartons from an agricultural field. A main frame has a pickup device at its forward end, comprising a pair of rotating facing discs on two generally vertical converging planes with high friction faces for engaging the carton side walls. A gripping device behind the pickup device comprises a substantially coplanar pair of rotatable yieldable tired wheels facing each other and inclined rearwardly upwardly, the tires providing high friction surfaces for engaging the carton side walls. The gripping device is located so that it positively takes away the carton from the pickup device and supports it while conveying it rearwardly and upwardly to a conveyor means that moves the carton upwardly and rearwardly therefrom.

Abstract: A mining machine includes a mobile body and an endless conveyor for conveying rearwardly on the body the material dislodged by the mining machine. A gathering platform extends forwardly from the conveyor. Oscillating gathering arms positioned laterally of the receiving end of the conveyor on the gathering platform feed the dislodged material rearwardly on the gathering platform. A plow-like forward edge portion extends transversely across the front of the gathering platform and opposite side portions extend rearwardly from the forward edge portion. Deflector plates are pivotally mounted on the gathering platform adjacent the opposite side portions at the gathering platform forward edge portion to deflect the loose material deposited on the mine floor along the mine wall onto the gathering platform. The deflector plates are biased laterally outwardly from the forward edge portion toward stops mounted on the gathering platform which limit their outward pivotal movement.

Abstract: An improved front-end loader apparatus for collecting particulate material on a roadway surface comprising a frame assembly drivingly supported on the roadway, a windrow formation assembly supported at the forward end of the frame assembly for brushing particulate material into a windrow, and a feeder assembly disposed to engage the windrowed material up and onto a roadway scraper blade supported at the forward end of the frame assembly. An elevator assembly is disposed to receive the particulate material from the feeder assembly and elevate the material to a rear overhead discharge position. A residual material cleaning assembly is supported beneath the frame assembly and rearward to the feeder assembly for cleaning up residual material not collected by the feeder assembly, the residual material cleaning assembly directing the residual material to the elevator assembly so that the residual material is elevated to the rear overhead discharge position.

Abstract: A cutting machine includes an endless conveyor and a loading ramp having movable loading arms which continuously shift the cut material in an upward direction of the loading ramp to conveyor. The rear deflector wheel of the conveyor is driven by a squirrel-cage motor, and the drive of the loading arms is, via the conveyor derived from the front deflector wheel. A slipper clutch is interpositioned within the drive between the motor and the loading arms, and the slide torque of the slipper clutch as reduced to the motor shaft, exceeds the breakdown torque of the squirrel-cage motor.

Abstract: Loading equipment for particulate material comprising a working deck and angularly displaceable paddles mounted for repeated to and fro movement about pivotal axes along a portion of the working deck to urge the particulate material over the deck, each paddle being seen as a sector of a circle when viewed along the pivotal axis.

Abstract: A mining machine for dislodging solid material from a mine face includes a body portion mounted on endless tracks and a boom member extending forwardly from the body portion with a cutter drum member rotatably mounted on the front end of the boom member. An endless conveyor mechanism is positioned in a longitudinal trough member and conveys dislodged material from the front of the mining machine. A gathering platform extends forwardly from the body portion and the conveyor mechanism and is positioned rearwardly of the cutter drum member. A plurality of rotatably mounted gathering disc members are positioned rearwardly of the forward transverse edge portion on the gathering platform. The gathering discs include a first pair of large discs that are positioned oppositely of the longitudinal axis of the conveyor mechanism. A second pair of smaller gathering discs are positioned laterally of the large gathering discs adjacent the lateral edge portions of the conveying platform.

Abstract: The invention relates to gathering arms for a mining machine to operate in conjunction with a forwardly extending apron to sweep mined material across the apron where it can be transferred by a conveyor to the rear of the machine. Although a single gathering arm is envisaged, preferably two are provided which are hydraulically operated by means of two pairs of piston and cylinder devices arranged to extend and retract the arms and sweep them between inboard and outboard positions after the style of extendable windscreen wiper blades, the arms being extended during a work sweep and retracted during a return sweep. The invention also extends to a hydraulic circuit for operating the arms largely automatically in synchronism and to a mining machine fitted with such arms.