Abstract: A dispersing apparatus (10, 110, 210) uniformly disperses a stream of material pieces, such as wood chips, into a storage area (84) from an overhead feeding channel in order to achieve efficient and compact accumulation of the material pieces in the storage area (84). The dispersing apparatus (10, 110, 210) is detachably mounted to the feeding channel and has an impeller (18, 118) with a plurality of impeller blades (22a-22d; 122a-122d) for rotating through the stream of wood chips for transversely engaging the same. As a result, the wood chips are propelled outwardly from the feeding channel and uniformly toward the storage area (84). A first impeller (18) is shaped in the form of a cone configuration and is utilized to project material pieces outwardly and downwardly from the feeding channel. A second impeller (118) has a dish (128) with a concave deflection surface (132) for directing the material pieces outwardly and upwardly from the feeding channel.

Abstract: An apparatus for gripping and lifting closely packaged objects formed in rows and adjacent one another having a main horizontal beam, end gripper units adjustable through power means and self-positioning cross gripper units intermediate the end grippers. The grippers having elongated fingers which depend from the gripper units are powered toward the object to grip it and powered away from the object to release it. The objects are shaped and positioned to form spaces therebetween even when tangent to one another.