Abstract: A lid loading and conveying assembly includes a carousel having an indexing plate with a plurality of pairs of tubes connected therearound for holding a plurality of stacks of lids therein; a rotatable support for rotationally supporting the carousel plate so that the stacks of lids can be sequentially indexed to a removal position; a plurality of spin rods for holding at least one stack of lids removed from the carousel tubes; an optical sensor which senses when the amount of lids on the spin rods is below a predetermined level; and a pusher assembly for conveying a stack of lids from the tubes at the removal position to the spin rods in response to the optical sesnor, the pusher assembly including a constrainment assembly at opposite ends of each stack of lids at the removal position for holding the stack of lids together as a unit in a slightly compressed form during the pushing operation from the carousel tubes to the spin rods, the constrainment assembly including an actuable gate at the lower end of the