633,887. Endless-chain conveyers; rotary elevators. NEW HOLLAND MACHINE CO., and NOLT, E. B. June 23, 1947, No. 16498. Convention date, March 9, 1944. [Class 78 (i)) Hay or the like is fed to a trough-like structure on a baling machine enclosing a conveyer by means of feed wheels 112, 114, Fig. 17, of star-like section carried by shaft members 108, 109, Fig. 7, journalled on each side of the receiving end of the trough and rotatably driven towards each other for engaging hay and advancing it into the trough, the conveyer comprising members disposed in vertical planes extending between and operating in timed relation to the feed wheels for advancing the hay through the trough from the feed wheels. Gathering mechanism is mounted on side bars 12 pivoted at 14 to the chassis, the outer ends of which support a rotary gatherer 16, which consists of a multiplicity of frame members 17, Fig. 11, extending from a central tube 18 to end frames 19. These frames 19 are interconnected at their comers by tie bars 20 which carry gathering fingers 21, Figs. 11 and 17, each of which is provided with a series arranged coil spring 22 adapted to impart sufficient yieldability to the fingers while ensuring adequate rigidity thereof for performing the hay gathering operations. Curved strips 24 provide a comb through which the fingers 21 project into a space bounded by strips 30, strips 24 and 30 being suitably secured to the gatherer frame at one end and trough-like guide 27 at the other end. Side plates 29 are supported by members 28 carried by bars 12. The complete gatherer frame may be elevated, Fig. 3, about pivots 14 or may be lowered when it is supported by wheels 34, the weight of the gatherer being balanced by springs 40, 43, 44. The frame can be locked in the raised position by means of a notch 47 in a latch bar 46 engaging a pin 49 carried by a bracket 50 attached to the chassis. The gatherer is driven from a motor on the chassis coupled to a shaft 15 on which the tube 18 is mounted. The motor also drives through a belt 63, Fig. 17, a shaft 65 on which are mounted sprockets 82b, 83b, 121. Sprockets 82b, 83b are situated at the delivery end of endless conveying chains 82, 83 which pass over them and over idlers 82a, 83a at their receiving end, somewhat in advance of star wheels 112, 114. Chains 82, 83 operate in long channels, each within protective housings provided by longitudinally extending plates 93, 94 supported from the chassis by transverse means 95 engaging over the side frames of the troughlike casing 27, and carry pairs of fingers 84, 85, each pair of fingers, e.g. pair 84, being spaced by a bridge 84a, Figs. 13, 14, 15, the fingers terminating in hub portions 84b aligned on opposite sides of the coacting chain for the passage of a bolt member 84c through them and through links of the chain 82, through a central spacer 82a and through rollers 117 at opposite ends of the assembly. The fingers also have integrally connected control members 84d extending at right angles to the fingers from the hub portions 84b, each supporting a stub bolt 84e on which are mounted roller members 118. On the upper return run of the chains 82, 83, the fingers rest horizontally, Fig. 14, supported by bridges 84a. On passing over sprockets 82a, 83a the fingers are thrown into depending position, Fig. 5, and are retained in this position by means of the rollers 117, 118, engaging guide rails 93a, 94a, Fig. 7, on the plates 93, 94 until they reach the end sprockets 82b, 83b when they again rest flat against the chains. Chains 82, 83 are tensioned by means of nut and bolt members 89, Fig. 17, acting on bearings 87 of a shaft 86 on which idlers 82a, 83a are mounted, and by a further bolt 90 and nut 92 acting on the. middle of shaft 86, bearings 87 being slidable in slots in plates 93, 94. A coupling chain 120 connects sprocket 121 on shaft 65 with a sprocket 102 on a shaft 101 which projects on either side of plates 93, 94 and terminates in bevels 103, 104 at opposite ends which mesh with bevels 106, 107 on vertical shafts 108, 109 supporting star wheels 112, 114. A ramp 119, Fig. 5, prevents damage to shaft 101 in case the control members 84d fall below this level owing to insufficient tension in chains 82, 83. Driving belt 63 is subject to slippage to prevent damage to the conveyer mechanism in case of possible obstructions.