US2361131A

US2361131A - Conveyer construction

Info

Publication number: US2361131A
Application number: US451141A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lewis E Smith
Original assignee: International Harverster Corp
Current assignee: Navistar Inc
Priority date: 1942-07-16
Filing date: 1942-07-16
Publication date: 1944-10-24
Anticipated expiration: 1961-10-24

Description

Oct. 24, 1944. E. SMITH CONVEYER CONSTRUCTION Filed July 16, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet l UCL 4%, 1344.

L. E. SMITH CONVEYER CONSTRUCTION Filed July 16, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 24, 1944. L, SMITH 2,361,131

CONVEYER CONS TRUCTION Filed July 16, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Oct. 24, 1944. E l jH 2,361,131

CONVEYER CONSTRUCTION Filed July 16, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Oct. 24, 1944 CONVEYER CONSTRUCTION Lewis E. Smith, Congress Park, 111.. assignor to International Harvester Company, a corporation of New Jersey Application July 16, 1942, Serial No. 451,141

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a conveyer construction. More specifically it relates to an elevator for a potato digger. On a potato digger there is normally provided an elevator which extends upwardly and rearwardly from a digger blade to a certain high point and then downwardly and rearwardly therefrom. ,By the elevator, potatoes dug by the digger blade are transported upwardly and rearwardly and are shaken to remove the dirt and are deposited upon the ground at the rear of the elevator. In some cases it is desirable to have the elevator formed asa continuous conveyer extending the full length of the machine, and in other instances it is desirable that the elevator be formed in separate conveyer sections. Sometimes it is required that the same machine be capable of employing both forms of elevators, and in this case there must be some way of readily transformingflhe drive. The present invention has to do with a driving means by which an elevator formed either as a single continuous conveyer section or as two conveyer sections may be driven.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved conveyer construction.

A further object is the provision of an improved potato digger.

Another object is to provide a driving means capable of quick and easy conversion, whereby both a single continuous conveyer and a pair of conveyer sections may be driven.

Still another object is the provision of driving means for a single continuous conveyer serving as the elevator for a potato digger. Other objects will appear from the disclosure.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a plan view of one form of potato digger of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a ectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a plan view of another form of potato digger of the present invention;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along the line l4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a detail view of a roller employed with the potato digger of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is an exploded view of the roller;

Figure 7 is a detail view of a driving sprocket employed with the potato digger of Figure 1; and

Figure 8 is an exploded view of the driving sprocket.

.In Figures 1 and 2 is illustrated a potato digger which includes an elevator composed of a front conveyer section It extending upwardly and rearwardly from a digger blade, not shown, and a rear conveyer section II. The rear section II is mounted between side sheets I2 which are adjustable about a transverse pivot axis upon which is mounted a transverse driving shaft 13. The transverse shaft 13 is mounted below side sheets 14 between which the front conveyer section I0 is mounted. The rear section of the machine, including the rear conveyer section II, is adjustable with respect to the front section of the machine about the transverse driving shaft l3, and the adjustment is accomplished by means of a rod 15 connected with one side sheet l2 of the rear section and a detent lever I6 mounted upon a post I1 forming a part of the front section of the machine. This is all more fully shown in the patent to Gronke et a1. 1,673,193, June 12, 1928, and forms no part of the present invention. The drive of the elevator sections l0 and II originates with a power take-off shaft I8 extending from a source of power which may be a tractor drawing the digger. The power take-off shaft l8 extends into a gear box l9 and drives by means, not shown, a transverse shaft 20 upon which is secured a sprocket 2|. The sprocket 2| drives a chain 22 which in turn drives a sprocket 23 secured upon one end of the transverse shaft I3. Upon the other end of the shaft I3 is secured a sprocket 24 which drives a sprocket chain 25, which in turn drives a sprocket 26 secured to a transverse driven shaft 21 positioned at the rear end of the conveyer section II. Secured to the driven shaft 21 are sprockets 28 and 29 which drive the conveyer section ll from its rear end. The front conveyer section I0 is driven by a pair of sprockets 30 secured to the transverse driving shaft 13.

Figures 7 and 8 show each sprocket 30 to be formed of a pair of hub sections 31 and a pair of rim sections 32. Each hub section 3| has a boltreceiving portion 33. The bolt-receiving portions fit together, as shown in Figure 7, and receive bolts 34 to the ends of which are secured nuts 35 for holding the hub sections 3| together. The

" hub sections are keyed upon the driving shaft I3 by a key 36. The outer portion 31 of each hub section 3| is reduced in thickness and thus there is a shoulder 38 formed. The outer portion 31 receives a narrow portion 39 of the rim section 32, the rim section 32 being secured to the narrow portions of the narrow sections 3| by bolts and nut 40. Each rim section 32 has a wide portion 4| which has teeth 42 formed thereon. When the rim sections 32 are bolted to the hub sections 3|, and the hub sections 3| are secured upon the transverse driving shaft |3 by the bolts 34 and nuts 35, a completed driving sprocket 30 i secured upon the shaft |3. Thus, in the potato digger of Figures 1 and 2, there are provided two conveyer sections l and II, the rear section I! being driven by

sprockets

28 and 29 secured upon the driven shaft 21 positioned at the very rear end of the digger, and the front section In being driven by the sprockets 30 secured upon the transverse driving shaft |3.

It is sometimes desirable to convert the digger of Figures 1 and 2 having two separate conveyer sections to the form shown in Figure 4 provided with a single conveyer 43 extending the full length of the digger. Such a conveyer is driven entirely by the transverse driven shaft at the rear end of the digger and the

sprockets

28 and 29 secured upon the shaft. In this case, the drive originates with the power take-off shaft |8 and goes through the gear box l9, stub shaft extending from the gear box, sprocket 2| secured upon the stub shaft 20, the sprocket chain 22, the sprocket 23, and the transverse shaft |3. The transverse shaft l3 drives the sprocket 24, which in turn drives the sprocket chain driving the sprocket 26 secured to the transverse shaft 21. This general arrangement and drive is shown in the copending application of Lewis E. Smith, Serial No. 335,432, filed May 16, 1940. In the arrangement shown in that application, the transverse driving shaft |3 has mounted thereon sprockets which mesh with the intermediate section of the elevator 43 but are not secured to the transverse shaft so that they do not transmit any drive from the shaft to the intermediate portion of the sprocket. The construction of the present application differs from that of copending Smith application in that rollers 44 are substituted for sprockets. A pair of these rollers 44 is secured upon the transverse driving shaft l3 and each roller is formed as indicated in Figures 5 and 6. According to Figure 5, each roller comprises a pair of hub sections identical with those of the sprocket 30 of Figures '7 and 8, and a pair of rim sections 45. Each rim section 45 has a narrow portion 46 adapted to be secured by bolts and nuts 40 to the narrow portion 31 of the hub section 3|. Each rim section 45 is also provided with a wide portion 41 which is smooth and semicircular on its exterior. When the hub sections 3| are secured to one another upon the transverse driving shaft l3, and the rim sections 45 are bolted to the hub sections 3|, there is formed a complete roller 44 secured to the transverse drive shaft l3. Since the rim sections 45 are smooth and circular, they have rolling contact with the conveyer 43 and do not drive it. Thus. the entire drive of the conveyer is carried out by the transverse driven shaft 21 and the

sprockets

28 and 29 at the rear end of the conveyer. The rollers 44, secured upon the transverse driving shaft l3 and having no driving engagement with the elevator 43, are of advantage over the construction of the copending Smith application according to which sprockets meshing with the coneyer are freely mounted for rotation with respect thereto. It has been described that in the construction of the copending Smith application there was wear between the sprockets and the shaft due to relative rotation therebetween. In the present application, there is no wear between the rollers and the transverse driving shaft l3 due to relative rotation, since the rollers are keyed to the shaft and there is very little wear between the rollers and the conveyer 43 resting upon them.

When the digger of Figures 1 and 2 is to be converted to that of Figures 3 and 4, not only is the single continuous conveyer 43 substituted for the conveyer sections l0 and II but also the rim sections 32 having the sprocket teeth 42 are unbolted from the hub sections 3|, and the rim sections 45 are substituted therefor. This arrangement involving detachable rim sections is of great advantage, since it enables a change in form from a sprocket to a roller without the removal of a sprocket and the putting on of a roller, which would require removal of the transverse driving shaft I3.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that a new and novel driving means for a potato digger elevator has been provided. This means includes a sprocket mounted upon a drive shaft, which sprocket is provided with detachable rim sections so that smooth circular rim sections may be substituted for the conversion of the sprocket to a roller in order that no drive will be transmitted to a conveyer at this point. Thus, when a single continuous conveyer is substituted for two separate conveyer sections, drive is withdrawn from one point of the machine by the transformation of the sprocket into a roller so that drive is introduced into the single continuous conveyer at only one point.

The use of roller sections upon the transverse driving shaft is novel insofar as it provides a means of supporting a mid-portion of the single continuous elevator without driving it as a substitute for sprockets meshing with the mid-portion of the elevator but without driving engagement with the transverse driving shaft.

It is the intention to limit the invention only within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a digger including a frame comprising a front section and a rear section adjustably connected to the front section on a transverse pivot axis, a continuous elevator extending the length of both sections, and a source of power, the combination therewith of a drive shaft positioned on the pivot axis of the frame sections and driven by the source of power, and means driven by the drive shaft and driving the elevator by engagement with the rear end thereof, and hub means secured to the drive shaft for supporting a certain rim secured thereto, the rim being readily removable, whereby an alternate type of rim may be easily substituted for modifying the machine.

2. In a digger including a frame comprising a front section and a rear section adjustably connected to the front section on a transverse pivot axis, a continuous elevator extending the length of both sections, and a source of power, the combination therewith of a drive shaft positioned on the pivot axis of the frame sections and extending across the elevator, means connecting the source of power and a point on the drive shaft at one side of the elevator for driving the elevator, means connecting a point on the drive shaft at the other side of the elevator and the rear end of the elevator, and a pair of spaced members secured to the drive shaft for supporting an intermediate portion of the elevator, said spaced members each including a pair of clamp hub sections and a detachably secured outer rim for contact with the elevator, whereby the outer rim may be any one of several types depending on the use desired.

3. In a digger including a, frame comprising a front section and a rear section adjustably connected to the front section on a transverse pivot axis, a continuous elevator extending the length of both sections, and a source of power, the combination therewith of a drive shaft positioned on the pivot axis of the frame sections and driven by the source of power, and means driven by the drive shaft and driving the elevator by engagement with the rear end thereof, and a. pair of spaced supporting means secured to the drive shaft supporting an intermediate portion of the elevator, each supporting means comprising a hub secured to the drive shaft and a pair of smooth rim segments detachably secured to the hub, whereby a toothed type of rim may be easily substituted for the smooth rim on the hub.

LEWIS E. SMITH.