Quick-change attachment for material transfer vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10337153-B2
Application number	US-201815984574-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 21, 2018
Priority date	Jun 1, 2017
Publication date	Jul 2, 2019
Grant date	Jul 2, 2019

Abstract

A material transfer vehicle includes a loading conveyor and a loading component (such as a truck-receiving hopper component or a windrow pick-up component) that is adapted to be removably attached to the lower end of the loading conveyor. The loading conveyor has a right guide plate on the right side of the lower end and a left guide plate on the left side of the lower end. The loading component has a right guide bracket that is adapted to align with and engage the right guide plate of the loading conveyor, and a left guide bracket that is adapted to align with and engage the left guide plate of the loading conveyor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A material transfer vehicle comprising:
(a) a loading conveyor including:
(i) a lower end with a right side and a left side;
(ii) a transverse auger at the lower end of the loading conveyor, said transverse auger having a right end and a left end;
(iii) a right guide plate on the right side of the lower end, said right guide plate supporting the right end of the transverse auger;
(iv) a left guide plate on the left side of the lower end, said left guide plate supporting the left end of the transverse auger;

(b) a loading component that is adapted to be removably attached to the lower end of the loading conveyor, said loading component including:
(i) a right guide bracket that is adapted to align with and engage the right guide plate of the loading conveyor;
(ii) a left guide bracket that is adapted to align with and engage the left guide plate of the loading conveyor.

2. The material transfer vehicle of claim 1 wherein the loading component is selected from the group consisting of a truck-receiving hopper component and a windrow pick-up component.

3. The material transfer vehicle of claim 1 :
(a) wherein the lower end of the loading conveyor has a left sidewall with a left fastener hole therein;
(b) wherein the lower end of the loading conveyor has a right sidewall with a right fastener hole therein;
(c) wherein the loading component has a left side with a left fastener hole therein that is adapted to be aligned with the left fastener hole in the left sidewall of the lower end of the loading conveyor;
(d) wherein the loading component has a right side with a right fastener hole therein that is adapted to be aligned with the right fastener hole in the right sidewall of the lower end of the loading conveyor.

4. The material transfer vehicle of claim 1 :
(a) wherein the lower end of the loading conveyor has a left sidewall with a plurality of left fastener holes therein;
(b) wherein the lower end of the loading conveyor has a right sidewall with a plurality of right fastener holes therein;
(c) wherein the loading component has a left side with a plurality of left fastener holes therein, each of which is adapted to be aligned with one of the plurality of left fastener holes in the left sidewall of the lower end of the loading conveyor;
(d) wherein the loading component has a right side with a plurality right fastener holes therein, each of which is adapted to be aligned with one of the plurality of right fastener holes in the right sidewall of the lower end of the loading conveyor.

5. The material transfer vehicle of claim 1 which includes:
(a) a right side wheel on the right side of the lower end of the loading conveyor, said right side wheel being adapted to roll along a roadway surface; and
(b) a left side wheel on the left side of the lower end of the loading conveyor, said left side wheel being adapted to roll along the roadway surface.

6. A material transfer vehicle comprising:
a loading conveyor including a lower end with a right side and a left side and further comprising:
(i) a right guide plate on the right side of the lower end, said right guide plate including a right alignment bracket having a right alignment bracket fastener hole;
(ii) a right sidewall adjacent the right guide plate, said right sidewall including a loading conveyor fastener hole;
(iii) a left guide plate on the left side of the lower end, said left guide plate including a left alignment bracket having a left alignment bracket fastener hole;
(iv) a left sidewall adjacent the left guide plate, said left sidewall including a loading conveyor fastener hole;

(b) a loading component that is adapted to be removably attached to the lower end of the loading conveyor, said loading component including:
(i) a right sidewall including a loading component fastener hole;
(ii) a right guide bracket that is adjacent to the right sidewall, said right guide bracket being adapted to align with and engage the right guide plate of the loading conveyor, said right guide bracket including a right alignment tab having a right alignment tab fastener hole, said right alignment tab being adapted to align with the right alignment bracket on the right guide plate of the loading conveyor so that a right side fastener may be connected between the right alignment bracket fastener hole on the right alignment bracket and the right alignment tab fastener hole and tightened to move the loading component with respect to the lower end of the loading conveyor until the fastener hole in the right sidewall of the lower end of the loading conveyor is aligned with the loading component fastener hole in the right sidewall of the loading component;
(iii) a left sidewall including a loading component fastener hole;
(iv) a left guide bracket that is adjacent to the left sidewall, said left guide bracket being adapted to align with and engage the left guide plate of the loading conveyor, said left guide bracket including a left alignment tab having a left alignment tab fastener hole, said left alignment tab being adapted to align with the left alignment bracket on the left guide plate of the loading conveyor so that a left side fastener may be connected between the left alignment bracket fastener hole on the left alignment bracket and the left alignment tab fastener hole and tightened to move the loading component with respect to the lower end of the loading conveyor until the fastener hole in the left sidewall of the lower end of the loading conveyor is aligned with the loading component fastener hole in the left sidewall of the loading component.

7. The material transfer vehicle of claim 6 wherein the right alignment tab fastener hole and the left alignment tab fastener hole are threaded so that:
(a) the right side fastener may be threaded into the right alignment tab and placed through the hole in the right alignment bracket; and
(b) the left side fastener may be threaded into the left alignment tab and placed through the hole in the left alignment bracket; and
(c) the right side fastener and the left side fastener may be tightened to move the loading component with respect to the loading conveyor until the fastener hole in the right sidewall of the lower end of the loading conveyor is aligned with the loading component fastener hole in the right side of the loading component and the fastener hole in the left sidewall of the lower end of the loading conveyor is aligned with the loading component fastener hole in the left sidewall of the loading component.

8. A method for removably attaching a loading component to a loading conveyor of a material transfer vehicle, said method comprising:
(a) providing the loading conveyor with:
(i) a lower end with a right side and a left side;
(ii) a right guide plate on the right side of the lower end;
(iii) a left guide plate on the left side of the lower end;
(iv) a right side wheel on the right side of the lower end; and
(v) a left side wheel on the left side of the lower end;

(b) providing the loading component with:
(i) a right guide bracket that is adapted to align with and engage the right guide plate of the loading conveyor;
(ii) a left guide bracket that is adapted to align with and engage the left guide plate of the loading conveyor;

(c) positioning the loading conveyor of the material transfer vehicle with respect to the loading component so that:
(i) the right guide plate on the right side of the lower end of the loading conveyor is aligned with the right guide bracket of the loading component; and
(ii) the left guide plate on the left side of the lower end of the loading conveyor is aligned with the left guide bracket of the loading component;

(d) moving the loading conveyor of the material

Assignees

• Roadtec Inc

Inventors

• Hoffmann John Eric
• Beckman Nathan Thomas

Classifications

• B65G47/18

  Arrangements or applications of hoppers or chutes · CPC title

• B65G2812/0577

  for bulk material · CPC title

• B65G41/008

  frames mounted on wheels or caterpillar (for movement on rail tracks B65G41/02) · CPC title

• B65G67/02

  Loading or unloading land vehicles · CPC title

• B65G2201/042

  Granular material · CPC title