MATERIAL PLACER

• US 20190009994A1
• Filed: 07/05/2017
• Published: 01/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Racehorse Investments, LLC
• Original Assignee: Racehorse Investments, LLC
• Inventors: Beelman, III, Frank J., Sackett, Loren, Smith, David, Smith, Fred P., Morrill, Nathan H.
• Granted Patent: US 10,683,176 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 1/38 forming the main load-transporting element or part thereof B60P1/365 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 1/40 using screw conveyors thereon
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 41/002 Pivotably mounted
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/5195 for materials in bulk
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 65/06 with endless scraping or elevating pick-up conveyors
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 65/22 Screws
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 19/18 Devices for distributing road-metals mixed with binders, e.g. cement, bitumen, without consolidating or ironing effect E01C19/20, E01C19/21, E01C19/46 , E01C19/47, E01C19/48, E01C21/00, E01C23/065, E01C23/07 take precedence; conveying installations for concrete or the like B65G
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 2301/04 Independent shuttles

Abstract

A material placer includes conveyors on a frame for receiving material from a side dump trailer and conveying the material to a placing location. The conveyors can include a receiving conveyor for receiving material from the side dump trailer through an opening in a side of the placer, a funneling auger for funneling the material so it flows along a narrow flow path, a transfer conveyor for lifting the material after it is dumped from the side dump trailer, and/or a placing conveyor for placing the material at the placing location. The placing conveyor can be movable between a stowed position and a conveying position. A drive system for the conveyor may be located within a conveyor pulley to reduce the envelope of the material placer.

Claims

1. A material placer for placing material at a placing location, the material placer comprising:

a support frame;

a receiving conveyor supported on the support frame and extending from an upstream end portion to a downstream end portion, the receiving conveyor configured to convey the received material along a flow path to a location adjacent the downstream end portion thereof;

a material receiving opening located on a side of the material placer and facing in a direction transverse to the material flow path on the receiving conveyor, the material receiving opening being sized and shaped to receive material dumped from a side dump trailer;

a transfer conveyor supported on the support frame and extending from an upstream end portion to a downstream end portion, the transfer conveyor being configured to receive at the upstream end portion the material conveyed by the receiving conveyor, the transfer conveyor being configured to convey the material to a location adjacent the downstream end portion and being oriented at an incline with respect to the support frame to lift the material with respect to the support frame as the transfer conveyor conveys the material; and

a placing conveyor supported on the support frame and having an upstream end portion and a downstream end portion, the placing conveyor being configured to receive at the upstream end portion the material conveyed from the transfer conveyor and convey the material in a placing direction extending away from the support frame to the placing location.

2. A material placer as set forth in claim 1 wherein the placing conveyor is movable with respect to the support frame to adjust the placing direction.

3. A material placer as set forth in claim 1 wherein the placing conveyor is configured to pivot with respect to the support frame about a vertical axis oriented generally perpendicular to the receiving conveyor and about a horizontal axis oriented generally perpendicular to the vertical axis.

4. A material placer as set forth in claim 1 wherein the placing conveyor has a length extending between the upstream end portion and the downstream end portion of at least about 12 feet (3.7 m).

5. A material placer as set forth in claim 1 wherein the receiving conveyor has a length extending between the upstream end portion and the downstream end portion of at least about 15 feet (4.6 m) and a width extending transverse to the length of at least about 80 inches (203 cm).

6. A material placer as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a funneling auger configured to convey material from said location adjacent the downstream end portion of the receiving conveyor to the upstream end portion of the transfer conveyor.

7. A material placer as set forth in claim 1 wherein the support frame has a length and the transfer conveyor has a length oriented at an angle of incline with respect to the length of the support frame, the angle of incline being in an inclusive range of from about 20°

to about 45°

.

8. A material placer for placing material at a placing location, the material placer comprising:

a support frame having a length and a front end portion and a rear end portion spaced apart along the length;

a receiving conveyor supported on the support frame sized and arranged for receiving the material when the material is dumped from a side dump trailer and configured to convey the received material in a rearward direction along the length of the support frame; and

a placing conveyor having an upstream end portion and a downstream end portion, the placing conveyor being movable with respect to the support frame from a stowed position in which the placing conveyor extends over the support frame to a conveying position in which the upstream end portion of the placing conveyor is positioned for receiving the material conveyed from the receiving conveyor and the downstream end portion of the placing conveyor is spaced apart from the support frame for conveying the material to the placing location.

9. A material placer as set forth in claim 8 wherein the placing conveyor is pivotable with respect to the support frame about a vertical axis adjacent the upstream end portion thereof.

10. A material placer as set forth in claim 9 wherein the placing conveyor is slidable with respect to the support frame along an axis transverse to the length of the support frame.

11. A material placer as set forth in claim 8 further comprising a transfer conveyor having a length for transferring the material conveyed from the receiving conveyor to the placing conveyor, the upstream end portion of the placing conveyor being laterally spaced apart from the transfer conveyor in the stowed position and aligned with the length of the transfer conveyor in the conveying position.

12. A material placer as set forth in claim 8 wherein the material placer has a maximum width when the placer is in the stowed position of less than about 102 inches (2.59 m).

13. A material placer as set forth in claim 8 wherein the placing conveyor has a conveying range of motion including said conveying position in which the placing conveyor is configured to be actuated to convey the material and a lockout range of motion including said stowed positioned in which the material placer is configured to prevent actuation of the placing conveyor.

14. A drive system comprising:

a shaft configured for engagement with a driven structure;

a motor unit mounted within the shaft and engaging the shaft to drive the rotation of the shaft, the motor unit being disposed at least partially within the shaft, the motor unit including an output shaft disposed within the shaft and connected to the shaft to transmit rotation from the output shaft to the shaft.

15. A drive system as set forth in claim 14 wherein an end of the shaft is mounted on the support frame and includes a hollow portion, the motor unit being received in the hollow portion.

16. A drive system as set forth in claim 15 further comprising a motor unit mount extending within the shaft and attached to the motor unit for mounting the motor unit to a stationary exterior structure whereby the motor unit and motor unit mount do not rotate with the shaft.

17. A drive system as set forth in claim 16 in combination with a conveying apparatus comprising a support frame, the motor unit mount being connected to the support frame, the shaft being connected to the support frame for rotation with respect to the support frame.

18. A drive system in combination with the conveying apparatus as set forth in claim 17 wherein the shaft comprises a first conveyor pulley, the conveying apparatus further comprising a second conveyor pulley connected to the support frame for rotation with respect to the support frame.

19. A drive system in combination with the conveying apparatus as set forth in claim 18 wherein the conveying apparatus further comprises a conveyor belt engaged with the first and second conveyor pulleys for being moved by the first and second conveyor pulleys in a conveying direction, the motor unit being disposed everywhere in radially opposed relation with the conveyor belt.

20. A drive system in combination with the conveying apparatus as set forth in claim 17 wherein the conveying apparatus further comprises:

a front carriage mounted at a first end of the support frame;

a rear carriage mounted at a second end of the support frame;

at least one front drive wheel mounted on the front carriage for rotation with respect to the front carriage about a front drive axis; and

at least one rear drive wheel mounted on the rear carriage for rotation with respect to the rear carriage about a rear drive axis;

at least one of the front and rear carriages being selectively pivotable with respect to the support frame about a respective vertical steering axis to adjust an orientation of the respective one of the front drive axis and the rear drive axis with respect to the support frame