Rear door power conveyor

Claim 2

In a crop harvesting machine comprising: a mobile frame; a crop container carried by the mobile frame and including a rear opening; at least one rear door to the crop container for movement into and out of closing relationship with the crop container; a power-driven floor conveyor in the crop container for moving crop material rearwardly through the rear opening; a conveyor mounted on the rear door for moving crop material rearwardly from the crop container through the rear opening when the rear door is moved out of closing relationship with the crop container; and a crop discharge conveyor engaging means for engaging the floor conveyor with the rear door conveyor whereby the rear door conveyor is operated by the power driven floor conveyor in response to movement of the rear door out of closing relationship with the crop container.

Claim 3

The invention defined in claim 1 in which the rear door conveyor is comprised of transverse conveyor shafts affixed to upper and lower edges of the rear door, said shafts having horizontally spaced-apart rotary drive elements mounted thereon with endless flexible elements operatively engaged to a rotary drive element on each transverse shaft.

Claim 4

The invention defined in claim 1 wherein the crop discharge conveyor engaging means which operatively engages the rear door conveyor with the floor conveyor is comprised of a mechanical coupling drivingly connected to the floor conveyor; a first rotary element secured to said coupling; a transverse shaft drivingly connected to the reear door conveyor; a second rotary element mounted on sid shaft; and a third rotary drive element axially parallel to and rotatably secured rearwardly of the first rotary drive element, engageable therewith for drivingly engaging the second rotary drive element when the floor conveyor is drivingly powered and the rear door is moved out of closing relationship with the crop container.

Claim 5

The invention defined in claim 3 in which the rear door pivot is positioned forwardly of the third rotary drive element axis of rotation so that when the rear door is moved out of closing relationship with the crop conveyor, the second rotary drive gear engages said third rotary drive gear at any one of a range of positions within a pre-determined arc.

Claim 6

The invention defined in claim 3 in which the pivotal axis of the rear door is positioned upwardly and forwardly of the third rotary drive element''s rotational axis, and the rotational axis of the second rotary drive element is located relative to the rear door so that said second rotary drive element will fully engage said third rotary drive element when the rear door has opened to a generally horizontal position.

Claim 7

In a crop harvesting machine comprising: a mobile frame; a crop container carried by the mobile frame and including a rear opening; at least one rear door to the crop container for movement into and oUt of closing relationship with the crop container; a power-driven floor conveyor in the crop container for moving crop material rearwardly through the rear opening; a conveyor mounted on the rear door for moving crop material rearwardly from the crop container rear opening when the rear door is moved out of closing relationship with the crop container; a crop discharge conveyor engaging means having a floor conveyor drive means for engaging the floor conveyor in response to movement of the rear door out of closing relationship with the crop container; and a rear door conveyor drive means for drivingly connecting the floor conveyor with the rear door conveyor in response to movement of the rear door out of closing relationship with the crop container.

Claim 8

In a crop harvesting machine comprising: a mobile frame; a crop container carried by the mobile frame and including a rear opening; at least one rear door to the crop container for movement into and oUt of closing relationship with the crop container; a power-driven floor conveyor in the crop container for moving crop material rearwardly through the rear opening; a conveyor mounted on the rear door for moving crop material rearwardly from the crop container rear opening when the rear door is moved out of closing relationship with the crop container; a crop discharge conveyor engaging means having a floor conveyor drive means for engaging the floor conveyor in response to movement of the rear door out of closing relationship with the crop container; and a rear door conveyor drive means for drivingly connecting the floor conveyor with the rear door conveyor in response to movement of the rear door out of closing relationship with the crop container.

Claim 9

A crop discharging mechanism for a box-like container having a floor with front and rear ends, front and rear upright endwalls at said ends, and transversely spaced sidewalls with one of said endwalls being at a discharge end of said container and being supported on a transverse horizontal pivot at its lower edge and an adjacent transverse edge of the floor to swing vertically between an upright closed position with respect to the container and a down discharge position, said crop discharge mechanism comprising: a chain-type floor conveyor supported on the floor for shifting material toward said discharge end, said conveyor including transverse shafts at said ends and sprockets on which the chain conveyor is trained, and including at least one driven shaft at said discharge end; a chain conveyor on the discharge endwall having transverse shafts and associated sprockets at the upper and lower edges thereof including a drive shaft thereon at said lower end; and drive means between the driven shaft on said floor and the drive shaft on said endwall and including a part thereof on the drive shaft and a part thereof on the driven shaft with said parts being engageable to automatically drive said endwall conveyor upon said endwall being moved from the up to a down position and automatically disengageable when said endwall is moved to its closed position.

Claim 10

A crop discharging mechanism for a box-like container having a floor with front and rear ends, front and rear upright endwalls at said ends, and transversely spaced sidewalls with one of said endwalls being at a discharge end of said container and being supported on a transverse horizontal pivot at its lower edge and an adjacent transverse edge of the floor to swing vertically between an upright closed position with respect to the container and a down discharge position, said crop discharge mechanism comprising: a chain-type floor conveyor supported on the floor for shifting material toward said discharge end, said conveyor including transverse shafts at said ends and sprockets on which the chain conveyor is trained, and including at least one driven shaft at said discharge end; a chain conveyor on the discharge endwall having transverse shafts and associated sprockets at the upper and lower edges thereof including a drive shaft thereon at said lower end; and drive means between the driven shaft on said floor and the drive shaft on said endwall and including a part thereof on the drive shaft and a part thereof on the driven shaft with said parts being engageable to automatically drive said endwall conveyor upon said endwall being moved from the up to a down position and automatically disengageable when said endwall is moved to its closed position.

Claim 11

A crop discharging mechanism for a box-like container having a floor with front and rear ends, front and rear upright endwalls, and transversely spaced sidewalls with one of said end-walls being at a discharge end of said container and being supported on a transverse horizontal pivot at its lower edge and an adjacent transverse edge of the floor to swing vertically between an upright closed position with respect to the container and a down discharge position, said crop discharge mechanism comprising: a chain-type floor conveyor supported on the floor for shifting material toward said discharge end; a drive means for said floor conveyor; a central element extending between the aforesaid end-wall and the drive means for driving the floor conveyor in response to said endwall moving to its down position; a chain conveyor on the discharge endwall having transverse shafts and associated sprockets at the upper and lower edges thereof including a drive shaft thereon at said lower end; and drive means between the floor conveyor and the drive shaft on said endwall, said latter drive means being engageable, to automatically drive said chain conveyor upon said endwall being lowered to a down position and automatically disengageable when said endwall is raised to its closed position.

Claim 12

A crop discharging mechanism for a box-like container having a floor with front and rear ends, front and rear upright endwalls, and transversely spaced sidewalls with one of said end-walls being at a discharge end of said container and being supported on a transverse horizontal pivot at its lower edge and an adjacent transverse edge of the floor to swing vertically between an upright closed position with respect to the container and a down discharge position, said crop discharge mechanism comprising: a chain-type floor conveyor supported on the floor for shifting material toward said discharge end; a drive means for said floor conveyor; a central element extending between the aforesaid end-wall and the drive means for driving the floor conveyor in response to said endwall moving to its down position; a chain conveyor on the discharge endwall having transverse shafts and associated sprockets at the upper and lower edges thereof including a drive shaft thereon at said lower end; and drive means between the floor conveyor and the drive shaft on said endwall, said latter drive means being engageable, to automatically drive said chain conveyor upon said endwall being lowered to a down position and automatically disengageable when said endwall is raised to its closed position.

Claim 13

A crop discharging mechanism for a box-like container having a floor, front and rear upright endwalls, and transversely spaced sidewalls with one of said endwalls being at a discharge end of said container and being supported on a transverse horizontal pivot at its lower edge and an adjacent transverse edge of the floor to swing vertically between an upright closed position with respect to the container and a down discharge position, said crop discharge mechanism comprising: a chain-type floor conveyor supported on the floor for shifting material toward said discharge end, said conveyor including transverse shafts at said ends and sprockets on which the chain conveyor is trained, and including a driven shaft at said discharge end; a countershaft rearwardly of the driven shaft; front and rear meshing gears on the driven and countershafts respectively; a chain conveyor on the aforesaid one of said endwalls having transverse shafts and associated sprockets at the upper and lower edges thereof and including a drive shaft thereon at said lower end that is vertically offset from the counter and driven shafts; and a gear on the drive shaft on said endwall engageable with the gear on the countershaft to automatically drive said endwall chain conveyor upon said endwall being lowered to a down position and automatically disengageable when said endwall is raised to its closed position.

Claim 14

A crop discharging mechanism for a box-like container having a floor, front and rear upright endwalls, and transversely spaced sidewalls with one of said endwalls being at a discharge end of said container and being supported on a transverse horizontal pivot at its lower edge and an adjacent transverse edge of the floor to swing vertically between an upright closed position with respect to the container and a down discharge position, said crop discharge mechanism comprising: a chain-type floor conveyor supported on the floor for shifting material toward said discharge end, said conveyor including transverse shafts at said ends and sprockets on which the chain conveyor is trained, and including a driven shaft at said discharge end; a countershaft rearwardly of the driven shaft; front and rear meshing gears on the driven and countershafts respectively; a chain conveyor on the aforesaid one of said endwalls having transverse shafts and associated sprockets at the upper and lower edges thereof and including a drive shaft thereon at said lower end that is vertically offset from the counter and driven shafts; and a gear on the drive shaft on said endwall engageable with the gear on the countershaft to automatically drive said endwall chain conveyor upon said endwall being lowered to a down position and automatically disengageable when said endwall is raised to its closed position.