Curved conveyor

A conveyor is disclosed which serves for transporting bales of hay or the like material in a curve. It is made up of a frame, having a bale-receiving and a bale-discharging end; of an endless link chain extending between the frame ends and following the conveyor curve, and of an upright shoulder plate, mounted on the frame between its ends. This plate follows the chain on the chain side facing inwardly of the curve and is provided, on one face, with a plastic chain support for carrying the chain. This chain support is formed with a pair of parallel grooves longitudinally extending between the frame ends. Each groove has an opening on the side of the support facing away from the shoulder plate. These grooves are configured and spaced from one another for slidably supporting the chain strands between the frame ends. The strands are fitted into the grooves and protrude partly out through their openings. Finally, bale-driving spikes are fixed to the chain, outwardly of the grooves, to carry the bales from the receiving to the discharging ends of the conveyor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to an angular curved link chain conveyor for 
transferring bales of hay or the like fodder material from one straight 
conveyor to another; the curvature being usually 90.degree.. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
In one particular instance, the bales are moved up from the ground to the 
storing granary of a barn by means of a straight and inclined conveying 
elevator. Once in the barn, the bales are picked up by hand and 
transferred onto another straight conveyor usually at an angle of 
90.degree. with the inclined conveying elevator. This bale handling is of 
course quite a chore especially during the hot hay harvest time. To avoid 
this tiresome task, many curved conveyors have been perfected. A search in 
this regard has been made by the applicants, prior to the filing of the 
present application, and has revealed the following patents: 
CANADA No. 724,489 
U.K. No. 981,819 
U.S. Pat. No. 1.209,021 
U.S. Pat. No. 2,785,810 
U.S. Pat. No. 2,889,914 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,241,822 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,538,949 
The only patent which was found of interest by the present applicants in 
regard to their invention is Canadian patent No. 724,489. This patent 
relates to a curved chain conveyor for transporting bales of hay wherein a 
central endless link chain, travelling in a curved path, carries a series 
of bale-supporting transverse bars spaced longitudinally of the conveyor. 
The latter has, on each side of the chain, an assembly for guiding the 
transverse bars, and thus the chain to which they are attached, during 
movement of the chain along the curved path. A first such assembly 
includes, in combination, a flange or skirt depending from the 
corresponding end of each bar and a first stationary rail against which 
the skirt slides for guiding purposes only. A second assembly includes, on 
the other side of the chain, a roller depending from the other end of each 
bar and a second stationary rail over which the rollers ride, also for 
guiding purposes only. 
Because the transverse bars overhang the relatively thin chain on each of 
its sides, the chain tends to wabble particularly as it is also called 
upon to carry the full weight of the heavy and cumbersome hay bales which 
render the curved conveyor not too efficient and especially prone to 
breaking or jamming because of this wabbling effect. 
The guiding and carrying structure is also complex and the link chain is 
likely to become packed, in time, with hay, between the transverse 
carrying plates which could cause jamming of the chain over the sprocket 
wheels. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
An object of the present invention is to provide a curved conveyor wherein 
a central chain, having bale-driving spikes fixed perpendicularly to it, 
serves solely to move the bales and not to carry them. 
Another object of the invention is in the provision of a curved conveyor 
wherein the driving chain is guided and carried, during its displacement 
between the ends of the conveyor, by a plastic chain support formed with 
suitable recesses for housing the chain upper and lower strands so that 
the strands are protected from being jammed by bale material. 
Yet another object of the invention lies in a curved conveyor wherein the 
bales are carried essentially by elongated members mounted on the conveyor 
frame on either side of the chain and parallel to it. 
More specifically, the invention is a conveyor for transporting bales of 
hay or the like material and extending along a curve, the conveyor 
comprising a frame having a bale-receiving end and a bale-discharging end; 
an endless chain having an upper and a lower strand and extending between 
the frame ends while following the curve, and chain-carrying means mounted 
on the frame between the frame ends and including a plastic chain support 
for carrying the chain during its displacement. This support defines a 
pair of parallel grooves extending longitudinally between the frame ends, 
each groove having an opening on the side of the support which faces away 
from the center of the curve. The grooves are configured and spaced from 
one another for slidably supporting the chain strands between the frame 
ends; the chain strands being fitted into the grooves and protruding 
partly out through the opening. Finally, bale-driving spikes are fixed 
perpendicularly to the chain, outwardly of the grooves. 
Other obects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent 
from the description that follows of a preferred embodiment having 
reference to the appended drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
In FIG. 1, the curved conveyor 1, made according to the teaching of the 
invention, interconnects an upwardly inclined straight conveyor 3 and a 
horizontal straight conveyor 5 with which they are respectively connected 
at its bale-receiving end 7 and its bale-discharging end 9. The straight 
conveyors 3 and 5 make a right angle with one another so that the curved 
conveyor 1 bends along a 90.degree. curve. 
The frame of the conveyor 1 is mostly tubular, having a curved front 
railing 10 made of an endless round tube defining an upper run 11, a lower 
run 13 and curved ends 15, 17. Runs 11 and 13 are strengthened by short 
standards 19. The frame also has a similarly made curved rear railing 21 
(FIG. 2) of which the radius of curvature is of course greater than that 
of the front railing 11. Thus the railing 21 has an upper run 23, a lower 
run 25 and curved ends 27, 29; the runs being interconnected by short 
standards 31 (FIG. 1). 
Tubular horizontal transverse struts 33 weldably join the lower runs 13 and 
25 of the railings 10 and 21, preferably at the standards 19 and 31 
locations as best shown in FIG. 2. The two railings 10 and 21 are also 
connected together by a pair of angle-irons 35, 37, at the ends 7 and 9 of 
the conveyor and frame and above the lower runs 13 and 25. 
Vertical plates 39 and 41 are provided for guiding bales during their 
displacement between the conveyor ends 7, 9. They are fixed to the upper 
runs 11 and 23 of the side railings 10 and 21 by means of U brackets 43 
and inwardly of the runs 11, 23. 
The chain-carrying means responsible for driving the bales from the 
receiving end 7 of the frame and conveyor to the discharging end 9 will 
now be described. 
An endless link chain 45 extends between the frame ends 7, 9, and slightly 
beyond the transverse angle-irons 35, 37, which pass across the chain 45 
between the strands 57, 59. The chain is of conventional circular 
construction that makes it possible to follow the curvature of the 
conveyor 1. Such chains are made, for instance, by the Cullman Co., being 
designed to operate on curves. 
Inwardly of the chain 45, with respect to the center of the conveyor curve, 
is a shoulder or backing plate 47, standing edgewise and secured to the 
transverse angle-irons 35, 37, and to the transverse struts 33 by brackets 
49 (FIGS. 1 and 2). This plate is bent to be parallel with the chain 45. 
Secured to the outward face of the shoulder plate 47, as by gluing, is a 
plastic chain support 51, rectangular in cross-section and intended to 
carry and guide the chain 45 during its displacement between the frame 
ends 7, 9. The support 51 is detailed in FIG. 3 and extends between the 
angle-irons 35, 37, but not beyond them (FIG. 2). It defines a pair of 
parallel generally U-shaped grooves 53, 54, extending longitudinally 
between the angle-irons 35, 37; each groove having a lateral opening on 
the side 55 of the support 51 that faces away from the shoulder plate 47. 
As can be noted from FIG. 3, the grooves 53, 54, are configured and spaced 
from one another for slidably supporting and retaining the upper and lower 
strands 57, 59, of the chain between the transverse angle-irons 35, 37. 
The link chain fits into the grooves while extending partly out through 
the groove lateral openings. It is inserted in the grooves 53, 54, by 
uncoupling two adjacent links and sliding the chain into the grooves from 
the support open ends at the angle-irons 35, 37. After the chain is wound 
around the sprockets (not shown) at the ends 7 and 9 of the frame, the 
disconnected ends are again coupled together. 
The grooves, as shown, have a narrow section for guiding the connecting 
pins of the chain and an enlarged section for guiding the pairs of 
overlapping links on one side of the chain; the overlapping links on the 
other side, protruding out through the lateral opening of the support 51. 
As mentioned previously, the chain 45 serves solely for driving the bales 
of hay and does not carry them. For this purpose and as particularly 
illustrated in FIG. 3, a few outer links of the chain are replaced by 
rectangular spikes 61 that project outwardly perpendicularly from the 
chain a distance sufficient for them to dig deeply and firmly into the 
bales and carry them along the conveyor. 
Support for the bales during their movement along the conveyor 1 is 
obtained by a pair of tubular elongated members 63, 65, one on each side 
of the chain 45 and parallel to it. They are fixed at the frame ends 7, 9, 
to lugs 67 projecting up from the vertical flange of the angle-irons 35, 
37. In between the ends, the support members 63, 65, are secured to the 
standards 31 and the transverse struts 33 by light braces 69 (FIG. 1). To 
ease in receiving and discharging bales, the support members 63, 65, may 
extend beyond the angle-irons 35, 37, and bend down into curved ends 71, 
73. 
In order to carry the weight of the bales, the support members 63, 65, must 
of course extend above the chain 45. To assist these members in this 
regard, the top edge of the shoulder plate 47 is made level with the top 
of the bale-supporting members 63, 65. 
The not shown sprocket wheel carrying the chain 45 at the bale-receiving 
end 7 is brought into rotation by driving means including a shaft 75 of 
which one end journals in a bearing assembly 77 carried by an advanced 
part 79 (FIG. 2) of the shoulder plate 47. The shaft 75 is also carried by 
a further bearing assembly 81 borne by a standard 31 of the outer railing 
21. It is driven by a motor 83 through a speed reducer 85. 
The other not shown sprocket wheel carrying the chain 45 at the 
bale-discharging end 9 (FIGS. 2, 5), is borne by idler means including a 
shaft 87 (FIG. 5) operatively coupled to a conventional chain-tightening 
mechanism 89 adjustable by a pair of screws 91 and secured to the 
transverse angle-bar 35 in any known manner. 
The chain support 51, shown particularly in FIG. 3, is preferably an 
elongated uninterrupted strip of friction-reducing plastic material such 
as TEFLON or NYLON.