Integral pivot/king pin for conveyor

A mobile radial stacker for stockpiling bulk material is provided that includes a stacker frame, a linear conveyor mounted to the frame, the conveyor having a rear portion and a front portion and being designed to carry bulk material from a lower position adjacent the rear portion to a raised position adjacent the front portion, and a pair of wheels mounted to the frame to facilitate movement of the stacker around a work site or to another work site. Also provided is a pivot pad/king pin apparatus mounted to the stacker including an integral king pin and pivot pad that may be displaced from a first position with the king pin facing downward for engagement with a tractor fifth wheel to a second position with the pivot pad facing downward for placement on the ground for radial conveying operations. Another way to describe the depicted embodiments is a pivot pad/king pin apparatus that may be used with a radial stacker. The apparatus may include a body with a king pin and pivot pad integrally mounted into it. The apparatus may be rotatable between a first position with the king pin facing downward for engagement with a tractor fifth wheel to a second position with the pivot pad facing downward for placement on the ground for radial conveying operations.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments herein relate to conveyors, usually of the belt-type, used to convey bulk material from a screening or crushing plant to a location where such material is stacked.

BACKGROUND

Portable radial stackers have been used for many years to stack bulk materials such as aggregate for road construction, grain and coal. Radial stackers, which swing around in a radius to stack material in an arc, permit substantially more material to be stacked than is possible using a conventional stationary stacker that permits only a conical stack. Telescoping radial stackers permit even more material to be stacked as the stacker is extended or retracted during conveying operations.

Radial stackers typically include a wheeled axle disposed between a hopper and the top of the stacker from which the material is discharged. These wheels permit the stacker to be swung in an arc, with the hopper including a pivot plate on which the stacker pivots. Some such stackers are telescoping so that material can be stacked in a plurality of arcs or perhaps even a continuous pile.

Radial stackers typically include a pivot pad at the rear end underneath a hopper for receiving bulk debris to be conveyed. Once conveying operations are completed and the stacker is to be trucked to another location, a king pin is mounted to the rear of the stacker in place of the pivot pad. The rear of the stacker can then be elevated and the king pin is positioned over and then engaged with the fifth wheel of a tractor for pulling the stacker down a roadway.

In order to keep the king pin and the pivot pad accessible for quick replacement, one with the other, the component not being used is typically stored in the rear of the stacker. While this is not the best place to store the king pin or the pivot pad because space is at a premium directly under or adjacent the hopper, this has proven to be the best place as it is close to where they need to be mounted in place. Because the pivot pad and king pin can be heavy and difficult to carry by hand, it is important that the unit not being used is positioned close to where it needs to be used.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DISCLOSED EMBODIMENTS

The description may use the terms “embodiment” or “embodiments,” which may each refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments. Furthermore, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” and the like, as used with respect to embodiments, are synonymous, and are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.).

With respect to the use of any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity. Although certain embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a wide variety of alternate and/or equivalent embodiments or implementations calculated to achieve the same purposes may be substituted for the embodiments shown and described without departing from the scope. Those with skill in the art will readily appreciate that embodiments may be implemented in a very wide variety of ways. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the embodiments discussed herein. Therefore, it is manifestly intended that embodiments be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof.

A mobile radial stacker for stockpiling bulk material may be provided that includes a stacker frame, a linear conveyor mounted to the frame, the conveyor having a rear portion and a front portion and being designed to carry bulk material from a lower position adjacent the rear portion to a raised position adjacent the front portion. Also included may be a pair of wheels mounted to the frame to facilitate movement of the stacker around a work site and for movement to another work site, and a pivot pad/king pin apparatus mounted to the stacker including an integral king pin and pivot pad that may be displaced from a first position with the king pin facing downward for engagement with a tractor fifth wheel to a second position with the pivot pad facing downward for placement on the ground for radial conveying operations. The pivot pad/king pin apparatus may be rotatably mounted to the stacker such that the apparatus is rotated from the first position to the second position and vice versa.

The radial stacker may include a hydraulic system for displacing the pivot pad/king pin apparatus between the first and second positions. It may also include a lock pin extending between a body of the apparatus and the stacker that locks the pivot pad/king pin apparatus in one of the positions.

The radial stacker may also include a system for remotely actuating the lock pin to facilitate remote unlocking and locking of the lock, and/or for remotely actuating the hydraulic system to displace the pivot pad/king pin apparatus between the first and second positions.

A pivot pad/king pin apparatus for use with a radial stacker may alternatively be provided, including a body with a king pin and pivot pad integrally mounted thereto, the apparatus being rotatable between a first position with the king pin facing downward for engagement with a tractor fifth wheel to a second position with the pivot pad facing downward for placement on the ground for radial conveying operations.

The apparatus may include a lock pin removably mounted to the body of the apparatus that locks the pivot pad/king pin apparatus in either the first or the second position. The lock pin may be mounted to the stacker to selectively lock the position of the apparatus with respect to the stacker, and may include a system for remotely actuating the lock pin to facilitate remote unlocking and locking of the lock pin.

The apparatus may also include a hydraulic system for powering the apparatus between the first and the second positions, and possibly a system for remotely actuating the hydraulic system to power the apparatus between the first and the second positions.

The figures depict an integral apparatus including both a pivot pad and a king pin, each of which may selectively be placed in an operational position. In the embodiment indicated generally at70inFIGS. 1A-Cand2, a pivot pad72is provided on one side and a king pin74is provided on another side. These components might be positioned 180 degrees apart on opposite sides of the apparatus but in the depicted embodiments, the pivot pad and king pin,72and74, respectively, inFIGS. 1A-Cand2, are disposed about 300 degrees apart. As shown best in enlargedFIG. 2, in addition to pivot pad72and king pin74, apparatus70may include a rotation point76with a bearing78about which the apparatus may rotate.

A pivot pad/king pin hydraulic cylinder80is included in this embodiment that extends between a body82of the apparatus and the stacker, being eccentrically mounted with respect to rotation point76such that extension and retraction of hydraulic cylinder80causes apparatus70to rotate about the rotation point. A lock pin84and complementing aperture86may be included to permit the apparatus to be locked into a position with king pin74disposed to engage the fifth wheel83of a tractor for transport.

A second aperture may be included (but is not depicted) to permit apparatus70to be locked into a position with pivot pad72disposed to engage the ground. However, this second aperture is typically not included. Given differences in the slope of the terrain, it may be desirable for the pivot pad to move ever so slightly as stacker10is radially adjusted. In any event, lock pin84may be manually manipulated from a disengaged position to an engaged position and vice versa or by some sort of automated system, which might be as simple as a hydraulically extended cylinder (not shown). This automated system may be integrated into an automated system for extending and retracting pivot pad/king pin hydraulic cylinder80so that, in order to rotate the position of apparatus70, a single control might be operated to disengage lock pin84and, once disengaged, to rotate the position of apparatus70.

Pivot pad72is depicted inFIG. 2as being filled with a heavy material73, although that is an optional feature that would not be included in many applications. An example of one such material is concrete, but other materials such as lead might be possible in some applications. This may be a desirable feature in certain settings as it might add stability to the pivot pad during various operations. Adding weight like this to the pivot pad may not be possible if the pivot pad was simply stored for manual manipulation as in conventional stackers.

A jack81may be included to facilitate the raising and lowering of the rear portion of the stacker. Jack81is typically provided with a hydraulic cylinder system (not shown) to power this process. The jack is shown in an extended position inFIGS. 1Aand B so the rear portion is in position to be mounted to fifth wheel83and in a retracted position inFIG. 1Cwhen pivot pad72has been lowered to the ground.

FIGS. 3Aand B,4A and B include another embodiment of apparatus, which is generally identified at170, and that includes pivot pad172, king pin174, rotation point176with bearing178, hydraulic cylinder180, body182, and lock pin184. Also included is pinion186, which is driven by gear188. The rotational position of apparatus170is controlled by hydraulic cylinder180, which controls the position of gear188and that in turn controls the position of pinion186and pivot pad172and king pin174as the apparatus rotates around rotation point176. Lock pin184may be provided to selectively lock apparatus170in one of two rotational positions, either with pivot pad172or king pin174in a downward-facing position. These positions are depicted inFIGS. 4Aand B, respectively. As with apparatus70, pivot pad172of apparatus170may be filled with a heavy substance such as concrete173(seeFIG. 4A) to assist in stabilizing the pad. A jack181may be provided to raise and lower the rear portion of the stacker to prepare king pin174to mount to a fifth wheel183or to position pivot pad172on the ground.

FIGS. 5Aand B depict a third embodiment of the apparatus for controlling the position of the pivot pad and king pin. This third embodiment, identified generally at270, includes pivot pad272, king pin274, rotation point276with bearing278, body282and lock pin284. What differentiates apparatus270is that in place of a hydraulic cylinder80or180, the apparatus includes a motor190. Motor190will typically be a hydraulic motor but it might be an electric or other motor. In any event, motor190may provide the power to rotate body282, pivot pad272and king pin272from a first position with the king pin facing downward shown inFIG. 5Ato a second position with the pivot pad facing downward shown inFIG. 58. Again, pivot pad272may be filled with concrete or another heavy substance to help stabilize the pad. As with the other embodiments, a jack281may be provided to raise and lower the rear portion of the stacker.