Patent ID: 6845720

Claim:
A conveyor system comprising: a) a first drive trolley adapted to be driven about a track; b) a second load trolley that is operably driven about said track by said drive trolley; c) a shock absorbing tow bar joining said drive trolley and said load carrying trolley; said tow bar comprising: d) a first elongate tube; e) a second elongate tube reciprocally received relative to said first tube; f) a plunger secured to said first tube by a shaft and located within said second tube so as to be reciprocal therein; g) a pair of brake surfaces located on and extending from opposite sides of said plunger so as to frictionally engage said second tube; and h) a brake biasing structure for applying radial outward pressure to said braking surfaces; said brake biasing structure comprising: i) a pair of wedges each having opposed surfaces that are angled relative to each other; ii) said brake surfaces being mounted on brake members; each of said brake members having a pair of rear surfaces opposite said brake surfaces; iii) said brake member surfaces being generally parallel to and facing said wedge surfaces; iv) biasing springs located between each pair of said brake member rear surfaces and facing wedge surfaces; and v) an adjustment mechanism; each of said wedges being mounted on said adjustment mechanism such that movement of said adjustment mechanism in one direction causes said wedges to move toward one another thereby decreasing spacing between said rear surfaces and respective wedge surfaces and increasing pressure on said braking surfaces and movement in an opposite direction causes said wedges to move away from one another thereby increasing said spacing and decreasing pressure on said braking surfaces.