Patent ID: 7267519

Claim:
An agricultural commodity cart loading conveyor apparatus comprising: an agricultural commodity cart comprising at least one tank having a fill hatch located at a top portion of the cart; a conveyor comprising a conveyor tube movably mounted to the cart about a substantially vertical swing axis such that the conveyor can be moved from a transport position wherein a lower end of the conveyor tube is raised off the ground and the conveyor tube is substantially aligned with the cart and beside the cart, to an operating position wherein a lower end of the conveyor tube is substantially on the ground and the conveyor tube is inclined upward such that an upper discharge end of the conveyor tube is oriented to direct material discharged there-from into the fill hatch; a hopper pivotally attached to the lower end of the conveyor tube about a hopper pivot axis located above the conveyor tube and oriented substantially horizontally and perpendicular to the conveyor tube; a hopper conveyor section mounted along a bottom of the hopper; wherein the hopper can pivot about the hopper pivot axis from an extended position to a folded position, and wherein in the extended position the hopper is oriented at an angle to the conveyor tube such that the hopper extends along the ground when the conveyor is in the operating position, and in the extended position the hopper is connected to the lower end of the conveyor tube such that the hopper conveyor section conveys material entering the hopper into the lower end of the conveyor tube for conveyance up the conveyor tube, and wherein in the folded position the hopper is above a lower portion of the conveyor tube; an extendable hopper actuator attached at one end to the conveyor tube and attached at an opposite end to the hopper; a hopper control operative to selectively extend the hopper actuator to move the hopper to the extended position and retract the hopper actuator to move the hopper to the folded position; and a lock operative to lock the hopper and conveyor tube together when the hopper is in the extended position.