Mobile hydraulically foldable conveyor

Claim 1

In folding apparatus in the nature of conveyors and the like having first and second sections, the second being required to be rotated one hundred and eighty degrees (180* ) and fully folded against the first when not operational and fully unfolded so as to form an aligned extension of the other when operational: a. hinging means providing a pair of laterally spaced pivotal connections between and substantially on the sides of said sections and adapted to allow said sections to rotate between said fully folded and fully unfolded positions and to pivot about a common pivotal axis extending through said connections said hinging means comprising a pair of hinging means for each said section mounted on the sides thereof and each member of such pair being adapted to be pivotally secured to another such mating member for the other section to provide a said pivotal connection and being further adapted to pivotally mount a respective said cylinder housing thereon; b. a pair of fluid pressure cylinders mounted on each said side of said hinging means, each cylinder having a piston housing and a piston rod movable therein, one of each of said pair of cylinder housings having a pivotal mounting located intermediate its length and supported by said first section and the other of each of said pair of cylinder housings having a pivotal mounting intermediate its length and supported by said second section, each said housing pivotal mounting being mounted on a respective said hinging member; and c. a connector arm operatively associated with each said pair of pressure cylinders, each connector arm being independently swingable of the other and having one inner end mounted to swing on a respective said hinging connection and around said pivotal axis and the other outer end pivotally connected to the outer ends of the respective pair of said piston rods with which said arm is associated, said pressure cylinders when energizing being effective to swing said second section between said fully folded and fully unfolded positions and during such swinging each said connector arm being free to move independent of the other.