Overhead winch construction

Claim 1

A suspension system comprising: an elongate, horizontally extending feeder apparatus including a delivery tube and a plurality of feeder pans, and apparatus being movable between a raised position and a lowered position; a winch structure mounted above and intermediate opposite ends of said apparatus for supporting and moving said apparatus between said positions, said structure including frame housing means mounted on the underside surface of an overhead support member, a feeder apparatus supporting shaft mounted at one end to and within said frame housing means and extending along a first vertical axis, and supporting shaft extending vertically out of and beneath said frame housing means and supporting thereon drum means outside of and beneath said frame housing means adapted for supporting said feeder apparatus; a rotatable input shaft mounted at one end to said frame housing means for rotation about a second vertical axis, said input shaft extending vertically out of and beneath said frame housing means; coupling means interconnecting said drum means and said input shaft for rotation in unison; a driven member mounted on said input shaft for limited movement therealong in response to the application of torque, and releasable brake and locking means disposed exteriorly of said housing and carried in surrounding engagement with said input shaft and disposed above said driven member, means for applying torque to said driven member such that upon the application of torque in one direction, said driven member is advanced upwardly along the input shaft to engage and actuate the releasable brake and locking means, thereby locking said driven member, said brake and locking means, said input shaft, and said drum means for joint rotation in response to the continued application of torque in said one direction, the Application of torque to said driven member in the opposite direction causing said driven member to be retracted downwardly and disengaged from the brake and locking means, thereby releasing said brake and locking means to permit said input shaft and drum means to rotate independent of said brake and locking means, means limiting the retractive movement of said driven member whereby said brake and locking means will be automatically reengaged upon the cessation of the application of torque in said opposite direction to said driven member; and a pulley arrangement operatively coupled with said winch for effecting raising and lowering of said feeder apparatus; said pulley arrangement including, an elongate flexible element having a midportion thereof wound upon said drum means, with oppositely extending portions of said element having free ends anchored to said overhead support member, a pair of pulley members over which said oppositely extending portions are engaged, and cable means connecting said pulley members to respective end sections of said feeder apparatus, so that upon rotation of the drum means in one direction, said oppositely extending portions of the flexible element are simultaneously wound up on said supporting shaft for raising said feeder apparatus, and upon rotation of said drum means in the opposite direction, said oppositely extending portions are simultaneously unwound from said supporting shaft for lowering the feeder apparatus.