Continuous excavating loader with pivotal discharge conveyor

Claim 1

Front end continuous loader comprising: a C-frame with legs thereon laterally spaced apart and extending rearwardly; a mobile scraping frame secured by a center thrust bearing (10) to, and pushed by, the C-frame; said scraping frame inclining diagonally and rearwardly from a lower forward end, which is normally below ground, to an upper end; said center thrust bearing defining a fore and aft extending pivot and including a flat vertically disposed front face formed on the C-frame; a mutually confronting flat portion depending integrally from the rear of the scraping frame; said fore and aft extending pivot (140) pivotally joining said face and portion on a single axis for relative movement between the C-frame and scraping frame; lubricating interfaces (142) on the mutually confronting flat face and flat portion to limit relative movement to rolling motion about the single axis (144); a tractor between the legs of the C-frame, and beneath the scraping frame at a point intermediate the ends thereof and supporting the scraping frame for up and down movement about a generally horizontal axis passing through the rear ends of the C-frame legs; an elevator on the scraping frame provided with a cooperating digger at said lowEr forward end of the scraping frame; a first endless conveyor effective for side casting, having an inlet and having adjacent said inlet means connecting the conveyor to the scraping frame to afford swinging movement of the conveyor from medially to laterally of the tractor to effect the side casting; an interconnecting conveyor on the scraping frame having an endless belt substantially coextensive with the elevator and communicatively in tandem between the digger and the first conveyor inlet; and independent wheel suspensions on the scraping frame carried so that each one is adjacent but behind one side of the digger, and having power means whereby the suspensions are differentially adjustable to tilt the frame about said fore and aft extending pivot so that the frame is relatively higher at one side when the first conveyor is at, or to be laterally swung to, that side of the tractor.