Self-unloading vehicle

Claim 2

A self-unloading wheeled vehicle comprising a vehicle body having a floor and side walls extending upwardly therefrom, a transversely extending rear roller journalled adjacent the rear end of the floor of said body, a flexible belt having an upper stretch normally covering said body floor and having a front end normally positioned adjacent the front of the body, said belt extending around said rear roller and having a first lower stretch extending forwardly beneath said body floor and a second lower stretch looped back to extend rearwardly beneath said body floor to a location where its end is deadended, spaced longitudinally-extending tracks supported beneath said floor, a drive roller having means at its ends for guiding engagement with said tracks positioned to rollably engage said looped portion of said belt between said forwardly and rearwardly extending stretches thereof, and power means for said drive roller to move the belt forwardly, beneath the body floor when the power means is operated in one direction to thereby cause the upper portion of the belt to move rearwardly over said body floor to unload the body, and means connecting said drive roller with the front end of said belt for returning the belt to normal position when the power means is operated in a reverse direction.

Claim 3

A self-unloading vehicle as claimed in claim 1 in which said power means comprises double-acting fluid pressure operated telescopic cylinders connected at one end to the body and at the other end to said drive roller within the looped portion of said belt.

Claim 4

A self-unloading vehicle as claimed in claim 1 in which there is rotatable means at the front of the body floor and in which the means connecting the drive roller with the front end of the belt comprises cables having ends connected to the front end of the belt, said cables extending around the axis of said front rotatable means and having stretches extending rearwardly beneath the body floor and around the axis of said drive roller, and having stretches extending forwardly where they are deadended.

Claim 5

A self-unloading wheeled vehicle comprising a vehicle body having a floor and side walls extending upwardly therefrom, a transversely extending rear roller journalled adjacent the rear end of the floor of said body, a flexible belt having an upper stretch normally covering said floor and having a front end normally positioned adjacent the front of the body, said belt extending around said rear roller and having a first lower stretch extending forwardly beneath said floor and a second lower stretch looped back to extend rearwardly beneath said floor to a location where its end is deadended, a drive roller positioned to rollably engage said looped portion of said belt between said forwardly and rearwardly extending stretches thereof, and power means for said drive roller to move the belt forwardly beneath the floor when the power means is operated in one direction to thereby cause the upper portion of the belt to move rearwardly over said floor to unload the body, and means connecting said drive roller with the front end of said belt for returning the belt to normal position when the power means is operated in a reverse direction, said drive roller comprising three aligned roller sections journalled to a common shaft and including a middle section, said drive roller being attached to said power means by a yoke having arms through which said shaft is journalled and which yoke embraces said middle roller section.

Claim 6

A self-unloading wheeled vehicle comprising a vehicle body having a floor and side walls extending upwardly therefrom, a transversely extending rear roller journalled adjacent the rear end of the floor of said body, a flexible belt having an upper stretch normally covering said floor and having a front end normally positioned adjacent the front of the body, said belt extending around said rear roller and having a first lower stretch extending forwardly beneath said floor and a second lower stretch looped back to extend rearwardly beneath said floor to a location where its end is deadended, a drive roller positioned to rollably engage said looped portion of said belt between said forwardly and rearwardly extending stretches thereof, and power means for said drive roller to move the belt forwardly beneath the floor when the power means is operated in one direction to thereby cause the upper portion of the belt to move rearwardly over said floor to unload the body, and means connecting said drive roller with the front end of said belt for returning the belt to normal position when the power means is operated in a reverse direction, said drive roller comprising three aligned roller sections journalled to a common shaft and including a middle section, said drive roller being attached to said power means by a yoke having arms through which said shaft is journalled and which yoke embraces said middle roller section.

Claim 7

A self-unloading wheeled vehicle comprising a vehicle body having a floor and side walls extending upwardly therefrom, a transversely extending rear roller journalled adjacent the rear end of the floor of said body, a flexible belt having an upper stretch normally covering said floor and having a front end normally positioned adjacent the front of the body, said belt extending around said rear roller and having a first lower stretch extending forwardly beneath said body floor and a second lower stretch looped back to extend rearwardly beneath said body floor to a location where its end is deadended, a drive roller positioned to rollably engage said looped portion of said belt between said forwardly and rearwardly extending stretches thereof, and power means for said drive roller to move the belt forwardly beneath the body floor when the power means is operated in one direction to thereby cause the upper portion of the belt to move rearwardly over said body floor to unload the body, and means connecting said drive roller with the front end of said belt for returning the belt to normal position when the power means is operated in a reverse direction, the side walls of said body including inner and outer panel portions, longitudinally extending sealing members at the lower edges of said inner panel portions and between said inner panel portions and outer panel portions, each member having a longitudinally extending horizontal slot slidably receiving and confining the edges of said flexible belt both above and below said edges.

Claim 8

A self-unloading wheeled vehicle comprising a vehicle body having a floor and side walls extending upwardly therefrom, a transversely extending rear roller journalled adjacent the rear end of the floor of said body, a flexible belt having an upper stretch normally covering said floor and having a front end normally positioned adjacent the front of the body, said belt extending around said rear roller and having a first lower stretch extending forwardly beneath said body floor and a second lower stretch looped back to extend rearwardly beneath said body floor to a location where its end is deadended, a drive roller positioned to rollably engage said looped portion of said belt between said forwardly and rearwardly extending stretches thereof, and power means for said drive roller to move the belt forwardly beneath the body floor when the power means is operated in one direction to thereby cause the upper portion of the belt to move rearwardly over said body floor to unload the body, and means connecting said drive roller with the front end of said belt for returning the belt to normal position when the power means is operated in a reverse direction, the side walls of said body including inner and outer panel portions, longitudinally extending sealing members at the lower edges of said inner panel portions and between said inner panel portions and outer panel portions, each member having a longitudinally extending horizontal slot slidably receiving and confining the edges of said flexible belt both above and below said edges.

Claim 9

A self-unloading wheeled vehicle as claimed in claim 5 wherein eaCh longitudinally extending member has a lip portion which projects inwardly from the lower portion of the slot beyond the inner panel portion and beneath the edge of the belt against which the edge of the flexible belt may be pressed by the pressure of the load thereon.

Claim 10

A self-unloading wheeled vehicle comprising a vehicle body having a floor and side walls extending upwardly therefrom, a transversely extending roller at the rear end of said floor, a flexible belt normally covering said floor and extending around said roller, said flexible belt having a front end normally positioned adjacent to the front of the body, means for moving said belt rearwardly around said rear roller to eject the load from said vehicle body and for subsequently moving said belt forwardly to return it to its normal position, and a fixed bulkhead spaced a predetermined distance from the front of the body to provide an unloaded front belt portion which can accommodate fallback during an unloading operation, said bulkhead comprising a sloping central panel sloping downwardly toward the front of the vehicle, and a pair of converging side panels joined to opposite sides of said central panel, said central panel and side panels being spaced sufficiently above said belt to permit movement of the later.

Claim 11

A self-unloading wheeled vehicle comprising a vehicle body having a floor and side walls extending upwardly therefrom, a transversely extending roller at the rear end of said floor, a flexible belt normally covering said floor and extending around said roller, said flexible belt having a front end normally positioned adjacent to the front of the body, means for moving said belt rearwardly around said rear roller to eject the load from said vehicle body and for subsequently moving said belt forwardly to return it to its normal position, and a fixed bulkhead spaced a predetermined distance from the front of the body to provide an unloaded front belt portion which can accommodate fallback during an unloading operation, said bulkhead comprising a sloping central panel sloping downwardly toward the front of the vehicle, and a pair of converging side panels joined to opposite sides of said central panel, said central panel and side panels being spaced sufficiently above said belt to permit movement of the later.

Claim 12

A self-unloading wheeled vehicle comprising a vehicle body having a floor and side walls extending upwardly therefrom, a transversely extending rear roller journalled adjacent the rear end of the floor of said body, a flexible belt having an upper stretch normally covering said floor and having a front end normally positioned adjacent the front of the body, said belt extending around said rear roller and having a first lower stretch extending forwardly beneath said floor and a second lower stretch looped back to extend rearwardly beneath said floor to a location where its end is deadended, a drive roller positioned to rollably engage said looped portion of said belt between said forwardly and rearwardly extending stretches thereof, and power means for said drive roller to move the belt forwardly beneath the floor when the power means is operated in one direction to thereby cause the upper portion of the belt to move rearwardly over said floor to unload the body, and means connecting said drive roller with the front end of said belt for returning the belt to normal position when the power means is operated in a reverse direction, said drive roller including a middle portion and said power means including a yoke having spaced arms having operative engagement with opposite sides of said middle portion of said drive roller.

Claim 13

A self-unloading wheeled vehicle comprising a vehicle body having a floor and side walls extending upwardly therefrom, a transversely extending rear roller journalled adjacent the rear end of the floor of said body, a flexible belt having an upper stretch normally covering said floor and having a front end normally positioned adjacent the front of the body, said belt extending around said rear roller and having a first lower stretch extending forwardly beneath said floor and a second lower stretch looped back to extend rearwardly beneath said floor to a location where its end is deadended, a drive roller positioned to rollably engage said looped portion of said belt between said forwardly and rearwardly extending stretches thereof, and power means for said drive roller to move the belt forwardly beneath the floor when the power means is operated in one direction to thereby cause the upper portion of the belt to move rearwardly over said floor to unload the body, and means connecting said drive roller with the front end of said belt for returning the belt to normal position when the power means is operated in a reverse direction, said drive roller including a middle portion and said power means including a yoke having spaced arms having operative engagement with opposite sides of said middle portion of said drive roller.

Claim 14

A self-unloading wheeled vehicle as claimed in claim 8 in which there are spaced longitudinal tracks supported beneath the floor of the vehicle and in which there is means at the ends of said drive roller having guiding engagement with said tracks.

Claim 15

A self-unloading wheeled vehicle comprising a vehicle body having a floor and side walls extending upwardly therefrom, a transversely extending rear roller journalled adjacent the rear end of the floor of said body, a flexible belt having an upper stretch normally covering said floor and having a front end normally positioned adjacent the front of the body, said belt extending around said rear roller and having a first lower stretch extending forwardly beneath said floor and a second lower stretch looped back to extend rearwardly beneath said floor to a location where its end is deadended, a drive roller positioned to rollably engage said looped portion of said belt between said forwardly and rearwardly extending stretches thereof, power means for said drive roller to move the belt forwardly beneath the floor when the power means is operated in one direction to thereby cause the upper portion of the belt to move rearwardly over said floor to unload the body, and means connecting said drive roller with the front end of said belt for returning the belt to normal position when the power means is operated in a reverse Direction, the front end of said belt being movable during ejection to a position to expose portions of the floor, and a fixed bulkhead in the forward portion of the body spaced a substantial distance rearwardly from the front of the body to define an unloaded front belt portion forwardly of said bulkhead when the belt is in said normal position, which belt portion is of sufficient length to accommodate fallback during an unloading operation so that said fallback does not fall on an exposed floor portion, said fixed bulkhead having a lower edge terminating short of the floor to provide a space through which the belt may move.

Claim 16

A self-unloading wheeled vehicle comprising a vehicle body having a floor and side walls extending upwardly therefrom, a transversely extending rear roller journalled adjacent the rear end of the floor of said body, a flexible belt having an upper stretch normally covering said floor and having a front end normally positioned adjacent the front of the body, said belt extending around said rear roller and having a first lower stretch extending forwardly beneath said floor and a second lower stretch looped back to extend rearwardly beneath said floor to a location where its end is deadended, a drive roller positioned to rollably engage said looped portion of said belt between said forwardly and rearwardly extending stretches thereof, power means for said drive roller to move the belt forwardly beneath the floor when the power means is operated in one direction to thereby cause the upper portion of the belt to move rearwardly over said floor to unload the body, and means connecting said drive roller with the front end of said belt for returning the belt to normal position when the power means is operated in a reverse Direction, the front end of said belt being movable during ejection to a position to expose portions of the floor, and a fixed bulkhead in the forward portion of the body spaced a substantial distance rearwardly from the front of the body to define an unloaded front belt portion forwardly of said bulkhead when the belt is in said normal position, which belt portion is of sufficient length to accommodate fallback during an unloading operation so that said fallback does not fall on an exposed floor portion, said fixed bulkhead having a lower edge terminating short of the floor to provide a space through which the belt may move.

Claim 17

A self-unloading wheeled vehicle as claimed in claim 10 in which the fixed bulkhead slopes downwardly toward the front of the body to provide a space therebeneath which is of increasing height rearwardly of the body.

Claim 18

A self-unloading wheeled vehicle as claimed in claim 10 in which the floor of the body is formed of spaced transversely extending slats to provide spaces through which material may fall.