Pallet conveyor having relatively adjustable pusher heads

Claim 1

A conveyor for a tile making machine, the conveyor comprising: frame means defining a pallet track for receiving and supporting a line of end-to-end pallets to be conveyed; a drive chain mounted for movement adjacent said pallet track; said drive chain including a linear driving run which extends in the direction of said track; a plurality of pushers carried by said drive chain in spaced relation therealong, each pusher being pivotally coupled to the chain and including: a head portion for engaging and pushing a contact surface of a pallet to advance the line of pallets, and a follower portion; a follower track disposed adjacent at least a substantial portion of the driving run of said chain and being arranged to support and guide the follower portions of pushers traveling along said driving run in driving engagement with the pallets; said follower track being angularly inclined relative to said driving run in a manner for guiding said follower portions for rotational movement relative to said chain to rotate said head portions in a direction opposed to the direction of travel of said driving run, so that with the chain being driven at constant speed the head portions advance the line of pallets at a constant speed less than the speed of the driving run; and adjustment means operably connected to said follower track for adjusting the inclination angle of said follower track relative to said driving run so as to vary the distance between the head portion of a pusher located at the beginning of the track and the head portion of a pusher disposed on the track to accommodate different length pallets and changes in effective chain length.