Embodiments disclosed herein include a stacker for stockpiling bulk material. The stacker may include a linear conveyor having a rear portion including a hopper, and front portion, the conveyor being designed to carry bulk material along an elevating path from a low position adjacent the rear portion to a higher position adjacent the front portion. At least one leg may be mounted to the frame below the hopper, the at least one leg may include a hydraulic jack for increasing and decreasing the effective length of the leg, thereby raising and lowering the rear portion of the conveyor to increase and decrease a degree of elevation of the path. The hopper may be pivotally mounted to the conveyor, with hydraulic cylinders mounted thereto in order to raise and lower an end of the hopper to alter a degree of inclination of the hopper. Means may also be provided for maintaining the hopper in a horizontal disposition regardless of the degree of elevation of the conveyor.

A combination weigher includes: a dispersion unit adapted to radially disperse food products dropped in from above and onto the dispersion unit; a plurality of V-shaped like guide structures extending radially away from a center of the dispersion unit and arranged such that a narrower end of the V-shaped like guide structures face a center point of the dispersion unit; a plurality of hoppers associated to each of the trenches arranged below the outfeed ends of the trenches; and a control unit; and screw feeders arranged in each of the trenches operated by the control unit. The space between adjacent V-shaped like guide structures at a distance R1 defines a buffer zone for radially dispersed food products from the dispersion unit. The screw feeders in the adjacent trenches have opposite orientation and rotate in opposite directions such that upper part of the screw feeders are rotating away from each other.

A combination weigher includes: a dispersion unit adapted to radially disperse food products dropped in from above and onto the dispersion unit; a plurality of V-shaped like guide structures extending radially away from a center of the dispersion unit and arranged such that a narrower end of the V-shaped like guide structures face a center point of the dispersion unit; a plurality of hoppers associated to each of the trenches arranged below the outfeed ends of the trenches; and a control unit; and screw feeders arranged in each of the trenches operated by the control unit. The space between adjacent V-shaped like guide structures at a distance R1 defines a buffer zone for radially dispersed food products from the dispersion unit. The screw feeders in the adjacent trenches have opposite orientation and rotate in opposite directions such that upper part of the screw feeders are rotating away from each other.

A conveying device (1) for picking up a sward of crop material from the ground and feeding the crop material to, for example, a baler (4), comprises a conveying channel (28) through which the crop material is conveyed from a pick-up mechanism (18) to the baler (4) by a feed rotor 34. The conveying channel (28) comprises a base (30) comprising an upstream base part (43) and a downstream base part (44). The upstream base part (43) is pivotal adjacent its upstream end (45) about a transversely extending first pivot axis (57). The downstream base part (44) is pivotal about a second transversely extending second pivot axis (76) towards the downstream end (51) thereof. The downstream end (46) of the upstream base part (43) is supported on a pair of first resilient mounting members (59) and the upstream end (50) of the downstream base part (44) is supported on a pair of second resilient support members (85) through a pair of carrier arms (78) which are pivotal about a transversely extending carrier pivot axis (74). The resilience of the first and second resilient support members (59) and (85) is such that on the force with which crop material is being urged by the feed rotor 34 against the upstream and downstream base parts (43) and (44) exceeding respective first and second predefined values, the first and second resilient support members (59) and (85) yield, thereby permitting downward displacement of the downstream end (46) of the upstream base part (43) and the upstream end (50) of the downstream base part (44) in order to permit crop material to pass through the conveying channel (28) without becoming jammed between the feed rotor (34) and the upstream and downstream base parts (43) and (44).

A conveying device (1) for picking up a sward of crop material from the ground and feeding the crop material to, for example, a baler (4), comprises a conveying channel (28) through which the crop material is conveyed from a pick-up mechanism (18) to the baler (4) by a feed rotor 34. The conveying channel (28) comprises a base (30) comprising an upstream base part (43) and a downstream base part (44). The upstream base part (43) is pivotal adjacent its upstream end (45) about a transversely extending first pivot axis (57). The downstream base part (44) is pivotal about a second transversely extending second pivot axis (76) towards the downstream end (51) thereof. The downstream end (46) of the upstream base part (43) is supported on a pair of first resilient mounting members (59) and the upstream end (50) of the downstream base part (44) is supported on a pair of second resilient support members (85) through a pair of carrier arms (78) which are pivotal about a transversely extending carrier pivot axis (74). The resilience of the first and second resilient support members (59) and (85) is such that on the force with which crop material is being urged by the feed rotor 34 against the upstream and downstream base parts (43) and (44) exceeding respective first and second predefined values, the first and second resilient support members (59) and (85) yield, thereby permitting downward displacement of the downstream end (46) of the upstream base part (43) and the upstream end (50) of the downstream base part (44) in order to permit crop material to pass through the conveying channel (28) without becoming jammed between the feed rotor (34) and the upstream and downstream base parts (43) and (44).

A multi-roller guide that includes a base plate, a cover plate, a plurality of spacers positioned perpendicularly between the base plate and cover plate, a plurality of spacer fasteners coupled to the spacers, and a plurality of roller assemblies secured between the base plate and cover plate and aligned along a roller assembly arc path. Each roller assembly includes a roller coupled to a roller bearing, with the roller bearing having a bearing center passage that receives therein an axle, and wherein the plurality of roller assemblies are secured between the cover plate and base plate via the axle, and wherein each roller is spool shaped including a core portion connecting upper and lower boundary walls, the upper and lower boundary walls extending radially outward from the core portion and including a space therebetween for receiving a portion of a tensile member.

A multi-roller guide that includes a base plate, a cover plate, a plurality of spacers positioned perpendicularly between the base plate and cover plate, a plurality of spacer fasteners coupled to the spacers, and a plurality of roller assemblies secured between the base plate and cover plate and aligned along a roller assembly arc path. Each roller assembly includes a roller coupled to a roller bearing, with the roller bearing having a bearing center passage that receives therein an axle, and wherein the plurality of roller assemblies are secured between the cover plate and base plate via the axle, and wherein each roller is spool shaped including a core portion connecting upper and lower boundary walls, the upper and lower boundary walls extending radially outward from the core portion and including a space therebetween for receiving a portion of a tensile member.

A combination weigher includes: a dispersion unit adapted to radially disperse food products dropped in from above and onto the dispersion unit; a plurality of V-shaped like guide structures extending radially away from a center of the dispersion unit and arranged such that a narrower end of the V-shaped like guide structures face a center point of the dispersion unit; a plurality of hoppers associated to each of the trenches arranged below the outfeed ends of the trenches; and a control unit; and screw feeders arranged in each of the trenches operated by the control unit. The space between adjacent V-shaped like guide structures at a distance R1 defines a buffer zone for radially dispersed food products from the dispersion unit. The screw feeders in the adjacent trenches have opposite orientation and rotate in opposite directions such that upper part of the screw feeders are rotating away from each other.

This invention relates to a screw feeder adapted to be used in relation with a combination weigher, where the combination weigher comprises a dispersion unit, and a plurality of trenches surrounding the dispersion unit, where each of the plurality of trenches comprise an infeed end and a releasing end where each of the trenches and have a circular sector like shaped bottom portion, where the dispersion unit is adapted to radially disperse food products into the trenches at their receiving ends, where at each trench the received food product is advanced by said screw feeder towards the releasing end, where said screw feeder is made of a material being softer than the material of the trenches and is designed such that it has a polygon cross sectional shape having three or more edges.

A method is provided for removing slack in a chain conveyor driven between a first sprocket and a second sprocket, the first sprocket and the second sprocket rotating in a first direction. The method includes: locking the second sprocket to prevent rotation of the second sprocket in a second direction opposite the first direction; operating the first sprocket in the second direction to position a slack portion between the first sprocket and the second sprocket; and removing at least one chain link from the slack portion.