Belt conveyor and feeder

摘要

An improved endless belt conveyor apparatus includes a supporting frame in the form of a pair of parallel longitudinal carrier rails that flank the endless belt in a plane below the upper carrying run of the belt. The carrier rails extend continuously from end-to-end of the conveyor and have uninterrupted trolley supporting portions that are adapted to support wheeled trolleys for movement therealong. The apparatus may be readily converted from a belt conveyor to an animal feeding apparatus that includes a reciprocating plow assembly by mounting such a plow assembly in a carriage that has wheeled trolleys that ride on the trolley supporting portions of the carrier rails. The conveyor frame structure also permits easy addition of the drive components for the reciprocating carriage.