Apparatus for loading and palletizing boxes and cartons, especially from

Abstract

Disclosed is a method and apparatus for lifting and stacking cartons onto a bed attached to a truck bed, especially in an agricultural field. The lifting apparatus includes two endless parallel belts to lift the cartons from the field onto a first conveyor. Variations in carton size or alignment may be accommodated by a pivoting loading frame or by lateral movement of the loader, which lateral movement is compensated for by a self-alignment mechanism. Cartons are transported to an elevator via a first and second conveyor. The elevator lifts the cartons to the level of a palletizer with a false floor wherein a reciprocating and pivoting transfer head removes the cartons from the elevator and deposits them onto the prestacking area of the palletizer false floor. Cartons may be selectively rotated into a transverse loading position by the transfer heads. Upon assembly of a first row of cartons, a tamping bar extends to position the cartons against the truck tailgate or against previously stacked cartons. Upon assembling additional rows of cartons onto the prestacking area, thereby completing a full section of cartons, the tamping bar extends while the false floor retracts, thereby depositing the section of cartons onto the truck bed in the desired configuration. The palletizer moves longitudinally along the truck bed via a carriage. Removal of assembled cartons from the truck bed is accommodated through longitudinal movement of the carriage.