Vandret transportör til leddelte pölsestrenge

A horizontal conveyor for linked sausage strands has a frame (10) having a horizontal operating platform (12) with opposite first (16) and second ends (18), opposite sides, a top surface (20), and a continuous perimeter wall (14) extending along the sides and first and second ends. The perimeter wall (14) is substantially semi-circular at the first end (16); and has a substantially parallel side portions at a midsection; and has end portions that converge towards each other from the side portions to meet at a semi-circular end portion (18A) at the second end (18). A channel (24) is located in the top portion in uniform inwardly spaced relation to the perimeter wall, and a continuous conveyor chain (26) is in the channel. A plurality of spaced hook members (28) are secured to the conveyor chain and have a shank (30) slidably engaging the top of the perimeter wall, and a hook portion extends downwardly and outwardly with respect to the perimeter wall. The semi-circular end portion of the second end (18) of the platform comprises a sausage loading station and has a diameter less than the distance between the side portions of the perimeter wall so that the hook portions of the hook members sliding over such end portion will travel at a speed greater than the speed of the hook members sliding over the side portions of the perimeter wall.