Retractable pusher dog for power and free conveyors

A retractable pusher dog for an overhead power and free conveyor system is provided. The retractable pusher dog comprises a body portion formed from a rectangular cylinder with a spring and pusher member disposed within the cylinder. When a force greater than the static spring force is applied to the pusher member, the pusher member retracts into the body portion thus reducing the overall height of the pusher dog. Due to its self-actuating retraction, the retractable pusher dog of the subject invention requires no modifications to the powered and free rails or to the load trolleys. The retractable pusher dog will prevent jamming of load trolleys by allowing the pusher dog to bypass an off-timed load carrier, introduced from a different powered rail, until it is properly aligned on the main rail. Also, the body plates of the pusher dog facilitates coupling the pusher dog to the drive chain without disassembling the drive chain thus reducing downtime of the conveyor system and labor costs.