US2629944A - Dirt and snow moving attachment for tractors - Google Patents

Description

March 3, 1953 B. F. ARPS 2,629,944

DIRT AND SNOW MOVING ATTACHMENT FOR TRACTORS I Filed July 21, 1948 4 Sheejas-Sheet 1 JNVENTOR. @eu/vo F fleas.

March 3, 1953 B. F. ARPS 2,629,944-

DIRT AND SNOW MOVING ATTACHMENT FOR TRACT 6R5 Filed July 21, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 3, 1953 B. F. ARPS 2,629,944

DIRT AND SNOW MOVING ATTACHMENT FOR TRACTORS Filed July 21, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. Bea/v0 F AEPJ BY HTTOQ/VEY March 3, 1953 B. F. ARPS DIRT AND SNOW MOVING ATTACHMENT FOR TRACTORS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed July 21, 1948 fi/eu/vo F4227 BY IN VEN TOR.

# 7- TOP/V6 y Patented Mar. 3, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DIRT AND SNOW MOVING ATTACHMENT FOR TRACTORS 4 Claims.

The present invention relates-to an attachment for tractors having blades suitable for bulldozing and the like and has for its principal objects generally stated, a device which is simple, easilymanu'fa'ctured at low cost and efficient.

Important objects of the present invention are to provide a suitable holding bracket for the blade having means, whereby the blade may be conveniently positioned at an angle transverse to the direction of travel or tilted transversely and also providing means whereby when the blade" is used for bulldozing it may be spring held in operating position and spring released if the bottom of the blade contacts a serious obstruction.

Another object of the present invention is to provide means whereby the scraper element may be optionally rigidly held to its bracket and adjusted at different vertical angles without the addition of extra parts.

A novel feature of applicants device is the skid shoes which are positioned a considerable distance apart and vertically adjustably secured to the scraper element, whereby the weight of the scraper element and frontend of the frame maylargely rest on the shoes and when desired the blade may be caused to travel slightly above the road surface.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a frame which is detachably hingedly connected at its rear ends preferably to the rear axle housings of the tractor and having guide ways secured to the front axle of the tractor, in a manner whereby the attachment may be quickly and easily attached and detached from the tractor.

A further object of the present invention vis to provide novel means for .detachably connecting the device to the standard draw bars of the tractor having means whereby the connections may be quickly made or detached without change of any parts of the device or tractor and, whereby the standard-means for raising or lowering the draw bars may be used for changing the transverse angle of the carrying frame and blade.

An important feature of the present invention is its connection to the draw bars of the tractor having means whereby the regular power lift supplied on the tractor is used for raising and lowering or adjusting the transverse angle of operation as hereinafter described and claimed -l' 2 and shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view" of a conventional tractor equipped with my invention with the scraper element and its bracket removed.

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of a tractor and a fraction of the device, the frame members of the device being sectioned on line 2-2 of Figure 1. I

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the scraper element and its bracket showing a fraction of the front end of the frame bars;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 except illustrating the spring releasing mechanism in action,

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the scraper element and bracket showing a fraction of the scraper element and a fraction of the frame bars and illustrating the position of the scraper element similar to that shown in Figure 4.

Fig. 6 is a fractional view of the front end 01' the frame showing a fraction of the scraper element bracket in section.

Fig. '7 is a side elevational view illustrating a guide bracket, a fraction of the carrying frame and its cable mechanism for controlling the height of the scraper element.

Fig. 8 is a fractional rear end elevational view of the tractor illustrating the power lift connection to conventional draw bars and also illustrating the structure forming the connectionsbetween the draw bars and carrying frame.

Fig. 9 illustrates a modification.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged side elevational view illustrating the detachable connection of the frame to a bracket which may be permanently secured to the tractor axle housing.

Fig. 1 1 is a rear view illustrating the parts shown in Figure 10.

As thus illustrated the tractor in its entirety is designated by reference character A, the scraper element including its bracket is designated in its entirety by reference character B. The frame which forms an operating connection between the scraper element and bracket and tractor is in its entirety designated by reference character C.

The tractor frame is designated by reference numeral ID havingv at its rear end axle housings l|--l| and at its forward end an axle l-2 which is horizontally pivoted (not shown) at its center to the tractor frame. Rear carrying wheels l3l3 (one not shown) are mounted on axles which protrude from housing members H inthe usual manner and wheels i l-l4 are mounted opening through which a bolt 26 extends.

31-31 and aa aa.

H! by means of pins 26-20, the ends of which protrude through slots 2|-2| in brackets l9. At the front ends of slots 2| I provide out turned flanges 22 22. When the pins are moved into the slots as shown in Figure 10, plates 23-23 are placed on the pins and lock pins 24 are inserted into openings in the ends of the pins, the pins will then be held in position in the slots'by plates '23. Thus clearly it is a simple matter to attach and detach frame C from the tractor.

Thus it will be seen that frame C may. raise and lower at its front end on members 20 as axes, the forward end, however of frame C while 'free to raise and lower, is prevented from swinging sidewise by brackets 5.

I will now describe in detail my scraper blade element B and its bracket connection to member C. Members It at their forward ends converge ,and are secured to a block or bracket 25 preferably by electric welding, the block having an Bolt 26 extends through bracket 21 and through a reinforcing washer 28. Thus member 21 is rotatively supported by the front end of member C. The rear end of member 21 is curved as at 21 (see Figure 5) on a radius with bolt 26 and is .cross bracket 3|, the cross bracket being preferably electric welded to these members.

I provide an L-shaped bracket 32 which is preferably electric welded to member 3| the upper flange of which extends over member 21 and past openings and having an opening 33 which registers with openings 30 and an opening in member 3| (not shown), whereby a linch pin 34 may be usedv to lock the front end of bracket 21 in a transverse position for bulldozing or at an angle in either direction for moving dirt and snow sidewise. The rear end of member 21 slidably rests on member 3| and under the forwardly extending lip of member 32. Thus it will be seen that bracket 21 will be firmly held in its locked position by members 3|, 32 and 34.

Referring now specifically to Figures 3, 4 and 5; scraper element B is curved about as shown having a blade 40, and spaced stiffening bars Members 38 are pivoted to the forward corners of member 21 as at 39. Bracket 21 has attached thereto two spaced plates 4242 preferably by electric welding, bars 38 being the proper distance apart to practically contact the sides of the front end of bracket 21. Plates 42 are shaped about as shown in Figure 4 having openings 43-43 in their upper front corners.

I provide two toggle joints comprising bars 45 and links 45. Each pair of links is pivotally connected together as at 41, the front ends of bars 45 are pivoted to plate 42 as at 43 and the front ends of links 46 are pivoted to their adacent bars 38 as at 49--49. Two anchor bars 5| l50 extend through openings 44 in plates 42 and are which are secured to tubes l6.

anchored to bracket 21 a short distance from plates 42 as at 5|--5|. A transverse bar 52 is, at its ends pivoted to bars 45 as at 53-53. Bolts 6060 are anchored to bars 50 (see Figure 5) and extend freely through opening in bar 52. Springs 8| rest on bar 52 and are held on bolt 60 by means of washers 52-62 and nuts 63--63 on the ends of the bolts.

It will be seen that when bars 45 are forced rearwardly and downwardly on their pivots 43, links 46 will at 41 travel rearwardly and downwardly on pivots 49 as axes, thus to move the scraper element to the position shown in Figure 3. Pins 5454 extend inwardly through plates 42 and contact bar 45 when the scraper is in working position. Thus when bars 45 and links 46 are in the position shown in Figure 3 the plane of the pivot point of links 46 will be a very short distance above pivot point 43 so that it will take considerable pressure on the lower side of scraper element B to move the blade rearwardly at its bottom on pivot 39 and that because of the structure just described, as soon as the pressure 'on the bottom of the blade is released the blade will swing back to its working position as illustrated in Figure 3.

I secure an L iron 64 to members 31 and 38 for the length of blade 40. On the forward side of this L iron I secure a cutting and wearing blade '65 preferably by countersunk bolts (not shown).

Near the ends of members 64 I mount brackets 66 preferably by means of bolts 61, these brackets have openings through which a stem 68 is slidably mounted and on the bottom end of which are secured skid shoes 69. Member 68 is preferably provided with closely spaced indentations (not shown), whereby this member can be locked in its vertical position by means of set screws 10 and suitable lock nuts. Thus the skid shoes can be located in a position when desired to support the weight of the scraper element and hold blade 65 slightly away from the road surface when such an adjustment is desirable.

If it is not desirable to provide means, whereby the scraper element can tip rearwardly at its lower side, then bars 45, cross bar 52, bolts 60 and springs 6| are dispensed with and the rear end of links 46 are secured to plates 42 at 12, and their front ends are securedto bars 38 in any one of closely spaced holes 4| as illustrated in Figure 9,

whereby the vertical angle of the blade may be -Figure 9 clearly illustrates this and lowering the scraper element by means of the conventional tractor power lift bysupplying two cables 14-14. Cable sheaves 15-15 (see Figure 7) are rotatably mounted on brackets 16 The upper ends of the cables are suitably secured to screw threaded bolts 1818, having nuts whereby the cable ends may be detachably and adjustably secured to brackets |5 (see Figures 1, 2 and '1).

The ends of the power lift shaft 19 are secured to arms -80. The rear ends of these arms are connected by links 8|8| to conventional draw bars 8282. The raised position of these draw bars and power lift is shown by solid lines in Figure 1. The lowest position of the draw bars and resultant position of frame C is shown by dotted lines in this figure. The draw bars are pivotally mounted preferably to members H as at 8383 and links 8| are secured to these bars at 84 (see Figure 8). Pivots 83 are preferably in a1ignmentwithpins20.-

It is frequently desirable to tilt the scraper blade for minor terracing operations and for adjusting the transverse position to the road sur- 3 face. justable device 90 on one of the links 8|. This is shown on the right hand link in Figure 8 and has suitable means for changing the length of this link so as to raise or lower the drawbar to which the link is connected and tilt the scraper-blade to the right or left.

The operating connections of cables 14 to draw bars 82 are made as follows: rearwardly extending bars 8585 are pivoted at their front ends on pins 20 (see Figure 11) and are rigidly secured at their rear ends to bars 86 as illustrated. The i lower ends of bars 86 are connected together by means of a tube 31. Brackets 8888 are secured to tube 81 preferably by electric welding and in the position shown in Figure 8, and at the forward ends of these brackets, cables 14 are hingedly secured.

The upper ends of bars 86 are connected together by means of a bar 89, this bar at its ends being positioned above draw bars 82. Thus when the power lift acts to raise the draw bars, cables M will be moved rearwardly. It will be seen from the next above description that the power lift may act to raise or lower the scraper element or for tilting it for minor terracing operations.

Generally when the scraper element B is removed from frame C as illustrated in Figure 1, the front end of the frame is raised to its highest position by the power lift after which it may be held in this position as follows: two chains 93--93 are secured to bars 85 at 94. Brackets 95-45 are mounted preferably on brackets H! (see Figures and 11). The upper ends of brackets 95 are provided with cut away slitsin their centers whereby the chains may be hooked onto the bracket as illustrated in Figures 8 and 11 after which the power lift may be used for raising and lowering draw bars 82 independent of the present attachment. It will be understood, however, that frame C and its connections to the draw bar brackets Hi, the cable connections to brackets l5 and the connections between frame C and draw bars 82 may be conveniently removed or replaced.

In some services under some circumstances I may elect to provide hook-over brackets 96 which are removably or slidably secured to draw bars 82 so the hook-over portion may be positioned over bar 89 thus to lock bar 89 to the draw bar for positive movement in either direction and force member 85 to follow the movement of the draw bars. When hook-over brackets 96 are not in use and it is desired to use the draw bar independent of the attachment, all that is necessary is for the operator to raise the front end of the attachment and then hold it in this position by attaching chain 93 to bracket 95, after which member 98 may be moved rearwardly on the draw bars and then the drawbars' may be raised and lowered independent of the attachment.

Clearly many minor detail changes maybe made in the design shown Without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as recited in the appended claims.

Having thus shown and described my invention, I claim:

1. A scraper attachment for a tractor having a rear power lift comprising in combination, a carrying frame with spaced apart side members, their front ends converging into a supporting This is accomplished by means of an adblock, their rear ends being transversely pivoted to the rear end of the tractor, said supporting block having mounted thereon a scraper blade holding frame, operating connections between the said frame side members rearwardly of said converging front ends and said power lift, the pivotal connection of said side members to the tractor comprising a pair of spaced depending L- shaped brackets, each bracket formed from flat stock and secured to the rear axle housing of the tractor, each bracket having a horizontal slot formed therein extending rearwardly from the forward edge of the bracket, outwardly turned flanges on the forward edges of said brackets, laterally extending pins on the rear ends of said side members adapted to be moved rearwardly into said slots, detachable means for locking the side members to the brackets comprising blocks having openings for the reception of said pins, the blocks being adapted to lie on the outside of the bracket and behind said flanges, detachable means for locking the blocks on the pins whereby by removing the blocks the side frame members may be moved forwardly and detached from the brackets, depending guideways secured to the front axle of the tractor and positioned on the outside of said spaced apart frame members for restraining side movement of the frame, said operating connection to the power lift comprising a pair of spaced apart cables, the rear ends of the cables being connected to the power lift, said cables being entrained over spaced apart sheaves rotatably mounted on said spaced apart side members adjacent the vertically arranged guide members, the forward ends of said cables being securely anchored to the front of the tractor, whereby upon longitudinal movement of the cables the front end of the carrying frame may be vertically pivoted about the axis of the lateral pins by said power lift without changing the transverse adjusted angle of said supporting block.

2. A scraper attachment for a tractor having a rear power lift comprising in combination, a carrying frame with spaced apart side members, their front ends converging into a supporting block, their rear ends being transversely pivoted to the rear end of the tractor, said supporting block having mounted thereon a scraper blade holding frame, operating connections between the said frame side members rearwardly of said converging front end and said power lift, depending guideways secured to the front axle of the tractor and positioned adjacent one side of said spaced apart frame members for restraining side movement of the frame, said operating connection to the power lift comprising a pair of spaced apart cables, the rear ends of the cables being connected to the power lift, said cables being entrained over spaced apart sheaves rotatably mounted on said spaced apart side members adadjcent the vertically arranged guide members, the forward ends of said cables being anchored to the front of the tractor, whereby upon longitudinal movement of the cables the front end of the carrying frame may be vertically pivoted about the axis of the said transverse pivots by said power lift without changing the adjusted transverse angle of said supporting block.

3. A device as recited in claim 2 including, an adjustable means associated with one of said power lifting connections whereby the connection may be adjusted for tilting said carrying frames when in a power lift sup-ported position.

4. A scraper attachment for a tractor having a rear end power lift comprising, a carrying frame with spaced apart side members, their front ends converging into a supporting block, their rear ends being transversely pivotally secured to the rear end of the tractor in transverse spaced apart relation, depending brackets secured to the front axle of the tractor and positioned to restrain side movement of said frame, but permit vertical movement thereof, an operating connection to the power lift comprising a pair of spaced apart cables, the rear ends of the cables being connected to the power lift, one of said cable connections being adjustable as to length for tilting said carrying frame, said cables being entrained over sheaves, rotatably mounted upon said first spaced apart members, the forward end of said cables being anchored to said depending brackets, whereby said power lift may be operated for rais- 8 'ing or lowering said carrying frames about their pivotal connections to the tractor and without changing the adjusted transverse angle of said supporting block.

BRUNO F. ARPS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

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