AU615951B2 - Plough - Google Patents

Description

61 5L 1i C0M MMNW EA LT H PATENT ACT 1952 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE USE CLASS INT. CLASS_ Application Number: Lodged:

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@0 Complete Specification Lodged: Accepted: Published: Priority: Related Art-: 0 *0 go NAME OF APPLICANT: ADDRESS OF APPLICANT: NAME(S) OF INVENTOR(S) GRIZZLY ENGINEERING PTY. LTD.

Ultima Road, Swan Hill 3585 Victoria

AUSTRALIA

BRUCE ALLAN POLTROCK ADDRESS FOR SERVICE: DAVIES COLTJSON, Patent Attorneys I Little Collins Street, Melbourne, 3000.

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR THE INVENTION ENTITLED:

"PLOUGH"

The following statement is a full description of this inventiou, iLicluding the t miethod of performing it known tola

PLOUGH

This invention relates to a plough.

More particularly, the invention relates to a plough having gangs of discs.

The general object of the invention is to provide a plough which has improved characteristics during turns.

According to the present invention there is provided a plough comprising a forward frame having gangs of discs thereon, a rearward frame having gangs of discs thereon, and pivot means pivotally connecting the forward and rearward frames, characterized in that the pivot axis of the pivot means is located in a substantially vertical plane in the fore and aft direction of the plough and the axis is off-set to the vertical, the axis being inclined in theaft direction above said pivot means.

'I Preferably, the pivot axis is off-set at an angle in the range 50 and 150 to the vertical, the acute angle being towards the forward frame. Preferably, the angle is L i T

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r i Preferably further, the forward frame has gangs which project forwardly from either side of the frame and the rearward frame has gangs which project rearwardly from the rearward frame.

Preferably further, the plough includes wheels. It is preferred that the wheels are mounted on the forward frame and are located laterally of the pivot means.

The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIGURE 1 is a schematic plan view of a tandem off-set disc plough constructed in accordance with the invention; FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary side view of the pivot of the plough; FIGURE 3 is a simplified view along the line 3-3; and FIGURE 4 is a side view of one of the gangs of discs.

Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of a tandem off-set disc plough constructed in accordance with the invention. It comprises a forward frame 2 which has a longitudinally extending beam 4 from which extend first and second gangs 6 and 8 of discs and a draw bar 9. The gangs of discs are preferably similar to those disclosed in Australian patent No.

j552,035.

The forward frame 2 includes gang support arms 41 and 43 which project outwardly from the beam

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0 0 0. 0 O 0 0 @0 00 4. Parts of gang support plates 45 and 47 are connected to the free ends of the arms 41 and 43 for supporting the gangs 6 and 8 respectively. The gang 6 is illustrated in more detail in Figure 4. The gangs 8, 14 and 16 are of the same general configuration and need not be described. The gang 6 includes a plurality of discs 49 mounted on a hub assembly 51 the ends of which are rotatably mounted in end plates 53 and 55. The upper ends of the plates 53 and 55 are connected to a gang support beam 57 which includes an inwardly projecting connecting plate 59. The connecting plate 59 is pivotally connected to an adjusting bar which is mounted above the beam 4. The forward end of the adjusting bar 61 has projecting therefrom a threaded shaft 63 upon which a pair of adjusting nuts 65 are mounted. The adjusting nuts 65 bear against a bracket 67 which projects upwardly from the beam 4, as best seen in Figure 2. Adjustment of the position of the nuts on the shaft 63 causes a longitudinal movement of the bar 61 and hence a rotational movement of the gang 6. The gang 8 is also pivotally connected to the bar 61 and will therefore rotate with the gang 6 but in the opposite sense.

The pairs of plates 45 and 47 form guide channels through which the beams 57 of the gangs are slideable. Bolts 89 pass through the plates 45 and 47 to retain the beams 57 within the guide channels.

The adjusting bars 61 and 79 can be operated to change the orientation of the gangs so as to operate at angles of say 16° to 240 (relative to perpendicular lines to the beams 4 and 14).

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Extending downwardly from the beam 4 and gang support arm 41 are a pair of plates 11. A link 69 is pivotally connected to the plates 11 for rotation about a generally horizontal axis. The pivot point 71 of the link 69 is adjustable with respect to the plates 11 for altering the position of the horizontal pivot axis, as best seen in Figure 2.

The rearward end of the draw bar 9 is itself pivotally connected at 73 to the link 69 for rotation about a generally vertical axis. An adjusting link is pivotally connected at one end to the outer end of the link 69 and at the other end to coupling plates 77 extending laterally from the side of the bar 9 The link 75 can thus be used to alter the orientation of the bar 9 relative to the link 69 and therefore alter the distance to the side at which the plough will be towed from the tractor (not shown).

This is useful where the plough is to be used in an orchard because it can operate beneath the branches of trees where the tractor cannot pass.

A levelling spring assembly 13 is coupled between the bar 9 and the beam 4. The assembly 13 includes a shaft 15 pivotally connected at its lower end to the bar 9 and a pair of compression springs and 27 which are mounted on the shaft and resiliently bear against a collar 29. The collar 29 is pivotally mounted in a yoke 31 which in turn is pivotally connected to the beam 4. The springs act to resiliently hold the bar 9 and beam 4 generally parallel to one another but to permit relative movement caused by uneven terrain.

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5 500 i~c~"l- The amount of bias applied by the springs and 27 on the collar 29 can be altered by means of adjusting nuts 90 and 92 threadably mounted on the shaft 15. The nuts 90 and 92 can be adjusted to ensure that there is substantially the same amount of working of the soil by the forward and rear gangs.

For larger ploughs the adjusting nuts 90 and 92 can be preplaced by an hydraulic ram (not shown) which can be operated by the tractor driver as he operates the equipment.

The rearward frame 10 includes a longitudinally extending beam 12. Third and fourth gangs 14 and 16 of discs project laterally from the beam 12. The gangs 14 and 16 are preferably also of the type disclosed in the aforementioned Australian patent. The orientation of the gangs 14 and 16 can be altered by means of an adjusting bar 79 which ."...functions in a similar way to the adjusting bar 61.

It is preferred that the forward gangs 6 and 8 project forwardly relative to the direction of travel and the rearward gangs 14 and 16 project rearwardly .relative to the forward travel, as shown in Figure 1. With this arrangement, the discs of the gangs 6 and 8 tend to move the soil away from the centre line whereas the discs of the gangs 14 and 16 move the soil back towards the centre line.

The plough includes wheels 17 and 19 which are mounted upon wheel support assemblies 21 and 23 which extend laterally from the rear of the forward beam 4. The wheel 17 is located approximately midway between the gangs 8 and 16 and the wheel 19 is located approximately midway between the gangs 6 and

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6 14. The assemblies 21 and 23 permit adjustment of the height of the forward and rear frames 2 and relative to the wheels 17 and 19. This height adjustment is permitted by arranging for the wheel axles to be mounted on parallelogram linkages 81 and 83, as diagrammatically illustrated in Figure 3. An hydraulic ram 85 is coupled at one end to the beam 12 and at the other to the linkage 81 for altering the position of the wheel 17 relative to the beam 12. A ram 87 is provided for adjustment of the wheel 19 in .o the similar way. The rams 85 and 87 can be operated to alter the position of the wheels relative to the frame 2 to effect adjustment of the depth of ploughing and also to elevate the discs above the *e ground for transporting the plough.

*0 o The plough includes pivot means 18 to pivotally connect the forward and rear frames 2 and 10. In the illustrated arrangement, the pivot means includes an upper ball joint 89 which is located above the beam 4 and a lower ball joint 91 which is located beneath mounting brackets 93 for the wheel support assemblies 21 and 23. As seen in Figure 2, the pivot axis 20 is formed at an angle A to the o. *vertical, the angle preferably being in the range from 50 to 150. Generally speaking, the angle is reduced for wider machines.

The plough includes abutment means (not shown) on the beam 4 and or beam 12 to limit the angle of relative rotation about the pivot means 18.

Preferably the angular rotation is about 150 either side of the centre position.

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In use of the plough of the invention, it is moved in the forward direction as indicated by arrow 22 by a draught vehicle (not shown). The forward gangs 6 and 8 plough the soil away from the centre line 11. The extent of lateral movement on the soil depends upon the angle of the gangs relative to the beam 4 and this is adjustable by means of the adjusting bar 61. It is preferred that the gangs 6 and 8 make equal angles with the beam 4. The rear gangs 14 and 16 plough the soil back towards the centre line 11. Again, the angles of the gangs 14 and 16 can be adjusted by adjusting bar 79. The angle of the gangs 14 and 16 to the beam 12 is the same but the angle of the rearward gangs is not necessarily the same as that of the forward gangs 6 and 8.

In the plough of the invention, the inclined axis 20 of the pivot means 18 enables better ploughing action during cornering, compared to known ploughs with fixed frames or articulated ploughs with vertical axes of rotation between the forward and rearward frames.

With a fixed frame machine of a similar gang configuration during a turn in a corner to the left (as shown if Figure the gang 8 pushes much squarer in the ground which results in that gang ploughing deeper. This increases the likelihood of damage being caused to the discs. Further, the machine tends to pivot around its centre which means that the gang 16 will not replace soil which has been thrown out by the gang 8 because the gang 16 travels in a wider arc than does the gang 8. The forces on

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0 0 SO i __i 11 8 the gang 6 are, generally speaking, equal to those acting on gang 2 and similarly the forces on gang 14, are generally speaking, equal to those acting on gang 16. This tends to keep the plough straight on flat ground with regular soil texture. When however one of the gangs encounters a ridge or harder conditions, the forces acting on it will increase causing the machine to deviate to left or right. For instance, if gang 6 encounters harder ground, the forces acting on it will be greater than those acting on gang 2 *which tends to cause the rear end of the plough 'Zo seswing towards the left (as seen in Figure 1).

.An articulated or tandem machine with a *""vertical axis, tends to maintain a straighter line .i because the front is more or less independently operable of the rear and this enables better distribution of forces. For instance, if the gang 6 e" encounters harder ground its discs will reduce their set, that is to say the angle of attack of the discs relative to the soil. This reduces the forces acting oo. on the gang 6 and simultaneously tends to increase the set of the discs of the gangs 14 and 16 thereby tending to balance the forces and maintain equalibrium. Unfortunately, because the rear gangs 14 and 16 work in opposite ways, they do not tend to self-correct. For instance when gang 14 erncounters hard soil or a ridge, an extra load is placed upon it amd it will tend to move back. This increases the set upon it instead of decreasing it thereby further increasing the load. Once the hard soil or ridge has been passed, it does not tend to self-correct because the gang 14 still has more set upon it in relation to gang 16. The machine may maintain reasonably 9 directional stability but the ploughing result is generally speaking unacceptable.

In a plough constructed in accordance with the invention, the aforementioned drawback is generally speaking alleviated. For instance when the gang 14 encounters harder soil or a ridge it will move back but additionally it will tend to be elevated owing to the forward inclination of the pivot axis 20. The upward movement reduces the load *on the gang 14 and increases the load on gang 16 by pushing it further into the soil. This therefore tends to equalise the load on the gangs 14 and 16 so that the rear frame 10 will tend to remain aligned with the forward frame 2.

SS 0 :It is preferred that the hinge is located approximately midway between the forward and rear gangs. If it is too far back, the rear will tend to r .be pushed out in a corner resulting in the rear discs not collecting soil thrown out by the front discs.

oo On the other hand, if the hinge is too far forward, the rear will swing in too far in the corner bringing too much soil to the worked area resulting in ridge.

Many modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims (19)

1. A plough comprising a forward frame havirg gangs of discs thereon, a rearward frame having gangs of discs thereon, and pivot means pivotally connecting the forward and rearward frames, characterized in that the pivot axis of the pivot means is located in a substantially vertical plane in the fore and aft direction of the plough and the axis is off-set to the vertical, the axis being inclined in thea&- direction above said pivot means.

2. A plough as claimed in claim 1 wherein the pivot axis is off-set at an angle in the range 5" and 15 nd nui4 rr -r abo'e said pivot mzans.

3. A plough as claimed in claim 2 wherein said angle is about

4. A plough as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the forward frame has gangs which project forwardly from either side of the frame and the rearward frame has gangs which project rearwardly from the rearward frame.

5. A plough as claimed in any preceding claim including wheels for supporting the forward frame.

6. A plough as claimed in claim 5 wherein the wheels are carried by wheel support assemblies and means is provided for altering the height of the wheels relative to the forward frame.

7. A plough as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the pivot means comprises upper and lower ball joints. 910717,vusp.10grizzy,10 Li_ -i 0' 0 00 S 0 11

8. A plough in any preceding claim wherein the forward and rear frames include gang support arms which extend laterally from the frames to support the gangs.

9. A plough as claimed in claim 8 wherein the gangs are adjustably mounted relative to said gang support arms.

A plough as claimed in claim 9 wherein the inner ends of'the gangs are pivotally connected to adjusting members carried by the forward and rear frames.

11. A plough as claimed in claim 10 wherein the free ends of the gang support arms include guide means for slideably supporting the gangs.

12. A plough as claimed in any one of claims 9, 10 or 11 wherein the gangs are adjustably mounted for orientation at angles in the range 160 to 240 relative to a perpendicular line to the direction of movement of the plough.

13. A plough as claimed in any preceding claim including a draw bar pivotally connected to the forward end of the forward frame.

14. A plough as claimed in claim 13 including a levelling spring assembly acting between the draw bar and the forward frame.

A plough as claimed in claim 14 wherein the levelling spring assembly includes a collar pivotally 0 00 00 0 a. 00 S 00 90*0 0 OOSS S 00 S .I T- i I i, ,J a. a *J a aI I) ,J 0 0*S S a. a 66 ad *5 a. a at S. '1 0 *0O b a a *b t So a a a bag 12 carried by a yoke which is pivotally connected to the forward frame and a pair of compression springs which act on opposed sides of the collar.

16. A plough as claimed in claim 15 wherein the position of the springs are adjustable to vary the degree of resilient force applied by the springs on said collar when the draw bar is parallel to the forward frame.

17. A plough as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 16 as appended to claim 8 wherein support plates extend from the forward frame and one of said gang support arms, said plough including a link which is pivotally connected to the plates for rotation about a generally horizontal axis and wherein said draw bar is pivotally coupled to said link.

18. A plough as claimed in claim 17 including an adjusting arm which is pivotally coupled between the link and said draw bar, said adjusting arm being operable to adjust the orientation of the draw bar relative to the forward frame.

19. A plough substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this 7th day of October, 1988 GRIZZLY ENGINEERING PTY. LTD. By its Patent Attorneys DAVIES COLLISON i