AU775501B2 - Swing hitch - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

Applicant(s): SCHULTE INDUSTRIES LTD Actual Inventor(s): Delmar Toth Address for Service: PATENT ATTORNEY SERVICES 26 Ellingworth Parade Box Hill Victoria 3128 Australia Title: SWING HITCH The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:- 16/06/2004 15:57 +613-9890-1337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PAGE 08/18 /1 SWING HITCH FIL DO OF T HE IN VEJN TION The present inVention relates to a swing hilch for an agicultural implement BACKGRU N b Various agricul'ura! implements have elongate frmes that extend lateraky across the direction of travel when working. For transport these frames are C-ften ucoedon wheels and towed enws.A number of systems have been devised to perritA the conversion between working and transport modes.

Some of these use swing hitches, that is a to~ngue- or hnitch pole tha! will pivot between a working position extending from the front of the implement and a transport position extending from one end of the implement. In addition, various ground wheel mechanisms are used to suppotrt the implement in the two modes.

Frequently -his involves the use of two sets of wheels, one for- transportE and the other for -working. In asnother arrangemnent, disclosed in Degeirnan United State s Patent 4,555,897. the whees are mounted on swino arms and each is moved manually between its working and transport positions.

The above refLerences to and descriptions Or io proposa-Is or prodvcts are not intendec! to be, and are not -Lo be constru;ed as, stazezrentzs or admissions o L coimmoln general krnowiectge Inl the art in Aust :a!1.

The present invention is concerned with a novel 'swing hitclrnsysis m that sim plifies3 the Conversion Hrm working to transport mode and vice versa.

S U MMARY According to the present invention there is provided an agricultural *.imple-ment having a working travel direction and a transport travel direction *transversa to he working travel direaction, said Implemeint comprising: COMS 1D No: SBMI-00791886 Received by iP Australia: Time 16:09 Date 2004-06-16 16/66/2004 15:57 +1-8013 AETATRE EVP6 91 +613-9890-1337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PAGE 09/18 a frame having a lateral extent in the transport travei direction; first and second laterally spaced apart ground wheels, each mounted on the frame for rotation about -3 respective upright axis between a working position oriented in the working direction of travel and a transport position oriented $in the transport travel direction; COMS 10 No: SBMI-00791886 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:09 Date 2004-06-16 18/06/2004 15:57 +613-9890-1337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PAGE 10/18 2 a hitch pole mounted on the frame for pivotal movement between a laterally extending transport position and a working position transverse to the transport position; and 'a steering linkage connecting the hitch pole to the first and second ground wheels and connecting the first and second ground wleels for moving the ground wheels simultaneously between their transport and working positions in response to movement of .the hitch pole between the transport and working positons respectively; a third wheel mounted on the frame for mcvemnt between a transport position substantially parallel to the first and secor;d ground wheels in their transport positions, for supporting the leading side cf the frame on the ground, and a working position spaced above the transport positJon; and a third wheel lifting device for lifting the third wheel from the transport position to the working position.

Thus, moving the hitch pole between its wcrking and transport positions produces a corresponding movement of the wheels used for ground support in the working position to a transport position. This eliminates the need for a second set of wheels for this purpose. It also elinr intes the need. for manual movement of the wheels as they are turned automatically with movement of the hitch pole.

The third wheel provides additional suppo t for the transport position, since where the first and second wheels are normlly both mounted or, either the leading or trailing side of the frame. The third wheel may be lowered into a ground supporting transport position when required.

25 In an exemplary embodiment, the frame includes a laterally extending beam at the trailing side of the frame on which the first and second ground wheels are mounted. The hitch pole may also be m>unted on this beam.

The 3 steering linkage includes steering arms on the whee's and drag links connecting to the steering aims to the hitch pole.

30 The present invention has applicability to a wide range of agriculturzJ implements. One particular example, which will be described in more detail in the following, is a rock windrower.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate an exemplary oo COMS ID No: SBMI-00791886 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:09 Date 2004-06-16 -3embodiment of the present invention: Figure 1 is a plan view of a rock windrower according to the present invention in the working position; Figure 2 is a plan view like Figure 1, showing the windrower in the transport position; Figure 3 is an end elevation of the windrower in the working position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to the accompanying drawings, there is illustrated an agricultural implement, specifically a rock windrower 10 that is used for forming windrows of rocks on the surface of an agricultural field. The windrower has a frame 12 that includes a front cross member 14 carrying two trailing arms 16 at its opposite ends. The trailing arms carry a lateral rotor 18 carrying a helical array of blades 20 for displacing rocks along the rotor as the rotor is rotated and the windrower is advanced in the working travel direction illustrated by the arrow A in 15 Figure 1.

The rotor 18 is rotated by a rotor drive housed within a drive casing 22 carried by one of the trailing arms 16. This is coupled through a universal joint to a drive shaft 24 which is driven from a tractor power take off as will be discussed more fully in the following.

As illustrated most particularly in Figure 3, the height of the rotor with respect to the frame 12 is controlled using a depth control cylinder 26 which rotates the trailing arms 16 on the front cross member 14.

The frame 12 includes a laterally extending rear beam 28 mounted on the front cross member by a pair of beams 30 projecting to the trailing side of the frame. Two ground support wheels 32 are carried by the rear beam. Each wheel has a hub 34 mounted on an axle 36 carried by a king pin 38. The king pin is mounted on the rear beam by appropriate bearings so that it will rotate about an upright axis.

-4- Each king pin carries a steering arm 40. The steering arm is connected by a drag link 42 to a steering arm 44 mounted on an upright shaft 46, also carried by the rear beam 28. The shaft is fixed to a hitch pole 48 that extends forwardly from the rear beam 28, over the frame 12 to a downwardly offset end which is configured to couple to a drawbar 52 on a tractor 53. The hitch pole carries a power take off shaft 54 that couples to the power take off of the tractor at the front and to a right angle gear box 56 at the rear. The gear box is also mounted under the hitch pole and has an output that connects directly to the drive shaft 24 for the rotor 18.

In the working position illustrated in Figure 1, the hitch pole extends forwardly across the frame 12 and is seated in a cradle 58 mounted on the frame.

The hitch pole is held in place using a wedge pin 60 through the cradle. In this position, the ground wheels 32 and the hitch pole are all generally parallel so that the windrower will follow the tractor with the frame 12 extending laterally, that is S- 15 across the direction of travel.

When the windrower is moved to the transport position illustrated in Figure 2, the drive shaft 24 is disconnected from the gear box 56 and is supported in place on the frame by an appropriate bracket (not shown). The wedge pin 60 is then removed and the hitch pole is swung to the position illustrated in Figure 2.

This rotates the steering arm 44 and, through the drag links 42 and the steering arms 40, the wheels 32. In this condition, the wheels are generally parallel and extend laterally of the windrower. To retain the hitch pole in this position, it is seated in a second cradle 62 mounted on the frame and held in place using the wedge pin In this condition of the windrower, with the two ground support wheels on the trailing side of the frame, the leading side is unsupported. The apparatus thus includes a third wheel 64 that is mounted on a pivot arm 66 that pivots between a raised, working position illustrated in Figures 1 and 3 and a 16/06/2004 15:57 +613-9890-1337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PAGE 11/18 ,8° lowered transport position illustrated in Figure 2. in which the third wheel 64 is in contact with the ground and supports the leading end of the frame. The arm 66 is pivoted by a hydraulic cylinder 70 extending between the frame and the arm 66. In the working position, the wheel 64. is parallel to the working positions of the two wheels-32. As shown in Figure 2, this allows the implement to be towed endwise behind a tractor.

While one embodiment of the present invention has been described in the foregoing, it is to be understood that the invention is capable of embodiment in other forms and in association with different kinds of implements. The invention is therefore to be considered limited solely by the scope of the appended claims.

When used in this specification and claims, the terms "comprises" and "comprising" and variations thereof mean that the specified features, steps or integers are included.

The terms are not to be interpreted to exclude the presence of other features, steps or components.

e* oo go ooo* *oo* o o** oo*o* COMS ID No: SBMI-00791886 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:09 Date 2004-06-16

Claims (4)

1. 3. An implement according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the third wheel lifting device comprises a hydraulic cylinder.
2. 4. An implement according to claim 2 or 3 wherein the hitch pole is pivotally mounted on the beam. An implement according to any one of the previous claims wherein the steering linkage comprises two steering arms connected to respective ones of the first and second ground wheels and two drag links connecting the respective steering arms to the hitch pole.
3. 6. An implement according to any one of claims 1 through wherein the implement is a rock windrower.
4. 7. An implement substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings. Dazed this 1 5 th day of June 2004 PATENT ATTORNEY SERVICES Attorneys for SCHULTE INDUSTRIES LTD S* 0.0 o 0 00 ooe COMS ID No: SBMI-00791886 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:09 Date 2004-06-16