CA1109718A - Power hoe - Google Patents
Power hoeInfo
- Publication number
- CA1109718A CA1109718A CA355,238A CA355238A CA1109718A CA 1109718 A CA1109718 A CA 1109718A CA 355238 A CA355238 A CA 355238A CA 1109718 A CA1109718 A CA 1109718A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- shaft
- hoe
- frame
- blade
- ground
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
- A01B—SOIL WORKING IN AGRICULTURE OR FORESTRY; PARTS, DETAILS, OR ACCESSORIES OF AGRICULTURAL MACHINES OR IMPLEMENTS, IN GENERAL
- A01B39/00—Other machines specially adapted for working soil on which crops are growing
- A01B39/10—Other machines specially adapted for working soil on which crops are growing with oscillating tools driven or not
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
There is described mechanical hoe comprising a support frame provided with ground engaging wheels and skids for movement over the ground, a blade movably supported for a back and forth cultivating motion relative to the frame, a guide for supporting the blade in a direction downwardly inclined relative to the frame, and a drive train mounted on the support frame for effecting the cultivating movement of the blade, whereby said blade penetrates the ground to effect loosening thereof and the destruction of weeds as the hoe is drawn in a direction away from the ground so cultivated.
There is described mechanical hoe comprising a support frame provided with ground engaging wheels and skids for movement over the ground, a blade movably supported for a back and forth cultivating motion relative to the frame, a guide for supporting the blade in a direction downwardly inclined relative to the frame, and a drive train mounted on the support frame for effecting the cultivating movement of the blade, whereby said blade penetrates the ground to effect loosening thereof and the destruction of weeds as the hoe is drawn in a direction away from the ground so cultivated.
Description
~1097~8 The present invention relates to an earthworking imple-ment and more particularly to a motorized hoe for cutting up weeds and loosening the earth in fields and gardens and which is capable of being drawn in a backwards motion over the soil to be worked.
Hoes have heen known since the dawn of primitive agriculture and have been used over the centuries to break or stir up the soil to thereby loosen the ~urface and destroy weeds. There remains, however, room for improvement in the hoe and particularly in the mechanization thereof with a view to lending increased utility and efficiency to an already useful tool.
Small, hand-held hoes are known to most if not all gardeners,as are larye mechanized cultivators known to pro-fessional agriculturalists. Between these two extremes, however, there is a need for an economical, motorized power hoe to assist in the cultivation of those plots of land which are either too large to be worked by a hand-held device or too small to be :
worked efficiently by a large mechanized cultivator worth per-; 20 haps tens of thousands of dollars.
Devices of the scale contemplated by the present inven-tion are either not available or are intended for purposes quite different from that contemplated by the device disclosed herein.
Perhaps the most common of the latter mentioned devices is the motorized cultivator,also known as a roto-tiller. Such devices are intended to be used for 80il preparation. They are effec-tive to loosen and overturn soil prior to the planting of any crop~ but are not particularly effective in killing weeds nor are they useful in cultivating the ground and keeping it weed-free once the crops are in place.
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', 97~8 Another disadvantage of known devices is that they are often required to be worked in a forward direction, with the result that the operator must walk over ground just worked.
The compaction of the soil thereby caused by the operator undoes much of the good accomplished by the hoe or implement blade.
This advantage is particularly acute when the soil is somewhat damp, in which case the soil compacts to an even greater extent than normal due to the adhesive effect on the thin layers of moisture surrounding individual particles of soil.
It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide an improved, efficient and economical power hoe which obviates and mitigates the aforementioned disadvantages of the prior art.
According to the present invention, there is provided a mechanical hoe comprising a support frame provided with ground engaging members for movement over the ground, a blade member movably supported for a back and forth cultivating motion relative to the frame and extending forwadly thereof, the motion being substantially in the plane of the blade, guide means for support-ing the blade member in a direction downwardly inclined relative ,; to the frame and drive means mounted on the support frame for effecting the cultivating movement of the blade, whereby the blade penetrates the ground to effect lossening thereof and the destruction of weeds as the hoe is drawn in a direction -; away from the ground so cultivated.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention ; the angle of downward tilt of the hoe blade and the depth of penetration of the hoe blade into the soil are variable.
An embodiment of the invention will now be described in greater detail and will be better understood when read in conjunction with the following drawings in which:
Hoes have heen known since the dawn of primitive agriculture and have been used over the centuries to break or stir up the soil to thereby loosen the ~urface and destroy weeds. There remains, however, room for improvement in the hoe and particularly in the mechanization thereof with a view to lending increased utility and efficiency to an already useful tool.
Small, hand-held hoes are known to most if not all gardeners,as are larye mechanized cultivators known to pro-fessional agriculturalists. Between these two extremes, however, there is a need for an economical, motorized power hoe to assist in the cultivation of those plots of land which are either too large to be worked by a hand-held device or too small to be :
worked efficiently by a large mechanized cultivator worth per-; 20 haps tens of thousands of dollars.
Devices of the scale contemplated by the present inven-tion are either not available or are intended for purposes quite different from that contemplated by the device disclosed herein.
Perhaps the most common of the latter mentioned devices is the motorized cultivator,also known as a roto-tiller. Such devices are intended to be used for 80il preparation. They are effec-tive to loosen and overturn soil prior to the planting of any crop~ but are not particularly effective in killing weeds nor are they useful in cultivating the ground and keeping it weed-free once the crops are in place.
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', 97~8 Another disadvantage of known devices is that they are often required to be worked in a forward direction, with the result that the operator must walk over ground just worked.
The compaction of the soil thereby caused by the operator undoes much of the good accomplished by the hoe or implement blade.
This advantage is particularly acute when the soil is somewhat damp, in which case the soil compacts to an even greater extent than normal due to the adhesive effect on the thin layers of moisture surrounding individual particles of soil.
It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide an improved, efficient and economical power hoe which obviates and mitigates the aforementioned disadvantages of the prior art.
According to the present invention, there is provided a mechanical hoe comprising a support frame provided with ground engaging members for movement over the ground, a blade member movably supported for a back and forth cultivating motion relative to the frame and extending forwadly thereof, the motion being substantially in the plane of the blade, guide means for support-ing the blade member in a direction downwardly inclined relative ,; to the frame and drive means mounted on the support frame for effecting the cultivating movement of the blade, whereby the blade penetrates the ground to effect lossening thereof and the destruction of weeds as the hoe is drawn in a direction -; away from the ground so cultivated.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention ; the angle of downward tilt of the hoe blade and the depth of penetration of the hoe blade into the soil are variable.
An embodiment of the invention will now be described in greater detail and will be better understood when read in conjunction with the following drawings in which:
- 2 11~97~8 :
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the power hoe describ-ed herein;
Figure 2 is a plan schematical illustration of the power hoe with certain parts removed for greater clarity;
Figure 3 is a partial side elevational view illustrat-ing the drive release mechanism of the power hoe;
Figure 4 is a perspective view of the guide and support means of the power hoe of Figure l;
Figure 5 is a cross sectional side elevation view of the guide mechanism of Figure 4;
Figure 6 illustrates the adjustable skid mounts of the power hoe illustrated in Figure l; and Figures 7 and 7a are schematic views of an alternative drive train for use on the power hoe described herein.
Referring now to Figure 1, there is shown a supporting frame or chassis which is _ollectively designated by the numeral 1. ~he chassis is supported by wheels 2 and skids 3 for move-ment over the ground. Both wheels 2 and skids 3 are adjustable to raise or lower the frame relative to the ground. Frame 1 is essentially wedge-shaped and comprises two major elements 4 and 5, upright bracing elements 9 and 9a, 10 and lOa, 11 and lla and 12 and 12a and horizontal bracing elements 13, 14 and 15. Addi-tional bracing elements, both horizontal and upright, may be utilized when additional frame rigidity is required. Axle 18 and motor mount 19 a~-so serve as horizontal bracing elements.
Frame 1 is positioned such that the lower arms 20 and 21 of major elements 4 and 5,respectively, are roughly parallel with the ground, the actual angle thereof being determined by the cant, if any, between wheels 2 and skids 3. Upper arms 23 . ''' ".:
':`' ~ ' 7~8 and 24 project upwardly at an acute angle to the ground and ter-minate at the point of connection to handle frame 25. Handle frame 25 is shaped much like an inverted elongated isometric ; triangle. As can best be seen in Figure 2, the lower narrow end of the triangle is not closed but remains somewhat open.
~;- Each of the lower ends of the frame is formed with an aperture to rotatably receive axle 18. Alternatively, the lowermost portion of frame 25 may be affixed to a braçing element other than axle 18. The sides of handle frame 25 project up-wardly and rearwardly of the hoe, opening outwardly to intersect the ends of upper arms 23 and 24 and continuing on in diverging directions to a height at which ~andle bar 26 may be attached to be conveniently positioned for an operator of typical height and reach.
Affixed between upper arms 23 and 24 of major elements 4 and 5 and atop the upper end of support elements 9 and 9a and lO and lOa is a horizontal platform 19 upon which is mounted either a gas or electric motor 30 for actuating a drive train and for providing propulsive force, if desired, to wheels 2.
With reference to Figure 2, the drive train itself compri~es a shaft 31 journaled into the upper ends of braces 11 and lla which protrude above upper frame arms 23 and 24. A
speed reducing pulley 32 is mounted onto the end of shaft 31 journaled into upright brace lla. Speed reducing pulley 32 is mounted outboard of frame 1. Pulley 32 is rotated by belt 35 i which connects pulley 32 with motor 30 via a motor pulley 27.
; Another puLley 36 is mounted onto shaft 31 adjacent the end thereof journaled into upright brace ll and is positioned just inside of upper arm 23. Pulley 36 rotates drive pulley 37 by means of belt 40. Tension in belt 40 is maintained by idler pulley 41 which is journaled into a pivoting support arm 43.
Idler pulley 41 is adjustable in a manner to be described below to maintain sufficient tension in belt 40 to cause rotation of pulley 37 when the hoe is actuated.
Drive pulley 37 ismounted ontocrank shaft50 tobe in linear alignment with pulleys 36 and 41. The crank shaft itself is journaledinto supporting arms45 and 46 which depend downwardly from motor mount 19. Support arms 45 and 46 are bracedagainst thrust and strainby struts 48. Rotation of crank shaft 50results in the oscillationof connecting rod 53 which is rotatablyconnect-ed to crank 51 of crank shaft 50. The other end of connectingrod 58 is connectedto one end of shaft 59 by mean~ of a flexible U-joint 60. The other end of shaft 59is rigidly or pivotallyconnect-ed to a blade 63 by meansof clamp 80. With reference to Figure 5, clamp 80 comprises twoplates, i.e. an upper plate llOwhich is positioned on the upper surfaceof blade63 and a lower plate 111 formed with a channelto fixedly receive the end of shaft 59.
Accordingly, the two plates bracket blade63 and the endof shaft 59.
~olts 112 are used to fasten this assembly together, thereby clamping blade 63 to shaft 59. Note that it may be desirable to be able to vary the tilt of blade 63. To this end, blade ~0 63 may be pivotally connected to shaft 59 to be adjustable within pre-determined limits by any well known method of so doing.
To prevent excessive damage within guide 65 due to abrasion and binding, that portion of the shaft 59 which extends beyond guide 65 to clamp 80 may be sheathed with a flexible dust cover 95 to prevent the entry of excessive dust and dirt into guide 65 and to protect the finish of the shaft.
When motor 30 is running but the hoe is not actually in use, it is desirable to be able to disengage crank shaft 50 from the remainder of the drive train. This may be accomplished as follows. Referring to Figure 3, a mechanism is provided whereby pivot arm 43 and idler pulley 41 can be tensioned against belt 40 by means of a manually operable grip 62 connected to '";' /
. .
pivoting arm 43 by cable 53, bellcrank lever 54 and spring 55.
Swivel bracket 54 is rotatably affixed to supporting arm 57 at a point intermediate upright braces 9 and 10. One end of arm 57 extends beyond brace 10 towards the front of frame 1 to rotatably receive pivot arm 43. Lever 54 is roughly ~-shaped and is mounted such that one of its upwardlyextending arms 54a projects rearwardly and is secured to one end of cable 53.
The other arm of the Y projects forwardly and has attached at its end one end of spring 55, the other end of which is connect-ed to arm 43 at a point intermediate pulley 41 and pivot joint 57. By depressing grip 62, arm 43 is pivoted rearwardly so that idler 41 is tensioned against belt 40. The slack in the belt is taken up and sufficient friction is generated to engage the pulleys and cause rotation of crank 50. Conv~rsely, releas-ing handle grip 62 will result in slippage of the belt over the pulleys and no rotation of the crank shaft will occur.
Shaft 59 is slidably supported and guided by a guide 65 comprising a number of roller bearings. Guide 65 is support-ed and attached to frame 1 by means of lateral guide rods 70 and 71 affixed to frame 1 at the points illustrated in Figure 4.
Rods 70 and 71, whichpass through guide 65,serve asthe axles of roller bearings 73 and 87 respectively, and extend laterally ; thereof towards frame members 4 and 5,respectively. The ends Oc each rod are received into fish plates 72 which are affixed to upright braces 12 and 12a by means of bolts 75 and 76. Bolt . .:
76 passes through slot 78 formed into the upper end of plate 72.
Slot 78 is approximately 3/4 of an inch in length such that the ; attitude of plates 72 relative to the frame may be adjusted by loosening bolts 75 and 76 and rotating the plate about bolt 75 to the extent allowed by slot 78. Accordingly, the attitude ,' `
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of guide 65 may be adjusted by means of adjustments to plates 72 in the manner just described to achieve alignment between crank shaft 50, U-joint 60 and guide 65. Improper alignment could result in binding of shaft 59 within the guide 65. The lower or trailing end 79 of plate 72 is rounded or beveled off to provide clearance between the plate and lower frame arms 20 and 21 respectively.
With reference to ~igure 5, the ends of rod 70 are slidably received into one-half inch slots (not shown) formed into plates 72. These slots are transversely aligned with slots 82 formed into retaining plates 80 and 81 of the shaft guide 65. Slots 82 are not only aligned with the slots formed in plates 72 to properly receive rod 70,but theyalso extend longi-tudinally in a direction approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of shaft 59. Accordingly, rod 70 and roller 73 may move up and down in response to any up and down movements of shaft 59 occurring as a result of misalignments between the guide and the crank shaft or due to deflections of blade 63 in response to jarring contacts with roots or rocks or perhaps due to impacts with minor contour variations in the soil.
To provide a shock absorbing influence, and also to urge rod 70 downwardly to maintain contact between guide roller 73 and shaft 59, springs 84 and 85 (Figure 2) are provided between rod 71, which is rigidly received into plates 72, 80 and 81, and rod 70. The springs are located adjacent the outer sur-faces of plates 80 and 81 to maintain maximum tension between roller 73 and shaft 59.
: Again referring to Figures 4 and 5, idler roller 88 is - rotatably mounted about a shaft 90, the ends of which are secured into plates 91 and 91a. Plates 91 and 91a are rigidly affixed ~.6~
.
to retaining plates 80 and 81,respectively,and project upwardly therefrom. ~etaining plates 80 and 81 are held in position by -- lateral rods 70 and 71 and bolts 74 and are aligned one with the other at an oblique angle to shaft S9. The various roller bearings are disposed within guide 65 such that shaft 59 enter-ing the guide from the direction of the crank shaftfirstlypasses below idler roller 88, then above lower roller ~7 and then below upper roller 73. This configuration of rollers prevents the shaft 59 from pivoting within the guide apart from the limited motion allowed by the mounting of rod 70 in slots 82. Accord-ingly, the shaft is guided in a substantially back and forth motion in the plane of blade 63, as indicated by the arrow label-ed R.
Alternative guide means (not shown) may include a cylindrical member having a bushing mounted therein to slidably receive the shaft 59. Such A means may be mounted to the frame by means of a shaft which extends fromthe guidemeans toframe mem-bers 4 and 5. The shaft is rotatably affixed to members 4 and ; 5 so that proper alignment of the guide means with shaft 59 is achieved merely by making the proper adjustments to the shaft.
The width of hoe blade 63 may be chosen to meet the requirements of job at hand, but in any event the blade may ex-~ tend outwardly and downwardly of frame l at an angle to the soil ; which may be varied somewhat by adjustments tothe attitude of guide 65 in the manner described above but more so by means of adjust-ments to skids 3 or wheels 2 to raise or lower apex 6 of frame l relative to the ground. To raise or lower the frame relative to wheels 2 and thereby to the ground,plates (not shown) may be welded anto the frame to bracket axle 18. The plates are formed with a number of vertically aligned apertures. The plates are mounted onto the frame so that opposing holes in each of the plates are axially aligned to receive axle 18. To raise or lower the frame, axle 18 is removed and reinserted into a higher or lower pair of holes, depending upon whether the frame is to be raised or lowered relative to the ground.
The depth and extent of soil penetration by blade 63 is also determinéd primarily by adjustments to the height of the frame over the soil in the manner just described ~nd to a lesser extent by adjustments to guide 65 to vary the angle of tilt of blade 63.
Reference is now made to Figure 6. To raise or lower the frame in the vio,inity of skids 3, the skids, which are gen-erally C-shaped, are attached to the frame at one end thereof to be incrementally pivotable about the point of attachment.
one such arrangement is illustrated in Figure 6 wherein a star-shaped flange 100 is welded onto the end of skid 3 to be attach-ed to the frame. Welded to the frame itself is another star-', flange 101 of corresponding shape but dimensioned to receive flange 100 thereinto. Skid 3, flanges lO0 and lOl and the frame member are all provided with a bore to receive a bolt member 105.
, , To adjust the attitude of skid 3, bolt 105 may be loosened, free-' ing flange 100 from within flange lOl. The skid is pivoted to ! the desired position, the flanges are enmeshed once more and the bolt is tightened to secure the skid in its new position.
,; In one preferred embodiment constructed by the Applicant, frame 1 has been constructed from 1 inch diameter tubu-lar pipe. It has been found that to reduce the speed of a stan-dard electric motor from 1,725 RPM to a more suitable 600 RPM, the diameter of the motor pulley is selected to be l~ inches and 30 those of drive pulleys 32 and 37 to be 6 inches and 4 inches, _ g _ ,:~
7~8 respectively. Adequate soil penetration is achieved using a crank of 2~ inch radius to provide a connecting rod stroke of 4~ inches. Blade width may vary from 10 inches to 16 inches depending upon the spacing between the rows of crops. The blade is made of high quality, high strength, thin steel such as that utilized for saw blades. The leading edge of blade 63 may be serrated or toothed to facilitate soil penetration and weed destruction. The width of the frame is optimally kept within a range from 8 to 10 inches.
It will be appreciated that although only one type of drive train utilizing pulleys and a drive shaft has been des-cribed, various alternative dri~e trains utilizing different components may be used to equal advantage. One such alternative drive train is illustrated schematically in Figure 7 and would - include a rotating cam 150 mounted about a shaft 153 acting against a spring-loaded shaft 154. Motor 30, acting through a speed reduction box or a system of speed reducing pulleys (not shown) operates to rotate cam 150. Cam 150 acts against roller 152 affixed at one end of shaft 154. Spring 156 mounted between guide means 159 and stop 158 maintains roller 152 in engaging contact with cam 150. Accordingly, rotation of cam lS0 will cause reciprocation of shaft 154 and hence the oscillation of blade 63 affixed at the other end of the shaft. It will be appreciated that additional guide means for shaft 154 such as at 160 will be required to maintain roller 152 in its proper posi-tion adjacent cam 150.
Cam 150 itself may be substantially ovular in shape whereby one rotation thereof causes one uniform reciprocation of blade 63 or it may be irregularly shaped to produce a non-uniform motion of the blade. For example, the cam may be hexa-7~8 , gonally shaped as shown in Figure 7a. This shape of cam will provide one full stroke to shaft 154 but will also impart six shorter, choppy strokes useful to penetrate and break up hard or consolidated soils.
It will be appreciated that handle frame 25 may be removed in favour of a tractor hookup. It is envisaged that if the power hoe as described herein is modified to be tractor drawn, then motor 30 may be eliminated in favour of actuating the drive train through a hookup to the tractor's power take-off.
In operation then, actuation of the crank shaft by the motor or tractor will cause the blade to reciprocate in a back and forth motion. The entire assembly may then be drawn in a direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 1 over the soil whereupon the reciprocating blade penetrates the soil, loosening and breaking it up, and slices off and destroys weeds with ., much saving of manual labour and time.
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Figure 1 is a perspective view of the power hoe describ-ed herein;
Figure 2 is a plan schematical illustration of the power hoe with certain parts removed for greater clarity;
Figure 3 is a partial side elevational view illustrat-ing the drive release mechanism of the power hoe;
Figure 4 is a perspective view of the guide and support means of the power hoe of Figure l;
Figure 5 is a cross sectional side elevation view of the guide mechanism of Figure 4;
Figure 6 illustrates the adjustable skid mounts of the power hoe illustrated in Figure l; and Figures 7 and 7a are schematic views of an alternative drive train for use on the power hoe described herein.
Referring now to Figure 1, there is shown a supporting frame or chassis which is _ollectively designated by the numeral 1. ~he chassis is supported by wheels 2 and skids 3 for move-ment over the ground. Both wheels 2 and skids 3 are adjustable to raise or lower the frame relative to the ground. Frame 1 is essentially wedge-shaped and comprises two major elements 4 and 5, upright bracing elements 9 and 9a, 10 and lOa, 11 and lla and 12 and 12a and horizontal bracing elements 13, 14 and 15. Addi-tional bracing elements, both horizontal and upright, may be utilized when additional frame rigidity is required. Axle 18 and motor mount 19 a~-so serve as horizontal bracing elements.
Frame 1 is positioned such that the lower arms 20 and 21 of major elements 4 and 5,respectively, are roughly parallel with the ground, the actual angle thereof being determined by the cant, if any, between wheels 2 and skids 3. Upper arms 23 . ''' ".:
':`' ~ ' 7~8 and 24 project upwardly at an acute angle to the ground and ter-minate at the point of connection to handle frame 25. Handle frame 25 is shaped much like an inverted elongated isometric ; triangle. As can best be seen in Figure 2, the lower narrow end of the triangle is not closed but remains somewhat open.
~;- Each of the lower ends of the frame is formed with an aperture to rotatably receive axle 18. Alternatively, the lowermost portion of frame 25 may be affixed to a braçing element other than axle 18. The sides of handle frame 25 project up-wardly and rearwardly of the hoe, opening outwardly to intersect the ends of upper arms 23 and 24 and continuing on in diverging directions to a height at which ~andle bar 26 may be attached to be conveniently positioned for an operator of typical height and reach.
Affixed between upper arms 23 and 24 of major elements 4 and 5 and atop the upper end of support elements 9 and 9a and lO and lOa is a horizontal platform 19 upon which is mounted either a gas or electric motor 30 for actuating a drive train and for providing propulsive force, if desired, to wheels 2.
With reference to Figure 2, the drive train itself compri~es a shaft 31 journaled into the upper ends of braces 11 and lla which protrude above upper frame arms 23 and 24. A
speed reducing pulley 32 is mounted onto the end of shaft 31 journaled into upright brace lla. Speed reducing pulley 32 is mounted outboard of frame 1. Pulley 32 is rotated by belt 35 i which connects pulley 32 with motor 30 via a motor pulley 27.
; Another puLley 36 is mounted onto shaft 31 adjacent the end thereof journaled into upright brace ll and is positioned just inside of upper arm 23. Pulley 36 rotates drive pulley 37 by means of belt 40. Tension in belt 40 is maintained by idler pulley 41 which is journaled into a pivoting support arm 43.
Idler pulley 41 is adjustable in a manner to be described below to maintain sufficient tension in belt 40 to cause rotation of pulley 37 when the hoe is actuated.
Drive pulley 37 ismounted ontocrank shaft50 tobe in linear alignment with pulleys 36 and 41. The crank shaft itself is journaledinto supporting arms45 and 46 which depend downwardly from motor mount 19. Support arms 45 and 46 are bracedagainst thrust and strainby struts 48. Rotation of crank shaft 50results in the oscillationof connecting rod 53 which is rotatablyconnect-ed to crank 51 of crank shaft 50. The other end of connectingrod 58 is connectedto one end of shaft 59 by mean~ of a flexible U-joint 60. The other end of shaft 59is rigidly or pivotallyconnect-ed to a blade 63 by meansof clamp 80. With reference to Figure 5, clamp 80 comprises twoplates, i.e. an upper plate llOwhich is positioned on the upper surfaceof blade63 and a lower plate 111 formed with a channelto fixedly receive the end of shaft 59.
Accordingly, the two plates bracket blade63 and the endof shaft 59.
~olts 112 are used to fasten this assembly together, thereby clamping blade 63 to shaft 59. Note that it may be desirable to be able to vary the tilt of blade 63. To this end, blade ~0 63 may be pivotally connected to shaft 59 to be adjustable within pre-determined limits by any well known method of so doing.
To prevent excessive damage within guide 65 due to abrasion and binding, that portion of the shaft 59 which extends beyond guide 65 to clamp 80 may be sheathed with a flexible dust cover 95 to prevent the entry of excessive dust and dirt into guide 65 and to protect the finish of the shaft.
When motor 30 is running but the hoe is not actually in use, it is desirable to be able to disengage crank shaft 50 from the remainder of the drive train. This may be accomplished as follows. Referring to Figure 3, a mechanism is provided whereby pivot arm 43 and idler pulley 41 can be tensioned against belt 40 by means of a manually operable grip 62 connected to '";' /
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pivoting arm 43 by cable 53, bellcrank lever 54 and spring 55.
Swivel bracket 54 is rotatably affixed to supporting arm 57 at a point intermediate upright braces 9 and 10. One end of arm 57 extends beyond brace 10 towards the front of frame 1 to rotatably receive pivot arm 43. Lever 54 is roughly ~-shaped and is mounted such that one of its upwardlyextending arms 54a projects rearwardly and is secured to one end of cable 53.
The other arm of the Y projects forwardly and has attached at its end one end of spring 55, the other end of which is connect-ed to arm 43 at a point intermediate pulley 41 and pivot joint 57. By depressing grip 62, arm 43 is pivoted rearwardly so that idler 41 is tensioned against belt 40. The slack in the belt is taken up and sufficient friction is generated to engage the pulleys and cause rotation of crank 50. Conv~rsely, releas-ing handle grip 62 will result in slippage of the belt over the pulleys and no rotation of the crank shaft will occur.
Shaft 59 is slidably supported and guided by a guide 65 comprising a number of roller bearings. Guide 65 is support-ed and attached to frame 1 by means of lateral guide rods 70 and 71 affixed to frame 1 at the points illustrated in Figure 4.
Rods 70 and 71, whichpass through guide 65,serve asthe axles of roller bearings 73 and 87 respectively, and extend laterally ; thereof towards frame members 4 and 5,respectively. The ends Oc each rod are received into fish plates 72 which are affixed to upright braces 12 and 12a by means of bolts 75 and 76. Bolt . .:
76 passes through slot 78 formed into the upper end of plate 72.
Slot 78 is approximately 3/4 of an inch in length such that the ; attitude of plates 72 relative to the frame may be adjusted by loosening bolts 75 and 76 and rotating the plate about bolt 75 to the extent allowed by slot 78. Accordingly, the attitude ,' `
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of guide 65 may be adjusted by means of adjustments to plates 72 in the manner just described to achieve alignment between crank shaft 50, U-joint 60 and guide 65. Improper alignment could result in binding of shaft 59 within the guide 65. The lower or trailing end 79 of plate 72 is rounded or beveled off to provide clearance between the plate and lower frame arms 20 and 21 respectively.
With reference to ~igure 5, the ends of rod 70 are slidably received into one-half inch slots (not shown) formed into plates 72. These slots are transversely aligned with slots 82 formed into retaining plates 80 and 81 of the shaft guide 65. Slots 82 are not only aligned with the slots formed in plates 72 to properly receive rod 70,but theyalso extend longi-tudinally in a direction approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of shaft 59. Accordingly, rod 70 and roller 73 may move up and down in response to any up and down movements of shaft 59 occurring as a result of misalignments between the guide and the crank shaft or due to deflections of blade 63 in response to jarring contacts with roots or rocks or perhaps due to impacts with minor contour variations in the soil.
To provide a shock absorbing influence, and also to urge rod 70 downwardly to maintain contact between guide roller 73 and shaft 59, springs 84 and 85 (Figure 2) are provided between rod 71, which is rigidly received into plates 72, 80 and 81, and rod 70. The springs are located adjacent the outer sur-faces of plates 80 and 81 to maintain maximum tension between roller 73 and shaft 59.
: Again referring to Figures 4 and 5, idler roller 88 is - rotatably mounted about a shaft 90, the ends of which are secured into plates 91 and 91a. Plates 91 and 91a are rigidly affixed ~.6~
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to retaining plates 80 and 81,respectively,and project upwardly therefrom. ~etaining plates 80 and 81 are held in position by -- lateral rods 70 and 71 and bolts 74 and are aligned one with the other at an oblique angle to shaft S9. The various roller bearings are disposed within guide 65 such that shaft 59 enter-ing the guide from the direction of the crank shaftfirstlypasses below idler roller 88, then above lower roller ~7 and then below upper roller 73. This configuration of rollers prevents the shaft 59 from pivoting within the guide apart from the limited motion allowed by the mounting of rod 70 in slots 82. Accord-ingly, the shaft is guided in a substantially back and forth motion in the plane of blade 63, as indicated by the arrow label-ed R.
Alternative guide means (not shown) may include a cylindrical member having a bushing mounted therein to slidably receive the shaft 59. Such A means may be mounted to the frame by means of a shaft which extends fromthe guidemeans toframe mem-bers 4 and 5. The shaft is rotatably affixed to members 4 and ; 5 so that proper alignment of the guide means with shaft 59 is achieved merely by making the proper adjustments to the shaft.
The width of hoe blade 63 may be chosen to meet the requirements of job at hand, but in any event the blade may ex-~ tend outwardly and downwardly of frame l at an angle to the soil ; which may be varied somewhat by adjustments tothe attitude of guide 65 in the manner described above but more so by means of adjust-ments to skids 3 or wheels 2 to raise or lower apex 6 of frame l relative to the ground. To raise or lower the frame relative to wheels 2 and thereby to the ground,plates (not shown) may be welded anto the frame to bracket axle 18. The plates are formed with a number of vertically aligned apertures. The plates are mounted onto the frame so that opposing holes in each of the plates are axially aligned to receive axle 18. To raise or lower the frame, axle 18 is removed and reinserted into a higher or lower pair of holes, depending upon whether the frame is to be raised or lowered relative to the ground.
The depth and extent of soil penetration by blade 63 is also determinéd primarily by adjustments to the height of the frame over the soil in the manner just described ~nd to a lesser extent by adjustments to guide 65 to vary the angle of tilt of blade 63.
Reference is now made to Figure 6. To raise or lower the frame in the vio,inity of skids 3, the skids, which are gen-erally C-shaped, are attached to the frame at one end thereof to be incrementally pivotable about the point of attachment.
one such arrangement is illustrated in Figure 6 wherein a star-shaped flange 100 is welded onto the end of skid 3 to be attach-ed to the frame. Welded to the frame itself is another star-', flange 101 of corresponding shape but dimensioned to receive flange 100 thereinto. Skid 3, flanges lO0 and lOl and the frame member are all provided with a bore to receive a bolt member 105.
, , To adjust the attitude of skid 3, bolt 105 may be loosened, free-' ing flange 100 from within flange lOl. The skid is pivoted to ! the desired position, the flanges are enmeshed once more and the bolt is tightened to secure the skid in its new position.
,; In one preferred embodiment constructed by the Applicant, frame 1 has been constructed from 1 inch diameter tubu-lar pipe. It has been found that to reduce the speed of a stan-dard electric motor from 1,725 RPM to a more suitable 600 RPM, the diameter of the motor pulley is selected to be l~ inches and 30 those of drive pulleys 32 and 37 to be 6 inches and 4 inches, _ g _ ,:~
7~8 respectively. Adequate soil penetration is achieved using a crank of 2~ inch radius to provide a connecting rod stroke of 4~ inches. Blade width may vary from 10 inches to 16 inches depending upon the spacing between the rows of crops. The blade is made of high quality, high strength, thin steel such as that utilized for saw blades. The leading edge of blade 63 may be serrated or toothed to facilitate soil penetration and weed destruction. The width of the frame is optimally kept within a range from 8 to 10 inches.
It will be appreciated that although only one type of drive train utilizing pulleys and a drive shaft has been des-cribed, various alternative dri~e trains utilizing different components may be used to equal advantage. One such alternative drive train is illustrated schematically in Figure 7 and would - include a rotating cam 150 mounted about a shaft 153 acting against a spring-loaded shaft 154. Motor 30, acting through a speed reduction box or a system of speed reducing pulleys (not shown) operates to rotate cam 150. Cam 150 acts against roller 152 affixed at one end of shaft 154. Spring 156 mounted between guide means 159 and stop 158 maintains roller 152 in engaging contact with cam 150. Accordingly, rotation of cam lS0 will cause reciprocation of shaft 154 and hence the oscillation of blade 63 affixed at the other end of the shaft. It will be appreciated that additional guide means for shaft 154 such as at 160 will be required to maintain roller 152 in its proper posi-tion adjacent cam 150.
Cam 150 itself may be substantially ovular in shape whereby one rotation thereof causes one uniform reciprocation of blade 63 or it may be irregularly shaped to produce a non-uniform motion of the blade. For example, the cam may be hexa-7~8 , gonally shaped as shown in Figure 7a. This shape of cam will provide one full stroke to shaft 154 but will also impart six shorter, choppy strokes useful to penetrate and break up hard or consolidated soils.
It will be appreciated that handle frame 25 may be removed in favour of a tractor hookup. It is envisaged that if the power hoe as described herein is modified to be tractor drawn, then motor 30 may be eliminated in favour of actuating the drive train through a hookup to the tractor's power take-off.
In operation then, actuation of the crank shaft by the motor or tractor will cause the blade to reciprocate in a back and forth motion. The entire assembly may then be drawn in a direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 1 over the soil whereupon the reciprocating blade penetrates the soil, loosening and breaking it up, and slices off and destroys weeds with ., much saving of manual labour and time.
.:
:
.'
Claims (11)
1. A mechanical hoe comprising:
a support frame provided with ground engaging members for movement over the ground;
a blade member movably supported for a back and forth cultivating motion relative to said frame and extending forwardly thereof, said motion being substantially in the plane of the blade;
guide means for supporting said blade member in a direction downwardly inclined relative to said frame; and drive means mounted on said support frame for effecting the cultivating movement of said blade, whereby said blade penetrates the ground to effect loosening thereof and the des-truction of weeds as the hoe is drawn in a direction away from the ground so cultivated.
a support frame provided with ground engaging members for movement over the ground;
a blade member movably supported for a back and forth cultivating motion relative to said frame and extending forwardly thereof, said motion being substantially in the plane of the blade;
guide means for supporting said blade member in a direction downwardly inclined relative to said frame; and drive means mounted on said support frame for effecting the cultivating movement of said blade, whereby said blade penetrates the ground to effect loosening thereof and the des-truction of weeds as the hoe is drawn in a direction away from the ground so cultivated.
2. The hoe of claim 1 wherein said guide means are adjustably mounted on said frame such that the attitude of said guide means relative to said frame may be varied.
3. The hoe of claim 2 wherein said drive means include a crank member rotatably mounted on said frame, motor means, pulley means and belt members connecting said motor means to said crank member to rotate said crank member and connecting means to connect said crank member with the blade member, said connecting means comprising a connecting rod having first and second ends and shaft means also having first and second ends, said first end of the connecting rod being rotatably connected to said crank member, the second end of said connecting rod being flexibly connected to the first end of said shaft at a point intermediate said crank and said guide means and a second end of the shaft being connected to said blade member.
4. The hoe of claim 3 wherein said guide means resi-liently support said reciprocable blade member to absorb shock and stress.
5. The hoe of claim 3 wherein said guide means com-prise first and second roller means to slidably receive said shaft therebetween, idler roller means and resilient means to urge said first and second roller means into engagement with said shaft, said first roller means being positioned above said shaft forwardly of said second roller means which are positioned below said shaft and said idler roller means being positioned above said shaft rearwardly of said first and second roller means to prevent excessive pivoting of said shaft, said first roller means being movable relative to said shaft in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said shaft such that said first roller means are effect-ive to transmit the shock and stress due to deflections of said shaft to said resilient means.
6. The hoe of claim 5 including drive engaging means to engage and disengage said motor means from said crank member.
7. The hoe of claim 6 wherein said drive engaging means comprise idler pulley means operable between a first normal drive releasing position and a second drive engaging position whereby in said second position, said idler pulley means engage said belt means to cause engagement of said belt means with said pulley means such that said motor means actuate said crank member.
8. The hoe of claim 7 wherein said support frame has first and second ends, the first end being a distal to said blade member and having mounted thereon wheel means for movably supporting said first end on the ground; said second end being proximal to said blade member and being provided with skid means for movably supporting said second end on the ground; said skid means and said wheel means each being adjust-able to raise or lower the first or second end of said frame relative to the ground.
9. The hoe of claim 8 wherein said blade member is pivotally connected to said shaft.
10. The hoe of claim 9 wherein said cutting edge of said blade member is serrated to facilitate soil penetration and weed destruction.
11. The hoe of claim 8 wherein handle means are provided on said first end to enable said frame to be manually drawn over the ground.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA355,238A CA1109718A (en) | 1980-07-02 | 1980-07-02 | Power hoe |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA355,238A CA1109718A (en) | 1980-07-02 | 1980-07-02 | Power hoe |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1109718A true CA1109718A (en) | 1981-09-29 |
Family
ID=4117323
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA355,238A Expired CA1109718A (en) | 1980-07-02 | 1980-07-02 | Power hoe |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1109718A (en) |
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR2603452A1 (en) * | 1986-05-06 | 1988-03-11 | Massal Jean Claude | Automotive garden tool with electric motor allowing weeding |
| US5697453A (en) * | 1995-11-20 | 1997-12-16 | Van Den Bosch; Lenard | Subsurface cutting tool |
| CN113396658A (en) * | 2021-07-08 | 2021-09-17 | 赵检英 | Agricultural is with fruit tree drought control device of earthing up |
-
1980
- 1980-07-02 CA CA355,238A patent/CA1109718A/en not_active Expired
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR2603452A1 (en) * | 1986-05-06 | 1988-03-11 | Massal Jean Claude | Automotive garden tool with electric motor allowing weeding |
| US5697453A (en) * | 1995-11-20 | 1997-12-16 | Van Den Bosch; Lenard | Subsurface cutting tool |
| CN113396658A (en) * | 2021-07-08 | 2021-09-17 | 赵检英 | Agricultural is with fruit tree drought control device of earthing up |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |