CA1229490A - Stone picker - Google Patents
Stone pickerInfo
- Publication number
- CA1229490A CA1229490A CA000465641A CA465641A CA1229490A CA 1229490 A CA1229490 A CA 1229490A CA 000465641 A CA000465641 A CA 000465641A CA 465641 A CA465641 A CA 465641A CA 1229490 A CA1229490 A CA 1229490A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- stones
- stone
- elevator
- cleats
- main frame
- 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
- A01B43/00—Gatherers for removing stones, undesirable roots or the like from the soil, e.g. tractor-drawn rakes
Landscapes
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Soil Sciences (AREA)
- Environmental Sciences (AREA)
- Soil Working Implements (AREA)
Abstract
Title: "A STONE PICKER"
ABSTRACT
A stone picker has a wheel-mounted tractor-drawn frame 10 with a digging assembly of tines 33 for excavating stones as the machine advances, a rotary feeder assembly of flails 25 being driven to impel the stones onto an elevator 36 which discharges them into a bin 22 on the frame, the elevator 36 including a series of spaced parallel shaker bars 42 overlying transverse cleats 39 carried by driven endless chains 38 and with fingers 40 extending up between the shaker bars 42 to move the stones along the shaker bars 42 which are vibrated by the elevator cleats 39 on which they rest to dislodge from the stones adherent soil and small stone particles which fall to earth between the shaker bars 42.
ABSTRACT
A stone picker has a wheel-mounted tractor-drawn frame 10 with a digging assembly of tines 33 for excavating stones as the machine advances, a rotary feeder assembly of flails 25 being driven to impel the stones onto an elevator 36 which discharges them into a bin 22 on the frame, the elevator 36 including a series of spaced parallel shaker bars 42 overlying transverse cleats 39 carried by driven endless chains 38 and with fingers 40 extending up between the shaker bars 42 to move the stones along the shaker bars 42 which are vibrated by the elevator cleats 39 on which they rest to dislodge from the stones adherent soil and small stone particles which fall to earth between the shaker bars 42.
Description
~2~949~
Al--Title: "A STONE PICKER"
BACKGROUND OF THE IN~ENTlON
(1) Field of the Invention This invention relates to a stone picker.
5 (2) Brief Description ox the Prior Art Various types of stone pickers are well known, such an implement being made to be drawn by a tractor across stony ground and to excavate stones and to elevate and discharge them into a stone bin or container from which they may be subsequently unloaded.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The general object of the present invention is to provide an implement of this general type, which is particularly effective in dislodging adherent soil from the stones and discharging it, together with small stones below a predetermined size, before larger stones are discharged to the container. Another object achievable in preferred embodiments of the invention is to provide such an implement which may be readily modified as and when required to vary the grading of stones retained for collection in the stone container.
With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention resides broadly in a stone picker of the type having a mobile main frame, digging means on the main frame for excavating stones as the main frame is advanced, an elevator for receiving excavated stones and discharging them to a stone container and feeder means for impelling stones excavated by the digging means onto the elevator, wherein the elevator includes a series of endless-chain-mounted cleats transverse of the elevator, a series Or spaced longitudinal shaker bars overlying the cleats, fingers mounted on the cleats and extending up between the shaker bars and means for driving the endless chains to advance the cleats so that the fingers elevate stones over the shaker bars.
I' Preferably the shaker bars are secured at their lower front ends and are otherwise free to vibrate above the cleats, accelerating the dislodging of soil adhering to the stones. Preferably the feeder means includes a rotary shaft mounted transversely above the digging means, a plurality of sets of flails being mounted adjacently or, the shaft each set including a hub and a number of flexible flail rods secured to and extending from the hub and means for driving the shaft. The flail rods are preferably curved away from the direction of rotation, and they assist in breaking up the soil to separate the stones as well as acting to impel the stones towards the elevator.
Other features of the invention will become apparent from the following description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In order that a preferred embodiment of the invention may be readily understood and carried into practical effect, reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:-FIG. 1 is a side elevation Al view of a stone picker according to the invention, FIX. 2 is a plan view of the stone picker, and FIG. 3 is a detail side view to larger scale of of the digging, feeding and elevating means of the stone picker.
DETAIN ED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT_ The implement illustrated includes a generally rectangular main frame 10 with parallel side members 11 and a central member 12. At its front the main frame has a draw-bar 13, braced by oblique stays 14 and fitted with a universal-joint hitch 15 for connection to the tow-bar (not shown) of a tractor. The main frame is supported near to its rear end on a pair of pneumatically-tyred wheels 16.
Each of the main frame side members 11, and the central member 12, is in two parts pivotal connected about a lZ2~9 transverse axis at 17. Hydraulic rams 18 connected between pairs of standards 19 and 20 on the two parts of the side members 11 may be extended or retracted to raise or lower the middle part of the main frame 10.
Within the main frame, two stone picking assemblies indicated generally at 21 are mounted to both sides of the central member 12, for picking up stones, elevating them and discharging them into a large bin or stone container 22 on the rear of the main frame.
Each of the stone picking assemblies 21 includes a feeder assembly having a transverse shaft 23 which carries a series of spaced hubs 24 on each of which a series of curved and back-swept flails 25 of high-tensile steel are fixed at their inner ends by clamps 26. Each of the hubs 24 is angularly off-set relative to the next so that, across the assembly, the flails are in staggered arrangement, as indicated in full and in broken outline in FIG. 3. To prevent undue stressing of the flails 25 near to their attachment to the hubs, each hub is provided with a series of stop arms aye against which the flails 25 are brought when flexed beyond a predetermined amount.
The power take-off of the towing tractor is connected by shafts 27 and universal couplings 28, and through an overload clutch 29, to a counter shaft 30 mounted above the middle part of the main frame 10. The counter shaft 30 drives, through a chain drive 31 and gearbox 32, the shafts 23 of the two feeder assemblies. As these assemblies are rotated, the flails 25 are swept from front to rear over a digging assembly consisting of a series of forwardly extending parallel tines 33 mounted between a pair of upright side plates 34, each of the tines having at its front a hardened digging tooth 35.
Each digging assembly of tines 33 leads at its rear to an elevator 36 which has, between a pair of parallel upright side plates 37, a pair of sprocket-mounted endless 1~29490 chains 38 interconnected by transverse carrier cleats 39.
To each of the cleats 39 there are fixed a number of fingers 40 perpendicular to the chains. The rear end of each of the digging tines 33 is bolted or otherwise fixed at 41 to the front end of a shaker bar 42 Or similar width to the tine. The shaker bars 42 overlie the carrier cleats 39, and fingers 40 of the upper run of the elevator extend upwardly through the space between succeeding shaker bars 42. The shaker bars, fixed only at their front ends and resting on the elevator carrier cleats 39, are free to vibrate as the elevator is operated. The two elevators are driven from the counter shaft 30 by a chain drive 43, a longitudinal shaft 44 including an overload clutch 45, a gear box 46 and a pair of chain drives 47.
As the stone picker is drawn forward by a tractor, the two digging assemblies of tines 33, assisted by the soil-breaking action of the flails 25 Or the rotating breaker assembly, dig stones which are carried back on the tines and swept from them onto the elevators by the flails 25, which assist in separating adherent soil from the stones. The working depth of the tines 33 is controlled by the hydraulic rams 18.
Stones received on the elevators 36 are carried upward by the fingers It The shaker bars, fixed only at their front ends, are subject to a good deal of vibration which assists in shaking isle free from the stone, the toil and small tones falling through the elevator to the ground.
The stone are discharged from the heads of the two elevators into the bin 22, the upper rear corners of which are pivoted at 48 to a pair of oblique slides 49, the bottom corners of the bin being slid ably mounted on a pair of side ramps 50. A pair of hydraulic rams 51 are connected between the main frame side members 11 and the upper parts of the bin 22 so that, when these rams are I
extended, the bin is first lifted obliquely to the rear.
When the slides 49 have been extended to their limits, further extension of the rams 51 causes the bin 22 to be swung up about its pivots 48 to discharge the load of stones accumulated therein.
Stone pickers according to the invention will be found to be very effective in achieving the objects for which they have been devised. The flails 25 break up soil, separating stones and facilitating their excavation by the tines 33, and feeding the stones over the tines and onto the elevators, on which the spacing of the shaker bars 42 grades stones to be fed to the bin and allowing smaller stony particles to return to ground. This spacing may be readily varied by replacing one set of shaker bars with others of wider or narrower construction.
The vibration of the shaker bars over which the stones are removed by the fingers 40 will be found very effective in dislodging soil adhering to the stones.
The stone picker may be of self-propelled rather than tractor-drawn type, and this and many other modifications of constructional detail and design, which will be readily apparent to skilled persons, may be made in the implement without departing from the scope and gambit of the invention hereinafter claimed.
Jo
Al--Title: "A STONE PICKER"
BACKGROUND OF THE IN~ENTlON
(1) Field of the Invention This invention relates to a stone picker.
5 (2) Brief Description ox the Prior Art Various types of stone pickers are well known, such an implement being made to be drawn by a tractor across stony ground and to excavate stones and to elevate and discharge them into a stone bin or container from which they may be subsequently unloaded.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The general object of the present invention is to provide an implement of this general type, which is particularly effective in dislodging adherent soil from the stones and discharging it, together with small stones below a predetermined size, before larger stones are discharged to the container. Another object achievable in preferred embodiments of the invention is to provide such an implement which may be readily modified as and when required to vary the grading of stones retained for collection in the stone container.
With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention resides broadly in a stone picker of the type having a mobile main frame, digging means on the main frame for excavating stones as the main frame is advanced, an elevator for receiving excavated stones and discharging them to a stone container and feeder means for impelling stones excavated by the digging means onto the elevator, wherein the elevator includes a series of endless-chain-mounted cleats transverse of the elevator, a series Or spaced longitudinal shaker bars overlying the cleats, fingers mounted on the cleats and extending up between the shaker bars and means for driving the endless chains to advance the cleats so that the fingers elevate stones over the shaker bars.
I' Preferably the shaker bars are secured at their lower front ends and are otherwise free to vibrate above the cleats, accelerating the dislodging of soil adhering to the stones. Preferably the feeder means includes a rotary shaft mounted transversely above the digging means, a plurality of sets of flails being mounted adjacently or, the shaft each set including a hub and a number of flexible flail rods secured to and extending from the hub and means for driving the shaft. The flail rods are preferably curved away from the direction of rotation, and they assist in breaking up the soil to separate the stones as well as acting to impel the stones towards the elevator.
Other features of the invention will become apparent from the following description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In order that a preferred embodiment of the invention may be readily understood and carried into practical effect, reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:-FIG. 1 is a side elevation Al view of a stone picker according to the invention, FIX. 2 is a plan view of the stone picker, and FIG. 3 is a detail side view to larger scale of of the digging, feeding and elevating means of the stone picker.
DETAIN ED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT_ The implement illustrated includes a generally rectangular main frame 10 with parallel side members 11 and a central member 12. At its front the main frame has a draw-bar 13, braced by oblique stays 14 and fitted with a universal-joint hitch 15 for connection to the tow-bar (not shown) of a tractor. The main frame is supported near to its rear end on a pair of pneumatically-tyred wheels 16.
Each of the main frame side members 11, and the central member 12, is in two parts pivotal connected about a lZ2~9 transverse axis at 17. Hydraulic rams 18 connected between pairs of standards 19 and 20 on the two parts of the side members 11 may be extended or retracted to raise or lower the middle part of the main frame 10.
Within the main frame, two stone picking assemblies indicated generally at 21 are mounted to both sides of the central member 12, for picking up stones, elevating them and discharging them into a large bin or stone container 22 on the rear of the main frame.
Each of the stone picking assemblies 21 includes a feeder assembly having a transverse shaft 23 which carries a series of spaced hubs 24 on each of which a series of curved and back-swept flails 25 of high-tensile steel are fixed at their inner ends by clamps 26. Each of the hubs 24 is angularly off-set relative to the next so that, across the assembly, the flails are in staggered arrangement, as indicated in full and in broken outline in FIG. 3. To prevent undue stressing of the flails 25 near to their attachment to the hubs, each hub is provided with a series of stop arms aye against which the flails 25 are brought when flexed beyond a predetermined amount.
The power take-off of the towing tractor is connected by shafts 27 and universal couplings 28, and through an overload clutch 29, to a counter shaft 30 mounted above the middle part of the main frame 10. The counter shaft 30 drives, through a chain drive 31 and gearbox 32, the shafts 23 of the two feeder assemblies. As these assemblies are rotated, the flails 25 are swept from front to rear over a digging assembly consisting of a series of forwardly extending parallel tines 33 mounted between a pair of upright side plates 34, each of the tines having at its front a hardened digging tooth 35.
Each digging assembly of tines 33 leads at its rear to an elevator 36 which has, between a pair of parallel upright side plates 37, a pair of sprocket-mounted endless 1~29490 chains 38 interconnected by transverse carrier cleats 39.
To each of the cleats 39 there are fixed a number of fingers 40 perpendicular to the chains. The rear end of each of the digging tines 33 is bolted or otherwise fixed at 41 to the front end of a shaker bar 42 Or similar width to the tine. The shaker bars 42 overlie the carrier cleats 39, and fingers 40 of the upper run of the elevator extend upwardly through the space between succeeding shaker bars 42. The shaker bars, fixed only at their front ends and resting on the elevator carrier cleats 39, are free to vibrate as the elevator is operated. The two elevators are driven from the counter shaft 30 by a chain drive 43, a longitudinal shaft 44 including an overload clutch 45, a gear box 46 and a pair of chain drives 47.
As the stone picker is drawn forward by a tractor, the two digging assemblies of tines 33, assisted by the soil-breaking action of the flails 25 Or the rotating breaker assembly, dig stones which are carried back on the tines and swept from them onto the elevators by the flails 25, which assist in separating adherent soil from the stones. The working depth of the tines 33 is controlled by the hydraulic rams 18.
Stones received on the elevators 36 are carried upward by the fingers It The shaker bars, fixed only at their front ends, are subject to a good deal of vibration which assists in shaking isle free from the stone, the toil and small tones falling through the elevator to the ground.
The stone are discharged from the heads of the two elevators into the bin 22, the upper rear corners of which are pivoted at 48 to a pair of oblique slides 49, the bottom corners of the bin being slid ably mounted on a pair of side ramps 50. A pair of hydraulic rams 51 are connected between the main frame side members 11 and the upper parts of the bin 22 so that, when these rams are I
extended, the bin is first lifted obliquely to the rear.
When the slides 49 have been extended to their limits, further extension of the rams 51 causes the bin 22 to be swung up about its pivots 48 to discharge the load of stones accumulated therein.
Stone pickers according to the invention will be found to be very effective in achieving the objects for which they have been devised. The flails 25 break up soil, separating stones and facilitating their excavation by the tines 33, and feeding the stones over the tines and onto the elevators, on which the spacing of the shaker bars 42 grades stones to be fed to the bin and allowing smaller stony particles to return to ground. This spacing may be readily varied by replacing one set of shaker bars with others of wider or narrower construction.
The vibration of the shaker bars over which the stones are removed by the fingers 40 will be found very effective in dislodging soil adhering to the stones.
The stone picker may be of self-propelled rather than tractor-drawn type, and this and many other modifications of constructional detail and design, which will be readily apparent to skilled persons, may be made in the implement without departing from the scope and gambit of the invention hereinafter claimed.
Jo
Claims (7)
1. A stone picker of the type having a mobile main frame, digging means on the main frame for excavating stones as the main frame is advanced, an elevator for receiving excavated stones and discharging them to a stone container, and feeder means for impelling stones excavated by the digging means onto the elevator; wherein the elevator includes:
a series of endless-chain-mounted cleats transverse of the elevator, a series of spaced longitudinal shaker bars overlying the cleats, fingers mounted on the cleats and extending up between the shaker bars, and means for driving the endless chains to advance the cleats and fingers are as to elevate stones over the shaker bars; wherein:
the shaker bars are secured at their lower front ends and are otherwise free to vibrate above the cleats.
a series of endless-chain-mounted cleats transverse of the elevator, a series of spaced longitudinal shaker bars overlying the cleats, fingers mounted on the cleats and extending up between the shaker bars, and means for driving the endless chains to advance the cleats and fingers are as to elevate stones over the shaker bars; wherein:
the shaker bars are secured at their lower front ends and are otherwise free to vibrate above the cleats.
2. A stone picker according to claim 1 wherein:
the digging means includes a transverse series of spaced interconnected tines, and each of the tines is fixed at its rear end to the front end of one of the elevator shaker bars.
the digging means includes a transverse series of spaced interconnected tines, and each of the tines is fixed at its rear end to the front end of one of the elevator shaker bars.
3. A stone picker according to claim 1 wherein:
depth control means are provided for adjusting the working depth of the digging means or for raising it to an inoperative traveling position.
depth control means are provided for adjusting the working depth of the digging means or for raising it to an inoperative traveling position.
4. A stone picker according to claim 3 wherein:
the main frame has attachment means at its front connection to a tractor, is supported at the rear on wheels and includes front and rear sections hingedly interconnected above the digging means, and the depth control means includes hydraulic means for varying the angular relationship of the said sections to raise or lower the digging means.
the main frame has attachment means at its front connection to a tractor, is supported at the rear on wheels and includes front and rear sections hingedly interconnected above the digging means, and the depth control means includes hydraulic means for varying the angular relationship of the said sections to raise or lower the digging means.
5. A stone picker according to claim 1 wherein the feeder means includes:
a rotary transverse shaft mounted on the main frame above the digging means, a plurality of sets of flails mounted adjacently on the said shaft, each set including a hub and a number of flexible flail rods secured to and extending from the hub, and means for driving the said shaft.
a rotary transverse shaft mounted on the main frame above the digging means, a plurality of sets of flails mounted adjacently on the said shaft, each set including a hub and a number of flexible flail rods secured to and extending from the hub, and means for driving the said shaft.
6. A stone picker according to claim 5 wherein:
each of the flail rods is at one end secured tangentially to a hub and is curved towards its other end in the direction away from the direction of rotation.
each of the flail rods is at one end secured tangentially to a hub and is curved towards its other end in the direction away from the direction of rotation.
7. A stone picker according to claim 1 wherein:
the stone container is mounted on the rear of the main frame for tilting above a transverse axis, and means are provided for tilting the stone container to discharge stones therefrom.
the stone container is mounted on the rear of the main frame for tilting above a transverse axis, and means are provided for tilting the stone container to discharge stones therefrom.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| AU187883 | 1983-10-17 | ||
| AUPG.1878 | 1983-10-17 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1229490A true CA1229490A (en) | 1987-11-24 |
Family
ID=3692383
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000465641A Expired CA1229490A (en) | 1983-10-17 | 1984-10-17 | Stone picker |
Country Status (3)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| EP (1) | EP0188428A1 (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1229490A (en) |
| WO (1) | WO1985001635A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE9015718U1 (en) * | 1990-11-16 | 1992-03-12 | Karl Kässbohrer Fahrzeugwerke GmbH, 7900 Ulm | Beach cleaning vehicle |
Family Cites Families (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US1478142A (en) * | 1923-03-10 | 1923-12-18 | Ortmann Theodore | Stone picker |
| GB758104A (en) * | 1953-11-18 | 1956-09-26 | Sudan Gezira Board | Land cleaning and cultivating machines |
| US2852082A (en) * | 1955-03-29 | 1958-09-16 | Bruce H Petersen | Mechanical rock picker |
| FR2201814A1 (en) * | 1972-10-05 | 1974-05-03 | Chevrier Rene |
-
1984
- 1984-10-17 WO PCT/AU1984/000207 patent/WO1985001635A1/en unknown
- 1984-10-17 EP EP19840903801 patent/EP0188428A1/en not_active Withdrawn
- 1984-10-17 CA CA000465641A patent/CA1229490A/en not_active Expired
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| EP0188428A1 (en) | 1986-07-30 |
| WO1985001635A1 (en) | 1985-04-25 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |