CA2199335C - Spring trip shank assembly having quick-dropping trip-out force and improved resetting ability - Google Patents
Spring trip shank assembly having quick-dropping trip-out force and improved resetting ability Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- CA2199335C CA2199335C CA 2199335 CA2199335A CA2199335C CA 2199335 C CA2199335 C CA 2199335C CA 2199335 CA2199335 CA 2199335 CA 2199335 A CA2199335 A CA 2199335A CA 2199335 C CA2199335 C CA 2199335C
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- spring
- lever
- shank
- tool
- holder
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Classifications
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- 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
- A01B61/00—Devices for, or parts of, agricultural machines or implements for preventing overstrain
- A01B61/04—Devices for, or parts of, agricultural machines or implements for preventing overstrain of the connection between tools and carrier beam or frame
- A01B61/044—Devices for, or parts of, agricultural machines or implements for preventing overstrain of the connection between tools and carrier beam or frame the connection enabling a yielding pivoting movement around a substantially horizontal and transverse axis
- A01B61/046—Devices for, or parts of, agricultural machines or implements for preventing overstrain of the connection between tools and carrier beam or frame the connection enabling a yielding pivoting movement around a substantially horizontal and transverse axis the device including an energy accumulator for restoring the tool to its working position
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- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Soil Sciences (AREA)
- Environmental Sciences (AREA)
- Component Parts Of Construction Machinery (AREA)
- Soil Working Implements (AREA)
Abstract
The spring trip assembly has lever mechanism between the shank and the compression spring which causes the trip-out force of the shank to drop sharply once the relatively high, initial trip-out force level has been reached, thus permitting the shank to slide up and over obstructions without breakage. The compression spring is actuated from both ends simultaneously as the shank rises so that although the trip force drops off quickly, energy also builds up quickly in the spring. Thus, the trip force does not drop as low as it otherwise would, assuring that ample return force is available to reset the shank down into the soil in its working position. Various components of the assembly can be removed and replaced easily without disassembling the entire unit from the tool bar.
Description
'J7 I~S Ll:~2 F.-'~ SllS i71 SOdl ~IU'~ES.~ILLl.~15 ET .~L ~1002 SPRING TRIP S~IANK ASSEMBL~f E~AVIN~ QTJICK-DROP~ING
1~-O7JT FORCE ~'51D ~IPROVE~ RESETTING ABILITY
TEC]~NICAL F~ELD
This irlvention rolates to ~ ,, ! ~ ' ' "~...., ' I~, tillage tools a d, morc particularly, to tillage shank as~ blics of the spdng trip type which hold a tillage sht~ or other tool in the grcur d with a rslatively high tri~out force but which relea6e thc tool to prevent dan~gs when an obstacle is ~'.."A~ t~f~, thercaflter '( ' ~Iy res ttmg the tool to its wcrking po6ition after cloanng tùe obstacle.
B~CKGRGU~I) Spring cushion 6b~nk ssst~nblies hold the shanl i~ the ground with a yieldable spring for.,e so that the shank can relicve~ itself by swingillg up out of the workin~
position in tho event that a hard obstruction is x' Ho veverl in nuny sprmg cushic,n assemblies, ~e restcring forco of the spring agaiDst tbe tool prcg~
ineroase6 ~c the tool swmgs up, thu6 making it moro di~icult for the sbaDk to clear the obstacle at the very tune it is needed the most. If the restoring force is set loweT, the spriD g rnay yield too easily and not be able to keep the shank from bourcin~ as h i9 dragged through thc soil.
Spdrg tnp assemblies, on tbc oth~ hand, are desi~,ued IO hold tho shank ir.
plaoe with a relative!y high trip-out forco, which then drops offquickly once trip-out n occurred. The îorce required to mako tbe shtnk trip-out is set at a much highcr levcl than the dT3lft force experienced by the shank in Dormal working conditions. Thus, the shank remsins firmly in the soil withcut bouncirg. Howevcr, if an obstacle is ~, a ~ , the unyielding resistance of the obstaclo causes tho trip-oul force îo be reacbed ' ~ ~, whereupon the 9bank i5 raisct oy the obsttcle at a lower trip force to tho extont necesssry to clear thc obstacle. 0noe the obstaclo has been passed, the sloreo energy in the stretched or compre4sed sprtn~s resets the shsnk in its workin~
pcsititln.
rhus~ in a sprirl~ trip assernbly the shank actually becQrnes eeSicr to raise afh,r its inhial high trip-out force has beon exceeded. This is very desirable, since it helps assure tbtt tbere will nct bo too much spring fotce to prevent tho shenk from risin~ up 03~0~/a7 I~l 11:43 F.~I 81~ ~74 aos7 ~lol~Y.l;lLLl.~lS ET aL 0003 ;md uver the obstraction to the full extent necessary ss the machine contirlues to move forwardly In tbe past, a vsnety of li~ksges, latohes snd geotnetries have been used for tnis purpose, includiug the arrsagement disclosed in e~ired US Patent 3529,673 which is S own~d by the assignee of ~he pr sent invention. While the spring trip mcchanism of that patcnt does an exccllent job of providi~g a qrack-dropping trip force, rn some cond itions tne restonDg foree of the spring for pushirlg the shaT lc baok dowr, into the grouad raay fall below thst necesssry to positively snd rehsbly accornplish thst job.
Thus, otlce tripped, thc shs k tnay not quite fully r~et.
SUMMARY OF THE PR~SENT INVENIION
Accordingly, one iraportant object of The present inv-ation is to provido a spring lS trip tillsge ~ool assembly, psrticularly but nat exelusively for chisol sharks, whioh is eapahlG of a relative h gh trip-out force SD as to keep the shsnlc steady and 'lockod do~" d~ing mos~ field operations, y-t which c,m t~ip4ut quacXly snd oesily when an obstrwtion i6 sbruptly ', and which hss the abiliy to rcliably snt depentsbly reset the shanX fully into the working position ~er the obstruction has been cleared.
Another importent object of the present mvbntion is to provide a way of combining the best at~ibutcs of spring cushion assemblies with those of spring trip assenmblies in a single new unit. while rarnimizing thc ne~ative ' of each.
A further irnportaat object of the present invention is to provide a rpring tripshaT.~ s$sembly ~vhjch irnprovcs u,oon the principles disclosed in prior US ~alent 3,$29,673 imcluding, for example, rotairling the quick-dropping tri~out force feature of th~ patellted design whih~ makilg more restoratiOn force aYailable for pushing the shank bsck down into the soil as it returns to its worki~lg position. It is also irnportant to provido a rnore compact assembly which can be rclatively quickly and easily installed or removed ftom the machiDe, a longer wearing product requiring less ~i - and repair, a more efficient use of spring force permitting a lighter duty spnng to accomplish the sarr.e job, a design which will acce,ot and i5 compatible with stand;rd industry chjsel shanks, and a dwign which permits the removal and rc~,la~.c~l. of the skat~k and/or sprin~ unit ' ' " withol~t dismantlin~ the entire assembly from the tool bar of the machirl-.
1~-O7JT FORCE ~'51D ~IPROVE~ RESETTING ABILITY
TEC]~NICAL F~ELD
This irlvention rolates to ~ ,, ! ~ ' ' "~...., ' I~, tillage tools a d, morc particularly, to tillage shank as~ blics of the spdng trip type which hold a tillage sht~ or other tool in the grcur d with a rslatively high tri~out force but which relea6e thc tool to prevent dan~gs when an obstacle is ~'.."A~ t~f~, thercaflter '( ' ~Iy res ttmg the tool to its wcrking po6ition after cloanng tùe obstacle.
B~CKGRGU~I) Spring cushion 6b~nk ssst~nblies hold the shanl i~ the ground with a yieldable spring for.,e so that the shank can relicve~ itself by swingillg up out of the workin~
position in tho event that a hard obstruction is x' Ho veverl in nuny sprmg cushic,n assemblies, ~e restcring forco of the spring agaiDst tbe tool prcg~
ineroase6 ~c the tool swmgs up, thu6 making it moro di~icult for the sbaDk to clear the obstacle at the very tune it is needed the most. If the restoring force is set loweT, the spriD g rnay yield too easily and not be able to keep the shank from bourcin~ as h i9 dragged through thc soil.
Spdrg tnp assemblies, on tbc oth~ hand, are desi~,ued IO hold tho shank ir.
plaoe with a relative!y high trip-out forco, which then drops offquickly once trip-out n occurred. The îorce required to mako tbe shtnk trip-out is set at a much highcr levcl than the dT3lft force experienced by the shank in Dormal working conditions. Thus, the shank remsins firmly in the soil withcut bouncirg. Howevcr, if an obstacle is ~, a ~ , the unyielding resistance of the obstaclo causes tho trip-oul force îo be reacbed ' ~ ~, whereupon the 9bank i5 raisct oy the obsttcle at a lower trip force to tho extont necesssry to clear thc obstacle. 0noe the obstaclo has been passed, the sloreo energy in the stretched or compre4sed sprtn~s resets the shsnk in its workin~
pcsititln.
rhus~ in a sprirl~ trip assernbly the shank actually becQrnes eeSicr to raise afh,r its inhial high trip-out force has beon exceeded. This is very desirable, since it helps assure tbtt tbere will nct bo too much spring fotce to prevent tho shenk from risin~ up 03~0~/a7 I~l 11:43 F.~I 81~ ~74 aos7 ~lol~Y.l;lLLl.~lS ET aL 0003 ;md uver the obstraction to the full extent necessary ss the machine contirlues to move forwardly In tbe past, a vsnety of li~ksges, latohes snd geotnetries have been used for tnis purpose, includiug the arrsagement disclosed in e~ired US Patent 3529,673 which is S own~d by the assignee of ~he pr sent invention. While the spring trip mcchanism of that patcnt does an exccllent job of providi~g a qrack-dropping trip force, rn some cond itions tne restonDg foree of the spring for pushirlg the shaT lc baok dowr, into the grouad raay fall below thst necesssry to positively snd rehsbly accornplish thst job.
Thus, otlce tripped, thc shs k tnay not quite fully r~et.
SUMMARY OF THE PR~SENT INVENIION
Accordingly, one iraportant object of The present inv-ation is to provido a spring lS trip tillsge ~ool assembly, psrticularly but nat exelusively for chisol sharks, whioh is eapahlG of a relative h gh trip-out force SD as to keep the shsnlc steady and 'lockod do~" d~ing mos~ field operations, y-t which c,m t~ip4ut quacXly snd oesily when an obstrwtion i6 sbruptly ', and which hss the abiliy to rcliably snt depentsbly reset the shanX fully into the working position ~er the obstruction has been cleared.
Another importent object of the present mvbntion is to provide a way of combining the best at~ibutcs of spring cushion assemblies with those of spring trip assenmblies in a single new unit. while rarnimizing thc ne~ative ' of each.
A further irnportaat object of the present invention is to provide a rpring tripshaT.~ s$sembly ~vhjch irnprovcs u,oon the principles disclosed in prior US ~alent 3,$29,673 imcluding, for example, rotairling the quick-dropping tri~out force feature of th~ patellted design whih~ makilg more restoratiOn force aYailable for pushing the shank bsck down into the soil as it returns to its worki~lg position. It is also irnportant to provido a rnore compact assembly which can be rclatively quickly and easily installed or removed ftom the machiDe, a longer wearing product requiring less ~i - and repair, a more efficient use of spring force permitting a lighter duty spnng to accomplish the sarr.e job, a design which will acce,ot and i5 compatible with stand;rd industry chjsel shanks, and a dwign which permits the removal and rc~,la~.c~l. of the skat~k and/or sprin~ unit ' ' " withol~t dismantlin~ the entire assembly from the tool bar of the machirl-.
os~s8/9s 1~ Ll:~S FA~ 81S 47~ s7 I~OS~ LLl.~S ET .~L 1~1004 The foregorag arld othcr rn~portant objects of the present iDveDtion arr carriedout througn tbe provisiorl of a shatik asscmbly which makts QSC of efficient le-wr meohaDism a~ranOod in combulation witb a double-actrn~ spriDg unit m which botb cnds of the spring are ach~tod - ' '~ by thc shank as it rises to pass over an S obsttuction. The geometry of the lever mechar~ism causes the me~hanical advantage of the spring OD the shaDk to dccrease rapidly as the shatlk s~vings up, thus causing thc trip force to . . ' _'~ drop off r{uiclsly oncs the shenk has tripped out. However, because the amouttt of poteDti l energy stored up in the spring iDcreasea rapidly as both ends of the spting are actuatet '~, thc trip force does not drop down as far as it otherwise would. C~ , the atrlOUDt of rcstoratioD force available to retum the shank into the grou~ is s',~ , highcr tharl would other~vise be true.
The g eometry of ~o vatiouS parts and the particular len~ths of various mom~at arms ~ld levers ean bc selected to achieve a return Ol scatol~t;u l force that never drops below the levcl typically required to completely remsert thc potnt of the chisel shs~k back ] S dowD into thc soil and to pusb it into the working position against the resistancc of the soil.
The gevmctrf of tho parts of thc csembly is such that thc shanlc can achieve a substantial tnp heigbt without causing othet parts of the asse~r.bly to move through extensive ram7es of motion. thus reducing wear aDd prolonging the uscful life of the assen Ibly. The asserably is arranged in A relatively upright orientatloD~ having as its ptimary supportiDg eornponeDt a bracket or housiDg th~t mounts to the baclcside of the tool bar or tubolar beam ofthe machine. A block-like shank holder is pivott d to the lowcr end of thc bracket while a rocker lever is pivoted to the upper end of thc brackct.
A coiie~, helical cn~nr~tCci~n sptiDO uuit is çaptured betwe~ the shank holder and the inDer end ofthe tocker leverl while a ~ - " r.~ ~11 lirlk is captoreLt betwcten the holder and the opposite end of the rocker lever. Consc~ucntly, as ~e shar k holder is raised after trippi,ag out, the compression lirlk pushes up aga.nst tbe outer cnd of the rocker lever which, in turn, oornp~ses ~c s.oriDg v~th the inner end ofthe lever, Because the momcnt arm increases for the V~ 7 ' "~ link as the sbalLk f~ swings upwardly, and tbe moment arms for the spring ~.o".~rd,~_'r decreasc, ~he spring bccon~es ~l o~ .ly casier and easier to cornpress, asSurir.g that the shank will slip over the enoountered obstmction. At the rame time, the rapid loading up of the spring by actuatmg it *o~ both eads ~ " preferably in c~- ~"~ ' - ., prevents the trip force from droppi~g too low, which results in rnore available retwn force.
OSOU, 97 1}1~ 4 FA:~ 81~ s7~ 905'i ~IOS'E~ .WILLI.UI9 ET 51 0005 0 2 1 9 9 3 ~ 5 Thc spring nnlt is ~csi~ed to be a self-contairled subassembly ~hich can be readily remv~ed ~m tho mounti~g bracket ~itb or u~thout first removing the ~rsc~et from tb~ tool bar. LL1~e vise, the ~a~ o., hnk hss ccncave retaining saddles at its opposite ends instead of closed cyelcts for the CU.~ v~i ng pivot sh4fts of the S assemblies so thst, ~on relea~ng the c , force in the link by ~ghtening dov~n a bo] t assocjJted with the spnng, tho ~ ~ssion link may be essily ren~.oved without first rcmovtng any other psrts of the assembly. ~y pulling a cotter pin in the upper pivol of the rocker leYer, the pivor may be Icmored from the ~rackct to relesse the rest of th-: YoriCing ~ , , except for tbe sbsnlc holder.
BEUi;,F DESCR~PTION OF TB DRAWINGS
Figure I is a ri~ght frc~t perspective view of A spring trip shank assombly consiructed ncccordstlcev,iththeprinciplesvf~epresentinvenrionandadaptedto b~ ;nuunted onto the frame member or tool bar of a tilla~e implemerlt;
Fig, 2 is an exploded, perspe~: ve view of tho shanlc assanbly;
Fig. 3 is a left side elevatiorlal vie~v of the shank assembly mounted on the ~oot bar with the near side wall of the mounting bracket remc ~ e~ and pslts shown in cross-section for clarity, the shank being illustrated in its working position;
Fig. 3a is a schematic diagram illustrating the geutne'rical relationsbip of thecomponentS of the assembly in tho Fig. 3 position;
Fig. 4 is a lef~ side elevational vie~Y ofthe s~anlc asstmbiy similar to Fig. 3 but showing the shank trippe~ out and partially raised;
Fig. 4a is a schematic diagr~ illustrating thc components in the Fig. 4 posiion;Fig. 5 is a fragmc~tary cross-sectional vjew ufthe assembly talcen substantiallyalong linc S-5 of Fig. 3;
Fig. 6 is aTear elevational view oftbe assernbly taken b~ ' "y alonQ sight line 6-6 of Fig. 3; and Fig. 7 is a graph of spring trip forcc ver6us tr:.p height for thc shank assembly of the present invention~ together with a graph of return force versus trip height.
~ETAILED ~ESCRlPTION
The g eometry of ~o vatiouS parts and the particular len~ths of various mom~at arms ~ld levers ean bc selected to achieve a return Ol scatol~t;u l force that never drops below the levcl typically required to completely remsert thc potnt of the chisel shs~k back ] S dowD into thc soil and to pusb it into the working position against the resistancc of the soil.
The gevmctrf of tho parts of thc csembly is such that thc shanlc can achieve a substantial tnp heigbt without causing othet parts of the asse~r.bly to move through extensive ram7es of motion. thus reducing wear aDd prolonging the uscful life of the assen Ibly. The asserably is arranged in A relatively upright orientatloD~ having as its ptimary supportiDg eornponeDt a bracket or housiDg th~t mounts to the baclcside of the tool bar or tubolar beam ofthe machine. A block-like shank holder is pivott d to the lowcr end of thc bracket while a rocker lever is pivoted to the upper end of thc brackct.
A coiie~, helical cn~nr~tCci~n sptiDO uuit is çaptured betwe~ the shank holder and the inDer end ofthe tocker leverl while a ~ - " r.~ ~11 lirlk is captoreLt betwcten the holder and the opposite end of the rocker lever. Consc~ucntly, as ~e shar k holder is raised after trippi,ag out, the compression lirlk pushes up aga.nst tbe outer cnd of the rocker lever which, in turn, oornp~ses ~c s.oriDg v~th the inner end ofthe lever, Because the momcnt arm increases for the V~ 7 ' "~ link as the sbalLk f~ swings upwardly, and tbe moment arms for the spring ~.o".~rd,~_'r decreasc, ~he spring bccon~es ~l o~ .ly casier and easier to cornpress, asSurir.g that the shank will slip over the enoountered obstmction. At the rame time, the rapid loading up of the spring by actuatmg it *o~ both eads ~ " preferably in c~- ~"~ ' - ., prevents the trip force from droppi~g too low, which results in rnore available retwn force.
OSOU, 97 1}1~ 4 FA:~ 81~ s7~ 905'i ~IOS'E~ .WILLI.UI9 ET 51 0005 0 2 1 9 9 3 ~ 5 Thc spring nnlt is ~csi~ed to be a self-contairled subassembly ~hich can be readily remv~ed ~m tho mounti~g bracket ~itb or u~thout first removing the ~rsc~et from tb~ tool bar. LL1~e vise, the ~a~ o., hnk hss ccncave retaining saddles at its opposite ends instead of closed cyelcts for the CU.~ v~i ng pivot sh4fts of the S assemblies so thst, ~on relea~ng the c , force in the link by ~ghtening dov~n a bo] t assocjJted with the spnng, tho ~ ~ssion link may be essily ren~.oved without first rcmovtng any other psrts of the assembly. ~y pulling a cotter pin in the upper pivol of the rocker leYer, the pivor may be Icmored from the ~rackct to relesse the rest of th-: YoriCing ~ , , except for tbe sbsnlc holder.
BEUi;,F DESCR~PTION OF TB DRAWINGS
Figure I is a ri~ght frc~t perspective view of A spring trip shank assombly consiructed ncccordstlcev,iththeprinciplesvf~epresentinvenrionandadaptedto b~ ;nuunted onto the frame member or tool bar of a tilla~e implemerlt;
Fig, 2 is an exploded, perspe~: ve view of tho shanlc assanbly;
Fig. 3 is a left side elevatiorlal vie~v of the shank assembly mounted on the ~oot bar with the near side wall of the mounting bracket remc ~ e~ and pslts shown in cross-section for clarity, the shank being illustrated in its working position;
Fig. 3a is a schematic diagram illustrating the geutne'rical relationsbip of thecomponentS of the assembly in tho Fig. 3 position;
Fig. 4 is a lef~ side elevational vie~Y ofthe s~anlc asstmbiy similar to Fig. 3 but showing the shank trippe~ out and partially raised;
Fig. 4a is a schematic diagr~ illustrating thc components in the Fig. 4 posiion;Fig. 5 is a fragmc~tary cross-sectional vjew ufthe assembly talcen substantiallyalong linc S-5 of Fig. 3;
Fig. 6 is aTear elevational view oftbe assernbly taken b~ ' "y alonQ sight line 6-6 of Fig. 3; and Fig. 7 is a graph of spring trip forcc ver6us tr:.p height for thc shank assembly of the present invention~ together with a graph of return force versus trip height.
~ETAILED ~ESCRlPTION
3~
03 05,~97 I~l[ ll: l i F~3 815 4. ~ ~057 ~O~ ',WlLL~ S Er .~L lzluo~
Altho~gh the invention as hereinafter descnbed is embodied in a chi5el shanlc assa ~bly, it rnay be ' . ' i~to other types of tillage tool assclnblies as well.
The shar~ assembly 10 nfthe pre5ent ~verltion, as shown particularly in Figs.
I amt 2, includes all elongated, normally generally uplight, slightly reatwardly inc~ined housing or mounting bracket 12, havit~ an upper end 14, a lower end 16, a front 18, arld a rear 20. Tbe bracket also includes a pair of opposite sid s 22 ant 24 extending between upper ard lower ends 14,16. The two sides 22 and 24 are defined by a pair of laterally spaced apatt side plates 26 and 28 that coopetatc to defLne ~n interior space within which the ,~ - spring and other components o~ thc assembly ~re housod, aS WLll be desctibed below. The two sides plates 26 and 28 are çotnp'otely open across the rear 20 of the bracket, as well as across thc upper eDd 14 and the lower cnd 16. rhe front 18, however is partially closod by a front plate 30 that spans the side plates 26 and 28 from a point somewbat below the upper ond 14 down to almost themidpoint of the bracket. A cross strap 32 sFans the side plates 26 and 28 ' ~ 'ybelow the front plate 30 and is slightly recessed with respect theteto as illustrated bost rn Figs.2, 3 and 4. The cross strap 32 has a pair of bolt koles 34, (Fig. 2) for receivin3 4VII~ r '' _ mounting bolts 36 used in att~chod dle bracket 12 to a twl bar 38 as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. T ' ~ below the cross strap 32, the side plates 26 and 28 aro nor~ev ou~ to present a receivir g notch 40 in bracket 12 that; , ' ~'.,,recei~res the bsck side and lower face of the tool bar 38. A se_ond crvoss strap 42 below the notch 40 and spam~ulg the side p]abs 26,28 has a p~ur of bolt holes 44 for receiving ~ mounting bolts 26, ~he bolts 36 and 46 comprise parts of stmcture for secu~ing the brscket 12 to the tool bearn 38, the remainder of such stnwtureincludmgapairofan31edclampingstraps48 and501Oopedoverthefrontand topsidesofthetoolbar3B,andbolts36,46andnuts52,54(Figs.3and4)forthecross strsps 32 and 42.
I'he mounting bracket 12 has a pait of axiaTly aligncd pivot ruFport rings 56 and 58 at its lower cnd 16, each of which is inLeo to a r ~ C. one of the side plates, 26,28 in such a roanner as to p~senl a transverse lower pivot axis. ~he t vo ril~gs 56,58 serveasameansforsupportingatrarlsversepivotpin50tha~spallsthetwonngsS6,58 and is held against rotation by a keeper 62 (Fig.2) at onc end thereof. The keepa 62 usesaboltandnutassembly64toanchortbepjvotpin60tothepro~nalsidoplate28.
Ibe p;vot pin 60 serves as a mo~ting pivot for a generally block-shaped shank holdes 66 having a pair of axially a]igned sleeves 68 and 70 at its front end provided v ith a pair of internal, ~~ , plastic busbings 72 and 74 wlu'ch rotatably receive the u3is3 s7 T~ IA~; 51~ ~7~ 8057 1~OS~ ILLI.4115 ~1 .4L b~oO7 pivoi pin 60. Thus, the shank holder 66 csn sv~ng up and down rbout the pivot pin 60 relativo to the bracket 12. A generally U-shaped, rigid strap 76 depending from the bracket 12 is looped under ~te sharik holder 66 and serves as a lower lilnit stop for d~Yllward swingir g of the holder 66.
The holder 66 is gerterally cha~el shaped alor;g its bottom surface in a fore-and- aft direction to c , ' "~ reccive and locate z gcnerally C-shapcd chiscl shank 78. The shank 78 is provided with mountma holcs 80 at its lower end for attachmentofaruitabletillagetoolsuchrsasweep ~2 ororhorpointshowninFig. 3.
Inordcrtosecuretheupperendofthesharlk78totheholder66,thecentralbodyofthe 1 0 hold~ r 66 has a bolt hole 8J. re~eiving a bolt 86 that also passes thrcugh a hole 88 in thc upper end cftke shrnk 78. A nut 90 on thc upper end of the bolt 86 is ~ , '- "~
received within a hexagonal upper extremit,Y of the bolt hole 84 to preclude rotation of the nut 90~ The sharlk 78 is also held in place by a lower transverse strap 92 behtnd the bolt 86 which clamps the shanlc 78 up against the bottom of the holder 66 rhrough the use of 1 pair of bolt assemblies 94.
Atthcupperend 140fthebracketi2,arockerlever96isswmgablyrrounted betw~en the two sido plates 2c, and 28. An upper transverse piVQt 98 spans the side platea Z6 and Z8 at this location to seive as a pivot for the rocker le~er 96. The pivot 98 is removably retained within thc side plates by a cotter pin 97. The rocker lever 96 iscomprisedofapairoflaterallyspacedapart,bellcrankshapedplatcslOOandlO2 that Pre secu~d together along ~eir lower extrernity by a cross pin 104. A pair of axially aligned sleeves 106 and 108 are fixed to respective ones ofthe plates 100,102 at thLir upper apexos, each of wbich rece.ves a plastic bushing 110 that rotatably receives the pivot 98. A keeper 112 on one end of the p;vot pin 98 prevents the later from rotating during swinging of the rocker lever 96 about the pivot 98.
As noted in Figs. 3 and 4, for example, the rocker lever 96 is generally inversely L-shaped, presenting one cnd defined by a short leg 114 that projects generally into the interior of the brackct 12, aud an opposite end def~ned by a long~ leg 116 projecting genaally outwardly away fiom the intetior of the bracket 12. The inn~ end of therockes lever 96 as defined by the leg 114 calries a pair of axially tligned, cylindrical tips 118 and 1'~0 (~ig. 2) on respective ones of the plates 100,102, while the opposite cndoftherockerleverg6aspresentedbytheleg 116carriesthecrosspin 104,1ikevwise defini~g a cylindrical tip.
The mounting bracket 12, ~he shank holder 66, thc rocker lever 96 and the attaching structure 55 co]lectively define ~vhat may be collectively described as a 03~0s,a7 TilO' 11:45 F.~3 815 474 û067 II~ ~Y.S'lLLï.~gS ET .~L l~boo8 mouating bracket - ' ' 'y. The shaDk 78 and its sweep 82 or otber tool may be considered a sh~k ' ' '" ~.' ' can be attached to or coupled with the mormting bracket ' ' ~y ViA the shar,k holder 66. Although tbe rocXer lever 96 has becn descJibedascoalprisin~partofthemountiogbraclcet ' 'l~,it~illbcnotedthat S tbe r~xker lever 96 is detachable from the bracket 12 by simply pulling the cotter pir 97 and relessi~g the keeper 112 The shank assembly 1~ also tncludes a sprLng suba6sernbly compnsed by s rnn gn~c~irm s~ing unit 122 located betweerl t~e sbar~ holder 66 and the inner end of tbe nlcker leveT 96. The spring unit 122 irlcludes a pair of axially spaced spart end caps 124rndl26atoppo5tcerldsofahelical- . spmlgl28(ifdesiredasccond, disposed, smalleT diameter, inner: tl spring 128a may be used to in~ease the stren~th of tbe s7pring unit as shown in Fig. 2). A ~eusion bolt mesnber 130 ~'y disposed within the 5p~iDg 128 is telescoped loosely throu~ the upper end cap 124 and is secured ~qa threads into an upstanding, cylindrical sprirlg IS guidt 132fixedtotheiowerendc~pl26. Theoolt130ha Imerllargedhead134atits upper end which is disposed on the upper side of the erld cap 124 so that when the bolt 130 is threaded down into the Sprin~ guide 132, the upper er.d csp 124 is drawn downwardly toward the lower end cnp 126 to adjustably compress and preload the sprirl~ 128. On the other hand, the upper end cap 124 is fr~ to slide axially up and down along the bolt 130 when a cormpressive force i5 applicd to the upper end cap 124.
The upper end cap 124 has a concave, upwnrdly f~cing saddle 136 thst cun.~.,' ' ty and pivotally receives tbe r,~nvex tip of the iDner end of tbe rocker lever 96 defined by the two cylindrical tips 118 and 120. Tbe saddle 136 is rnore particularlytefinedbyapairofzlignod,arcuatedepressionsl3Bandl40~ig.2)on opposite sides of a cent~aL generally triangular boss 142 on the upper end cap 124. llle two cylindrical tips 118.120 tbus straddle the boss 142, and the bolt 130 passesupwardly through thc boss 142 witb a be~d 134 at the uppen~ost extremity of the boss 142. rbealignedtipsll8arldl20defneaupperspringpivotforthespringl28and serve to operably conr ecl the spring 128 with tbe lever 96.
On tbe otber hand. the lower end cap 126 has a geDerally C-shaped, downwardly faculg saddle 144 that is ~ teceived on a cross pin 146 supportcd bchveal a pnir of laterally spaced zpart, upstanding cradles 148 ~md î 50 on tbe top side of the sharLl~ holder 66. A stabilizer kcy 152 ~Fig 2) fixed to the undersidc of tbe CroSs pin 146 is received wi~in a roati~g groove 154 ~ the top surfacc of thc holdcr 66 behveen the cradles 148 and 150 to preclude rotation of the cross pin 146 and prevent axislly ~7 05~0~7 TH[ 11:45 F.~ 81d 47~ 9057 E;O~ Y.I~ILLI.~'IS E:T aL ~boos 0 2 1 9 9 ~ ~ 5 shifiinethereof I~ecrosspin146definesalowersprin~pi~otforthespnng128and serves to operably i ,1~ n ,~ the spnng 128 and the holder 66 Due to the open-ended nature of the saddle5 136 and 144 at OppoSite ends oi'the sprLn7 unit 122, the spring unit 122 is removzbly captured behyeen the rocker lever 96 S on the one b~d and tbe sha~k holder 66 on the other hand As long as the cylindt ic /~
nps]l8,1200fthctockalcYer96aremaintamedwithinthedepres5ionsl38,1400fthc up,oer cnd czp 124 and thc cross pin 146 of thc shank holdcr 66 is maintaincd within the saddlel440fthelowerendcap 126,thespringunitl22aillrer~ninplsce~Yithtnthe shz;ll; assembly 10 HoweYer, if the rocker Icver 96 is unseated frcr,rn the uppor end cap 124, the entire spring untt 122 may be lifted off the shank holda 66 and out of the brac~et 12 The shanlc assembly 10 further include5 a ~ Oll lillk me~nber 156 betw3en the outer cnd oftbe rocker bver 96 r~d the shank holder 66 in the form of a pairoflinkslS8andl60~ Ihetvolinlcsl58andl60are ' , ~'byacrossbolt 162 ~Fig ~, while a tubular spacer 164 ~ia 2) cncirclcs the cross bolt 162 and is disposedbetveenthelinks 158,160tomatntsintheirseparationandprovidestructursl integritytothe~, ~ss.onmemberl56 Theupperendofthelinkl58hasaconcave saddle 166thatrotat~1yreceivestbeproximalendofthecrosspivot 104Oftherocker lever 96, while the lower end of the 1i~ 158 has a concavo seddle l 68 that re9ts upon and rotatzbly receives the cv~ end of the cross pivot l 46 zssociated with the shanl; holder 66 The other link 160 has similar upper and lawor s~ddlcs 1 70 and 172 rcspcctivcly As a ~ of this construction of the ~ - - n~ member 156 it wi11 be seen that the member 156 comprises another rernovable au~ ..bl.y ofthe shanlcassembly 10. As long as the cross pi~ot 104 of rocker lever 96 is sested within the uppersadd1cs 166,170Ofthe. . ' member156andthelowercrosspivotl46 is seated within the lower saddles 168 ard 172 ofthe i , ' member 156, the ;VII member 156 will remain in place bctween the rocl~er lever 96 snd the shanl; holder 66. However, due to the open ended nature of the saddles of the OO.III~.G~;OII memb~ 156, thc member is ea5ily removed frorn the assembly when compressiYc loading is removod from its opposite 0ds, such as by tightening down the draw bolt 130 to such an extent that the 1, ' spring 128 no longer exerts an upwzrd force against tho rockor lever 96 when the shank 78 is in its lowered wo~king position against the stop 76 as in Fig 3 05;013~37 TIIG Ll:~5 Fsl 8tL1 17~ ~os7 IlO~ liLI.~Yj ET dL ~010 OPER~TION
Refemng particularly to Figs. 3 aDd 4, it v~ill be seerL that when the sb~lc t~nbly l 0 is placed iD USO, the, . spring 128 pushes the shaLk holdet 66 S ~L .. _JI~ about pivot 60 to the extent permiffed by the stop 76. tn this respect, tho lower end of the spri~g 128 pushcs dowmvardly through the lower eDd cap 126 a~t~nst t~v lowa srmin~ piYot 144 ~hile the u,oper e~LLt of the spring 128 pushes upwatdly thtoughtheupperendcap 124agairLstthcuppLrsFnDgpivotderLnedbytips 118,!2Q, w~Lich in tum exctts downward fott e against the lowet spnng p jvot 146 via tho roc;cet levet96andthc; . ~ lillklsvO. TheshatlkholdL,r66,theenmrr~sc~nlinkl56, and ~he tocket bYer 96 thus broadly sorve as ap,orratlLs operably i..t~..w._~c.~ g thc sptin~ 12? and the shank 78.
If the point 82 hits ID obsttuction 174 (Pi~. 3) and the rcsistance of the obstnLctionl74ishigherLou~htot~ip-oi-Ltthesharlk78,sha~k78 vills~yir~guFwt~dly in a . 1 '~ d~;tion about thc shank pivot 60 to the L~aent necesst~ty to clear theobsttuction,sndwillthenrvsetitselfhackdownintheworkingpositiorlofFig. 3.
In tbo process, the two end CApS 124 ~.d 126 compress the spring 128 from opposite oirectior~s to auickly store up potential energy within ~he spring, which is then exerted against tbe shank 78 as it is rL~ned to its workirLg position.
In tho workihg poL;ition of Fig. 3, the spring 128 is under ~ -tl ~ The arnol~t of ~ . detennLncs ~e trip-out forcc for the shank 78 snd ct~n bc varied by sclecting different spring resistances and dimensions for Tl2e rocker lever 96 and Cv~ link 156. Prefer~bly, Lhe tlip-out forcc IS establi5hed at a rc!stirely highlcvel compared to t~Le typical draft force exened by thc ground OD the sh~c 78 so that in nonrLal conditio~s the s~ank vrill stay down in it~ workin~ position As shc wn ih Fi~. 3A, wherL tbe shank 78 is in its workin,g position Ihe momeDt artr~oftheiirLeofactionofthespnngactirLgtlhroughpirotl46hasaleng~L"X':whilc the moment arm o~ the line of sction of the sprir,g actin~ throagh the rocker lever pivot 98 has a length "~'. Additionally, the a nount of "o~set" of the lever pivot 104 to an irna~na y liDe g the lowcr spr~lg pivot 146 and rhe uppcr lever pivot 98 has a value "Z".
As the shank 78 is tripped-out, the offset of the outcr lev~ pivu; 104 i~crcasesrapidly to an amount '-ZI ", whilc the moment a~ns X and ~ both decre2~ce to the values "Xl " and "Yl ". Iherefore, although potential ener~y is being stored up in the sprin3 128 at this tirne, thc mcchaDical advantage of the spri~7g over the ~hanlc decreases 03, 05, ~7 TN~ FA~ SlS i71 3us7 iiO-EY,WlLLl.USS ~1' AL 12loll L~ul..L~,~lly so that tsle net effect is to decrease the trip force required to move the shank upwardly, once the initial trip-out level has been reached. Thi5 is ilh:strated in F;QV 1 by Ule descending curve 1?6, which is a plot of the trip out force v-rses the hd ~ht of the shank as it 6wing6 up vardly about the shs~llc pivot 60. Although the numbers associated with the graph iD ~ig. 7 are for il;ustrative purposes only, it will be seell tbat the trip-out force is ~l, ~ I} 750 pounds whcn the sharik is fillty down in Ule worldng poSition at "0" height. However, by the tiole the sharik h~s raised only I iDch, the amount of force rcquired to swing the sharlk upwardly has dropped to 600 pou~v~. Ihereafter, ~he srip force stays fairly flat, gradually dreppin~ dowr~ to ~1~11 ~ ' '.~,450poundsatalOinchtripheight. Thusjratherthal~thoc,.",~
loaeirlg on the spring msking it harder for the shar k to clesr tt e obstruction. there is actuasly an immeoiate drop-offof the effective holding force of the spru~g against the sharX to make it easier for the sharX to s]ip up over the obss le.
It will be noted that, a'sthough the trip force drups offvery quickly, it does not drop too far. This is due in palt to the fact that althou~h the ~eornetry of thccor~ponents of the t~p assembly cause the mechaDical afsvarltage of the sprrng on the shar~k to be decreased as the shank swines upwardly, the sprmg 128 is loaded up at a rapirl rate due to the fact that it i9 being actuated from both ends as U~e shsnk rises. In prior known spring cur~ion assembliesl only the bottom and of the spring has been compressed while the upper end rernained statioD~y. In the present i~ -- a~
how- ver, the upper end i5 comprcssed as wel's, reslllting in a rate of ener~ build-up that is, for example, twicc as fast as in pr:om~ ~ - 6~ - ~ for ~he sasne arnount oftrip hei iht of th v shank. C~ ~ 'y, althongh the spring, in effect, loses some of its leverage over the sha;Lk as the shanlc rises, thi5 is offset by the rapid build-up of ener~ within the sPring 128 to keep thc trip foree from dropping too low.
Thus, after the obstacle has been cleared, there is moro than ample force available frorn the spring 128 to reset the shank down in its wori~ing position. Evec~
thuugh the soil resists the re-entry of the point 82 down into the ~ruund and forvvard mov ment 2to the fully rcset posi~ion of Fig. 3, the additional energy stured up within the spring 128 by virtue of tlle present design can ovorcome such resistance.
The "trip force" as that term is wed hcroin is defined as the arnount of force requi red at ~y given trip height to make the s~nlc s ving up. The graph in Fi~, 7 shows that trip force, represented by cun e 176, is generally higher at all points of shank height than return force which is d~oted by the cu~vc 178. This disparity oehveen trip force aDd ~ fotce arisos from frictiou ~bat exist5 within &e shank assembly. If the -1~
03~0~97 ~}11.1 11:4d F.~ 81C 171 ~057 aO'~EY.~lLLl.~lS E~ AL lalûl~
frictbm force v,-ere zero at the pivot points 60, 120, 98, 104 and 146 and other places, the trip force and the retum force vould substalltially coincide. However, since this is notdlecsse,thetripforceatallpointsalol~gthecurvel76isthetotaloftheeffective resistive force off~ed by the Spring 128 plus the resistivc force provided by thc friction S i~t the joints.
On lhe other hand, the "retuTn force" as that terra is used herein, i5 the forceav~;ihlble at my giYen tdp hd~ht to push the shank bacl~ dow~.t into the ~round. T~us, the total retum force available at each trip hcight to push down on the shank is thc force from the spritlg 128 minus dhe resistive drag exerteded by friction in the joints.
C~ y~ aS shovm ia ~ig. 7, the retuTn fiorce represeated by curve 178 rur~s e-elow the trlp-out force aT every individual ttip h~ight 'exce,ot the 10 inch heigltt which is the fully Lrippcd positior ~. Since 400 1 ~0 pouads at the 1 inch depth is typically needed in onler to keep the shank in the ground, it will be seen that there is more than a~nple return force available in the present inverltion to assure filll resetting of the shank 78 once rhe obstruction has been cleared.
It vrill be noted that the preferred, ' - ' of the shank assembly as disclosed herein is easy to service in the event that parts need replacing. For example, the sbarlk itself can rea~ily cbe removed and rcplaced by loosenmg the bol~s 86 and 94.
Thespringunitl2Zcanbereraovedbyfusttighteningdovmthedrawboltl30until such lime as the spnng 128 loses its . , ~., force in oppositc dircctions against thelowerpivotl46andtheupperpivotll8,120. Theatherockerlever96isremoved from Ihe bracket 12 by pulling the cotter pin 97 (Fig. Z~ and ~ ;LI.L_ .. illg the pivot 98.
Once rocker lever 96 is gonc, the self-contsihled spring unit 122 c2Dt simply be lifted off the holder 66 due to the open saddle 144 at the lower end of the SpriD~ unin II it i5 dcsired to remove Ihe - , linkl 56 without also removing the spring unit IZ2 and the rocker lever 96, that can be readily ~~ r' by first tighte~ingdownonthcdrawboltl30toremove , ~1oadingontheLiDk156.
After removirlg the cross bolt 162, either nr both of the Links 158, 160 may be pulled out of the assembly.
Thus, there is no need to completely remove the shank assembly 10 from the tool beam 38 in order to replace thc major working parts of the trip mechanism. In addition, the spring unit 122 a~d the ~ -r link 156 can be readily removcd without 9rst removiDg the sbaDk holder 66 and the rocker leva 96~ This greatly faciLit Ites servicing and T~luces do~n time, whicb is alvvays sîl importallt in fartning operations.
03 05,~97 I~l[ ll: l i F~3 815 4. ~ ~057 ~O~ ',WlLL~ S Er .~L lzluo~
Altho~gh the invention as hereinafter descnbed is embodied in a chi5el shanlc assa ~bly, it rnay be ' . ' i~to other types of tillage tool assclnblies as well.
The shar~ assembly 10 nfthe pre5ent ~verltion, as shown particularly in Figs.
I amt 2, includes all elongated, normally generally uplight, slightly reatwardly inc~ined housing or mounting bracket 12, havit~ an upper end 14, a lower end 16, a front 18, arld a rear 20. Tbe bracket also includes a pair of opposite sid s 22 ant 24 extending between upper ard lower ends 14,16. The two sides 22 and 24 are defined by a pair of laterally spaced apatt side plates 26 and 28 that coopetatc to defLne ~n interior space within which the ,~ - spring and other components o~ thc assembly ~re housod, aS WLll be desctibed below. The two sides plates 26 and 28 are çotnp'otely open across the rear 20 of the bracket, as well as across thc upper eDd 14 and the lower cnd 16. rhe front 18, however is partially closod by a front plate 30 that spans the side plates 26 and 28 from a point somewbat below the upper ond 14 down to almost themidpoint of the bracket. A cross strap 32 sFans the side plates 26 and 28 ' ~ 'ybelow the front plate 30 and is slightly recessed with respect theteto as illustrated bost rn Figs.2, 3 and 4. The cross strap 32 has a pair of bolt koles 34, (Fig. 2) for receivin3 4VII~ r '' _ mounting bolts 36 used in att~chod dle bracket 12 to a twl bar 38 as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. T ' ~ below the cross strap 32, the side plates 26 and 28 aro nor~ev ou~ to present a receivir g notch 40 in bracket 12 that; , ' ~'.,,recei~res the bsck side and lower face of the tool bar 38. A se_ond crvoss strap 42 below the notch 40 and spam~ulg the side p]abs 26,28 has a p~ur of bolt holes 44 for receiving ~ mounting bolts 26, ~he bolts 36 and 46 comprise parts of stmcture for secu~ing the brscket 12 to the tool bearn 38, the remainder of such stnwtureincludmgapairofan31edclampingstraps48 and501Oopedoverthefrontand topsidesofthetoolbar3B,andbolts36,46andnuts52,54(Figs.3and4)forthecross strsps 32 and 42.
I'he mounting bracket 12 has a pait of axiaTly aligncd pivot ruFport rings 56 and 58 at its lower cnd 16, each of which is inLeo to a r ~ C. one of the side plates, 26,28 in such a roanner as to p~senl a transverse lower pivot axis. ~he t vo ril~gs 56,58 serveasameansforsupportingatrarlsversepivotpin50tha~spallsthetwonngsS6,58 and is held against rotation by a keeper 62 (Fig.2) at onc end thereof. The keepa 62 usesaboltandnutassembly64toanchortbepjvotpin60tothepro~nalsidoplate28.
Ibe p;vot pin 60 serves as a mo~ting pivot for a generally block-shaped shank holdes 66 having a pair of axially a]igned sleeves 68 and 70 at its front end provided v ith a pair of internal, ~~ , plastic busbings 72 and 74 wlu'ch rotatably receive the u3is3 s7 T~ IA~; 51~ ~7~ 8057 1~OS~ ILLI.4115 ~1 .4L b~oO7 pivoi pin 60. Thus, the shank holder 66 csn sv~ng up and down rbout the pivot pin 60 relativo to the bracket 12. A generally U-shaped, rigid strap 76 depending from the bracket 12 is looped under ~te sharik holder 66 and serves as a lower lilnit stop for d~Yllward swingir g of the holder 66.
The holder 66 is gerterally cha~el shaped alor;g its bottom surface in a fore-and- aft direction to c , ' "~ reccive and locate z gcnerally C-shapcd chiscl shank 78. The shank 78 is provided with mountma holcs 80 at its lower end for attachmentofaruitabletillagetoolsuchrsasweep ~2 ororhorpointshowninFig. 3.
Inordcrtosecuretheupperendofthesharlk78totheholder66,thecentralbodyofthe 1 0 hold~ r 66 has a bolt hole 8J. re~eiving a bolt 86 that also passes thrcugh a hole 88 in thc upper end cftke shrnk 78. A nut 90 on thc upper end of the bolt 86 is ~ , '- "~
received within a hexagonal upper extremit,Y of the bolt hole 84 to preclude rotation of the nut 90~ The sharlk 78 is also held in place by a lower transverse strap 92 behtnd the bolt 86 which clamps the shanlc 78 up against the bottom of the holder 66 rhrough the use of 1 pair of bolt assemblies 94.
Atthcupperend 140fthebracketi2,arockerlever96isswmgablyrrounted betw~en the two sido plates 2c, and 28. An upper transverse piVQt 98 spans the side platea Z6 and Z8 at this location to seive as a pivot for the rocker le~er 96. The pivot 98 is removably retained within thc side plates by a cotter pin 97. The rocker lever 96 iscomprisedofapairoflaterallyspacedapart,bellcrankshapedplatcslOOandlO2 that Pre secu~d together along ~eir lower extrernity by a cross pin 104. A pair of axially aligned sleeves 106 and 108 are fixed to respective ones ofthe plates 100,102 at thLir upper apexos, each of wbich rece.ves a plastic bushing 110 that rotatably receives the pivot 98. A keeper 112 on one end of the p;vot pin 98 prevents the later from rotating during swinging of the rocker lever 96 about the pivot 98.
As noted in Figs. 3 and 4, for example, the rocker lever 96 is generally inversely L-shaped, presenting one cnd defined by a short leg 114 that projects generally into the interior of the brackct 12, aud an opposite end def~ned by a long~ leg 116 projecting genaally outwardly away fiom the intetior of the bracket 12. The inn~ end of therockes lever 96 as defined by the leg 114 calries a pair of axially tligned, cylindrical tips 118 and 1'~0 (~ig. 2) on respective ones of the plates 100,102, while the opposite cndoftherockerleverg6aspresentedbytheleg 116carriesthecrosspin 104,1ikevwise defini~g a cylindrical tip.
The mounting bracket 12, ~he shank holder 66, thc rocker lever 96 and the attaching structure 55 co]lectively define ~vhat may be collectively described as a 03~0s,a7 TilO' 11:45 F.~3 815 474 û067 II~ ~Y.S'lLLï.~gS ET .~L l~boo8 mouating bracket - ' ' 'y. The shaDk 78 and its sweep 82 or otber tool may be considered a sh~k ' ' '" ~.' ' can be attached to or coupled with the mormting bracket ' ' ~y ViA the shar,k holder 66. Although tbe rocXer lever 96 has becn descJibedascoalprisin~partofthemountiogbraclcet ' 'l~,it~illbcnotedthat S tbe r~xker lever 96 is detachable from the bracket 12 by simply pulling the cotter pir 97 and relessi~g the keeper 112 The shank assembly 1~ also tncludes a sprLng suba6sernbly compnsed by s rnn gn~c~irm s~ing unit 122 located betweerl t~e sbar~ holder 66 and the inner end of tbe nlcker leveT 96. The spring unit 122 irlcludes a pair of axially spaced spart end caps 124rndl26atoppo5tcerldsofahelical- . spmlgl28(ifdesiredasccond, disposed, smalleT diameter, inner: tl spring 128a may be used to in~ease the stren~th of tbe s7pring unit as shown in Fig. 2). A ~eusion bolt mesnber 130 ~'y disposed within the 5p~iDg 128 is telescoped loosely throu~ the upper end cap 124 and is secured ~qa threads into an upstanding, cylindrical sprirlg IS guidt 132fixedtotheiowerendc~pl26. Theoolt130ha Imerllargedhead134atits upper end which is disposed on the upper side of the erld cap 124 so that when the bolt 130 is threaded down into the Sprin~ guide 132, the upper er.d csp 124 is drawn downwardly toward the lower end cnp 126 to adjustably compress and preload the sprirl~ 128. On the other hand, the upper end cap 124 is fr~ to slide axially up and down along the bolt 130 when a cormpressive force i5 applicd to the upper end cap 124.
The upper end cap 124 has a concave, upwnrdly f~cing saddle 136 thst cun.~.,' ' ty and pivotally receives tbe r,~nvex tip of the iDner end of tbe rocker lever 96 defined by the two cylindrical tips 118 and 120. Tbe saddle 136 is rnore particularlytefinedbyapairofzlignod,arcuatedepressionsl3Bandl40~ig.2)on opposite sides of a cent~aL generally triangular boss 142 on the upper end cap 124. llle two cylindrical tips 118.120 tbus straddle the boss 142, and the bolt 130 passesupwardly through thc boss 142 witb a be~d 134 at the uppen~ost extremity of the boss 142. rbealignedtipsll8arldl20defneaupperspringpivotforthespringl28and serve to operably conr ecl the spring 128 with tbe lever 96.
On tbe otber hand. the lower end cap 126 has a geDerally C-shaped, downwardly faculg saddle 144 that is ~ teceived on a cross pin 146 supportcd bchveal a pnir of laterally spaced zpart, upstanding cradles 148 ~md î 50 on tbe top side of the sharLl~ holder 66. A stabilizer kcy 152 ~Fig 2) fixed to the undersidc of tbe CroSs pin 146 is received wi~in a roati~g groove 154 ~ the top surfacc of thc holdcr 66 behveen the cradles 148 and 150 to preclude rotation of the cross pin 146 and prevent axislly ~7 05~0~7 TH[ 11:45 F.~ 81d 47~ 9057 E;O~ Y.I~ILLI.~'IS E:T aL ~boos 0 2 1 9 9 ~ ~ 5 shifiinethereof I~ecrosspin146definesalowersprin~pi~otforthespnng128and serves to operably i ,1~ n ,~ the spnng 128 and the holder 66 Due to the open-ended nature of the saddle5 136 and 144 at OppoSite ends oi'the sprLn7 unit 122, the spring unit 122 is removzbly captured behyeen the rocker lever 96 S on the one b~d and tbe sha~k holder 66 on the other hand As long as the cylindt ic /~
nps]l8,1200fthctockalcYer96aremaintamedwithinthedepres5ionsl38,1400fthc up,oer cnd czp 124 and thc cross pin 146 of thc shank holdcr 66 is maintaincd within the saddlel440fthelowerendcap 126,thespringunitl22aillrer~ninplsce~Yithtnthe shz;ll; assembly 10 HoweYer, if the rocker Icver 96 is unseated frcr,rn the uppor end cap 124, the entire spring untt 122 may be lifted off the shank holda 66 and out of the brac~et 12 The shanlc assembly 10 further include5 a ~ Oll lillk me~nber 156 betw3en the outer cnd oftbe rocker bver 96 r~d the shank holder 66 in the form of a pairoflinkslS8andl60~ Ihetvolinlcsl58andl60are ' , ~'byacrossbolt 162 ~Fig ~, while a tubular spacer 164 ~ia 2) cncirclcs the cross bolt 162 and is disposedbetveenthelinks 158,160tomatntsintheirseparationandprovidestructursl integritytothe~, ~ss.onmemberl56 Theupperendofthelinkl58hasaconcave saddle 166thatrotat~1yreceivestbeproximalendofthecrosspivot 104Oftherocker lever 96, while the lower end of the 1i~ 158 has a concavo seddle l 68 that re9ts upon and rotatzbly receives the cv~ end of the cross pivot l 46 zssociated with the shanl; holder 66 The other link 160 has similar upper and lawor s~ddlcs 1 70 and 172 rcspcctivcly As a ~ of this construction of the ~ - - n~ member 156 it wi11 be seen that the member 156 comprises another rernovable au~ ..bl.y ofthe shanlcassembly 10. As long as the cross pi~ot 104 of rocker lever 96 is sested within the uppersadd1cs 166,170Ofthe. . ' member156andthelowercrosspivotl46 is seated within the lower saddles 168 ard 172 ofthe i , ' member 156, the ;VII member 156 will remain in place bctween the rocl~er lever 96 snd the shanl; holder 66. However, due to the open ended nature of the saddles of the OO.III~.G~;OII memb~ 156, thc member is ea5ily removed frorn the assembly when compressiYc loading is removod from its opposite 0ds, such as by tightening down the draw bolt 130 to such an extent that the 1, ' spring 128 no longer exerts an upwzrd force against tho rockor lever 96 when the shank 78 is in its lowered wo~king position against the stop 76 as in Fig 3 05;013~37 TIIG Ll:~5 Fsl 8tL1 17~ ~os7 IlO~ liLI.~Yj ET dL ~010 OPER~TION
Refemng particularly to Figs. 3 aDd 4, it v~ill be seerL that when the sb~lc t~nbly l 0 is placed iD USO, the, . spring 128 pushes the shaLk holdet 66 S ~L .. _JI~ about pivot 60 to the extent permiffed by the stop 76. tn this respect, tho lower end of the spri~g 128 pushcs dowmvardly through the lower eDd cap 126 a~t~nst t~v lowa srmin~ piYot 144 ~hile the u,oper e~LLt of the spring 128 pushes upwatdly thtoughtheupperendcap 124agairLstthcuppLrsFnDgpivotderLnedbytips 118,!2Q, w~Lich in tum exctts downward fott e against the lowet spnng p jvot 146 via tho roc;cet levet96andthc; . ~ lillklsvO. TheshatlkholdL,r66,theenmrr~sc~nlinkl56, and ~he tocket bYer 96 thus broadly sorve as ap,orratlLs operably i..t~..w._~c.~ g thc sptin~ 12? and the shank 78.
If the point 82 hits ID obsttuction 174 (Pi~. 3) and the rcsistance of the obstnLctionl74ishigherLou~htot~ip-oi-Ltthesharlk78,sha~k78 vills~yir~guFwt~dly in a . 1 '~ d~;tion about thc shank pivot 60 to the L~aent necesst~ty to clear theobsttuction,sndwillthenrvsetitselfhackdownintheworkingpositiorlofFig. 3.
In tbo process, the two end CApS 124 ~.d 126 compress the spring 128 from opposite oirectior~s to auickly store up potential energy within ~he spring, which is then exerted against tbe shank 78 as it is rL~ned to its workirLg position.
In tho workihg poL;ition of Fig. 3, the spring 128 is under ~ -tl ~ The arnol~t of ~ . detennLncs ~e trip-out forcc for the shank 78 snd ct~n bc varied by sclecting different spring resistances and dimensions for Tl2e rocker lever 96 and Cv~ link 156. Prefer~bly, Lhe tlip-out forcc IS establi5hed at a rc!stirely highlcvel compared to t~Le typical draft force exened by thc ground OD the sh~c 78 so that in nonrLal conditio~s the s~ank vrill stay down in it~ workin~ position As shc wn ih Fi~. 3A, wherL tbe shank 78 is in its workin,g position Ihe momeDt artr~oftheiirLeofactionofthespnngactirLgtlhroughpirotl46hasaleng~L"X':whilc the moment arm o~ the line of sction of the sprir,g actin~ throagh the rocker lever pivot 98 has a length "~'. Additionally, the a nount of "o~set" of the lever pivot 104 to an irna~na y liDe g the lowcr spr~lg pivot 146 and rhe uppcr lever pivot 98 has a value "Z".
As the shank 78 is tripped-out, the offset of the outcr lev~ pivu; 104 i~crcasesrapidly to an amount '-ZI ", whilc the moment a~ns X and ~ both decre2~ce to the values "Xl " and "Yl ". Iherefore, although potential ener~y is being stored up in the sprin3 128 at this tirne, thc mcchaDical advantage of the spri~7g over the ~hanlc decreases 03, 05, ~7 TN~ FA~ SlS i71 3us7 iiO-EY,WlLLl.USS ~1' AL 12loll L~ul..L~,~lly so that tsle net effect is to decrease the trip force required to move the shank upwardly, once the initial trip-out level has been reached. Thi5 is ilh:strated in F;QV 1 by Ule descending curve 1?6, which is a plot of the trip out force v-rses the hd ~ht of the shank as it 6wing6 up vardly about the shs~llc pivot 60. Although the numbers associated with the graph iD ~ig. 7 are for il;ustrative purposes only, it will be seell tbat the trip-out force is ~l, ~ I} 750 pounds whcn the sharik is fillty down in Ule worldng poSition at "0" height. However, by the tiole the sharik h~s raised only I iDch, the amount of force rcquired to swing the sharlk upwardly has dropped to 600 pou~v~. Ihereafter, ~he srip force stays fairly flat, gradually dreppin~ dowr~ to ~1~11 ~ ' '.~,450poundsatalOinchtripheight. Thusjratherthal~thoc,.",~
loaeirlg on the spring msking it harder for the shar k to clesr tt e obstruction. there is actuasly an immeoiate drop-offof the effective holding force of the spru~g against the sharX to make it easier for the sharX to s]ip up over the obss le.
It will be noted that, a'sthough the trip force drups offvery quickly, it does not drop too far. This is due in palt to the fact that althou~h the ~eornetry of thccor~ponents of the t~p assembly cause the mechaDical afsvarltage of the sprrng on the shar~k to be decreased as the shank swines upwardly, the sprmg 128 is loaded up at a rapirl rate due to the fact that it i9 being actuated from both ends as U~e shsnk rises. In prior known spring cur~ion assembliesl only the bottom and of the spring has been compressed while the upper end rernained statioD~y. In the present i~ -- a~
how- ver, the upper end i5 comprcssed as wel's, reslllting in a rate of ener~ build-up that is, for example, twicc as fast as in pr:om~ ~ - 6~ - ~ for ~he sasne arnount oftrip hei iht of th v shank. C~ ~ 'y, althongh the spring, in effect, loses some of its leverage over the sha;Lk as the shanlc rises, thi5 is offset by the rapid build-up of ener~ within the sPring 128 to keep thc trip foree from dropping too low.
Thus, after the obstacle has been cleared, there is moro than ample force available frorn the spring 128 to reset the shank down in its wori~ing position. Evec~
thuugh the soil resists the re-entry of the point 82 down into the ~ruund and forvvard mov ment 2to the fully rcset posi~ion of Fig. 3, the additional energy stured up within the spring 128 by virtue of tlle present design can ovorcome such resistance.
The "trip force" as that term is wed hcroin is defined as the arnount of force requi red at ~y given trip height to make the s~nlc s ving up. The graph in Fi~, 7 shows that trip force, represented by cun e 176, is generally higher at all points of shank height than return force which is d~oted by the cu~vc 178. This disparity oehveen trip force aDd ~ fotce arisos from frictiou ~bat exist5 within &e shank assembly. If the -1~
03~0~97 ~}11.1 11:4d F.~ 81C 171 ~057 aO'~EY.~lLLl.~lS E~ AL lalûl~
frictbm force v,-ere zero at the pivot points 60, 120, 98, 104 and 146 and other places, the trip force and the retum force vould substalltially coincide. However, since this is notdlecsse,thetripforceatallpointsalol~gthecurvel76isthetotaloftheeffective resistive force off~ed by the Spring 128 plus the resistivc force provided by thc friction S i~t the joints.
On lhe other hand, the "retuTn force" as that terra is used herein, i5 the forceav~;ihlble at my giYen tdp hd~ht to push the shank bacl~ dow~.t into the ~round. T~us, the total retum force available at each trip hcight to push down on the shank is thc force from the spritlg 128 minus dhe resistive drag exerteded by friction in the joints.
C~ y~ aS shovm ia ~ig. 7, the retuTn fiorce represeated by curve 178 rur~s e-elow the trlp-out force aT every individual ttip h~ight 'exce,ot the 10 inch heigltt which is the fully Lrippcd positior ~. Since 400 1 ~0 pouads at the 1 inch depth is typically needed in onler to keep the shank in the ground, it will be seen that there is more than a~nple return force available in the present inverltion to assure filll resetting of the shank 78 once rhe obstruction has been cleared.
It vrill be noted that the preferred, ' - ' of the shank assembly as disclosed herein is easy to service in the event that parts need replacing. For example, the sbarlk itself can rea~ily cbe removed and rcplaced by loosenmg the bol~s 86 and 94.
Thespringunitl2Zcanbereraovedbyfusttighteningdovmthedrawboltl30until such lime as the spnng 128 loses its . , ~., force in oppositc dircctions against thelowerpivotl46andtheupperpivotll8,120. Theatherockerlever96isremoved from Ihe bracket 12 by pulling the cotter pin 97 (Fig. Z~ and ~ ;LI.L_ .. illg the pivot 98.
Once rocker lever 96 is gonc, the self-contsihled spring unit 122 c2Dt simply be lifted off the holder 66 due to the open saddle 144 at the lower end of the SpriD~ unin II it i5 dcsired to remove Ihe - , linkl 56 without also removing the spring unit IZ2 and the rocker lever 96, that can be readily ~~ r' by first tighte~ingdownonthcdrawboltl30toremove , ~1oadingontheLiDk156.
After removirlg the cross bolt 162, either nr both of the Links 158, 160 may be pulled out of the assembly.
Thus, there is no need to completely remove the shank assembly 10 from the tool beam 38 in order to replace thc major working parts of the trip mechanism. In addition, the spring unit 122 a~d the ~ -r link 156 can be readily removcd without 9rst removiDg the sbaDk holder 66 and the rocker leva 96~ This greatly faciLit Ites servicing and T~luces do~n time, whicb is alvvays sîl importallt in fartning operations.
Claims (28)
1 . A spring trip tillage tool assembly for mounting on a supporting beam of a tillage implement comprising:
a mounting bracket;
structure for attaching the bracket to the beam;
a tillage tool pivotally attached to the bracket by a transverse tool pivot for upward swinging movement away from a working position after the tool is tripped out and downward swinging movement toward the working position as the tool is returned;
a double-acting spring having a pair of opposite, load-receiving ends jointly movable in mutually opposite directions as the spring is actuated whereby to cause a progressively increasing amount of energy to be stored in the spring; and apparatus operably coupling the tool with said opposite ends of the spring for effecting said actuation of the spring as the tool is raised and for holding the tool in the working position unless a predetermined trip-out force is applied against the tool, said apparatus and the spring being disposed to quickly decrease the mechanical advantage of the spring as the tool moves upwardly yet quickly increase the amount of energy stored in the spring such that the trip force required to raise the tool out of the working position drops off sharply when the tool trips out but the return force available to push the tool back into the ground remains sufficiently high to accomplish complete return of the tool to the working position.
a mounting bracket;
structure for attaching the bracket to the beam;
a tillage tool pivotally attached to the bracket by a transverse tool pivot for upward swinging movement away from a working position after the tool is tripped out and downward swinging movement toward the working position as the tool is returned;
a double-acting spring having a pair of opposite, load-receiving ends jointly movable in mutually opposite directions as the spring is actuated whereby to cause a progressively increasing amount of energy to be stored in the spring; and apparatus operably coupling the tool with said opposite ends of the spring for effecting said actuation of the spring as the tool is raised and for holding the tool in the working position unless a predetermined trip-out force is applied against the tool, said apparatus and the spring being disposed to quickly decrease the mechanical advantage of the spring as the tool moves upwardly yet quickly increase the amount of energy stored in the spring such that the trip force required to raise the tool out of the working position drops off sharply when the tool trips out but the return force available to push the tool back into the ground remains sufficiently high to accomplish complete return of the tool to the working position.
2. A spring trip tool assembly as claimed in claim 1, said spring comprising a helical compression spring.
3. A spring trip tool assembly as claimed in claim 2, said apparatus including a pair of transverse spring pivots at said opposite ends of the spring, the line of action of the spring extending through and interconnecting said spring pivots, the tool being operably connected with a tool end of the spring by one of said spring pivots for compressing said tool end of the spring and decreasing the moment arm between said line of action of the spring and the tool pivot as the tool is raised.
4. A spring trip tool assembly as claimed in claim 3, said apparatus further including a lever pivotally attached to the bracket for swinging movement about a transverse lever pivot, one end of said lever being operably connected with a lever end of said spring by the other of said spring pivots, said apparatus further including a link operably interconnecting the tool and another end of the lever for compressing the lever end of the spring as the tool is raised and decreasing the moment arm between the line of action of the spring and the lever pivot.
5. A spring trip tool assembly as claimed in claim 4, said link being operably connected to the tool by said one spring pivot.
6. A spring trip tool assembly as claimed in claim 5, said link comprising a compression link.
7. A spring trip tool assembly as claimed in claim 6, said link being retained in place between the lover and the tool by the force ofsaid spring, said bracket having a stop disposed to prevent downward swinging of the tool beyond a point at which the spring force is effective to retain the link in place.
8. A spring trip tool assembly as claimed in claim 7, said lever having a generally convex tip associated with said another end, said link having a pair of saddles at opposite ends thereof configured to complementally receive and bear against said convex tip of the lever and said one spring pivot.
9. A spring trip tool assembly as claimed in claim 8, said spring being retained in place between the tool and the lever by the force of the spring, said spring having an a pair of caps at opposite ends thereof, said caps each having a saddle for pivotally bearing against and removably receiving a corresponding spring pivot.
10. A spring trip tool assembly as claimed in claim 9, one of said caps having a tension member extending axially through the spring and having a slip connection with the other cap, said tension member having an abutment disposed on the outside of said other cap for limiting movement of the other cap away from said one cap, said tension member being adjustably secured to the one cap for adjusting the preload of the spring by changing the position of said other cap relative to the one cap.
11. A spring trip tool assembly as claimed in claim 1, said tillage tool comprising a generally C-shaped shank, said shank being pivotally attached to the bracket by an intermediate shank holder, said holder being pivotally secured to the bracket by said tool pivot and having a fastener fixedly securing the shank to the holder.
12. A spring trip tool assembly as claimed in claim 1, said bracket being elongated and having an upper end, a lower end, a front, and a back, said structure being disposed on the front of the bracket for attaching the bracket to the beam in such a manner that the bracket is located generally on the backside of the beam with the longitudinal axis of the bracket disposed in a generally upright condition, said tool pivot being located at the lower end of the bracket.
13. A spring trip tool assembly as claimed in claim 12, said tillage tool comprising a generally C-shaped shank, said apparatus including a shark holder fixed to the shank and pivoted to the bracket by said tool pivot, said spring comprising a helical compression spring, said apparatus further including:
a lever pivotally attached to the upper end of the bracket for swinging movement about a transverse lever pivot, an upper transverse spring pivot operably connecting an upper end or the spring with one end of the lever, a lower transverse spring pivot operably connecting a lower end of the spring with said shank holder, and a compression link operably interconnecting the shank holder and another end of the lever, the line of action of the spring extending through and interconnecting said spring pivots, said lower spring pivot being disposed to compress the lower end of the spring and decrease the moment arm between the line of action of the spring and the tool pivot as the shank holder is raised, and the upper spring pivot being disposed to compress the upper end of the spring and decrease the moment arm between the line of action of the spring and the lever pivot as the shank holder is raised.
a lever pivotally attached to the upper end of the bracket for swinging movement about a transverse lever pivot, an upper transverse spring pivot operably connecting an upper end or the spring with one end of the lever, a lower transverse spring pivot operably connecting a lower end of the spring with said shank holder, and a compression link operably interconnecting the shank holder and another end of the lever, the line of action of the spring extending through and interconnecting said spring pivots, said lower spring pivot being disposed to compress the lower end of the spring and decrease the moment arm between the line of action of the spring and the tool pivot as the shank holder is raised, and the upper spring pivot being disposed to compress the upper end of the spring and decrease the moment arm between the line of action of the spring and the lever pivot as the shank holder is raised.
14. A spring trip tool assembly as claimed in claim 13, said compression link being disposed between said lower spring pivot and said another end of the lever.
15. A spring trip tool assembly mountable on a transverse supporting beam of a tillage implement comprising:
an elongated mounting bracket having an upper end, a lower end, a front, and a back;
mounting structure on the front of the bracket for attaching the assembly to thebeam in such a manner that the bracket is located generally on the backside of the beam with the longitudinal axis of the bracket disposed in a generally upright condition;
a shank holder;
a generally C-shaped tillage shank fixed to the holder;
a lower transverse pivot swingably attaching the holder to the lower end of the bracket to permit raising and lowering of the shank relative to the bracket;
a lever having a pair of opposite ends;
an upper transverse pivot swingably attaching the lever to the upper end of the bracket for rocking movement about an upper transverse axis located between the opposite ends of the lever;
a double-acting compression spring operably disposed between the holder and one end of the lever; and a compression link operably disposed between the holder and the opposite end of the lever, said spring being operable to hold the shank down in a working position unless a draft load on the shank in the working position reaches a predetermined trip-out force, said holder and said lever being operable to compress the spring from opposite directions as the shank is swung up away from the working position and to decrease the mechanical advantage of the spring on the shank such that the trip force required to raise the shank out of the working position drops off sharply when the shank trips out but the return force available to push the shank back into the ground remains sufficiently high to accomplish complete return of the shank to the working position
an elongated mounting bracket having an upper end, a lower end, a front, and a back;
mounting structure on the front of the bracket for attaching the assembly to thebeam in such a manner that the bracket is located generally on the backside of the beam with the longitudinal axis of the bracket disposed in a generally upright condition;
a shank holder;
a generally C-shaped tillage shank fixed to the holder;
a lower transverse pivot swingably attaching the holder to the lower end of the bracket to permit raising and lowering of the shank relative to the bracket;
a lever having a pair of opposite ends;
an upper transverse pivot swingably attaching the lever to the upper end of the bracket for rocking movement about an upper transverse axis located between the opposite ends of the lever;
a double-acting compression spring operably disposed between the holder and one end of the lever; and a compression link operably disposed between the holder and the opposite end of the lever, said spring being operable to hold the shank down in a working position unless a draft load on the shank in the working position reaches a predetermined trip-out force, said holder and said lever being operable to compress the spring from opposite directions as the shank is swung up away from the working position and to decrease the mechanical advantage of the spring on the shank such that the trip force required to raise the shank out of the working position drops off sharply when the shank trips out but the return force available to push the shank back into the ground remains sufficiently high to accomplish complete return of the shank to the working position
16. A spring trip shank assembly as claimed in claim 15, said link being retained in place between the lever and the holder by the force of said spring, said bracket having a stop disposed to prevent downward swinging of the shank beyond a point at which the spring force is effective to retain the link in place.
17. A spring trip tool assembly as claimed in claim 16, said opposite end of the lever having a generally convex tip, said holder having a generally convex part, said link having a pair of saddles at opposite ends thereof configured to complementally receive and bear against said convex tip of the lever and said convex part of the holder,
18. A spring trip tool assembly as claimed in claim 15, said spring comprising a helical compression spring that is part of a spring unit subassembly that additionally includes a pair of spaced end caps confining the compression spring therebetween and a tension member adjustably linking said end caps together, said tension member being operable to adjustably draw the upper end cap down toward the lower end cap against the action of the compression spring or allow the compression spring to adjustably shift the upper end cap upwardly along the tension member and away from the lower end cap, said holder being disposed to depress said lower end cap and said one end of thelever being disposed to depress said upper end cap as the tool is raised away from said working position.
19. A spring trip tool assembly as claimed in claim 18, said one end of the lever making an operating connection with said upper end cap by bearing forcibly against the upper end cap.
20. A spring trip tool assembly as claimed in claim 19, said link being retained in place between the lever and the holder by the force of said spring, said bracket having a stop disposed to prevent downward swinging of the tool beyond a point at which the spring force is effective to retain the link in place.
21. A spring trip tool assembly as claimed in claim 20, said opposite end of the lever having a generally convex tip, said holder having a generally convex part, said link having a pair of saddles at opposite ends thereof configured to complementally receive and bear against said convex tip of the lever and said convex part of the holder.
22. A spring trip tool assembly as claimed in claim 15, said spring and said lever being so disposed that the resistance exerted by the spring against said one end of the lever is applied through a progressively decreasing moment arm as the tool is swung up away from the working position.
23. A spring trip tool assembly as claimed in claim 22, said spring and said compression link having longitudinal axes that intersect atsubstantially the same point on said holder within the plane of swinging movement of the tool, said point of intersection and said upper pivot of the lever having an imaginaryline that interconnects the same and becomes progressively shorter as the tool is raised, said one end of the lever having a pivot point with the spring that moves progressively closer to said imaginary line as the tool is raised, and said other end of the lever having a pivot point with the link that moves progressively farther away from the imaginary line as the tool is raised.
24. A spring trip tool assembly as claimed in claim 15, said holder having a lower transverse spring pivot operably coupling the holder with a lower end of the spring, said one end of the lever having all upper transverse spring pivot operably coupling the lever with an upper end of the spring.
25. A spring trip tool assembly as claimed in claim 24, said compression link being disposed between said opposite end of the lever and said lower transverse spring pivot.
26. A spring trip tool assembly mountable on a transverse supporting beam of a tillage implement comprising:
a mounting bracket subassembly including:
an elongated mounting bracket having an upper end, a lower end, a front, and a back;
mounting structure on the front of the bracket for attaching the subassembly to the beam in such a manner that the bracket is located generally on the backside of the beam with the longitudinal axis of the bracket disposed in a generally upright condition;
a tool holder;
a lower transverse pivot swingably attaching the holder to the lower end of the bracket for up and down movement; and a limit stop at the lower end of the bracket in position to block further downward swinging of the holder beyond a certain point;
a lever subassembly including:
a lever having a pair of opposite ends;
an upper transverse pivot swingably attaching the lever to the upper end of the bracket for rocking movement about an upper transverse axis located between said opposite ends of the lever; and a retainer for releasably securing the pivot on the bracket;
a shank having an upper end, said holder having fastening structure detachably securing said upper end of the shank to the holder so that the shank may swing about said lower pivot with the holder;
a spring unit subassembly including:
a pair of spaced apart, upper and lower end caps;
a tension member interconnecting said end caps;
a double-acting, helical compression spring encircling the tension member and confined between the end caps, said tension member having a lower end secured to the lower end cap and an upper end telescoped through the upper end cap, said upper end of the tension member having an abutment located above the upper end cap to limit movement of the upper end cap by the spring upwardly away from the lower end cap, said tension member being secured to the lower end cap in a manner to permit the abutment to be adjustably shifted toward or away from the lower end cap whereby to adjust the preload of the spring against the opposite end caps, each of said end caps having an outwardly facing, generally concave saddle; and a compression link having a pair of outwardly facing, generally concave saddles at its opposite upper and lower ends, said one end of the lever having a generally convex tip matingly configured with respect to said saddle on the upper end cap, said other end of the lever having a generally convex tip matingly configured with respect to said saddle on the upper end of said link, said holder having a generally convex part matingly configured with respect to said saddle on the lower end cap and said saddle on the lower end of the link, said spring unit subassembly being disposed between said one end of the lever and the holder, the convex tip of the one end of the lever being pivotally received within the concave saddle on the upper end cap, and the convex part on the holder being pivotally received within the concave saddle on the lower end cap so that the spring is compressed from opposite directions by the shank holder and the lever when the shank is raised, said link being disposed between said other end of the lever and the holder, the convex tip of the other end of the lever being pivotally received within the concave saddle on the upper end of the link, and the convex part on the holder being pivotally received within the concave saddle on the lower end of the link, said compression spring being operable through its preloaded spring force to cause the spring unit subassembly and the link to be removably retained in place within the tool assembly if the adjustment on the spring unit subassembly is such that the spring is under compression when the holder is down against the lower limit stop and the concave saddles on the end caps are in mating engagement with the convex tip of the one end of the lever and the convex part on the holder respectively.
a mounting bracket subassembly including:
an elongated mounting bracket having an upper end, a lower end, a front, and a back;
mounting structure on the front of the bracket for attaching the subassembly to the beam in such a manner that the bracket is located generally on the backside of the beam with the longitudinal axis of the bracket disposed in a generally upright condition;
a tool holder;
a lower transverse pivot swingably attaching the holder to the lower end of the bracket for up and down movement; and a limit stop at the lower end of the bracket in position to block further downward swinging of the holder beyond a certain point;
a lever subassembly including:
a lever having a pair of opposite ends;
an upper transverse pivot swingably attaching the lever to the upper end of the bracket for rocking movement about an upper transverse axis located between said opposite ends of the lever; and a retainer for releasably securing the pivot on the bracket;
a shank having an upper end, said holder having fastening structure detachably securing said upper end of the shank to the holder so that the shank may swing about said lower pivot with the holder;
a spring unit subassembly including:
a pair of spaced apart, upper and lower end caps;
a tension member interconnecting said end caps;
a double-acting, helical compression spring encircling the tension member and confined between the end caps, said tension member having a lower end secured to the lower end cap and an upper end telescoped through the upper end cap, said upper end of the tension member having an abutment located above the upper end cap to limit movement of the upper end cap by the spring upwardly away from the lower end cap, said tension member being secured to the lower end cap in a manner to permit the abutment to be adjustably shifted toward or away from the lower end cap whereby to adjust the preload of the spring against the opposite end caps, each of said end caps having an outwardly facing, generally concave saddle; and a compression link having a pair of outwardly facing, generally concave saddles at its opposite upper and lower ends, said one end of the lever having a generally convex tip matingly configured with respect to said saddle on the upper end cap, said other end of the lever having a generally convex tip matingly configured with respect to said saddle on the upper end of said link, said holder having a generally convex part matingly configured with respect to said saddle on the lower end cap and said saddle on the lower end of the link, said spring unit subassembly being disposed between said one end of the lever and the holder, the convex tip of the one end of the lever being pivotally received within the concave saddle on the upper end cap, and the convex part on the holder being pivotally received within the concave saddle on the lower end cap so that the spring is compressed from opposite directions by the shank holder and the lever when the shank is raised, said link being disposed between said other end of the lever and the holder, the convex tip of the other end of the lever being pivotally received within the concave saddle on the upper end of the link, and the convex part on the holder being pivotally received within the concave saddle on the lower end of the link, said compression spring being operable through its preloaded spring force to cause the spring unit subassembly and the link to be removably retained in place within the tool assembly if the adjustment on the spring unit subassembly is such that the spring is under compression when the holder is down against the lower limit stop and the concave saddles on the end caps are in mating engagement with the convex tip of the one end of the lever and the convex part on the holder respectively.
27. A spring trip tool assembly as claimed in claim 26, said spring being operable to hold the shank down in a working position unless a draft load on the shank in the working position reaches a predetermined trip out force, said link and said lever being operable to compress the spring with a progressively increasing moment arm as the shank is swung up away from the working position whereby to decrease the draft load required to raise the tool once the shank has been tripped out.
28. A spring trip tool assembly as claimed in claim 27, said spring, said shank and said lever being so disposed that the forces exertedby opposite ends of the spring against the lever and the holder are applied through progressively decreasing moment arms as the shank swings up away from the working position.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2199335 CA2199335C (en) | 1997-03-06 | 1997-03-06 | Spring trip shank assembly having quick-dropping trip-out force and improved resetting ability |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2199335 CA2199335C (en) | 1997-03-06 | 1997-03-06 | Spring trip shank assembly having quick-dropping trip-out force and improved resetting ability |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2199335A1 CA2199335A1 (en) | 1998-09-06 |
| CA2199335C true CA2199335C (en) | 2001-02-06 |
Family
ID=4160115
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2199335 Expired - Lifetime CA2199335C (en) | 1997-03-06 | 1997-03-06 | Spring trip shank assembly having quick-dropping trip-out force and improved resetting ability |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2199335C (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP4173457A1 (en) * | 2021-10-28 | 2023-05-03 | Kverneland A/S | Agricultural machine and arrangement with a working tool for soil working for an agricultural machine |
Families Citing this family (6)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE50102822D1 (en) * | 2000-02-17 | 2004-08-19 | Lemken Gmbh & Co Kg | Soil cultivation device with overload protection |
| ITRM20100179A1 (en) | 2010-04-14 | 2011-10-15 | Giuseppe Elia Palminteri | ASSEMBLY ASSEMBLY OF A FLEX SPRING OR SIMILAR TOOL FOR WORKING THE GROUND |
| CZ308578B6 (en) | 2013-11-09 | 2020-12-16 | Farmet A.S. | Pivoting bearing of the working tool of an agricultural machine |
| DE102017120608B4 (en) * | 2017-09-07 | 2023-01-05 | Amazonen-Werke H. Dreyer SE & Co. KG | overload protection |
| WO2020257865A1 (en) * | 2019-06-28 | 2020-12-30 | Crail Brae Pty Ltd | Improved head for an agricultural tool |
| CZ309561B6 (en) | 2021-11-23 | 2023-04-12 | Farmet A.S. | Equipment for securing the working tool of an agricultural machine |
-
1997
- 1997-03-06 CA CA 2199335 patent/CA2199335C/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP4173457A1 (en) * | 2021-10-28 | 2023-05-03 | Kverneland A/S | Agricultural machine and arrangement with a working tool for soil working for an agricultural machine |
| WO2023072420A1 (en) * | 2021-10-28 | 2023-05-04 | Kverneland Group Soest Gmbh | Assembly having a working tool for ground tillage for an agricultural machine, and agricultural machine |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| CA2199335A1 (en) | 1998-09-06 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| EEER | Examination request | ||
| MKEX | Expiry |
Effective date: 20170306 |