GB2027408A - Agricultural Hoist - Google Patents

Abstract

A hoist for agricultural purposes comprises a frame F adapted to be secured on the upper edges of an agricultural vehicle, such as a fertiliser or lime spreader or a platform trailer, a lifting jib 5 pivotally attached to the frame and provided with load engaging means 15, piston and cylinder means 10 for swinging the jib about its pivotal attachment 7 to said frame, and control means 13 for connection to the power take-off of a tractor or like power source. The arrangement is such that when the frame is secured on the agricultural vehicle and the control means is connected to the power source, the jib can be operated to lift loads on to or off the vehicle. Furthermore, the vehicle and the power source, if it is a tractor, act as a counterweighted lever arm providing the stability to enable heavy loads to be lifted. The frame F may be adjustable to fit agricultural vehicles of different sizes and the hoist may be packaged in kit form. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Agricultural hoist This invention relates to a hoist for agricultural purposes and is particularly concerned with a hoist attached or adapted to be attached to a fertilizeror lime-spreading machine for lifting large bags of fertilizer or liming material from the ground to the spreading machine where the bags can be opened od cut to release their contents into the spreading machine.

Due to increasing-mechanisation in agriculture there is a tendency to package fertilizers, liming materials, feed materials and the like in larger and larger packages; indeed some packages may have a capacity of as much as up to two tonnes and can not be readily man-handled. While such large packages of fertilizer and the like can usually readily be handled in the farmyard using lifting machinery there available, the handling of the packages in the fields may present problems. Thus for example, if fertilizer is to be spread over-a large field using a fertilizer-spreader, several loads of fertilizer may be required. Therefore, either the spreader, when empty, has to return to the farmyard to be refilled, or bags of fertilizer may be dumped at strategic locations in the field.In either case, the re-loading of the fertilizer-spreader, when empty, can be a time-consuming and arduous task.

It is an object of the invention to provide a simple and robust hoist which can be attached to a fertilizer-spreader or like spreading machine to lift bags of material in to the machine but which can also be used for lifting other materials as desired.

Broadly speaking, the invention provides a hoist for agricultural purposes, comprising a frame adapted to be secured on the upper edges of an open-topped spreading machine, a lifting jib pivotally attached to said frame, and provided with load-engaging means, piston and cylinder means for swinging the lifting jib about its pivotal attachment to said frame, and control means for connection to the power take-off of a tractor or like implement. The arrangement is preferably such that when the frame is attached to the upper edges of the spreading machine and the control means is connected to a tractor arranged to tow the spreading machine, the lifting jib can be swung over the end of the spreading machine remote from the tractor, to lift bags of, e.g.

fertilizer, from the ground and to a location above the spreading machine where the bags can be cut or otherwise opened to deposit their contents in the spreading machine, the hoist being under the control of the driver of the tractor when sitting in the driving seat. With this arrangement, the spreader and tractor are available to act as a counterweight when lifting bags of fertilizer and provide the stability necessary to lift such loads.

In order to enable the invention to be more readily understood, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawing which is a diagrammatic perspective view of a hoist in accordance with the invention attached to a fertilizer spreader.

Referring now to the drawing, there is shown a fertilizer spreader 1 in the form of an open-topped container 2 which is substantially V-shaped in section, details of the spreader not being shown.

The spreader is towed by a tractor 3 part of the cab and one wheel of which are indicated in the drawing.

A hoist is mounted on the open top of the spreader and comprises a frame generally indicated Fwhich fits over the top of the spreader and is secured thereto by bolts (not shown) or any other convenient means. To the frame Fon each slde is bolted a bracket 4 of open box-like construction, each of which serves as a carrier for a jib and a cylinder and piston assembly, as will become apparent. A lifting jib has the form of two bent lever arms 5 joined by a lifting rod 6 and has the free ends of the lever arms 5 pivotally mounted at one end 7 of the carriers 4. An arm extends substantially at right angles to each lever arm 5 and its free end is joined to the lever arm by a strengthening strut 9.

Two hydraulic cylinder and piston arrangements 10 have their cylinder portions pivotally mounted at 11 at the other ends of the carriers 4 and each arrangement has its piston rod pivotally connected at 12 to the free end of a respective arm 8. Hydraulic cables 1 3 connect each cylinder and piston arrangement to the hydraulic power system of the tractor in conventional manner.

In the operation of the hoist just described, the cylinder and piston arrangements are extended to their fullest extent so that the lever arms 5 lie substantially horizontal with the lifting rod 6 positioned clear of and behind the spreader. A bag of fertilizer 14 is then attached to the rod 6 by a hook or hand-operated winch 1 5 and the hydraulic system of the tractor is operated to raise the lifting jib about its pivot points 7 to position the bag 14 above the spreader. The winch 15, if present, can then be operated to lower the bag into the spreader onto a cutting device (not shown) which can then be operated mechanically or by hand and which slits open the bag to empty its contents into the spreader. Alternatively, the bag may be opened in some other way.

It will be appreciated that apart from the use just described, the present hoist may find other uses around a farm and can be used for loading bags of fertilizer, lime or animal feed onto pallets and can then be used to lift the pallets.

A feature of the present hoist is that because of the manner in which it is positioned on the spreader, the spreader and tractor act as a counterweighted lever arm which provides the stability required to enable heavy loads to be lifted.

Although the present hoist has been described as attached to a fertilizer spreader, or to a limespreader, it will be appreciated that it can be attached to other farm implements and could, for example, be attached to a platform trailer for lifting loads onto and off the trailer.

The present hoist may be made available in kit form for packing purposes and may be made to suit a wide range of farm implements or spreader bodies.

Claims (10)

1. A hoist for agricultural purposes, comprising a frame adapted to be secured on the upper edges of an agricultural vehicle, a lifting jib pivotally attached to said frame and provided with loadengaging means, piston and cylinder means for swinging the jib about its pivotal attachment to said frame, and control means for connection to the power take-off of a tractor or like power source, the arrangement being such that, when the frame is secured on said agricultural vehicle and the control means is connected to the power source, the lifting jib can be operated to lift loads onto or off said vehicle.

2. A hoist as claimed in claim 1, wherein the jib has the form of two bent lever arms joined at their free ends by a lifting rod, and is mounted so as to be movable from a position where the lifting rod lies above the frame to a position where the lifting rod lies beyond one end of the frame.

3. A hoist as claimed in claim 2, wherein a bracket of open box-like construction is secured to each side of the frame, wherein the other end of each lever arm is pivotally mounted on a respective bracket, each bracket also serving as a carrier for a cylinder and piston assembly attached to a respective lever arm.

4. A hoist as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the frame is adjustable to fit agricultural vehicles of different sizes.

5. A hoist as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the hoist is packaged in kit form.

6. A hoist for agricultural purposes substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

7. The combination of a hoist as claimed in any preceding claim and an agricultural vehicle.

8. A combination as claimed in claim 7 and further comprising a tractor connected to said control means and arranged to tow said agricultural vehicle.

9. A combination as claimed in claim 7 or 8, wherein the agricultural vehicle is a spreading machine for spreading fertilizer, lime or the like.

10. A combination as claimed in claim 7 or 8, wherein the agricultural vehicle is a platform trailer.