GB2055284A

GB2055284A - Carrier and manoeuvring device for a tool, which device can be mounted on a tractor and is detachable

Info

Publication number: GB2055284A
Application number: GB8023448A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Continental Com & Prod
Current assignee: Continental Com & Prod
Priority date: 1979-07-17
Filing date: 1980-07-17
Publication date: 1981-03-04
Also published as: NL7905558A; FR2461436A1

Abstract

A carrier and manoeuvring device for a tool, for mounting on a tractor, comprises a U-shaped frame (5,7,8) detachably mounted on the chassis of the tractor (4), the base (5) of the U-shaped frame being secured to one of the tractor wheels. The base (5) can additionally be supported on the ground by wheels (39). In use, a tool is carried by an articulated post (45, 49) which is rotatably mounted by means of a turntable (42) on the frame. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Carrier and manoeuvring device for a tool, which device can be mounted on a tractor and is detachable The present invention relates to a carrier and manoeuvring device for a tool, which device can be mounted on a tractor and is detachable, and comprises an articulated post which is mounted on the tractor Jr a bracket attached thereto, the first or innermost post arm with respect to the bracket, the post arms with respect to each other and the tool with respect to the last or outermost post arm being movable with respect to each other by means of hydraulic cylinders.

In the carrier and manoeuvring devices used hitherto for a tool on a tractor, which tool is especially used for cultivating the soil and/or crops on top of the soil, no slopes, ditch edges and the like, nor, in particular, the ground before and immediately next to the tractor can be treated by the tool without this having an unfavourable influence on the stability of the combination of the tractor, the manoeuvring device and the tool.Mounting and demounting the manoeuvring device with the tool on and from the tractor is also a difficult and cumbercome job, requiring a tackle or another hoisting device, which normally cannot be done by one man. Aurther- more, prior to mounting the manoeuvring device with tool the tractor must first be adapted with subsidiary elements, nor can the tractor be used immediately for other purposes after demounting the carrier and manoeuvring device. The subsidiary elements must first be removed.

The present invention aims at removing the objections to this known carrier and manoeuvring device.

This aim is achieved in the invention because the carrier and manoeuvring device is provided with a substantially rectangular, trilateral frame which is mounted at the free ends of the two substantially parallel arms on the chassis of the tractor, so as to be detachable, with its long arm, which connects the two parallel arms, detachably mounted on one of the wheels of the tractor and supported by means of support wheels on the ground and because the post is rotatably mounted on the frame with a turntable about a vertical axis.

The result of using these measures is that the combination of the tractor, the manoeuvring device and the tool forms a stable and reliable unit in all circumstances, the tool being operable both in front of, adjacent to and behind the tractor and the tractor's stability not being unfavourably influenced, let alone lost, during the tool's operations, not even when the tractor moves along a watercourse and the slops have to be treated, the tool being located below and laterally at some distance from the tractor. Moreover, when demounting the carrier and manoeuvring device, the tool and the support wheels can rest on the ground, as when mounting, so that one man can do the job.

In a preferred embodiment of the carrier and manoeuvring device according to the in- vention the arms of the frame are pivotally connected to each other and can be secured with respect to each other by means of a locking pin, the free ends of the two substantially parallel arms are provided with a fork with one or more bores, which fork can engage with a carrier block mounted on the chassis at the front and rear of the tractor and is provided with a bore which can be aligned with the bores in the fork, through which bores a locking pin can be inserted, a bearing block is secured to the long arm of the frame, wherein a horizontal bearing journal is mounted so as to be displaceable against springiness, which bearing journal is located in a bearing bush which is secured to the disc centre of the rear wheel by means of a cross frame and the support wheels of the frame as adjustable in vertical direction by means of one or more hydraulic cylinders and are exten- dible and retractable transversely to the long arm of the frame.

Thank to this embodiment of the carrier and manoeuvring device of the invention the entire device with frame can be easily and quickly mounted on the tractor and demounted from the tractor, after which the tractor can immediately be used for all other operations, for which a tractor is usually suited. This embodiment of the carrier and manoeuvring device is robust and yet at the same time easy to use.

In a particularly efficient embodiment of the carrier and manoeuvring device of the invention the tool is mounted on the last post arm by means of hydraulic driving mechanisms so as to be completely mobile.

According to the invention, when using a mowing beam as tool the mowing beam is pivotal about an axis perpendicular to the last post arm, tiltable about an axis perpendicular to said axis and the post arm by means of hydraulic cylinders and pivotal about the axis of the post arm by means of a hydromotor.

This enables the tool to carry out the intended operations on the ground and/or the crops on the ground irrespectively of the position of the tractor and/or of the manoeuvring device.

It is possible to operate not only in front of, under and at the side of the tractor on flat ground, but also on slopes and on flat areas both above and below the horizontal surface on which the tractor rides. If necessary, it is also possible to drive the tractor on the slope itself.

The invention will be explained more fully by means of the drawing with a few embodi ments.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a tractor with the carrier and manoeuvring device of the invention mounted thereon, provided with a mowing beam as tool.

Figure 2 corresponds to Fig. 1, the manoeuvring device being provided with a mowing basket.

Figure 3 is a top view of the frame of the carrier device of the invention.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal section of the bearing journal on the frame of the line IV-IV in Fig. 3, and Figure 5 is a perspective view of a guide block in the bearing journal of Fig. 4.

The carrier and manoeuvring device of the invention, illustrated in Fig. 1, comprises the actual carrier device 1. the manoeuvring device 2 and the tool 3 which can be mounted as a unit on the tractor 4 and demounted therefrom.

The carrier comprises a substantially rectangular, trilateral frame 1, cf. in particular Fig. 3 which is provided with a long arm 5 which, when mounted, is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis 6 of the tractor 4, and with two parallel short arms 7 and 8 which, when mounted, are substantially perpendicular to the arm 5, which arms 7 and 8 are rotatably connected around a pivot pin 9 to the long arm 5 and are connectable to the arm 5 by means of a bolt with a wing nut, which bolt protrudes through a plate 11 welded to the arms 7 and 8.

The arms 7 and 8 are provided at their free ends with a fork 12, three pairs of aligned bores 1 3 being arranged in both "teeth". A support bloc 1 5 is secured on the chassis 14 of the tractor at the front and rear and in the longitudinal centre plane of a tractor, which support block is provided with a square or rectangular pin 16 with a vertical bore 17.

After moving the forks 12 on the pins 1 6 frame 1 can be secured with a lock screw 1 8 which can be inserted through a few bores 1 3 in the fork and the bore 17 in the pin 16.

Frame 1 is further supported with the long arm 5 on one of the rear wheels of the tractor 4. For this purpose a cross frame 20 is secured with bolts 21 on the disc centre 19, which bolts are screwed into blocks 22 which are welded to the disc centre 1 9. A bearing 24 comprising, for example, a bronze bearing bush 25, is welded concentrically to the wheel axis 23 on the cross frame 20.

In the long arm 5 of the frame 1, cf, the dashed line in the section of Fig. 4 a hollow spring bracket or hollow spring housing 26 is welded which is provided on the side averted from the wheel with a wall 27 wherein a vertical, oblong groove 28 is arranged. An axis 29 is inserted into the bearing bush 25 from the outside through the groove 28. The axis 28 is held back outside the spring housing 26 by a rotatable locking clamp 29' which is rotatable about a fastening bolt 29" in the wall 27. On the axis 29 a spring block 31 is mounted by means of a bronze bearing bush 30, which spring block 31 is guided from both sides by means of pins 32 (cf. Fig.

5) into a vertical groove (not illustrated) into both side-walls 33 of the spring housing 26.

The spring block 21 is provided on its upper and lower surface with a spring bracket 34, while the upper and lower walls 35 and 36, respectively, of the spring housing 26 are likewise provided on the inside with a spring bracket 37. A strong compression spring is mounted on the spring brackets 34 and 37 between the spring block 31 and the upper wall 35 and lower wall 36, respectively.

In the embodiment of the Figs. 1 and 2 the frame 1 is supported on the ground by means of a set of wheels 39 which are mounted on axes 40 which can be moved up and down hydraulically and which are mechanically extendible and retractable transversely to the long arm 5 of the frame 1, such that the wheels 39 may optionally ride on a lowerlying road or path or a slope, while the tractor rides on a road or path lying higher up and such that the wheels 39 rest on the ground at a relatively great distance from the wheels of the tractor when the axes 40 are extended, both possibilities being applicable separately or combined.When using support wheels 39, which are extended transversely to the long arm 5 of the frame 1, which support wheels 39 can be adjusted at the correct height hydraulically, a very stable combination of tractor, manoeuvring device and tool is achieved, by which the operations in or on the ground and/or the crops on the ground can be carried out flawlessly.

A bracket 41 with a rotary platform 42 is also mounted on the long arm 5 of the frame 1, on which platform a bracket 43 of the manoeuvring device 2 is secured. The rotary platform 42 is rotatable about a vertical axis by hydraulical or electrical means, with the help of a hydraulic motor, for instance. The first arm 45 of the manoeuvring device 2 is mounted on the bracket 43 so as to be pivotable around an axis 44. The arm 45 can be moved in a vertical plane by means of a hydraulic cylinder 46 which is pivotally secured to the bracket 43 and the arm 45. At the end of the arm 45 a second arm 49 is pivotally mounted by means of a few plates or a bracket 47, which is rotatable around an axis 48, the arm 49 being mobile in a vertical plane by means of a hydraulic cylinder 50 which is pivotally connected to the arm 49 and the bracket 47. The bracket 47 is welded to the arm 49.

The tool 3, in the embodiment of Fig. 1 a mowing beam, is pivotal about the axis 51 of the tubular arm 49 by means of a hydraulic motor 52, which is connected to the fork 53, on which the mowing beam 3 is pivotally secured about a pin 54 by means of a slewing mechanism 55, which is operated by a hydraulic cylinder 56. The slewing mechanism 55 is provided with a bearing 57, the mowing beam 3 being pivotal about an axis 58, which is usually perpendicular to the axis 51 of the arm 49, by means of a hydraulic cylinder 59 on the slewing mechanism 55. This means that the tool 3 is completely mobile on the last or outermost arm 45 of the manoeuvring device 2, the tool 3 being able to carry ouW the intended operations in any random position with respect to the arm 49 or the tractor within the range of movement of the hydraulic cylinders used.The mowing beam 3 can be driven by a non-illustrated hydraulic motor.

In the embodiment of the carrier and manoeuvring device of Fig. 2 a bracket 60 with a rotary platform 61 is mounted on the long arm 5 of the frame 1, to which a bracket 62 of the manoeuvring device 2' is secured. Like the rotary platform 42, the rotary platform 61 can be rotated hydraulically or electrically about a vertical axis by means of a hydraulic motor, for instance. The first arm 64 of the manoeuvring post 20 is pivotally mounted about an axis 63 on the bracket 62. The arm 64 can move in a vertical plane by means of a hydraulic cylinder 65, which is pivotally secured to the bracket 62 and the arm 64. At the end of the arm 64 a second arm 67 is mounted so as to be pivotal about an axis 66, which second arm 67 can move with respect to the first arm 64 by means of a hydraulic cylinder 68, which is pivotally mounted on the first and second arm.At the other end of the arm 67 the tool 3' can pivot about an axis 68 and movable about the axis by means of a hydraulic cylinder 69, which is pivotally secured on the tool 3' and on the arm 67. The tool 3', that is realized as a mowing basket, is provided with its own hydraulic motor 70, which drives the mowing beam 71, and with a mowing basket 72 for transporting the mowed crops. The basket 72 is provided with a stiffening frame 73.

If the device of Fig. 2 is operated in the position such as illustrated it is advisable to move the support wheels 39 on the axes 40 outwards with respect to the frame 1, as indicated in Fig. 1 in a dot and dash line. The wheels 39 can be adjusted by means of said hydraulic device, so as to be higher or lower than the tractor wheels, depending on the height of the ground on which the wheels 39 are riding with respect to the ground on which the tractor is moving. If the support wheels 39 ride over bumps, the movements of the frame 1 which this causes will be absorbed and damped by the compression springs 38 in the spring housing 26.

The hydraulic motors and hydraulic cylinders mentioned in the above description are connected through a non-illustrated steering or control mechanism to a likewise non-illustrated source of hydraulic liquid under pressure, it being possible to maintain the pressure in the hydraulic system by means of a pump which can be driven by the motor of the tractor.

Claims

1. A carrier and manoeuvring device for a tool, which device can be mounted on a tractor and is detachable and comprises an articulated post which is mounted on the tractor or a bracket attached thereto, the first or innermost post arm with respect to the bracket, the post arms with respect to each other and the tool with respect to the last or outermost post arm being movable with respect to each other by means of hydraulic cylinders, characterized in that the carrier and manoeuvring device is provided with a substantially rectangular, trilateral frame (1) which is mounted at the fee ends of the two substantially parallel arms (7, 8) on the chassis (14) of the tractor (4), so as to be detachable, with its long arm (5), which connects the two parallel arms (7, 8), detachably mounted on one of the wheels of the tractor and supported by means of support wheels (39) on the ground and in that the post (2, 2') with a turntable (42, 61) about a vertical axis is rotatably mounted on the frame (1).

2. A carrier and manoeuvring device according to claim 1, characterized in that the arms (7, 8) o' the frame (1) are pivotally (9') connected to each other and can be secured with respect to each other by means of a locking pin (10), in that the free ends of the two substantially parallel arms (7, 8) are provided with a fork (12) with one or more bores (13), which fork can engage with a carrier block (15, 16) mounted on the chassis (14) at the front and rear of the tractor (4), and is provided with a bore (17), which can be aligned with the bores (13) in the fork, through which bores a locking pin (18) can be inserted, in that a bearing block (26) is secured to the long arm (5) of the frame (1), wherein a horizontal bearing journal (29) is mounted, so as to be displaceable against springiness (38), which bearing journal is located in a bearing bush (25) which is secured to the disc centre (19) of the rear wheel by means of a cross frame (29), and in that the support wheels (39) of the frame (1) are adjustable in vertical direction by means of one or more hydraulic cylinders and are extendible and retractable transversely to the long arm (5) of the frame (1).

3. A carrier and manoeuvring device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the tool (3) is mounted on the last or outermost post arm (49) by means of hydraulic driving mechanisms (52, 56, 59), so as to be completely pivotal.

4. A carrier and manoeuvring device according to claim 3, characterized in that, when using a mowing beam (3) as tool, the mowing beam is swingable about an axis (57, 58) perpendicular to the last post arm (49) and is tiltable about an axis (59) perpendicular to said axis (57, 58) and the post arm (49) by means of a hydraulic cylinder (59) (or 56) and pivotal about the axis (51) of the post arm (49) by means of a hydraulic motor (52).

5. A carrier and manoeuvring device for a tool, which device can be mounted on a tractor and is detachable, substantially as described in the description and/or represented in the drawing.