GB2128559A

GB2128559A - Powered barrows

Info

Publication number: GB2128559A
Application number: GB08229861A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Donald Howard Hotchkiss
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1982-10-19
Filing date: 1982-10-19
Publication date: 1984-05-02

Abstract

A barrow frame 1 for carrying cut timber is mounted on legs 26 and a wheel 6. The wheel is driven from the output of a conventional chain saw motor 13 by carrying a toothless chain 10 driving a sprocket 7 of a gear chain including pulleys 3 and drive belts 4 having an output to the drive shaft 5 of the wheel 6. The chain saw motor is controlled from triggers 17 and 18 connected to cables 19 and 23 and carried on handles 16 for the barrow which can be pivoted to lie alongside the frame 1 when the unit is not in use. As an alternative, the handles 16 can slide to retracted positions. Drive pawls 25 can be retracted to allow manual pushing of the barrow. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements relating to powered barrows This invention is concerned with barrows to be used, for example, for hauling cut timber from a logging site to a loading area where it can be loaded onto a vehicle or trailer. When the timber is cut for firewood from an area of forest there may well be no ready-made track along which a vehicle could be driven to enable the cut timber to be loaded in the place where it has been cut down.

Thus the timber has to be dragged or pushed on a barrow to the loading area and this creates obvious difficulties.

It is an object of this invention to provide a form of powdered barrow which may readiiy be used in such situations.

Accordingly, this invention provides a powered barrow for use with a chain saw motor and incorporating a driven ground wheel, gearing connecting the driven wheel with a drive sprocket and a chain saw motor mounting adjacent the drive sprocket enabling the sprocket to be driven by a chain to be mounted on the chain saw mqtor.

With such a barrow the user, having cut down the timber and then cut it into suitable lengths with a chain saw, can remove the cutting chain and chain blade and then mount the chain saw motor onto the mounting provided on the powered barrow and interconnect the motor with the drive sprocket by means of a toothless chain.

The chain saw motor will then be used to drive the barrow and this means that the user requires only one motorised unit for both the sawing and transportation operations.

Ideally a guide plate will be provided for the chain between the chain saw mounting and the drive sprocket.

In the preferred arrangement the barrow will include a throttle control trigger mounted on a handle of the barrow and connected by a cable to a bracket for mounting on the handle of the chain saw motor for control of the throttle control lever thereon. It is also of advantage to provide a clutch control trigger mounted on a handle of the barrow and connected by a cable to a belt tensioning device acting on a belt, forming part of the gearing mechanism between the driven wheel and the drive sprocket. Drive power to the driven ground wheel can then be controlled by the operator's hand on the handles of the barrow.

It is greatly preferred that the barrow should be so constructed that it can be collapsed down into a fairly compact state so that it can be loaded, for example, in the boot of a car. Thus it is preferred that the pair of handles on the barrowe should be pivotally linked for movement between an extended pushing position and a stowage position wherein they are folded back onto the main body of the barrow. It is also useful to provide the barrow with a front load support structure and ideally this structure will be mounted pivotally for movement between an extension position wherein it extends beyond the front of the main body of the barrow and a stowage position wherein it is folded back onto the main body of the barrow.

The gearing advantageously comprises a series of belt and pulley or chain and sprocket drive members. It is also preferred that the driven wheel should be linked to the gearing by releasable pawls so that it can be disconnected from the drive mechanism and can then be used as a nonpowered barrow if desired.

The invention may be performed in various ways and preferred embodiments thereof will now be describerd with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a powered barrow constructed in accordance with this invention: and Figure 2 is a plan view of the barrow shown in Figure 1.

The barrow shown in the drawings is constructed arolrnd a main frame 1 made from box section girders and will have a load plafform (not shown) covering over a gearing mechanism 2 comprising a series of pulleys 3 and drive belts 4.

This gearing 2 interconnects a drive shaft 5 for a pneumatic wheel 6 with a drive sprocket 7. A belt clutch member 8 is associated with the final belt 9 of the gearing mechanism 2. A toothless chain 10 mounted on the sprocket 7 passes round a guide plate 11 and onto the drive shaft 12 of a chain saw motor 13. The guide plate 11 is fixed by bolts 14 to the main frame 1 and the chain saw motor 13 is releasably connected to the guide plate 11 by bolts 15. A pair of handles 1 6 extending from the main frame 1 carry control triggers 1 7 and 1 8.

The trigger 17 is connected by a Bowden cable 1 9 to a bracket 20 which is releasably mounted on the handle 21 of the chain saw motor 13 so as to act on the throttle control member 22 thereon.

The trigger 1 8 is connected by a further Bowden cable 23 to the belt clutch member 8. Thus the throttle and clutch control of the drive to the wheel 6 from the chain saw motor 13 can be operated by the thumbs of the person using the barrow.

The gearing mechanism 2, in this example, provides a 157:1 reduction ratio via the sprockets 3 but the first sprocket 24 can be made to be variable so as to provide up to 2:1 drive ratio. By this means, with the chain saw motor 1 3 being driven at about 7,000 rpm a 40 cm diameter wheel 6 can be driven at a speed over the ground of about 3 to 6 kph. The wheel 6 is interconnected with the drive shaft 5 by a pair of releasable pawls 25. These lock the wheel 6 to the drive mechanism and the provision of two pawls ensures that the unit will not roli backwards when being power driven up a slope and also prevents overrun when being driven down a slope. If it is desired to push the barrow without power drive, the pawls 25 can be released so as to disconnect the wheel 6 from the drive mechanism.

The main frame 1 is supported by the wheel 6 and by a pair of legs 26. A front load support structure 27 is pivotally mounted to the front part of the frame 1 and can be folded back into the position shown in dashed outline at 27A in Figure 1. Also the handles 1 6 can be pivoted as indicated by the dashed line 28 in Figure 2 to lie alongside the main frame 1, thus providing a compact unit when the barrow is to be stowed away. The handle 1 6 can be locked in either of the alternative positions by a locking plate and pin structure 29.

As an alternative, the handles 1 6 could be located within box-section housings forming part of the frame 1 so as to be slidable between extended positions equivalent to those illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 and stowage positions wherein the handles will be substantially fully housed within the box-section housings. When in the extended positions the handles may be secured in place by removable pins. Alsol, the inner ends of the handles, when in their extended positions, could be received in sockets set to one side within the box section housings, to fix the handles positively in both the longitudinal and sideways direction, in conjunction with the pins. The provision of sliding handles allows the cables 19 and 23 to be of shorter length than those required for pivoting handles.

It will be appreciated that the pulley 3 and drive belt 4 gear drive could be replaced by sprocket and chain drives. Furthermore, a safety cover could be provided to lie over the drive chain 10.

Claims

1. A powered barrow for use with a chain saw motor and incorporating a driven ground wheel, gearing connecting the driven wheel with a drive sprocket and a chain saw motor mounting adjacent the drive sprocket enabling the sprocket to be driven by a chain to be mounted on the chain saw motor.

2. A powered barrow according to claim 1, including a guide plate for the chain between the chain saw motor mounting and the drive sprocket.

3. A powered barrow according to claims 1 or 2, including a thottle control trigger mounted on a handle of the barrow and connected by a cable to a bracket for mounting on the handle of the chain saw motor for control of the throttle control lever thereon.

4. A powered barrow according to ahy one of claims 1 to 3, including a clutch control trigger mounted on a handle of the barrow and connected by cable to a belt tensioning device acting on a belt forming part of the gearing mechanism beween the driven wheel and a drive sprocket.

5. A powered barrow according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a pair of handles on the barrow are pivotally linked for movement between an extended pushing position and a stowage position wherein they are folded back onto the main body of the barrow.

6. A powered barrow according to any one of claims 1 to 5, including a front load support structure pivotally mounted for movement between an extension position wherein it extends beyond the front of the main body of the barrow and a storage position wherein it is folded back onto the main body of the barrow.

7. A powered barrow according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the driven wheel is linked to the gearing by releasable pawls,

8. A powered barrow according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the gearing comprises a series of belt and pulley or chain end sprocket drive members.

9. A powered barrow substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.