IE55465B1 - Peat digging machine - Google Patents

Abstract

CANADIAN PATENT APPLICATION OF JOHAN VILHELM RUDOLF DELME FOR PEAT DIGGING MACHINE A peat digging machine having a milling disk which is mounted on a protruding member rigidly attached to the machine frame and which rotates in a plane transversely of the direction of travel of the machine for milling peat and flinging the milled peat directly up into the inlet of a peat compactor by means of radial milling knives mounted on the forwardly facing side of said disk. The peat compactor delivers the compacted peat to a device for spreading the peat in the desired width of distribution behind the machine. The machine also has means for checking the presence of hard objects in front of the milling disk and, preferably at its forward end, a device for taking up peat previously spread on the bog and placing it in a strand on one side of the machine. [CA1214185A]

Description

b o -i b 5 The present invention relates to a peat digging machine in the form of a vehicle movable over the bog and having a milling device for milling peat from the bog and a peat compactor adapted directly to take up the milled peat from the milling device and delivering the compacted peat to a device for spreading the peat behind the machine.

For digging peat from peat bogs, it has long been known to mill a narrow deep furrow in the bog and to feed the milled peat into a compactor which extrudes the peat into one or more strands that are cut into pieces which are placed on the bog for sun and air drying. Such peat digging has proved to be disadvantageous in that the narrow furrows cause problems for the traffic on the bog, at the same time as further digging becomes difficult and sometimes even impossible. Besides, peat digging of this type is not in compliance with current demands on the preservation of nature.

It is also known to mill peat by means of a machine having a milling disk which is provided on its opposite sides with milling teeth in the form of radial knives. When this machine travels over the peat bog, the disk is moved back and forth transversely of the direction of travel of the machine and, by means of the milling teeth, flings peat at high speed up into the inlet of the compactor swinging in unison with the disk. This machine is superior to those previously used and gives an excellent product. However, because of its construc- 2 tion, this machine is very large, and wishes have therefore been expressed for a smaller and more universally useful machine yielding a product of the same high quality.

It is, therefore, is the object of this invention to provide such a machine which, in addition, has been devised for use on inferior quality peat bogs.

This object is realised in that the milling device is mounted exchangeably on a supporting structure vertically pivotally connected with the machine and projecting from one side thereof transversely of the direction of travel of the machine, said milling device comprising a milling disk rotating in a plane transversely of the direction of travel of the machine and provided on its forwardly facing flat side with radial milling knives; and that means are provided for detecting hard objects in the bog.

The machine preferably is provided with a longitudinally reciprocating spear-like member which is adapted to be thrust down into the bog at a predetermined frequency ahead of that part of the milling device which is working the bog, in order to check the presence of any hard objects, such as stones, and to indicate such presence and/or influence the propulsion device of the machine or the milling disk. The spreading device of the machine for the compacted peat preferably is adjustable for spreading over a greater or less width, depending upon the consistency of the excavated peat, and 3 preferably the machine also is equipped at its front with a device for collecting peat previously placed on the bog and delivering it in a strand along that side of the machine which faces away from the milling device.

The invention will be described in greater detail hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying drawings which show one embodiment thereof and in which: Fig. 1 shows from in front a peat digging machine according to the invention, selected parts having been removed to provide for better clarity; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the machine according to the Fig. 1; Fig. 3 shows the machine from the side on which the milling device is mounted; Fig. 4 shows different embodiments of the milling disk of the peat digging machine; Fig. 5 illustrates a modified milling operation; and Fig. 6 shows a milling device which, for a specific purpose, can be substituted for the ordinary milling device of the machine.

The peat digging machine shown in Fig. 1 and generally designated 10 has a frame 11 and is movable over a peat bog by means of a caterpillar chassis 12. The machine may either be self-propelled or drawn by, for instance, a tractor not shown. The machine 10 has an engine 13, for instance a diesel engine, for driving 4 the machine in case it is self-propelled, and for the implements mounted thereon. The machine is provided with a supporting structure 14 which projects laterally transversely of the direction of travel of the machine and which, for the reasons indicated hereinbelow, is vertically pivotable by means of a hydraulic cylinder assembly 18. Λ shaft 25 extending in the direction of travel is mounted on the supporting structure and carries a milling disk 15 and a drive wheel 26. The milling disk which thus extends in a plane perpendicular to the direction of travel of the machine 10 is provided, on its side facing forwardly as seen in the direction of travel, with preferably serrated milling knives 16.

As will appear from Fig. 1, the milling disk 15 is adapted upon rotation to mill up peat by means of the milling knives 16 and to fling it tangentially upwards, as shown by the arrows, to the inlet of a peat compactor 20.

In order unfailingly to conduct the peat to the inlet of the compactor 20, the compactor is flanked by wheels 21, 22 rotating towards the inlet, and the inlet of the compactor 20 as well as that part of the milling disk 15 which lies above ground, is surrounded by a casing 17. To operate the compactor 20 and the milling disk 15, the engine 13 carries on its output shaft 27 a drive wheel 28 which, by means of V-belts, drives a wheel 30 mounted on the input shaft 29 of the compactor 20. Also mounted on the shaft 29 is a wheel 31 which, by means of V-belts 20, drives the drive wheel 26 of the milling disk 15.

The peat milled by means of the milling disk 15 and pressed by the compactor is supplied to one end of a revolving conveyor belt 23 carried by a supporting device at the rear end of the machine. The upper part of the conveyor belt 23 travels in a direction away from the outlet of the compactor 20, and on the supporting device a sensing means 24 is mounted above the upper part of the conveyor 23, said sensing means being adjustable along the length of the conveyor 23. As is shown at 44 in Fig. 3, the supporting device of the conveyor belt 23 is tiltable such that peat collected on the conveyor belt can be dumped behind the machine, as is shown at 32 in Figs. 2 and 3. Tilting of the conveyor belt 23 is initiated by the sensing means 24. The peat leaves the compactor in the form of a strand which, before it is dumped on the conveyor belt 23, is divided into pieces by means of the device 39 shown in Fig. 3.

One of the problems encountered in mechanical peat milling is that hard objects occurring in the ground, such as stones and stubs, may seriously damage the milling disk etc. Because the milling disk according to the present invention is fixedly mounted, it is preferably provided with a sensing means for checking the presence of such objects. The sensing means shown in Fig. 2 is in the form of a spear-like member 36 which is mounted at the forward end of an arm 35 that can be swung inwardly or downwardly into the peat immediately ahead of the milling disk 15 at a frequency determined by the 6 c speed of the vehicle. The spear 36 is connected to a suitable member which reacts in case the spear 36 strikes a hard object, and this reaction is transmitted to an indicating device informing the operator that an obstacle has been encountered. Preferably, however, the indicating device is connected directly to the engine 13 so as to stop the engine when an obstacle of this kind is encountered. The spear may also be replaced by a so-called geora dar, i.e. an apparatus which transmits a scanning beam into the ground.

The machine being adapted to spread the excavated peat behind itself, this peat must be collected before the machine can again be driven along the previously milled section. For this reason, the machine preferably is provided on its front side with a collector 33 having a collecting width which is slightly greater than the maximum width within which the peat can be spread behind the machine. The collector is mounted on the forwarded directed pivotal brackets 45 and, as will appear from Fig. 3, a hydraulic cylinder assembly 38 is mounted between the machine frame 11 and on at least one bracket 45. The hydraulic cylinder assembly makes it possible to raise the collector into inoperative -position, in case there is no peat in front of the vehicle.

The collector preferably is in the form of a casing equipped along its lower edge with lifting forks for taking up the peat and with a screw cooperating with said forks and conveying the collected peat towards 7 one end where it is delivered in a strand 37, as will appear from Fig. 2.

The milling disk 15 may be in the form of a simple disk with milling knives 16 mounted thereon, as is indicated in Figs. 1-3. However, the disk may also be stepped adjacent its periphery as will appear from Fig. 4, in that a ring 15' is welded to that side of the disk 15 which, as seen in the direction of travel, is the rear side, said ring carrying milling knives 16' moving in a plane located behind the plane of the knives 16. It is also possible to provide two coaxial milling disks 15, 15” having different diameters and carrying adjacent its periphery milling knives 16 and 16', respectively, as is shown farthest to the right in Fig. 4.

The milling disk 15 as shown in Figs. 1-3 and, optionally, its supporting structure preferably are detachably connected to the machine frame and exchangeable for another tool for working the bog. One such tool is shown in Fig. 6 and is in the form of a vertical screw driven by a motor 44 of its own, preferably a hydraulic motor, and the peat collected by the screw is supplied to the compactor 20 in the same manner as the peat milled by the disk 15. The advantage obtained by exchangeable milling tools will appear from the following .

When digging peat from a peat bog, it is preferred, for drainage purposes, first to excavate several parallel deep ditches in the bog, and to this end the milling 8 disk shown in Figs, 1-3 is dismounted and replaced by, for example, the screw device as shown in Fig, 6 or a similar construction, such as a vertical revolving scraper conveyor. The peat excavated and laid out in this manner is of conventional quality and much inferior to the peat which thereafter can be milled up by means of the milling disk 15, and for this reason this peat is collected, for example by means of the collector 33, before the actual work is commenced. After the milling disk 15 has again been mounted in position and set to the appropriate milling depth by means of the hydraulic cylinder assembly, for example the depth shown in Fig. 1, the machine is driven along the ditch, and one begins by excavating peat along a section adjacent the edge of the ditch and then, in subsequent runs, moves farther and farther away from the ditch, as is shown by dash-dot lines in Fig. 1. Only relatively narrow sections are excavated, as is shown by the hatched part inside the periphery of the milling disk in Fxg. 1, which means that the machine according to the invention can be propelled at a relatively high speed. The machine preferably has a longitudinally extending runner 42 adjacent the periphery of the milling disk 15 (Fig. 1). As in the larger machine referred to by way of introduction, the milling disk flings the peat at high speed up to the inlet of the peat compactor 20, whereby the peat cells are disintegrated so that any waxes etc. within these cells are set free. The result is a high- 9 quality product which is comparatively insensitive to rain and dries very quickly after it has been laid out. The peat strand compacted by the peat compactor and disintegrated by the device 39 is discharged onto the conveyor belt 23 in the form of lumps and moves with the conveyor bolt to the right with respect to Figs. 1 and 2 until the first lump of peat strikes the sensing means 24 which then activates the tipping device 44 so that the peat on the conveyor belt is dumped onto the bog, as will appear from Fig. 3. The width of the spread peat layer is, of course, controlled by the sensing means 24, and the quality of the peat, i.e. the water content, determines the thickness of the layer spread on the bog. If the water content is low and the peat thus can be laid in a thicker layer, the conveyor belt 23 in a preferred embodiment of the invention can be swung out, as is shown by dash-dot lines in Fig. 2, and can be set to a position in which the desired layer thickness is obtained.

In extracting peat in accordance with Fig. 1, the supporting arm of the sensing means 36 may be mounted in the manner illustrated in Fig. 2 and pivot back and forth in a horizontal plane to be laterally thrust into the ditch edge. If, on the other hand, the peat is extracted in the manner indicated in Fig. 5, in which the machine is driven on the bottom of the excavated ditch and the milling disk 15 operates with its siae facing away from the machine, the sensing means 36 with 10 the supporting arm 35 must be shifted and is then preferably mounted on the supporting structure 14 and naturally swings in the direction opposite to the one shown in Fig. 2. The sensing means 36 thus may be shift-able, but if one constantly alternates between milling according to Fig. 1 and milling according to Fig. 5, two sensing means may be provided. The sensing means 36 may also operate vertically.

The second time and every time thereafter peat is excavated along the ditch, the peat previously placed on the bog and indicated at 32 must, of course, be collected and, as has previously been indicated, this is preferably done by means of the collector 33 whereby the need for extra equipment for this purpose is eliminated.

The peat laid in a strand 37 by means of the collector 33 can then simply and conveniently be collected by a conventional machine, such as a shovel dozer. 11

Claims (6)

1. A peat digging machine (10) in the form of a vehicle movable over the bog and having a milling device for milling peat from the bog and a peat compactor (20) adapted directly to take up the milled peat from the milling device and delivering the compacted peat to a device (23) for spreading (32) the peat behind the machine (10), characterised in that the milling device is mounted exchangeably on a supporting structure (11) vertically pivotally connected with the machine and projecting from one side thereof transversely of the direction of travel of the machine (10), said milling device comprising a milling disk (15) rotating in a plane transversely of the direction of travel of the machine (10) and provided on its forwardly facing flat side with radial milling knives (16), and that means (36) are provided for detecting hard objects in the bog.

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1, charac-teriserd in that the said means comprises a longitudinally reciprocating spear-like member (36) which is adapted to be thrust down into the bog at a predetermined frequency ahead of that part of the milling device which is working the bog, in order to check the presence of any hard objects, such as stones, and to indicate such presence and/or influence the propulsion device of the machine (10). 12

3. A machine as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the spreading device (23) connected to the peat compactor (20) is adjustable for spreading over a greater or less width, depending upon the consistency of the excavated peat.

4. A machine as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, characterised in that the spreading device (23) comprises a conveyor belt which is mounted on a tiltable and preferably horizontally pivotal structure having means (24) settable along the belt and adapted to release tipping of said belt after a predetermined quantity of peat has collected thereon. 5. A machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the machine (10) is provided at its front with a device for collecting peat previously placed on the bog and delivering it in a strand (41) along the side of the machine facing away form the milling device. 6. A machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the milling disk (15) is exchangeable for special implements (43), especially an implement for digging deep narrow ditches. 7. A peat digging machine substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 3 or 5 of the accompanying drawings. 13 8. A peat digging machine substantially as hereinbefore described having a milling disk as shown in Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings. 9. A peat digging machine substantially as hereinbefore described having a screw arrangement as shown in Figure 6 of the accompanying drawings. Dated this 1st day of March 1984. BY: TOMKINS & CO., Applicants' Agents, (Signed)

5. Dartmouth Road, DUBLIN

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