JPH0542095Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a switching device for a snow blower that uses an air jack to lift the main body of the snow blower and change its direction.

[Problems to be solved by conventional technology and ideas] Traditionally, with small snow blowers, the operator grasps the handle provided at the rear of the snow blower body and follows the movement of the snow blower body. Generally, the snow blower moves forward, during which time an auger installed at the front of the snow blower body collects snow, and a blower throws the snow to the sides.

In addition, this type of small snow blower is
As disclosed in Publication No. 34111, in many cases, each crawler sprocket that drives the crawlers provided on the left and right sides of the snow blower body is directly connected to the transmission, and the crawler sprockets provided on both sides It is difficult to individually adjust the rotational speed of the snow blower, and changing the direction of the snow blower body requires a great deal of effort, making it extremely difficult to change the direction.

On the other hand, some large snow blowers are equipped with a conversion device that allows the rotational speed of the crawlers on both sides to be adjusted freely via clutches, etc., but adopting this conversion device in a small snow blower is difficult due to the structure. Not only is this complicated, but a certain amount of turning radius is required when switching, making it difficult to easily switch on narrow roads after snow removal.

[Purpose of the invention] This invention was made in view of the above circumstances.
To provide a converting device for a snow blower that has a simple structure, allows easy conversion work, and can also be converted in a minimum space even on a narrow road after snow removal.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the conversion device for a snow blower according to the present invention has an air jack attached to the bottom of the snow blower body so as to be able to expand and contract, and a connection between the air jack and a high pressure gas source. A switching valve connected to the operating means is interposed in the ventilation path that communicates with the operating means.

[Operation] With the above configuration, when trying to change direction,
When the switching valve installed in the ventilation passage is opened using the operating means, high-pressure gas from the high-pressure gas source is supplied to the air jack attached to the bottom of the snow blower, causing the air jack to expand. , Lift up the snow blower body. When the snow remover main body is lifted to a predetermined height, the snow remover main body is rotated using the air jack as a fulcrum to change direction.

[Embodiments of the invention] Hereinafter, embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 1 is a side view of the main parts of a snow blower, Figs. 2 and 3 are cross-sectional views of the ventilation passage showing the switching valve according to its operation, and Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the switching valve at the time of switching. A side view of the snow blower, FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of the drive system of the snow blower.

Reference numeral 1 in the figure is a snow blower main body, on which an engine 2 is mounted, crawlers 3 are disposed on both sides of the snow blower main body 1, and a handle 4 is provided at the rear.

Further, an auger case 5 that opens at the front is fixed to the front part of the snow blower main body 1, and an auger 6 is rotatably housed in the auger case 5.
When this auger 6 rotates, snow is transferred to its center.

Furthermore, a blower 7 is installed behind the center of the auger 6.
(See FIG. 4) is provided, and a chute 8 is provided above the blower 7.

As shown in FIG. 5, the rotating shaft of the auger 6 is connected to a driven shaft 9 via a bevel gear 10, and the blower 7 is pivotally attached to the driven shaft 9. Furthermore, this driven shaft 9 is connected to the output shaft 2a of the engine 2 via pulleys 11a, 11b and a belt 12. Note that the reference numeral 13 is a tension clutch.

On the other hand, a crawler sprocket 14 drives each crawler 3 provided on both sides of the snow blower main body 1.
An axle shaft 14a, which is mounted on both ends of the axle shaft 14a, connects the output shaft 2a of the engine 2 with a reduction gear 15, a friction wheel 16, a transformer plate 17, and another pulley 1.
8a, 18b are connected via a belt 19.

Incidentally, the speed change operation of the friction wheel 16, the movement of the transformer plate 17 toward and away from the friction wheel 16, and the operation of the tension clutch 13 are performed by a speed change lever 20 disposed on the handle 4 side;
They are operated by a traveling clutch lever 21 and a working clutch lever 22, respectively. Further, reference numeral 23 is an accelerator lever.

(Description of Features) On the other hand, a bag-shaped air jack 24 is attached to the bottom 1a of the snow blower main body 1. This air jack 24 is made to be able to expand freely by the pressure of exhaust gas discharged from the engine 2 as a high-pressure gas source, and a support member 25 such as a bolt is inserted through the center of the air jack 24, and its lower end is connected to the air jack 24. It is hung on the bottom surface of the body via a nut 26 or the like.

Furthermore, the upper part of the support member 25 is inserted into the bottom part 1a of the snow blower main body 1 so as to be able to move forward and backward, and the air jack 24 is compressed between the flange 25a formed at the upper end of the support member 25 and the bottom part 1a. Return spring 27 that constantly biases in the direction
is interposed.

As shown in the figure, the air jack 24 in the contracted state is retracted further inward than the crawler 3, and in the expanded state, the bottom surface of the air jack 24 is higher than the crawler 3 by a height δ. stand out.

Further, a flexible exhaust pipe 28 is connected to the air jack 24, and a discharge port 2 provided in the muffler 2b of the engine 2 is connected to the flexible exhaust pipe 28.
A ventilation path 29 is connected between the

The discharge port 2 is provided on the upstream side of the ventilation path 29.
A four-way valve main body 29a having one end connected to c is provided. A tail pipe 29 is also provided at the end of the four-way valve body 29a facing the discharge port 2c.
One end of an exhaust pipe 29c formed in a T-shape is connected to the exhaust pipe 29c, and the other end of the exhaust pipe 29c and the other end of the four-way valve body 29a connect to a communication pipe 29d in a U-shape. connected via.

On the other hand, the remaining end of the ventilation passage 29 is connected to the flexible exhaust pipe 28 via another communication pipe 29e. Furthermore, the middle of this communication pipe 29e and the remaining end of the exhaust pipe 29c are connected via a relief passage 29f, and a relief valve 31 is interposed in this relief passage 29f. This relief valve 31
is for adjusting the pressure so that the exhaust gas pressure supplied to the air jack 24 is constant,
When the exhaust gas pressure supplied to the air jack 24 exceeds a certain value, the valve body 31a of the relief valve 31 is opened against the urging force of the valve spring 31b.

In addition, a switching valve 3 is attached to the four-way valve main body 29a.
A valve lever 30a that rotates together with the switching valve 30 is connected via a link 32 to a switching lever 33 as an operating means provided on the handle 4. , the switching valve 30 selectively switches the flow path of the exhaust gas discharged from the discharge port 2c (see FIGS. 2 and 3).
(see figure).

Next, the operation of the embodiment with the above configuration will be explained.

(Driving) During normal operation, the switching lever 33 provided on the handlebar 4 is in the state shown in FIG.
A valve lever 3 connected to the valve lever 3 via a link 32
0a is rotated counterclockwise in the figure, and the switching valve 30 integrated with the valve lever 30a is
The communication pipe 29e communicating with the air jack 24 of the ventilation passage 29 is closed, and the communication pipe 29d communicating with the exhaust pipe 29c is communicated with the discharge port 2c of the muffler 2b provided in the engine 2 (the state shown in FIG. 2).

Next, when the engine 2 is started, exhaust gas from the engine 2 is discharged from the discharge port 2c of the muffler 2b to the four-way valve main body 29a, passes through the communication pipe 29d, and then flows into the exhaust pipe 29c.
It is discharged to the atmosphere from the tail pipe 29b provided in the.

The air jack 24 also has a support member 25.
It is contracted by the biasing force of the return spring 27 inserted through the snow remover body 1, and is housed in a position retracted inward from the crawler 3 provided on the side of the snow remover main body 1 (the state shown in FIG. 1).

After the engine 2 starts, when the accelerator lever 23 is set to the high speed side and the travel clutch lever 21 provided on the handle 4 is grasped, the output shaft 2a of the engine 2 is connected to the pulleys 18a, 18b. , a transformer plate 17 connected to the friction wheel 16 via a belt 19 comes into sliding contact with the friction wheel 16. Then, the driving force of the engine 2 is transmitted from the friction wheel 16, via the reduction gear 15 and the crawler sprocket 14, to the crawlers 3 provided on both sides of the snow blower main body 1, causing the snow blower to move forward.

Further, when the speed change lever 20 is operated, the sliding contact position of the friction wheel 16 with respect to the transformer plate 17 is varied. That is, as it moves toward the center of the transformer plate 17 from the state shown in FIG.
When the speed gradually decreases and moves from the center of the transformer plate 17 downward in the figure, the friction wheel 16 reverses and the snow blower main body 1 moves backward.

(Snow Removal Work) On the other hand, when the work clutch lever 22 provided on the handle 4 is operated during snow removal, the pulley 11a pivotally attached to the output shaft 2a of the engine 2,
A tension clutch 1 is connected to a belt 12 that is stretched between a pulley 11b that is pivoted on a driven shaft 9 that extends forward of the snow blower main body 1.
3 makes me nervous. As a result, the engine 2
The power of the blower 7 is transmitted to the driven shaft 9, and the blower 7 is pivotally connected to the driven shaft 9.
Then, the auger 6 connected to the driven shaft 9 via a bevel gear 10 rotates together.

In this state, when the snow blower main body 1 is moved forward and the auger 6 digs into the snow layer to be removed, this snow layer is scraped off completely, and the auger 6 removes the snow from the center. The snow is then blown upward by the blower 7 disposed behind it, and is thrown along the chute 8 into the gutter or to the side.

(Direction change) When changing direction, the switching lever 33 provided on the handle 4 is tilted forward as shown by the solid line in FIG. 4, and the link connected to the switching lever 33 32 rotates the valve lever 30a clockwise. Then, the switching valve 30 integrated with the valve lever 30a communicates the communication pipe 29e of the ventilation passage 29 that communicates with the air jack 24 with the discharge port 2c, and also connects the discharge port 2c to the tail pipe 29b. The communicating flow path is closed (state shown in Fig. 3).

As a result, the exhaust gas discharged from the discharge port 2c passes through the communication pipe 29e, the flexible exhaust pipe 28, and the air jack 2.
4. Then, this air jack 24
is gradually expanded against the biasing force of the return spring 27, and relatively lifts the snow remover main body 1.

Then, when the air jack 24 lifts the snow remover main body 1 by a height δ, the lift-up of the snow remover main body 1 by the air jack 24 is stopped. That is, the excess exhaust gas pressure at this time passes from the middle of the communication pipe 29e, through the relief passage 29f, and reaches the valve body 31a of the relief valve 31 interposed in the relief passage 29f.
The valve is opened against the biasing force of the valve spring 31b, and the valve is released from the tail pipe 29b to the atmosphere. Therefore, the internal pressure of the air jack 24 is maintained constant.

Next, the operator rotates the snow remover main body 1 to turn the snow remover main body 1 in a desired direction. Since the snow blower main body 1 rotates around the air jack 24, the rotation radius is minimized, and it can be easily changed even on a relatively narrow road after snow removal.

After this switching operation is completed, when the switching lever 33 provided on the handle 4 is pulled forward, the switching valve 30 installed in the ventilation passage 29 is returned to the initial position, and the discharge port The exhaust gas discharged from 2c is transferred to the communication pipe 2.
9d, and is discharged back into the atmosphere from the tail pipe 29b.

On the other hand, the air jack 24 is contracted again under the biasing force of the return spring 27, and the exhaust gas filling the air jack 24 passes from the flexible exhaust pipe 28 to the communication pipe 29e and passes through the switching valve 3.
The gas is guided along the back side of the vehicle toward the exhaust pipe 29c, and is discharged into the atmosphere from the tail pipe 29b.

In the example shown in the figure, the engine is used as the high-pressure gas source, but the high-pressure air source is not limited to this. For example, a compressor driven by the engine may be used, and in this case, the high-pressure air source is Then, the air jack 24 is expanded.

[Effects of the invention] As explained above, according to the invention, the air jack is attached to the bottom of the snow blower body so that it can expand and contract freely, and the operating means is provided in the ventilation path that communicates the air jack with the high-pressure gas source. Since a switching valve is connected to the switch valve, during normal operation, the high pressure gas from the high pressure gas source is released to the atmosphere by operating the switch valve.On the other hand, when changing direction, By operating the switching valve and guiding the high pressure gas to the air jack, the snow remover main body is lifted up.
As a result, the direction of the snow blower body can be changed extremely easily, resulting in good workability.

Furthermore, since the snow blower main body can be rotated around the air jack, the rotation radius is extremely small, and the direction can be easily changed even on a narrow road after snow removal.

Furthermore, since the structure is simple, it is easy to handle, and even beginners can easily operate it.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 1 is a side view of the main parts of a snow blower, Figs. 2 and 3 are cross-sectional views of the ventilation passage showing the switching valve according to its operation, and Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the switching valve at the time of switching. A side view of the snow blower, FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of the drive system of the snow blower. 1... Snow blower main body, 2... High pressure gas source (engine), 24... Air jack, 29... Ventilation path,
30...Switching valve.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] An air jack is attached to the bottom of the snow blower body so that it can expand and contract freely, and a switching valve connected to the operating means is interposed in the ventilation path that communicates the air jack with a high-pressure gas source. Snow blower conversion device.