JPH0813A - Coupling device for traction - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a coupling device for traction capable of easily conducting the coupling operation with a to-be-tracted vehicle, excellent in labor saving, useful for tractors, etc., equipped with a posture control mechanism for holding a coupling member in such a posture as to face, at one's discretion, the coupling member on a coupling part in such a status that the to-be-tracted vehicle is detached from a tracting vehicle. CONSTITUTION:This coupling device 9 has a posture control mechanism 18 for holding a coupling member 10 for a to-be-tracted vehicle in such a posture as to face, at one's discretion, the coupling member 10 on a coupling part 22 of a tracting vehicle in such a status that the to-be-tracted vehicle such as a farm working machine R is detached from the tracting vehicle such as a tractor T. In this case, it is preferable that the coupling member 10 is furnished on a coupling frame 15 revolvably supported upon the to-be-tracted vehicle and the posture control mechanism 18 contains a means to energize the coupling frame 15 in the direction to take a coupling posture.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a towing connecting device having a connecting member for connecting a towed vehicle such as an agricultural machine to a connecting portion of a tow vehicle such as a tractor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a connecting device for connecting a towing vehicle and a towed vehicle, there is, for example, one shown in FIG. 8 (Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 2-70615). This coupling device 112
Is a farm work machine while transmitting rotational drive force from the tractor T.
As a connecting mechanism, the connecting frame 105, the connecting shaft portion 104, and the towed rod 114 are provided in order from the lower link 103 of the tractor T, and the connecting frame 105 and the connecting shaft portion 104 are connected to each other. Are connected by a connecting shaft 111 so as to be horizontally rotatable. In addition, as a power transmission system, from the drive unit (PTO shaft) 106 of the tractor T,
A transmission shaft 107, an intermediate transmission shaft 102, a universal transmission shaft 109 having a constant velocity joint portion 110, and an input shaft 108 are provided, and the constant velocity joint portion 110 serving as a bending portion is connected to a coupling shaft 111.
In order to reduce the turning radius and to increase the front wheel share load of the tractor T, the steering performance is improved.

[0003]

By the way, such a conventional coupling device 112 can be used to connect the farm work machine 101 to the tractor T.
When connecting the tractor T to the farm work machine 101,
After retreating from the front position, insert the lower link 103 to the position of the lower link pin 113 of the connecting frame 105, attach the retainer, remove the stand (not shown), and pull it. Become.

However, since the connection frame 105 is rotatable in the horizontal direction, after the connection with the tractor T is released, the connection frame 105 faces the direction in which the machine body is inclined due to the unevenness of the ground or the like. Even if the machine body is not tilted, the connecting frame 10
5 leans. In such a case, when connecting with the tractor T next time, the connecting frame 105 must be corrected in a direction substantially orthogonal to the traveling (straightening) direction of the tractor T. However, when the machine body is tilted, it is tilted to the original even if it is corrected, and there is a problem that it cannot be connected unless some rotation preventing means is taken.

Even when the connecting frame 105 faces the traveling direction, if the lower link 103 or the like of the tractor T is accidentally brought into contact with the connecting frame 105 when the tractor T is retracted, the connecting frame 105 moves from the predetermined position to the left and right. Since the vehicle tilts, the connecting operation must be interrupted once to return the connecting frame 105 to a predetermined position, and then the tractor T must be retracted again to perform the connecting work.

In view of the above circumstances, the present invention has been devised to provide a towing connecting device capable of easily connecting an agricultural work machine or the like to a tractor or the like.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a towing connecting device having a connecting member for connecting a towed vehicle such as an agricultural work machine to a connecting portion of a towed vehicle such as a tractor. It is provided with an attitude control mechanism for holding the connecting member in an attitude that appropriately opposes the connecting portion in a state of being separated from the vehicle. The connection member is provided on a connection frame rotatably supported by the towed vehicle, and the attitude control mechanism includes an urging means for urging the connection frame in the connection attitude. You can The urging means may be provided at the center of the towed vehicle in the machine width direction. Alternatively, it may be provided on a side portion deviated from the center of the towed vehicle in the machine width direction.

[0008]

With the above structure, when the towed vehicle is connected to the tow vehicle, the attitude control mechanism appropriately causes the connecting member to face the connecting portion. Then, the towing vehicle moves to bring the connecting portion close to the connecting member so that the connecting member can be connected. When the connecting frame tilts, the urging means rotates the connecting member in the opposite direction by the urging force so that the connecting member faces the connecting portion as appropriate.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 and 2 show a first embodiment of a towing connecting device according to the present invention. This towing connecting device 9 has a connecting member 10 for connecting a lower link 22 (connecting portion) of a tractor T which is a towing vehicle to an agricultural work machine R which is a towed vehicle. Is separated from the tractor T, the connecting member 1
Gas spring (biasing means) 1 serving as a posture control mechanism for holding 0 in a posture facing the lower link 22 as appropriate.
8 is provided and configured.

The farm work machine R of this embodiment is a roll baler for producing bales, and as shown in FIG. 3, a fixed frame 2 having wheels 1 and a hydraulic cylinder 3 pivotally supported on the fixed frame 2. The movable frame 4 that expands upward by operation, the fixed frame 2 and the plurality of rollers 5 annularly arranged in the movable frame 4, the compression chamber 6 partitioned by the rollers 5, and the front lower portion of the compression chamber 6. The pickup device 7 and the towed rod 8 extending forward from the fixed frame 2 are mainly configured. Then, the grass or rice straw in the field is picked up and fed into the compression chamber 6 by the device 7, compressed into a cylindrical shape by the rotation of the roller 5, and then a string is wound around the outer circumference thereof.

The connecting device 9 is provided on the towed rod 8 of the agricultural work machine R, and includes a connecting frame 15 for connection and a power transmission system 19 for transmitting a rotational driving force from the tractor T to the agricultural work machine R. Is equipped with. The towed rod 8 is composed of a pair of frames having a U-shaped cross section, and is assembled in a substantially V-shape that narrows forward when viewed from above. The front end is located at the center of the agricultural work machine in the machine width direction (center line A). The connecting frame 15 has a horizontal rod 1 having connecting members 10 at both ends thereof.
1 and a first support plate 12 erected on the upper center of the horizontal rod 11.
And a tow rod 13 attached to the rear surface of the first support plate 12.
And the stoppers 14 attached to the horizontal rod 11 on both sides of the tow rod 13 in parallel. The connecting member 10 is composed of a pair of appropriately bent lever plates, and is supported by bracket plates 44 attached to both ends of the horizontal rod 11 so as to be vertically rotatable via projecting shafts 45. The lower link 22 of the tractor T is attached to the tip of the connecting member 10.
The lower link pin 20 which is inserted into the horizontal rod 11 is attached in parallel with the horizontal rod 11. Also, at the base end of the connecting member 10,
A substantially U-shaped projecting piece 10a that is appropriately engaged with the stopper pin 21 formed on the bracket plate 44 is attached. That is, as shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 2, the connecting member 10 has its vertical rotation range limited by the stopper pin 21.

The tow rod 13 is a plate assembled in the shape of a quadrangular prism, extends to the agricultural work machine R side in a direction orthogonal to the horizontal rod 11, and has an extended end open. A fixed rod 16 attached to the towed rod 8 is pivotally supported at the rear of the towed rod 13. The fixed rod 16 is a parallel upper plate 1 extending in the traveling direction F.
6a and the lower plate 16b, the rear ends of which are connected to the front end of the towed rod 8 via the second support plate 28. The fixed rod 16 and the towed rod 8 are coupled and held by a connecting plate 29 provided along both outer surfaces of the towed rod 8. The front ends of the upper and lower plates 16a and 16b are attached to the towbar 1
3 are superposed on the upper and lower surfaces of the rear end portion, respectively. Mounting holes 25 and 30 are formed in the upper and lower overlapping portions coaxially with the towing rod 13 and the fixed rod 16, respectively, and a pair of connecting shafts 24 are vertically inserted into the mounting holes 25 and 30 via bearings 46. It is worn. That is, the connecting frame 15 is rotatable about the connecting shaft 24 in the left-right direction. The upper and lower outer ends of the connecting shaft 24 are held by a mounting plate 48 mounted on the fixed rod 16 with bolts 47. Further, the inner end of the connecting shaft 24 is covered with a bearing retainer 49 attached to the tow rod 13.

The gas spring 18 is formed so as to be expandable and contractible with a predetermined biasing force, and is provided between the towing rod 13 and the fixed rod 16. Gas spring 18
The rod end 32 of the bolt body 5 is erected on the towing rod 13
No. 0, and the base end 31 of the main body is rotatably supported by a bolt body 51 erected on the fixed rod 16.
That is, it is laid across the connecting shaft 24 along the center line A of the agricultural work machine R and the center of the connecting frame 15 in the width direction (center line B). Therefore, as shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG.
When the distance between the shaft ends 31 and 32 of the gas spring becomes shorter by rotating clockwise around 4, the connecting frame 15 is rotated in the opposite direction by its urging force, and the center (B) is the agricultural working machine. It is to be returned to a state that coincides with the center (A) in the machine width direction.

In addition, a stopper receiver 26 having a U-shaped cross section is hung on the fixed rod lower plate 16b to connect the connecting frame 15
By making the tip end of the stopper 14 abut when turning, the turning angle is restricted. A stand 17 is provided on one side of the towed rod 8 to hold the towed rod 8 and the connecting frame 15 at a predetermined height in a disconnected state.

The power transmission system 19 includes an intermediate transmission shaft 3 supported by a first bearing 23 provided at a substantially central portion of the first support plate 12.
3 and the second bearing 2 provided substantially in the center of the second support plate 28.
7 and the double universal shaft joint 36 supported by 7. The front end of the intermediate transmission shaft 33 is connected to the output shaft 34 of the tractor T via the first universal transmission shaft 35.
It is designed to be connected to a double universal shaft joint 3
The rear end of 6 is connected to the input shaft (reference numeral 37 in FIG. 3) of the agricultural work machine via the second universal transmission shaft 38. That is, even when the agricultural work machine R is turned by the tractor T and turns with a small turning radius, the rotational driving force of the tractor T can be transmitted without causing vibrations or the like.

Of these, the double universal shaft joint 36 is the connecting shaft 2
4 is a bracket-shaped intermediate member 39 located substantially below
And the cross members 40 attached to both sides thereof,
And 41. The cross member 40 on the input side is connected to a yoke 42 with a spline that is slidably provided in the axial direction at the rear end of the intermediate transmission shaft 33.
The shaft-attached yoke 43, which is axially fixed and supported by the second bearing 27, is connected to the first bearing 27. That is, the intermediate transmission shaft 33
The shaft-equipped yoke 43 can rotate about its own axis while rotating about its own axis, so that the double universal shaft joint 36 can substantially rotate the power transmission system 19. It is formed as a refraction point. As shown in FIG. 4, the refraction angles θ ₁ and θ ₂ about the respective vertical axes (40, 41) are determined when the stopper 14 of the connecting frame 15 contacts the stopper receiver 26, that is, the center line of the agricultural work machine R. When the angle (turning angle α) formed by A and the center line B of the connecting frame 15 is the maximum, the equiangular angle (θ ₁ = θ ₂ )
It is formed so that. That is, because the output side yoke 43 is fixed in the axial direction, a difference in the refraction angle θ on the input and output sides occurs as the turning angle α changes, but the angle difference decreases as the turning angle α increases. It will be. In this embodiment, the maximum turning angle α _M is set to 80 degrees.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

The stored agricultural work machine R is replaced by a tractor T.
Even when the agricultural work machine R is tilted in the machine width direction due to unevenness of the ground, the connecting frame 15
The tow rod 13 is held by the biasing force of the gas spring 18 so as to extend along the center line A of the agricultural work machine R, and the horizontal rod 11 is maintained in a direction orthogonal to the center line A. The operator of the tractor T is the horizontal rod 11 and the lower link 2.
While looking at 2, the tractor T is retracted so that they come close to each other, and alignment is performed. Even when the lower link 22 of the tractor T comes into contact with the retracted frame 15 and the connecting frame 15 pivots to the left or right at the time of this retreat, the urging force of the gas spring 18 returns the state to the direction F of travel and maintains its posture. To be done. When the connecting member 10 and the end of the lower link 22 are sufficiently close to each other, the backward traveling of the tractor T is stopped, and the lower link pin 20 of the connecting member 10 is inserted into the lower link 22 to prevent it from coming off.

When the connection of the connecting frame 15 is completed, the output shaft 34 of the tractor T and the first intermediate transmission shaft 33 are connected by the first universal transmission shaft 35, and the lower link 22 is slightly raised to stand 17. Is rotated upside down (see FIG. 3) and the ground height of the connecting frame 15 is adjusted to a predetermined working height and working posture. With this, the agricultural work machine R can be towed and transmitted by the tractor T, and the bale forming work is started. Further, the connecting member 10 is rotatable in the vertical direction, and appropriately allows the tractor T or the agricultural working machine R to swing during towing.

Thus, the towing rod 1 of the connecting frame 15
3 and the fixed rod 16 of the towed rod 8 are connected to each other to provide the gas spring 18, and when the free connection frame 15 rotates around the connection shaft 24, the biasing force of the gas spring 18 causes the center line A to move. Since it is returned to the predetermined position, the connecting member 1 can be used even when the ground at the storage location is inclined.
0 is always held in the direction directly facing the lower link 22,
The farm work machine R can be easily connected to the tractor T. Further, since the connecting frame 15 is immediately returned even if the connecting frame 15 contacts the lower link 22 and tilts, it is not necessary for the operator to get off the tractor T and change the direction of the connecting frame 15, which reduces the work load in the connecting work and speeds up the operation. Is achieved. In the turning during the agricultural work, the gas spring 18 contracts as the connecting frame 15 turns, but the urging force is smaller than the turning traveling force of the tractor T or the agricultural working machine R. It does not hinder the turning operation and does not need to be removed. Since the gas spring 18 is provided on the connecting frame 15 and the center lines A and B of the agricultural working machine R, there is no restriction on the configuration of both sides of the connecting frame 15, and the gas spring 18 is relatively short and small. Can be something.

Further, as the power transmission system 19, the intermediate member 39 of the double universal shaft joint 36 is made to substantially coincide with the position of the connecting shaft 24, and the refraction angle θ becomes equal at the maximum turning angle α _M. Therefore, even if the turning radius is reduced during the towing operation to perform the turning, the rotational driving force can be transmitted without causing vibration.

In this embodiment, the gas spring 18 is provided on the upper side of the towing rod 13 and the fixed rod 16, but it may be provided on the lower side and the front and rear directions may be changed. Further, the biasing means is not limited to the gas spring 18, and a cylinder 61 as shown in FIG. 5 may be provided, for example. This cylinder 61 has a compression spring 62
And a rod 64 movably provided in the tubular body 63 in the axial direction. Cylinder 63
A lid 6 having holes for inserting rods 64 at both ends of
5, 66 are attached. A collar plate 67 is attached to the rod 64 approximately in the middle in the longitudinal direction.
A compression spring 62 is stretched between 7 and one lid body 66 on the base end side. A stopper pin 68 is attached to the end of the rod 64 on the base end side so that the rod 68 does not sink into the cylindrical body 63. The other end of the rod 64 extends from the lid 65, and the tip end portion thereof is rotatably supported by a bolt body 70 standing on the towing rod 13 via a bracket 69. In addition, the base end side of the cylindrical body 63 has a fixed rod 16
A bolt body 71 erected on the upper plate 16a is rotatably supported via a bracket 72. Therefore, the towing rod 13 rotates around the connecting shaft 24 and the two support ends (70, 7
1) When the distance between them becomes small, the rod 64 moves to the right in the figure and the compression spring 62 contracts, and the repulsive force causes the tow rod 13 to move in the opposite direction so as to be located on the center line A of the agricultural work machine R. It will be rotated.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the second embodiment, a connecting rod 81 is provided as a connecting member and a connecting frame so as to be stretched between lower link ends of a tractor. Direction connecting pin 8
2 is pivotally supported by a hitch 83 attached to the front end of the towed rod 8. Lower link pins 20 project from both ends of the connecting rod 81, and the connecting rod 81 is rotatable about its longitudinal axis when the lower link pins 20 are inserted into the lower links. That is, the towed rod 8
Is connected to the lower link so as to be rotatable horizontally and vertically.

As a biasing means, a cylinder 84 is provided which is offset from the center of the agricultural work machine R and is provided between the side portion of the towed rod 8 on one side and the connecting rod 81. The cylinder 84 is composed of a cylindrical body 85 and a rod 86 similar to the cylinder 61 shown in FIG. 5, compression springs 89 and 90 having the same strength are provided on both sides of a collar plate 87 of the rod 86, and It is stretched between the lids 91 and 92. And the base end of the cylindrical body 85 and the front end of the rod 86 are
The brackets 93 and 94 are pivotally supported on the rear side of the connecting rod 81 and the side of the towed rod 8, respectively. The cylinder 84 is provided with a pair of compression springs 8 when the connecting rod 81 is in a direction orthogonal to the center line A of the agricultural work machine R.
The biasing forces of 9, 90 are balanced, and in this state, they are held so as to extend substantially parallel to the center line A of the agricultural work machine R. The input shaft 37 of the agricultural work machine R and the output shaft of the tractor T are connected by a universal transmission shaft 88.

With this structure, when the connecting rod 81 rotates as shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG.
Moves backward and the compression spring 90 on the proximal end side shortens. As a result, the biasing force of the compression spring 90 on the proximal end side exceeds the biasing force of the compression spring 89 on the distal end side, and the rod 86
To move the connecting rod 81 in the opposite direction,
It is returned to the posture orthogonal to the traveling direction F. The configuration of this towing connecting device is effective when the connecting frame (the connecting rod 81) does not extend in the traveling direction F and is relatively close to the towed rod 8. The other functions and effects are the same as those of the first embodiment, and therefore will be omitted.

Further, FIG. 7 is provided with two tension springs 95 and 96 having the same urging force as the urging means of the second embodiment. These tension springs 95, 96
Are arranged side by side so as to sandwich the connecting pin 82, and both ends are respectively attached to the rear side portion of the connecting rod 81 and both side portions of the towed rod 8 via brackets 97 and 98. That is, as shown by the two-dot chain line in the figure, the connecting rod 8
When 1 is tilted, it is rotated in the opposite direction by the urging force of the compression spring 96 on the left side of the traveling direction F, and the connecting rod 81 is returned to the posture orthogonal to the traveling direction F. This configuration has the advantages that the number of parts is small, the cost is not high, and the versatility is high. Other functions and effects are similar to those of the second embodiment.

In the above embodiment, the gas spring 18 or the cylinders 61, 84 and the tension springs 95, 96 which exert an appropriate urging force as the attitude control mechanism are shown, but the connecting frames 15, 81 are rotated in the returning direction. Any mechanism may be used as long as it allows it.
For example, means for detecting the tilt angle of the connecting frame 15 from the center line A and the connecting frame 15 corresponding to the tilt amount.
It may be provided with a rotating means for returning. Further, the agricultural working machine R is not limited to a roll baler, but is naturally applied to a maneuver spreader and the like, and can also be applied to a machine to which a rotational driving force is not transmitted, such as a trailer. Further, the present invention can be widely applied to not only farm work machines but also towed vehicles connected to a tow vehicle.

[0029]

In summary, according to the present invention, the following excellent effects are exhibited.

(1) According to the configuration of claim 1, the connecting portion and the connecting member can be easily brought close to each other only by moving the towing vehicle, and the connecting work with the towed vehicle is easily performed. be able to.

(2) According to the configuration of claim 2, even if the connecting frame tilts, it can be immediately returned to the predetermined posture, and the work load in the connecting work can be reduced and speeded up.

(3) According to the third aspect of the invention, the urging means can be made relatively small without restricting the configurations on both sides of the connecting frame or the like.

(4) According to the structure of claim 4, it can be easily applied to a relatively simple connecting frame.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a first embodiment of a towing connecting device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway side view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing the whole of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a plan view for explaining the operation of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing another embodiment of the biasing means of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing another embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a conventional coupling device.

[Explanation of symbols]

9 Towing connection device 10 Connection member 15 Connection frame 18 Gas spring (biasing means, attitude control mechanism) 19 Power transmission system 22 Lower link (connection part) 24 Connection shaft 61,84 Cylinder (biasing means, attitude control mechanism) 95,96 Tensile spring (biasing means, attitude control mechanism) A center line (center in the machine width direction of the agricultural work machine) B center line (center in the width direction of the connecting frame) T tractor (tractor) R farm work machine (towed vehicle) )

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A towing connecting device having a connecting member for connecting a towed vehicle such as an agricultural machine to a connecting portion of a towed vehicle such as a tractor, wherein the towed vehicle is separated from the towed vehicle. A towing connecting device comprising an attitude control mechanism for holding the connecting member in an attitude appropriately facing the connecting portion. 2. The connecting member is provided on a connecting frame rotatably supported by a towed vehicle, and the posture control mechanism urges the connecting frame in a connecting posture. The towing connecting device according to claim 1, further comprising a biasing means. 3. The towing connecting device according to claim 2, wherein the urging means is provided at the center of the towed vehicle in the machine width direction. 4. The towing connecting device according to claim 2, wherein the biasing means is provided on a side portion of the towed vehicle which is offset from the center in the machine width direction.