US1612186A - Posthole digger - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 28 1926.

L. E. GlBSON POSTHOLE BIGGER Filed April 5, 192 .4 sheets-sheet 1 /N VEA/TOR i Dec. 28 19.26.`

l... E. GIBSON l PosTHoLE DIGGR Filed April 5. 1926' 4 Sheets-Sheet .2

l NVENTOR A Tra/NE y Dec. 2s 192e.

L, E. GIBSON POSTHOLE DIGGER 4 Sheets-Sheet :5

Filed April 5. 1926 Dec. 28 1926.

l.. E. GIBSON POSTHOLE DIGGER Filed April 5, 192.6 4 sheets-sheet. 4

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A TTORNE y l??atentedA Een. 28, 1926.,

UNllfl STATES LEO E. GIBSON, F BETE/01T, MCI-IfG-AN.

PQSTHOLE BIGGER.

Application filed April 5, 1926. Serial No. 99,706.

This invention relates to an earth boring machine, and has for its object an improved organization of parts by means of which post holes and the like may be easily and neatly bored in the ground at any selected location with a minimum handling of earth, and in consequence leaving the ground surroundin' the hole when bored in its original firm ane tightly packed condition, as con tiasted with the relative looseness of the earth in case a larger hole is excavated, as by hand, with a subsequent attempt to manually repack the earth about-the hole with sui'iicient firmness to hold it without resort to lateral guy wires.

ln the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of my improved construction.

Figure Q is a front or end view.

Figure 3 is a plan View.

l" ure a is a horizontal partly sectional taken along the line 4--4 of Figure y1, .nd looking in the direction of the arrows 'here shown.

Figure 5 is a `partly sectional vertical elevation of the details of the auger-actuating and brushwrotating portions ofV the mechanism.

' While any suitable or convenient type of chassis frame or engine may be employed in connection with the structural ideas herein disclosed, with modifications obvious to any one skilled in the art-it will be seen that i have illustrated my preferred construction in connection with the now well-known tractor and `a` suitable frame, whose parts are arranged in such a manner that all can be controlled and operated from a point within reach of the drivers seat, thus making my device especiallyia fone man plant instead of requiring a crew of two or three, as in some of the prior devices with which am familiar. Certain of these constructions as well embody principles of const-ruction which are not only initially expensive, but which l have found ,in practiceare likely to become clogged as the loosened earth is removed, and which if especially heavy downward `gressurepupon the boring blad/eis requiredpto follow up the cutting movement thereof, involve more or less jamming and binding of the operative parts. l

Toavoid these difficulties, my device is made to embody with the tractor unit and its frame an over-engaging or overreaching boom structure, from whose free end the boring element is suspended for free rot-ation, and which by properly timed actuation of certain of the controls can be made to function efficiently both as a downwardly weighing element to assist the cutting movement of the auger blades, and as a medium for intermittently lifting the entire boring member, with what earth it has meantime loosened resting upon its blades, free and clear of the hole that has been cut in the ground,vfor removal of the loose earth therefrom in any desired manner, as for example, by means of the brush or sweep member, which i will hereinafter describe more fully.

In this construction 12 represents the chassis or tractor frame, 13 the traction wheels an-d 14 the tractor plant, whose several power-delivering mechanisms may all be controlled by levers positioned conveniently adjacent the drivers seat 15. Positioned generally lengthwise over the tractor frame, and pivoted to either side through its lower ends, is a boom or frame piece 16, from the free swinging or outer end of which the boring shaft 36 is suspended in position of free rotation by means of the swivel Each of the side pieces of the frame 16 has pivot-ally connected with it, toward its opposite end from which the boring shaft is suspended, the top ends of a pair of links 1T and 18. The lowerends of the links 17' .are journaled on the shaft 19, whereas the lower ends of the links 18 are pivotally connected to the upper edge of the Quadrant 20, which is also carried on the shaft 19 in position for a limited up and down movement by the operation of actuating means which will be later described. llt will thus be obvious from an inspection of the full line and dotted line positions of the boom 16 and the links 17 and 18 shownin Figure 1, that, as the quadrant is moved up and down, the boom will be swung accordingly, due to thefact that in its intermediate portion each side of the boom frame carries a `roller 22, which engages in a curved channel ,guide 23, which rises on each side of the vehicle frame, thus constituting a moving or slidable pivot point cooperating withthe action ofthe links 17 and 18 to throw the boom toany intermediate positions ybetween the full line position and the dotted 4line position shown; the curvature of the Guides 23 and the relative length and positioning i ofthe links 17 y. and 18 is such that therpoint of suspension of the boring shaft moves in and by means of wnich one or the other of the idler pinions 25 and 26 may be thrown Vinto or out of engagement witn the idler wheel 2T, whose teeth are uniformly in mesh with those of the larger gear wheel Q8 mounted on the shaft 29. This latter carries, so as to rotate with it the reducing sprocket wheel 30. over which passes the endless chain 31. Ahis latter in turn passes about the sprocket wheel 32 which is mounted upon the shaft 83, which latter also carries the smaller reducing gear 34, which lies in a plane coincident'with thatI of the quadrant 20, and in such position with respect thereto that its' teeth mesh with teeth i in the periphery thereof. The boom and its supported boring shaft may thus be raised or lowered under manual control as regards their speed and degree of movement, in unison with the boring action, and according to the speed with which the boring blades make their way down into the ground.

For the transmission of power to the boring blade, l make use of a. series of gear member.: and endless chain elements, which directlyv or indirectly derive their actuation from the gear wheel 42, which is carried on the end of the shaft 41, which, as regards the boringj operations, may be regarded as thev main shaft. rlho main shaft of the en- Vgine itself is, however, shown at 46; on it is carried the sprocket wheel 45, which cooperate with the sprocket wheel on the shaft 41 in cafryiirgT the endless chain 44, and thus operatively conmctir'o` both the boring and the lifting` mechanism with the engine. The teeth of the. rear wheel 42 (ou the shaft 41) are always in mesh with those of the pinion 47. which carried on the stud or cross shaft 48. rlhe rotation of the pinion 4T in the direction shown by the small arrow in Figure 1 imparts rotative movement to the idler pinion 9.5 in ca the latter is thrown into mesh therewith by suitablepull upon the hand lever 24; the teeth of this pinion 47, being in mesh with those of the pinion 42, the rotative movement thus communicated to it is in turn passed on to the idler pinion 49, whose'meshingg or otherwise with the pinion 4T is Vregniatable by means of the shifting collar 50 and its hand lever 51, to move the pinion 49 into and out of the plane of the pinion 47 The idler pinion 4,9` is preferably. mounted upoiithe stud longitudine l'zeywa'y 66, which estenos carried in the chassis frame. The teeth of rhe idler pinion 49 mesh with those of the pinion 53, carried on the shaft 54, on which is also mounted the sprocket wheel 55, over which passes the endless sprocket chain 56, for the communication of rotative movement to the sprocket wheel 57, which is rotatably supported on the shaft 58 which passes through bearings 59 in the boi; or shell 60, whence its rotative movement is communicated to the shaft of the auger or boringl member 86 by the bevel gears 61 and G2.

This box or shell GO is carried on one end of the t actor frame 12, and being adequately noused in as regards the possible :iccess of loose earth to its contained part-s, the possibility of clogging from this source is reduced to a minimum. The auger shaft 3,6, however, extends movably therethrough, being,r operatively connected with the 'sl G4, which moves with the bevel ge r by means of the' key 65 operatingl Jn enough up toward the swivel-supporter upper end to permit of the shaft receiri rotative actuation from the bof; p at any point along a longitudinal dis A, equal to the exiected depth of the bore it is desired to cut in the arth. il"

i referably, though not necessarily, the box GO connected with the frame 12 pivotallv by mean of the transversely extending s 67, so that for convenience and avoidance of injury to the boring blade while the apparatus is being moved from one location to another the box and auger may be tilted at an angle, thus adequately raising the top ot the blade above the surface of the ground,

Wlhen the operator.l by pull upon the lever startin-gthe cooperative action of rants 20 and the links 17 and 18, in a way to cause downward or weighino pressure by the boom upon the shaft of the auejer 36 coaXially thereof, thus aiding` the downward cutting action of the blades into the earth. Vhen the hole has been bored to the desired depth, or to such portion thereof as has resulted in the accumulation about the boring blade of a considerable quantity of loose earth, the further rotative movement of the boring shaft temporarily halted by suitable actuation of the hand lever 5l, and at the Sametime the downwardly weighing` prcssure of the boom 16 is terminated by a pull upon the lever 24.y causing),` the mechanism already described to swingthe boom upwardly, but thanks to the cooperation of the links 17 and 18 and the curved channel guides 23, in such a wav as not to disturb the axial position of the shaft of the auger v36 with respect yto the gear box 60, thus leavboom member relatively to` the work in progress.

5. In an earth-boring machine, the com bination of a supporting chassis, a link-supported boom positioned thereover, laterally positioned guide members with which said boom has a slidable engagement, adapted to cooperate with the link members in guiding the swing of the boom in a vert-ical plane, a boring member rotatably supported from the free end of said boom, a powei` plant carried by said chassis, and selective power-transmitting means whereby the actuative power of the engine may be distributcd to the traction elements of the vehicle, to the boom,'or te the. boring member.

G. .In an earth-boring mechanism, the combination, with a tractor frame, of an engine carried thereby, a plurality of link members supported by said frame in position of potential swing in a vertical plane, a boom member supportedV by said link members, stationary guide members with which said boom member is slidably connected and whereby, in cooperation 'with said link members, the possible movement of said boom member is regulated, a rotatable boring member suspended from said boom in uniformly vertical position, a normally inactive brush member adapted to rotatively engage the upraised blade of the boring member toctlect the clearance therefrom of the earth loosened by its boring action, and a plurality ot selectively actuable operative connections between said engine and the several movable elements whereby its actuative movement may be transmited to them when and to the degree required.

7. In an earth-boring mechanism in combination with a power plant and tractor frame carrying the same, a boom member adjustably positioned superiorly of said frame, a boring member rotatably supported from said boom member adjacent one end of the frame, normally inactive means whereby the power plant may be operatively connected with said boring member, and means tixedly supported on either side of said boom member and with which said boom member is slidably connected for regulatably varying the position of said boom member relatively to the frame as the action of the boring member progresses, without impairment of the axial position of the latter relatively to the frame and to the earth location being worked upon.

8. In an earth boring mechanism, the combination, with a tractor frame and a power plant carried thereby, of a boom member positioned thereabove, means connectible with the power plant for varying the angular position of the boom member, avboring member rotatably supported from the free end of said boom member in axially vertical position adjacent an end of the vehicle chassis, means supported by said tractor frame and with respect to which said boom member is operatively connected whereby its actuated angular swing effects no variation in the axial position of the boring member, means connectible at will with the power plant for effecting the rotative actuation of said boring member at any point in its path of vertical travel, and normally inactive means positioned at one side of the axial location of the boring member whereby the blades of the latter may be cleared of loose earth when the same is raised to the upper portion of its axial path of travel.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specifcation.

LEO E. GIBSON.

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